quick ? about hammocks...

[Serial 07]

i'm not too experienced with hammocks, so i ask this out of ignorance...i like to cowboy if i'm not gonna set up my tent because of weather, so my question is: does a hammock "set" provide something that i can use to lay on? is there a rain fly that detaches or is it all one part? could i use my hammock as ground cloth?

thanks...

[Tinker]

Hammock material is usually not waterproof, so it doesn't do well as a groundsheet. You could use the tarp, but if you get holes in it it won't work very well for overhead duty. Most hammocks have tarps which are detachable. I don't know of one major brand which has a tarp permanently attached. If you want to cowboy and you are carrying a hammock, you could use a closed cell foam pad right on the ground, or you could carry a small piece of Tyvek or plastic. The "extra" groundsheet you carry makes a very nice "floor mat" for your hammock, enabling you to brush off your feet before putting them into your sleeping bag.

[bigcranky]

I carry a Gossamer Gear groundsheet. It's really light, and multipurpose. Works well for cowboy camping.

[JaxHiker]

I just picked up a JRB WeatherShield. Guess you can use that as a groundcover.

[Alligator]

Do you like to cowboy camp because you like to look up at the sky or because you like to sleep on the earth?

If you like to look up at the sky, you can leave your tarp off, but some hammocks have bug nets that don't detach.

If you just want to sleep on the ground for some reason, some hammock setups incorporate a sleeping pad. Generally the pads are 3/4 pads or so and you could use that.

[1azarus]

...sounds like you'd be happiest with a really simple (cheap!) hammock that doesn't have an attached bug net... Alligator is on the right track, I think... use the hammock without a tarp and you've got cowboy camping without the pain. you probably need to bring a foam pad, too, because under-insulation is really important in a hammock below about 65 degrees (really!), and you could then use the pad on the ground if for some (unfathomable) reason you wanted to sleep there, with the detachable tarp above in bad weather.

[russb]

I carry a poncho as my rain gear... it serves also as a ground sheet if needed as well as a weathershield for the hammock. As a WS, it adds an amazing amount of warmth.

[Just Jeff]

Only the Clark hammock has the tarp permanently attached, and most hammock manufacturers will let you choose which tarp you want with the hammock. (The ones that also supply tarps, at least.) The small Hennessy Hammock tarps won't be suitable for ground sleeping, for example...but they'll substitute a larger version for the price difference. Speer and JRB offer hammocks and tarps, but you're not limited to a specific version...all of their tarps would be suitable for ground use. There are also aftermarket tarps like the OES MacCat series...these are generally considered less appropriate for ground use b/c they're not square or rectangle but they CAN still work on the ground.

Bottom insulation on a hammock is definitely something to consider below ~70F or so, depending on the sleeper, wind conditions, etc. Some use compressible insulation hung below the hammock, like underquilts, which will compress and not keep you warm if you use them on the ground. Others use some sort of pad inside the hammock that will work just like a normal ground pad. I've recently been using compressible/breathable insulation for my torso, then a torso-sized CCF pad for my legs. I use the CCF as a sit pad on the ground, leg insulation in the hammock, and it's big enough to use as a regular torso pad if I went insane and decided to sleep on the ground for some unfathomable reason.

Hammock bodies won't work too well as a groundcloth. As mentioned above, they're usually not waterproof. More importantly, if you poke a hole in a groundcloth it's not a big deal...but then if you use that same groundcloth to suspend you 3' above sticks and rocks and that hole decides to get bigger, you may be in trouble. Many hammock models can be set up on the ground as a tent, but separate groundcloths are usually recommended to protect the hammock body. Better to get the cryo groundcloth mentioned above and not take the chances, IMO.

Hope this helps.

[sasquatch2014]

Only the Clark hammock has the tarp permanently attached, and most hammock manufacturers will let you choose which tarp you want with the hammock. (The ones that also supply tarps, at least.) <snip>

The Tarp on the Clark can be removed it is the Weather Shield that is connected and has a small pocket built into the body of the hammock to tuck it into and out of the way.

Ditto to what everyone has said about the ground cloth and "Cowboy" camping.

[Manach]

Having a CCF pad is a good idea in case you have to go to ground. You can put your tarp up in snake skins so that it's there to unfold if you need it and out of the way for viewing the sky. In order to avoid using a bug net when you don't want to:

Claytor mosquito hammock - once side has bug netting; flip the hammock over if you don't need the net.

Clark jungle hammock - bug net zips out of the way like the doors on a tent.

Speer hammock - bug net attached with velcro; leave it off if you want.

ENO - similar to Speer.

Lot's of options with the hammocks.

[Just Jeff]

The Tarp on the Clark can be removed it is the Weather Shield that is connected and has a small pocket built into the body of the hammock to tuck it into and out of the way.

Hrm...you are correct. Did they used to have a model where the tarp was permanently attached? I remember someone posting a long time ago about having to cut off their Clark tarp when they got an aftermarket tarp. I'm positive it was a Clark, but not sure if they had done some other mod to it. If they never had one like that, it was a bad assumption by me that they were attached based on how the foot end looks in the pictures.