Hammock camping questions

[Johnny Swank]

Alright, here's the deal. I'm going to be paddling the Cape Fear River in NC starting Nov 1. and Eagle Nest Outfitters has sponsored me with a hammock setup.

Now - how do I use this and not freeze? :cry:

Here's the link for the trip. I'm working with several school groups during the trip (h20 testing, emails, talks, etc) so if you know of any group that might me intereste have them give me a holler at [email protected].

http://sourcetosea.net/CapeFear/overview.html

 

[oldsparkey]

Really simple.......

Use a foam mattress under you or any mattress of your choice.
Then use a sleeping bag like you would in a tent. :roll:

No difference between the two except you will get a better nights sleep in the hammock and if it a Hennessey hammock then you can sleep on the diagonal, flat like in a normal bed but with more comfort since the hammock will form around you and offer more support.

It is like sleeping in a tent on the ground, your body heat will be lost between the squished layers of the sleeping bag which are under you. This is why you need some form of insulation, only to keep the warmth in the bag and not lose it to the outside, not to smooth out the roots which are under you like in a tent.

If you are using the Hennessey or any other hammock of quality like the Lawson Hammock then it can be used as a tent if there are no trees to hang it from.

I have both for my use...........Depending on where I am going.........The Hennessey does pack up a lot smaller for its size then the Lawson Hammock.

http://www.hennessyhammock.com/
http://www.lawsonhammock.com/

Chuck.

 

[Johnny Swank]

pads

Here's my plan at this point. I've got a 3/4"(maybe 1"?) thick inflatable pad from Pacific Outdoor Equiptment left over from the Mississippi trip. It's tapered at the foot and shoulders, so I was going to cut an old 1/4" pad in half, overlap it, and put it under the inflable to keep my shoulders and back warm.

Instead of all that mess, I have about 2 lbs of 800 fill floor down squirreled away that I might make an underquilt with. If I get really industrious, I might make another quilt for the top. Both of these would be based on the ones at Jacks r Better. http://www.jacksrbetter.com/

I don't really have much time to mess with any of this. The underquilt will be an sewn-through affair if it gets done at all. That'd probably be OK down to 40ish. Toss in the inflatable or a closed cell pad and I should be golden. My main issue is space to put the pad. The kayak I'm using is a Hurricane Tracer, and it ain't big enough for a bunch of extra crap.

 

[oldsparkey]

All I use is one of the 3/8th thick foam rubber pads that I have trimmed down to 3/4 length. You do not need a lot under you, just something to stop the heat loss from the compressed sleeping bag under you as in everytime you go camping in the cold.
The thin pad (Army Navy stores sell them) and a good sleeping bag designed for the weather is all you need ....... Just like sleeping in a tent.
If you think you might get cold then get a set of sweats and wear them to bed but be ready to open the bag so you can cool down. Besides sweats are nice to have on in the evenings around a campfire.
Just less to pack and more comfort.

What hammock are the equipping you with ??????

Chuck.

 

[Johnny Swank]

Hammock

An Eagles Nest DoubleNest. Maybe they think my ass is too big or something?

http://www.eaglesnestoutfittersinc.com/double-nest-hammock.html

 

[oldsparkey]

You got me :? ..... No suggestions about that hammock. There's no protection from the elements, critters like bugs and all the rest from what I can see on there web site for the basic hammock.

Unless they are going to furnish you the options they have, rain and bug protection. If not then you will want a tarp to protect yourself from the elements.

Other then that it would be the same thing about sleeping on the ground or above it... a good form of insulation under you.

As far as the sides for bugs and above you for the weather.... Your decision on how to do that.

Chuck.
It sure is nothing like the Hennessey Hammock.

Or the Lawson Hammock (Blue Ridge model)

 

[Kayak Jack]

John, I'm the guy that started the movement toward the Hennessy's here. What chuck has related to you is pretty good advice. I will pass along my experiences to augment.

If you have a bag with a pocket on the back for a mattress, take that one. Big Agnes bags have that. (Ridiculous sounding name, great equipment.)

I use a 3/4 length pad; it is made of two Ridge rest pads taped together with duct tape (what else?) with about a 1/2" gap between the pads. This gap allows for easy folding. It is an elongated kite shape, wide at shoulders, narrow at head, narrows down towards feet.

I used the spare corners that were cut off as a doorstep. I re-taped them together into a rectangle, and it sits immediately below the entry/exit slit of the Hennessy. On REALLY cold nights - freezing - my feet get cold where my heels press down on the bag and compress the insulation. Then, I slip my doorstep under my feet.

I've used a self-inflating Thermo-Rest pad, and it is nice, but very bulky. To save space on a kayak, I roll up my closed cell foam pad, tie it tightly with a rope kept for that purpose, and tether it to my aft bungees as a paddle float. The same sleeping pad is also used to kneel on for loading & unloading operations. It is also an easy chair in camp. It is also a kneeling pad - placed ion a gentle incline for drainage - on which to take a sponge bath.

Chuckie is also right (AARRGGHH!! it hurts to say that twice) in that the cited hammock will leave you vulnerable to weather & bugs. Frankly, if you take it along, let someone else carry it for daytime lounging. You will not be comfortable sleeping in it. On bad nights it will rain on your bag, and blow away the warmth you are trying to harbor in your bag. On good nights, the dew will saturate your bag. I would not depend upon it for shelter, daytime lounging only.

Of course, I could be wrong this time. I have been before. But, I don't think so.

 

[Johnny Swank]

Tarp and bugs

Should have put that in the original post. I'm taking my 8x10 siltarp and might throw in my headnet or something. I don't think bugs are going to be an issue on this trip.

Worst case scenerio has me just using the tarp and pad just like I always do, so no big deal. Camping spots shouldn't be that big of a deal to find (hopefully) until the last 40 miles or so.

 

[Johnny Swank]

Eagle Nest hammock

Damn that was fast. I talked with the folks at Eagles Nest on Monday afternoon, and the UPS man dropped the hammock and straps off this morning!

Quick observations:
1) I really like the Slapstraps. They nylon straps with several loops sewn into it. Wrap around the tree, feed the strap within a loop on the end, and clip the hammock on. Quick and easy, and you can adjust the tension just be clipping into a different loop without having to untie anything.

2) The steel biners these things are shipped with are HEAVY. If i was going backpacking and had to actually carry this setup, I'd likely ditch the biners and just tie into the slapstraps with spectra cord.

3) They shipped me a DoubleNest, which is plenty big. Now I have an excuse to get to sewing that down quilt I've been putting off for three years.

Getting excited. I'm working with several river groups on this trip, one of which is the Cape Fear Assembly. We going to open up a paddling trip to the public on the Cape Fear on Saturday, Nov 11. I'm also doing a slideshow at their headquarters in Wilmington that night at a dinner meeting open to the public. They're supplying the vittles, and everything is free.

I'll post the full details as soon as I hear from them. In the meantime, the webpage for this trip is http://sourcetosea.net/CapeFear/overview.html

 

[Kayak Jack]

John,

I'll be interested in your thoughts about the under quilt. Every time I tried to rig a reflector blanket or similar rig under my Hennessys, it resulted in two things. First, the neighbors (some up to two miles away) learned some new and interesting words and phrases. And secondly, bitter disappointment on my part.

I simply resorted to the pad inside the hammock that could be used several other ways too.

So, let me know your outcomes & thoughts , ehh?

 

[Johnny Swank]

underquilt

Will do. The underquilt is assuming that I actually get the thing done in time. Worst case scenerio is that

1) I sew this thing
2) I take the pad(s) that I normally would take
3) I still take my sleeping bag
4) The underquilt idea sucks, but I end up with a killer quilt that I had been planning on sewing in the first place. Use that instead of the sleeping bag underneath the tarp.


It'll be a good time to play with things regardless. I'd much rather deal with this than normal stuff.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Re: underquilt

... It'll be a good time to play with things regardless. I'd much rather deal with this than normal stuff.

HEAR!! HEAR!!

"Oh, Death, where is thy sting-a-ling-a-ling?
Oh, Death, where is thy sting!!!"

 

[Eichhornia]

In a hammock, can you sleep on your stomach or side or just your back?

 

[Kayak Jack]

Back, side, or tummy. Tummy sleeping takes a bit of squirming. I normally sleep on my side or back.

Hennessys are very comfortable because they mold themselves to you, rather than the other way around. And when there's a breeze and they gently rock back and forth ...... pure dreamland.

 

[JEM]

And when Jack eats Chuck's beans, a giant skid mark will form on the bottom of his hammock.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Yer being naughty, Matt.

 

[oldsparkey]

And when Jack eats Chuck's beans, a giant skid mark will form on the bottom of his hammock.

Matt ... Boy am I happy you said that..... Had no idea on what to make for supper tomorrow night .... Now I know what we will have .

I make a real mean 7 bean........ bean soup...... really good and with some fresh cornbread.

"O" .... By the way when Jack has some of it, we use his hammock as a place to keep him from floating away, might say it is a confined area for his protection since it is totally enclosed but well ventilated. :lol:

Chuck.

 

[JEM]

I do a pretty good Navy bean.

I soak the beans overnight and then drain to help prevent "outgassing".

 

[Kayak Jack]

When soaking beans or marinating meat, I use the large containers with the Tilia Food Saver. Put in the liquid and he soakee material, apply vacuum. Release and re-apply vacuum several times. You will see clouds of fine bubbles, then the fluid level subsides when pressure is let back in. Fluid is going into the soakee material. The pressure drives fluid in.

Then, just let it soak some more. But this greatly compresses soak time. If marinating meat, refrigerate all the time during marinating.

 

[Kayak Jack]

... "O" .... By the way when Jack has some of it, we use his hammock as a place to keep him from floating away, might say it is a confined area for his protection since it is totally enclosed but well ventilated. :lol:

Next to my hammock is a sign reading "AREA 51". Running down the sign post is a small pressure line. You will hear the quiet hum of a small pump. It moves air (and other materials) from my hammock into Chuckie's.

This stuff works better than Sominex.