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  1. #1
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    Default Hammock camping - please enlighten me

    I've come across a lot of hammock campers and am interested, but don't know the first thing about it.

    Do most people use a regular pad and sleeping bag? I have seen Jacks r better setup with the underbag but I having trouble understanding the concept.

    Please help.

  2. #2

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    https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ead.php?t=8921

    Start reading, especially the "sticky" threads about gear. Keeping your backside warm is the biggest challenge with a hammock but for the benefits of site choices and comfort it's an easy decision for most.

  3. #3
    Springer to Elk Park, NC/Andover to Katahdin
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    The underbag is an "under quilt". Basically sleeping in a hammock requires some form of insulation under you just like sleeping on the ground requires a pad not only for comfort but also insulation. The part of a sleeping bag that is under you does not provide much insulation because it is compressed by your weight. Hammock campers use foam pads or under quilts for bottom insulation and top quilts. Usually with temperatures below 70º some form of insulation is needed under you in a hammock. Think of it like this, a hammock is somewhat like a bridge that ices over first, cold air completely surrounds it. In spite of what some think though, it is not difficult to sleep warm in a hammock. I have gone as low as 2º and been warm and toasty with 35-40 mph winds. I know some that have slept in -27º temps quite comfortably. Hope this helps.
    I am not young enough to know everything.

  4. #4
    Registered User Austin_Knott's Avatar
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    I do a bit of hammock camping, and will be doing that on the AT this year. I do not recommend slap straps. https://hammockforums.net/ is a great place to start. Also, http://www.whoopieslings.com/

  5. #5
    Registered User Austin_Knott's Avatar
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    If you are looking into buying a hammock, let me recommend the Blackbird Hammock by Warbonnet. http://www.warbonnetoutdoors.com/blackbirds.php

  6. #6
    T-Rx T-Rx's Avatar
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    Read the book The Ultimate Hang. It will give you all the info you need about hammocks. Attend a hammock hanging event near you if possible. Then just get out and use your set up and find what works best for you. I use a Warbonnett Blackbird hammock with their adjustable suspension and a top quilt and underquilt by Jacks R Better. Have remained cozy and warm down to the 15 - 20 degree range with no problems. I do own a tent and occasionally use it in very cold weather, but for me a hammock offers a great deal more comfort. But as SouthMark says, staying warm in a hammock is a bit more of a challenge than in a tent.

  7. #7
    A♣ K♣ Q♣ J♣ 10♣ Luddite's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by T-Rx View Post
    Attend a hammock hanging event near you if possible.
    lol "Hammock hanging event"?

    Just buy a hammock, hang it up, sleep in it. Use an underquilt for colder weather.
    Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread.
    -Edward Abbey

  8. #8

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    Take a 3-1/2 hour drive to Pine Grove Furnace S.P. Apr 26-28 and attend the MAHHA hammock hanging event.
    Answers for every question you have will be available with 100+ hammock hangers.
    https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ad.php?t=55534
    Backpacking light, feels so right.

  9. #9
    T-Rx T-Rx's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Luddite View Post
    lol "Hammock hanging event"?

    Just buy a hammock, hang it up, sleep in it. Use an underquilt for colder weather.
    luddite,
    I am so sorry to offend your intellect with my choice of terms. Glad to provide you some comic relief. But, if you read my post you and I essentially said something very similar. But of course your response was vastly superior to anything else posted by us Neanderthals.

  10. #10
    Registered User Spirit Bear's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Marcovee View Post
    I've come across a lot of hammock campers and am interested, but don't know the first thing about it.

    Do most people use a regular pad and sleeping bag? I have seen Jacks r better setup with the underbag but I having trouble understanding the concept.

    Please help.
    Don't even go down this rabbit hole, I am warning you, the first time you hammock camp and leave the tent at home, you will never go back to sleeping on the ground. Then you turn into someone obsessed with staying warm in your hammock when the temps dip down to below 50 degrees.

    Good luck and have fun, I never slepte well on the ground on any form of pad, the hammock though is sooooo comfortable.
    You're not going to live forever
    Find this to be true
    Use your past as a guide
    While you're alive
    Live

  11. #11

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    When you register on hammockforums.net you can check the "calendar" on the home page to see what events are in the works.

    Also, see "Northeast" under the Forums tab for hangs in your neck of the woods.

    I suggest you attend a hang - the folks will be friendly and very helpful showing their set-ups, and will answer all your questions. It seems a bit complicated at first, and not everyone likes them, but IMO hammocks are more comfortable, more versatile and more fun. You need a tarp for weather protection, a top quilt and underquit (or pad); those two items may vary depending on the season.

    Cost and weight are comparable to tenting.

  12. #12

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    A cheap hammock like the Grand Trunk Ultralight can be had for about $20 on Amazon. Hang it up with any ropes you have laying around before graduating to more expensive suspension methods. Also, hang it with some sag and lay in it diagonally and you'll almost be laying flat. see how you like it before investing in something more expensive. Results may vary. see www.hammockforums.net for additional info.

  13. #13
    Registered User gunner76's Avatar
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    First...as already stated ...get the Ultimate Hang book 2nd...Attend a group hammock hang. It will allow you to check out a bunch of different rigs and setups. 3rd...there is no one perfect hammock, tarp, UQ, UQ ect. Everyone has their favorite. I have about 15 hammocks and I am still looking for the perfect one ( I keep going back to the BlackBird). 4th Test your gear under controlled conditions before you get out into the woods and find out something doesn't work the way you thought. 5 have fun
    Hammock Hanger by choice

    Warbonnet BlackBird 1.7 dbl


    www.neusioktrail.org

    Bears love people, they say we taste just like chicken.

  14. #14

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    When you start out dont get overwhelmed ,it all come natural after a while. The hang in your area will give you the info at a digestable hands on level.

  15. #15
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    As much as I love forums and reading about other people's experiences and gear, here's a well-kept secret about hammock camping: it doesn't have to be that complicated. My shelter kit includes a Grand Trunk Ultralight hammock (like someone mentioned above, it's a super deal) with tree straps, a NeoAir mattress, a couple of normal 0 and 40 degree sleeping bags, a lightweight bivy, a tarp and some titanium stakes, and a piece of Tyvek. Then I just kind of mix and match them depending on where I'm going and what season it is. For most trips, I bring the tarp, hammock, a sleeping bag, mattress, and the Tyvek. It's easy to go from ground to hammock (and even to a shelter, if I'm feeling social) with those pieces, depending on where I end up sleeping, and I'm prepared for sudden changes in the weather (very important in Maine). And I'm always plenty warm, despite the fact that I'm a cold sleeper. I really like the flexibility of this set-up; you might too. Also, none of it weighs much, and I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to pack weight.

    So yeah, get one of those cheap Grand Trunk hammocks (and a tarp, if you don't already have one), and just try it out with your current gear. You might find, like me, that it all works out pretty easily and doesn't require a big investment in new, specialized gear.

    Oh, and the piece of advice I wished I'd had when I started hammocking, get some tree straps of some sort. You'll feel bad if you scrape up a tree, and they're not much extra weight. The rest of it is just a matter of practice and taste.

  16. #16
    Registered User Fog Horn's Avatar
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    I have a brand new Warbonnet BlackBird for sale on the used gear forum. It has all the quilts and anything you need on the listing. I also have a Hennessy on there too. If you decide to make the leap to hammocking but don't want to pay full price for your set up, please take a look. I'm trying to sell it all to build a new setup!

  17. #17
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    I'd like to second Hammockforums.net and recommend watching the YouTube video series by Shugemery
    Pt 1 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7NZVqpBUV0

    Whoooooo Buddy !
    Last edited by Spiffy; 04-18-2013 at 12:38.
    "We'll burn that bridge when we get to it!"

    "Not all those who wander are lost." JRR Toliken

  18. #18
    Some days, it's not worth chewing through the restraints.
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    Lots of good advice & comments here, and like one said, it ain't that complicated. You need a hammock, a tarp, and insulation. For me, it's a Warbonnet Blackbird hammock, a Speer Winter Tarp, and a Thermarest prolite shorty pad. Keeps me very comfortable in the temperature range I expect, and gives me the option of sleeping on the ground if I want to (something an underquilt doesn't do). My system weighs about 3 pounds - you can certainly get lighter, but this works for me, and it's worth it for the quality of sleep I get and the site options I have. The tarp is huge, I have enough room under it to stand, cook, change, whatever.

    Most people who try hammocks, myself included, get the best sleep they've ever had in the woods, but they're not for everybody.

  19. #19

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    The Grand Trunk Ultralight is a cheap way to get into hammocking... But it's not very comfortable, at least not for me (6'1" 200 lbs.) I could never get a diagonal lay with mine, without my feet sticking out. I moved up to a Grand Trunk Single, which is longer and wider... Much more comfortable.

    I agree that hammocking doesn't have to be complicated, but often the 'simple' ways to hang hammocks are way more complex than the so-called 'complicated' ones. Grab some whoopie slings, you'll be glad you did.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by toemaetoe View Post
    Oh, and the piece of advice I wished I'd had when I started hammocking, get some tree straps of some sort. You'll feel bad if you scrape up a tree, and they're not much extra weight. The rest of it is just a matter of practice and taste.
    +1
    But I'm not sure they add much weight at all over some kind of bark damaging rope . I've got a pair of 15' long tree straps for big Sierra trees, and the pair only weigh 90g.

    I think on HF there is a thread about hammocking on the cheap, but I can't find it right now. It might be on Just Jeff's site.
    Basically, a Grand Trunk or ENO hammock + bug net + bag + wally blue CCF pad + rain fly is almost the cheapest, good 3-season setup you can do. All in (minus the bag naturally) your at ~$100-150

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