Exploring going to ground on section hike this year...

[cmoulder]

My principle motive for chiming in was to counter just such proselytizing.

Based on ZERO experience.

According to your first post, which was exactly 8 days ago, you're a hiking noob and blew out a knee on a 9.5 mile hike, presumably have never spent a single night in the woods, and yet you feel ready to wade into the deep end and render highly opinionated judgments based on... uhhh... ???

I have many years of backpacking and mountaineering experience, and there are many folks here who have FAR more than I, and I can say without fear of contradiction that until you have "walked the walk" you have absolutely no basis for arguing the merits of anything vs anything.

I myself did not start hammocking until last Fall, not because I thought it was inferior to tenting/tarping, but because I did a lot of hiking with my dog that slept in my tent with me. However, I have several friends who are hammockers and when my wife retired and wanted the dog to stay home with her when I was out backpacking, I decided to give hammocking a try. It has worked out great for me, and I discovered that many of my assumptions — some of them based upon the same "logic" you cite — were dead wrong. I am also a practitioner of the UL (ultralight) philosophy and thought that a hammock setup would necessarily weigh more than a ground setup, which again proved to be wrong; I now have a summer kit (hammock/tarp/quilts) that weighs less than 3 lbs.

Maybe try again when you have at least a tiny bit of understanding (beyond simple knowledge) based on actual experience?

[Tinstaafl]

Umm... that first post was a year ago, and I've been an avid camper for about 60 years, mostly primitive style.

Only the hiking aspect is new to me, and I've taken that up mainly as a means of getting farther away from the madding crowd in order to do my belly-button staring. I will happily sit at your feet while you tutor me on hiking, but I doubt you have much of anything new to show me about spending a night in the woods.

[cmoulder]

Straight to IGNORE list

[scope]

Umm... that first post was a year ago, and I've been an avid camper for about 60 years, mostly primitive style.

Only the hiking aspect is new to me, and I've taken that up mainly as a means of getting farther away from the madding crowd in order to do my belly-button staring. I will happily sit at your feet while you tutor me on hiking, but I doubt you have much of anything new to show me about spending a night in the woods.

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[scope]

Ughh, hate doing this from my phone....

Sounds like you have an agenda. If you don’t think hammocks are a good method of camping, say that and only that. Otherwise, you’re exposing your axx, which is what you’ve done here.


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[4shot]

I surely would if the wife would go for it!!! Don’t knock it it till you’ve tried it.... I’m a long time rotisserie ground sleeper who has tried lots of pads and nothing comes close to the sleep I’ve gotten in a hammock. I’m a newbie hammock guy but can say for ME there’s no comparison and wish I had tried it many years ago!

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as they say ymmv. I hang sometimes and sleep on the ground others. in neither case do I sleep as well as I do in my own bed in a heated or cooled room on a comfy mattress and down pillows. But if I was forced to pick one, I would choose tent and (good) sleeping pad over the hammock/quilt/tarp system. I think a person has to commit $, miles and time to figure out what works best for him/her.

[Tinstaafl]

Sounds like you have an agenda. If you don’t think hammocks are a good method of camping, say that and only that. Otherwise, you’re exposing your axx, which is what you’ve done here.

My only "agenda", if you want to call it that, is to bring some balance to discussions like this. I've already said that if hammocking works for you, fine, go for it.

Just pointing out that there are valid reasons to lie on the ground too.

Sorry, didn't know you need a high post count and/or high hiking mileage to make valid comments here.

[CalebJ]

You didn't approach this as offering balance at all. Step back and reread your posts.

[Toolumpy]

I went back to the ground and sleep mush better than I ever did in a hammock. I do use a full size pad though as I did find my toes on the floor when I would wake up. Do what works for you.

[cmoulder]

I went back to the ground and sleep mush better than I ever did in a hammock. I do use a full size pad though as I did find my toes on the floor when I would wake up. Do what works for you.

At least your decision is based on direct experience, which gives value to your data point.

For anyone just starting out in hammocking, it would be very wise to visit hammockforums and get Derek Hansen's book The Ultimate Hang in order to learn how to do it the 'right' way. Also check out Shug Emery's videos. It isn't as simple as finding a cheap hammock on Amazon and stringing it up between a couple of trees. It requires a separate skill set and has its own learning curve.

For those still interested in learning.

[devoidapop]

Been a hammock sleeper for ten + years but find myself sleeping prone more as i get older. Just think i may sleep better if i were flat. Seeking general advise on the possible switch. Looking at the Lunar solo and a 2.5-3 inch 25 wide 3/4 pad. Thnks for any recommendations/experiences...-sloan

Have you thought about using your hammock tarp as a trekking pole shelter? You can always supplement with a bivy or bug net. That way you have dual purpose gear in case you still hang sometimes. Like others have said, your pad can definitely be dual purpose.