Holy sh*t! My two favorite things in one site! K5's and hammock camping! Haha!
For anyone that says they can't sleep in a hammock, you're doing it wrong. I got into hammock camping/ hiking about 3 years ago and I will never own a tent again.
For anyone new to hammocks, I will share a few things I learned the hard way..
- Invest in a good underquilt or pad. Unless you are sleeping in temps above 75, you will more than likely suffer from CBS. Cold Butt Syndrome. Even with a sleeping bag, you will still expierence this phenomenon due to the insulation on the bottom of the bag being compressed. Now, top quilts and under quilts can be expensive but you absolutely get what you pay for. However, if you are handy with a sewing machine, you can make one for the fraction of the price. I made both a top and bottom quilt for what the average Elightened Equipment top quilt goes for ($200-300)! Here is a link to the construction of my top quilt. It's rated at about 25-30* and I used 700fp goose down.
https://imgur.com/gallery/OqTgx
DIY if you can!!
- DO not use a Mylar/ emergency blanket directly under the hammock! It sounds like a good idea, thinking it will reflect the heat back and block wind. Well it does and it does it very well. The problem, depending on the outside temp, you wake up a cold soggy mess from the condensation and heat transfer.
- Get a good rainfly. These do not have to be expensive but depending on wind conditions, the Walmart tarps will not only annoy you while blowing in the wind but they also move around and don't cover the way they should. I have a winter tarp, the Monsoon from
https://hennessyhammock.com and my summer tarp, The Fly from
https://bearbuttteam.com . The Monsoon is a full enclosure and is a little more expensive but if you do winter trips, it's well worth it. The Fly is around $30 and is only 14oz!
And the number 1...
- Get a good hammock! I'm not talking expensive here! For example, my first setup when I first started getting into hammock camping was an ENO Double Nest. Overall, not a bad hammock. However, I later learned a few things about hammocks that would later make me wish I would have saved my money on the ENO.
I now use a
https://dutchwaregear.com 11' hammock, made from Hexon 1.6, with a structural ridgeline ($42). My suspension is the Dutch tree straps, whoopie slings and continuous loops (both made of amsteel) (approx. $25 for the suspension).
At the time I got the ENO, just the hammock was about $60 and another $30 for the tree straps. My current setup cost about as much as just the ENO hammock..
Now the biggest difference, and then I'll be done with this never ending post. Haha!
The ENO and most like it, are about a 9.5' hammock without a ridgeline. The Dutch and other cottage shops are 10'-12'. Why do you want a longer hammock? Comfort. Most people, when they first start hanging, will lay in it parallel with the hammock and you end up in the shape of a banana. This is why most people don't like them. This is where the longer hammock and a structural ridgeline come in. The ridgeline keeps the ends of the hammock fixed and allows slack in the hammock with your body weight added. With the slack in the hammock, you can now lay diagonally in the hammock. The diagonal lie will allow you to have a completely flat position, instead of the banana! That is where most newbs ditch the hammock.
Anyway, below is a great source for anything and everything hammock. This will explain everything with greater detail and probably easier to understand than my rambling.
https://theultimatehang.com/
And a few pics for good measure!
The top is an old one where I learned about the walmart tarp.. and I was trying out a new bug net design. Wasn't a fan..
The other was a Thanksgiving hang in Tennessee last year.
Happy hanging!
