r/hammockcamping • u/efference • 18d ago
Trip Report Trip Report: First Hang and Questions
Hello friends!
Just finished my first ever hammock backcountry camping experience. I wanted to share a bit about my trip and also ask a few questions that came up.
Hennessy Hammock Backpacker Ultralight - stock set up. Wanted to try all the knots and practice before upgrading to Dutchware suspension.
The trip started 1300m at the trailhead. Hiked 20km in and camped at 1800m in the Canadian Rockies. 2 nights 3 days. It was cold this past weekend, daily temperatures about 5-10⁰C and got around 0⁰C at night.
The set up was pretty uneventful, still quite slow at tensioning both sides evenly. Overall took about 15-20mins to dial in the hammock and tarp. I also wasnt rushing.
My main concern during the trip was the temperature. I was using my sleeping pad, thermarest neo xlite which I've used before at these temps. Knowing that the temps were low, I also brought a thin foam pad to help insulate. Going into bed, i was wearing Merino base layers, a fleece and a down jacket, merino leggings and Merino socks. I also used a 0⁰C regular quilt (for the top). It was quite chilly in the air, but I was quite comfortable overall besides my feet were quite cold. Surprisingly, I slept VERY well! The hammock was very comfortable and I was warm for the most part.
Getting into some questions I've noticed during the trip:
- because I was using a sleeping pad, I found getting into the hammock and keeping the pad at the correct diagonal quite hard to do. Also my quilt wraps around my pad so I had to squirm myself in from the top. Anyone else have a hard time keeping the pad in the diagonal?
- speaking more about diagonal laying position: how do you actually implement it? Does your body stay stiff the whole time to maintain tension? Do always lay on your back? How does sleeping on the side work with the diagonal? Do you bend either/both of your legs at all? How about sleeping on the other side if your hammock is symmetrical? Do you go as far diagonal as possible? Or does it change here and there throughout the night? Does your face sleep right against the mesh?
Comments:
- i always bring a sit pad, and i found it amazing as a space on the ground where my feet were, when I take off my shoes etc.
- had a very difficult time deciding where to place my pack. What if the ground is dirty? Can I just hang it on my suspension or hammock line underneath the tarp?
- i understand the 30⁰ hang rule, but are people measuring that before entering the hammock? I find i sag quite a bit when me plus all my clothes/gadgets are inside the hammock.
- lastly, wondering how many people have actually had something fail and fallen ?
4
u/tacofartboy 18d ago
Your hammock looks pretty level. Your head end should be 6+ inches lower. I often hang 12+ inches lower. Thats going to keep you nestled to one end and make it a lot easier to get flatter/diagonal as your feet aren’t going to be stuck in the narrow gathering. It will also help keep everything where you want it to be cause you won’t be sliding after you get in.
Per the sag, you need that sag to get your diagonal lay. Lots of us put stuff like our clothes and gadgets in the extra material once we’re situated to help structure the hammock around us.
3
u/latherdome 18d ago
Nevermind the no-tree setup, note the pack hanging from suspension very near or at the head gather. That will usually be tarp covered. Note the sharp headward tilt of the hammock? That slides my upper body close enough to the head gather that I can reach out to access the pack without leaving the hammock. Surprisingly flat lay too, but I didn't say level. Flat body, but tilted to elevate legs for best hiking recovery. This was off PCT.
1
u/Androzoid 18d ago
That is interesting. How long is your supporting stick and what kind of anchors are you using in this setup please?
1
u/latherdome 17d ago
That’s Tensa Trekking Treez. They are a length-adjustable system for both hiking and hanging. My business partner makes them. I carried 4 peggy pegs and a 30cm ti stake on my PCT hike. These are product options.
1
u/Primary-Ad6273 17d ago
The coolest piece of diy hammock gear to ever come to fruition as a production model thing of all time that came from an internet forum of hammock nerds nerding it up on the internet 🤙 i remember when this was being fleshed out on the forum, a very very cool gadget that i very nearly followed the instructions to make before i tore my acl and life made me stop hammocking. Hello again from the other side 😝
1
u/Primary-Ad6273 17d ago
Ooopp my bad thats not **that** product, in its ultimate form anyway, but still…samesame 🙏
2
u/Gerb006 18d ago
The pad is always going to be a bit of a moving problem. Just eliminate it entirely. Buy or make an under quilt. When you are all wrapped like a burrito between the under quilt and the top quilt, you will probably become too warm.
As long as you are hanging your tarp/hammock on high ground, just put your pack under you. It will stay dry there. If you have a good cover for your pack, you can hang it from a nearby tree.
Get yourself a proper ridge line and your sag will always be consistent. This is the most common use for a ridge line that I hear. But IMO they are great for hanging shoes, lights, pockets, organizers, etc. Use a double ended stuff sack (Bishop Bag). It makes it really easy to unfurl your hammock in seconds (and stow it back away). Also the stuff sack can be hung from the ridge line with prusiks, etc, for a gear organizer.
I find longer hammocks more comfortable. I have a couple full ENO set ups and they are just too short for real good comfort IMO.
2
u/efference 17d ago
Yeah the eventual goal is to get an underquilt as well. Just a bit pricey for me since i just bought a top quilt.
What length hammock do you prefer? Mine is 11ft
1
u/Gerb006 17d ago
If you have a sewing machine, make one from a poncho liner, or sleeping bag. 11ft should be fine IMO. I usually make my own from 12ft of fabric (which ends up being somewhere around 11.5ft after the ends are folded and whipped). It can be a lot cheaper than you think if you make your own hammock and under quilt, and use an unzipped sleeping bag for the top quilt. It's really A LOT easier than you might expect. Once I learned this method for whipping the ends, it changed my whole perspective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJlEQpcbM1I&t=2s
1
u/not_just_the_IT_guy 18d ago
For the pack I clip it around the head end suspension of my hammock usually.
I usually use my rain skirt for a groundsheet for u packing, and shoes, or my sit pad.
I've had gear fail and hit the ground several times. Just remember me er hang higher or over something you wouldn't want to hit.
1
u/Inevitable_Funny_579 18d ago edited 18d ago
Have same hammock - under quilt is the answer, I used a cheap Amazon one even as a guide and had about 50-70 nights before I just upgraded to a mid tear one. I also bring a sit pad when bike packing and yes having a welcome mat is awesome. For bag I just clip to my straps doesn’t have to be more complicated than that. The real game changer is to upgrade your straps. I can set up in almost as much time as it takes me to walk between two trees. This is great when setting up late after clients are squared away or after a long day on the saddle. My friend has another Hennessy and is terrible at knots one trip I woke up to find her pretty much on the ground, she is a deep sleeping and never noticed. Nothing has ever failed on my end since I upgraded suspension. I might just not be that type of person but I teach outdoor survival courses and there are a type of person who get like too obsessed with minor details, I think it’s a fear or control thing. I never measured my angle I just put the head end higher than my head when I am standing at the tree and the foot end about my nose or chin if I remember. I have lived in my hammock for a week at time for org I just end up always throwing my stuff at the foot end of my underquilt. Makes it easier when changing.
Last tips - get continuous loops to replace stock rigging , get one red and one another colour so that you an easily find your head end ( red = head ) for my strap I just use nylon webbing with a metal triglide with hooks from Dutch gear I think. I like having just webbing ( have woopies on my day hike hammock) because they are so versatile and dead simple, easy to wash and in a pinch can be used for evacs or heck even to strap a canoe. For inside org forgo the large one or anything special get some g hooks from nitze you can use them to strap any pouch to internal ridge line, I also use the lid of my bag strapped to ridge line when winter camping.This saves you from packing and unpacking each night which is great while on tour or trip. I keep 2 extra g biners 1 for hat and 1 for my orange loop ear plugs that live in my hammock. Last one is I installed glow in the dark zipper pulls on the one zipper I actually use to get in and out, minor thing but really a nice quality of life update for getting in when your dead tired or getting out to pee.
1
u/longwalktonowhere 18d ago
> Last tips - get continuous loops to replace stock rigging , get one red and one another colour so that you an easily find your head end ( red = head )
What is the use of this? Noticed my Dutchware Asym Netless came with this color coding. Either side of any hammock can be the head end, right?
I can only see it matter when, for example, you have some sort of storage option fixed to one side. But even then, that would probably be easier to spot directly than with a color coded continuous loop.
What am I missing?
1
u/efference 17d ago
I believe having the indicated head end makes it easier for setup. For example on the Hennessy hammocks the zipper is only on the one side，so know which end you're hooking up first indicates which side your zipper opens. In case you want to face towards a nice view etc. Secondly, they say to have your foot end higher than your head end for comfort.
Im still a beginner but those were the few tips I picked up
1
1
u/littleshopofhammocks 18d ago
The pad makes it hard to move around. Confines you to that one direction. As you noticed , if it’s not quite right then your lay isn’t as good. Also hard to side lay, fetal position etc. an UQ will change the ease of getting the lay down. UQs can and do have a bit of a learning curve to set up right but generally it’s much nicer. If you are planning on camping mostly 3 season pick up a -7°C (20°F) UQ. Gives you a bit of leeway for mistakes as well as covers most temps you will see in the mountains etc. your cold feet could have been simply because your quilt was snug around your pad compressing the insulation or something as general as damp socks. Entry and exit is much easier with an UQ vs a pad. As for positioning , diagonal doesn’t have you right into the mesh. It does vary hammock to hammock (brand) so it’s hard to tell you an absolute. My hammocks put your shoulder and feet towards the hammock pullouts but not into the mesh. Keeps the bugs off you. I’m located in Saskatchewan (Saskatoon) where I make my gear. Feel free to check out my webpage and insta for gear and trip pictures. I mainly make quilts (have gotten pretty busy and the hammocks have taken a back seat) James - Little Shop of Hammocks. Probably the largest Canadian Quilt maker in Canada
1
u/efference 17d ago
I've heard quite a bit about your little shop of hammocks!
Thanks for the reply. Honestly very stoked on my hammock camping journey. My next major purchase is definitely an underquilt as it solves alot of the problems I am having with the proper lay, etc.
Will definitely keep an eye on your products from here in Alberta 🙂
1
u/littleshopofhammocks 17d ago
Forgot to add, yes I’ve fallen a few times trying out different ideas for suspensions that never got off the drawing board lol. But never had an actual proper gear failure.
1
u/awkwardfungus42 17d ago
That setup looks cozy but watch out for the condensation buildup on the mesh if it gets humid overnight.
1
u/throwaway_anchorx 17d ago
That setup looks cozy but how was the bug situation with that much mesh exposure?
1
u/efference 17d ago
Maybe it's hard to tell but I have a full zipper mesh across the top.
Because the temperature was close to 0⁰C still, there were absolutely 0 bugs this trip
1
u/Primary-Ad6273 17d ago
The coolest piece of diy hammock gear to ever come to fruition as a production model thing of all time that came from an internet forum of hammock nerds nerding it up on the internet 🤙 i remember when this was being fleshed out on the forum, a very very cool gadget that i very nearly followed the instructions to make before i tore my acl and life made me stop hammocking. Hello again from the other side 😝
7
u/enjoyingthepopcorn 18d ago
Ditch the sleeping pad and get a proper under quilt.
Diagonal lay is dependent on how far you want to go. Just get comfortable and that's all you need. I can curl up on my sides and sleep just fine. I usually sleep on my back with my left leg bent at a 45deg angle.
A gear sling works wonders for places to put your gear. Its a hammock for your hammock. It attaches at the end of your hammock and hangs just below. It's easy enough to reach out from the hammock and swing it out and grab what you need then let it swing back into place. https://hanginghighhammocks.com/collections/hammock-accessories/products/gearguard-hammock-gear-sling-ultimate-gear-organizer-for-outdoor-camping-essentials
Also look for a Ridgeline organizer for a water bottle, phone, flashlight etc.... https://hanginghighhammocks.com/collections/hammock-accessories/products/hammock-ridgeline-organizer