tent v Hammock

[Dustyroad]

Hi guys, first time writer long time reader. I used to use a small tent then some one said "try a hammock", so I thought mmk and looked around on Youtube and came across Hammockforums.com, an awesome site so a long story shortened I came then found amtcgear.com.au grabbed a DD Hammock and tarp + a few other bits and I'll never sleep on the ground again. Any one else tried hammocks for touring?

[Tim]

Sorry to sound like a killjoy but if it is at all possible I won't sleep under a tree with a trunk or limb diameter of more than about three or four inches.
The risk of being hit or crushed is low but I've seen too many big trees and limbs come crashing down, sometimes for no apparent reason.
It may be an irrational fear but a careful overhead assessment and avoiding dangerous burnt or dead trees just doesn't comfort me enough to sleep under a big tree, especially in windy conditions or rain after a dry period.
I love the bush, spent large sections of my life working and playing in it, but I'll camp in a clearing or light scrub any day in preference to taller timber.

[HappyHumber]

I think it's a common thing with Australian Eucalypts at least to occasionally "shed" branches.... I don't know common this is with other species of trees in the parts of the world where a lot of people who champion hammocks tend to use them.

Would be curious on others input.

[RonK]

Hi guys, first time writer long time reader. I used to use a small tent then some one said "try a hammock", so I thought mmk and looked around on Youtube and came across Hammockforums.com, an awesome site so a long story shortened I came then found amtcgear.com.au grabbed a DD Hammock and tarp + a few other bits and I'll never sleep on the ground again. Any one else tried hammocks for touring?

Aren't they all hammock zealots on hammockforums?

Yes, I have considered a Hennessy hammock but even the hyperlight is barely much lighter than a tent, and since I don't find sleeping on the ground uncomfortable there is no reward for the inconvenience of not being able to find a tree. No, two trees. And the right distance apart. And not widowmakers.

[Tim]

I think it's a common thing with Australian Eucalypts at least to occasionally "shed" branches

Yep, often in response to drought.
It reduces levels of transpiration (water loss) and overall nutrient and water requirements.

[il padrone]

Sorry to sound like a killjoy but if it is at all possible I won't sleep under a tree with a trunk or limb diameter of more than about three or four inches.
The risk of being hit or crushed is low but I've seen too many big trees and limbs come crashing down, sometimes for no apparent reason.
It may be an irrational fear but a careful overhead assessment and avoiding dangerous burnt or dead trees just doesn't comfort me enough to sleep under a big tree, especially in windy conditions or rain after a dry period.
I love the bush, spent large sections of my life working and playing in it, but I'll camp in a clearing or light scrub any day in preference to taller timber.

Not an irrational fear at all in the Australian bush environment. Far too few take account of this, and it is tragic every now and then when there is a fatality. If there are large trees around I always look up when assessing the best place to erect my tent.

Also re. hammocks, the slumped sleeping position would play all sorts of havoc with my back. No thanks I reckon a lot of the hammock fans have not discovered the 'bed at home' comfort of the Exped mattress.

[Wingnut]

I personally love sleeping in hammocks, had one at home for several years instead of a bed...

Deal breaker for me was that I like to go to places where there aren't any trees so all in all a tent or bivy seemed like a better idea...

[Cheesewheel]

I tried touring with a hammock and found that the slightly curved sleeping position was irritatingly similar to the curved position I had when cycling. In the last days of the tour I ended up rigging it up as a mosquito net from my bike so I could enjoy lying flat on the ground. I also found it difficult to sleep on slightly cool nights. The sensation of sleeping on your back with cool draft coming underneath made me feel like a magicians assistant who is levitating over some nasty swords or something. I did a bit of research and found out how people got around this by having some sort of thermal base inside the hammock ... but then if you have to start adding stuff like this you might as well get yourself a regular tent. Also I found it a bit of a struggle to get in and out of a sleeping bag while in the hammock .... trying to lay out a thin wool cloth under the sleeping bag wouldn't make things easier. I was riding along mostly sealed roads and I found myself in a bit of catch 22 situation at times. The good locations for rigging up the hammock (ie places that had trees a little bit out of the way from the road so you get a bit of privacy) were difficult to get a loaded touring bike to (I am talking about the nsw/qld border coastal area so things can get a bit jungley when you go off-road) and similarly good locations you could get the bike to weren't the best for hanging the hammock.

That said, the advantages are that you are off the ground so if its wet or muddy or crawling with bugs or snakes, you have no problems (at least until you step out of the hammock). Wouldn't like to try sleeping in one that has a bit of wind driving the rain, but the hennessy hammock tarp is good enough to survive a mild downpour (provided you set it up carefully). Also there is no need to hunt for a relatively flat place to camp. Once I even slept over a small running stream with two trees either side. I still use it from time to time in the not so cool months when I do overnighters or short trips ... but usually only in places with camping spots I am already familiar with. If I am working with too many unknown variables (weather? trees? privacy? etc) I prefer to use a regular tent since in my experience they are more adaptable and versatile in the places I tend to tour.

[il padrone]

The other day I went to my Doctor. I said, 'Doc, I am having some very strange dreams,' he said what are they? " I replied, the first dream, I am dreaming I am a wigwam, then a few nights later, I dream I am a teepee, Doc what's wrong with me?"

The Doctor says I am too tense.

[il padrone]

When it comes to tent choice, be very wary of planning to rely on your body-weight or gear in it to hold it down.

Tent-pegs hold a tent secure in the wind, nothing else.

[HappyHumber]

PMSL... And all his mate can do is jump around like a caffienated frog.

[Cheesewheel]

I think they just invented an extreme-sport alternative that finds itself at the crossways between camping and parkour

[il padrone]

I want to know.... was he still in the tent as it rolled down the road in the distance at the end ???

[Mountcyclo]

Sorry to sound like a killjoy but if it is at all possible I won't sleep under a tree with a trunk or limb diameter of more than about three or four inches.
The risk of being hit or crushed is low but I've seen too many big trees and limbs come crashing down, sometimes for no apparent reason.
It may be an irrational fear but a careful overhead assessment and avoiding dangerous burnt or dead trees just doesn't comfort me enough to sleep under a big tree, especially in windy conditions or rain after a dry period.
I love the bush, spent large sections of my life working and playing in it, but I'll camp in a clearing or light scrub any day in preference to taller timber.

Last weekend was camped out with friends in a timbered campsite, at three am there was a tremendous crash and a clatter.

Upon arising found a large dead branch had falled almost over the campfire which we were sitting close by, the clatter was the billy tripod being knocked over.

One of our group had been sitting almost directly under the limb and surely would have been hit.

The fallen limb was easily a ton of timber and would almost certainly have had fatal result.

After that incident moved my car and gear away from the site to a more open area.

[kenwstr]

Sorry to sound like a killjoy but if it is at all possible I won't sleep under a tree with a trunk or limb diameter of more than about three or four inches.
The risk of being hit or crushed is low but I've seen too many big trees and limbs come crashing down, sometimes for no apparent reason.
It may be an irrational fear but a careful overhead assessment and avoiding dangerous burnt or dead trees just doesn't comfort me enough to sleep under a big tree, especially in windy conditions or rain after a dry period.
I love the bush, spent large sections of my life working and playing in it, but I'll camp in a clearing or light scrub any day in preference to taller timber.

Not an irrational fear at all in the Australian bush environment. Far too few take account of this, and it is tragic every now and then when there is a fatality. If there are large trees around I always look up when assessing the best place to erect my tent.

Also re. hammocks, the slumped sleeping position would play all sorts of havoc with my back. No thanks I reckon a lot of the hammock fans have not discovered the 'bed at home' comfort of the Exped mattress.

This "slumped sleeping position" is an assumption that does not exist. These hammocks are designed to sleep diagonally across so you lie straight in bed, and are well supported. They will give you the best nights sleep that you have ever had in the bush. They are better for bad back than sleeping on the ground, I know. They are lighter than a tent, pack smaller, save the weight and space of a mat and footprint, poles and pegs. They can be used where there is no space for a tent, ground is sloped, uneven, stony, over undergrowth. They tend to be far more versatile in terms of camping sites. If there are no trees, then they are pitched like a tarp and bivvy setup. Apart from trying it out, I don't use one, my son does but I concede these advantages are real. His hiking pack is substantially smaller and lighter than mine primarily because he uses it and I don't. However I also don't like sleeping under potential widow makers but this is sometimes hard to avoid anyway.

Regards,
Ken

[Mikie]

G'day guys, the family and i have used hammocks for about 3 years now both in our backyard, (this was our first gifted hammock to us by a family friend which came with a stand and carry bag) - think the box said siesta hammocks which was surprisingly comfy. We did take it out to the beach and family picnic days which we found people fought over to lay in it. In saying that, we went and purchased a couple of smaller versions from that site and we now take these camping as an additional chill out/spare bed whenever we head out fishing or camping. Never had a complaint from the kids or friends. Light, durable and washable. Probably best part for you Dustyroad, you can roll the single size ones up and stuff them in a back pack and away you go on your two-wheels... Two thumbs up from me and the family!