Hammock Camping

I hadn't really ever planned on doing any hammock camping because I've never seen any that would keep the bugs off, and the rain off.  I've only seen the ones that you get into from the top and lay in.  Then one of my friends bought a couple of good hammocks for a really good deal and let me try one on a trip.  It had it's benefits:

• you don't need to search for a flat place to sleep, or an area free of rocks (hard to find in some areas). All you need is two things to tie off to, whether they be rocks, trees, or whatever.
• It's fairly lightweight, no tent poles to take, no tarp necessary
• It's quite relaxing to be rocked to sleep by the wind.
• Hammock's like those in the pictures below, come with rain fly's that keep you dry, but allow you to see out still, they also are easy to get in and out of. 
• No sleeping pad required unless it's cold and you need to insulate from the cold.

Hammock camping in Uintah's on rocky ground

Hammock Camping on a slope below Kings Peak

There are some challenges with hammock camping though:

• It's hard to stay warm in a hammock.  Your sleeping bag gets compressed on the bottom, and leaves you with no insulation below you which makes for a cold night.
• The hammock's in the photos above have an opening on the bottom of the hammock where you climb in then when you lay back, the opening closes with velcro.  Then you need to get into your sleeping bag while rocking back and forth in the confined hammock.
• It would be good to bring a small tarp to set your stuff on, and stand on while you're getting in and out of the hammock - by small I mean it could be just a 4'x3' tarp

To solve the problem with the cold below you, we used thin pads, or even those foam, insulated, accordion type shades for truck windows.  If you slept on top of the pad, it was enough to stop the wind from freezing you from below, but it was hard to get in the hammock from below, get into your sleeping bag and then get the pad underneath you, and then keep it underneath you while you sleep (I roll a lot while I sleep).

Even goats like hammocks (well, the shade they provide anyway)

The hammocks we used were Hennessy Hammocks.  They were really well built, and I wish I had one for myself to experiment more with.  I know of some scout troops that buy hammocks instead of tents and all sleep in hammocks on their campouts.  CLICK HERE for more information on Hennessy  Hammocks.

All in all, it was a good experience.  I enjoyed sleeping in the hammocks, but at the same time, if it were bad weather for extended periods of time, you'd be stuck in your hammock all by yourself instead of in a tent with another person or two to talk to.

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