Any Hammock Hangers Here?

W

WW

New member
Mar 3, 2014
1,397
Been thinking about one but would like to try it out before I take the plunge. I have questions as to which would be best, an ENO 1 or an ENO 2.

Also, I have an Oware 8x10 siltarp. Will that work to cover overhead? And will I really need the under quilt for September elk hunts. or maybe get by with just a heat reflector space blanket. Also been thinking about the peapod setup.

As you can see, I have tons of questions. Help!
 
WW ... I\'ll be able to help you more soon, I think.

My son has a Hennesy Hammock that he hasn\'t used yet ... it\'s getting to be warm enough for camping, though, and I\'ll see how that works for him.

When I\'ve been in it (in a barn, to try out) I would say that you should get the longest one available. (We have an older ENO that is not really a camping hammock, and it\'d be much too short for anyone over about 5-6.) Take a look at the HH\'s.

I\'m really intrigued, as well, and want to see how it works for him. I will say it sure was comfortable, and the HH exit was very cool.
 
Yep, I use one. Best sleep in the woods I\'ve had, even compared to sleeping on a cot.

Warbonnet traveler http://www.warbonnetoutdoors.com/hammocks/, Kelty 12x12 tarp (What I had), KAQ Jarbridge underquilt http://www.arrowhead-equipment.com/kick-ass-quilts.html to keep my bum warm, and a Sleepy Cat sleeping bag over the top.

Some people call them bear burrito\'s. I carry bear repellant (A Tag :haha: ). They don\'t bother me.

The key is keeping your bum warm. I started with a blue Walmart pad, but my underside felt damp in the morning. The under quilt is a blanket that wraps around the bottom, and doesn\'t get compressed.

This setup allows me to sleep diagonally (Asymmetrical Hammock), almost laying flat.

The tarp is big enough to pull down to create an enclosed shelter should the weather turn bad. Even with that I can stand up (mostly). Another benefit is having a chair. No sitting on the ground if I don\'t want to.

Camp can be setup anywhere you can find two trees about 10-12 feet apart. I don\'t need level ground, nor do I need to find a place with out rocks and stumps. Plus you\'ll want to find a spot kind of sheltered from the wind so you don\'t swing around at night.

This setup was selected for the first half of archery season, as well as summer trips. It would not be my first choice after Sept.

AB
 
I\'ll know for myself in next month or so, just ordered one. I held off cause I didn\'t want to have to buy a extra fly made like a full \"tent \" enclosure to help cut wind.(100$ Extra) There were on sale for 168$ with snake selves and a extra buckles or something and just a straight rain fly. I was able to get the full tent fly without the regular rain fly and extra strap length for 200$.

Hope to do test run in a couple weeks.
 
What about the brand that Cabela\'s sells? Are they any good? I have a bunch of points!
 
\"Bob Frapples\" said:
How much or how bad does water run down the ropes when it rains?
Click to expand...

You can make rain gutters (there is an official term that escapes me right now) out of about anything. Zip tie, or just tie off a piece of paracord that hangs down off your hammock suspension.
 
These are from a trip last weekend into N. Idaho. WW hit me up and I can get you an idea on how to get started. There are cheaper options of the same or better quality than the Eno\'s that you can try out to see if Hammocks are for you.

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These are from last years elk hunt.

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Go ahead and tell me what would work to get started. It is OK to talk about different brands, good or bad on this forum.
 
\">>>---WW---->\" said:
Go ahead and tell me what would work to get started. It is OK to talk about different brands, good or bad on this forum.
Click to expand...

WW,



First off here are some loose terminology and information about hammock hanging. It can seem kind of intimidating initially but that is just because there are a lot of options.

SINGLE LAYER HAMMOCK
A single layer hammock has just one layer at the bottom where you lay down.

DOUBLE LAYER HAMMOCK
A double layer hammock comes with a second layer sewn into the bottom layer of the hammock. There is an opening between the top and bottom layer where you can slide a ground type pad in between the layers. This allows the pad to stay in one place instead of sliding all over if you put a pad in a single layer. I will address the need for a pad or other bottom type insulation in detail shortly.

HAMMOCK SUSPENSION
Most hammocks do not come with the suspension. The suspension is simply the system used to attach the hammock to the trees. There are many different variations. Some better than others some lighter than others. When I got my first hammock I did not realize it did not come without the suspension but I used old tie-down straps to tie into some trees and see if I liked it. If you decide you like it a suspension set up like this works well: http://www.warbonnetoutdoors.com/adjustable-webbing-suspension/

HAMMOCK TARPS
In a pinch plain old blue tarp will work. However the weight, pattern and lack of appropriate tie outs make them not practical especially for any backpacking type trips. A good hex cut or cat cut tarp made for hammocks is the way to go. A decent starter tarp is a Kelty Noah 9\' tarp for back packing or 12\' for car camping. http://www.rei.com/product/808941/kelty-noahs-tarp-9-x-9
. If you get into the hammock camping then you can spend some money on a better more expensive tarp if you feel the need.

INSULATION
Obviously you can use your sleeping bag for sleeping in. The only problem with that is that it leaves your bottom and sides exposed to loss of heat since there is nothing there to keep your body heat from escaping. You can use a ground pad to put under you and those will work well. They are good for initially trying out hammocks as well as most people have some kind of pad. Even a cheap Wal mart pad will work. Air pads can be really nice for side sleepers as they will keep a solid form and allow you to sleep better in different positions. I am planning on a SynMat7 by Exped to use for ground and hammock camping. The cat\'s meow when it comes to weight and pack space is a high quality underquilt which is made to cradle under the hammock and keep you warm. They are usually high quality down and are very lightweight and compressible. The best set up for backpacking in my opinion is a high quality underquilt teamed with a high quality down top quilt. They are very light and compress extremely small for fitting in your pack. I actually made some bottom quilts out of sleeping bags. In the picture above you can see my partner nestled into a Yukon Gear Hammock I bought for $28 delivered. I made an underquilt out of a $25 Wal-Mart mummy bag and cut a hole in the bottom then sewed the edges up. As you can see he was quite toasty in it. It was much heavier than we would prefer but my buddy had more muscle than money last season so we made it work.

Okay so that is the basics in a nutshell. I am sure I missed a bunch so feel free to hit me up with any questions. There is a very large online community for hammock hanging located at <!-- m --><a class=\"postlink\" href=\"http://www.hammockforums.net\">http://www.hammockforums.net</a><!-- m -->. One word of advice is if you go there and ask questions do not state that it is for hunting purposes. I think there are alot of granolas and I got much better replies when I took hunting out of my questions. There is also a very in depth easy reading book that is almost a must have for starting out called The Ultimate Hang. It written in an easily comprehendable format with many diagrams n such. Lastly if you have a little time to kill go to youtube and search for \"Shug\". He is an extremely funny knowledgable guy that is funny as hell.

SUGGESTIONS FOR STARTING OUT

WW If you were to purchase an Eno you will definitely want to get the Eno-2. If you have REI dividend points saved up you can get the Eno there with your points.
If you do not have points to spend I would recommend keep an eye on Woot.com. About once or twice a month they offer the Yukon Gear Hammock for about $28.00 shipped. I have purchased about 5 of these for gifts and a buddy hammock. They offer 2 versions. One with the bug net one without. You will want to get the one without as it is a double layer and longer. For suspension you can rig something up with straps you have but for ease of use and adjustability I would recommend buying actual hammock suspension for around $25-$30. Most tie down straps etc stretch way too much and you have to keep untying and retying until you get it in the right spot. Do not buy theENO \"slap straps\" from REI. They stretch a lot. The Atlas straps from ENO will work well. Make sure you keep a couple carabiners handy for attaching these style straps to your hammock. I recommend the WarBonnett style cinch straps posted above. One DIY suspension I found that works well is using a 1\" non stretchy strap and buying 1-1-1/2\" metal rings from the hardware store and using the rings for the attachment process. Tie in a half hitch behind the rings and it will stay in place and is easily adjustable. PM me for clear details on some DIY suspension if you do decide on buying a hammock.

The hammock and suspension is all you really need to decide if hammock hanging is for you. To keep it cheap just get the Yukon double hammock and make up some straps for your initial try out. If you decide you do not like it you can keep it for your back yard and be out about $30.00. If you decide that you like it then you may want to upgrade some stuff at that time. To answer your question about your tarp I am sure it would work just fine. I do not know the cut or weight of that tarp but it will work to start with and you can upgrade as needed.

If you or anyone else would like to see if they would like hammocking hit me up. I have a spare Yukon Outfitters hammock and some suspension I would be happy to ship to you and you can try it out to see if it is for you. If so then we can look at buying some upgraded gear that would fit you. Also feel free to ask me some questions and I will field them best I can.

Bultaco
 
Great information. Thanks a lot. :clap: My silnylon tart is an 8x10 Oware and it weighs in at just 13 ounces.
 
Nice!! I will have to try this out! I use a hammock during turkey season since it\'s warm out. Never thought about packing 1 in sept for my elk hunt!!
 
I really appreciate the info here. Just one other question comes to mind.

I\'m thinking along the lies of going (peapod style) with just a sleeping bag zipped up on the outside of the hammock. This should keep me from squeezing the loft out of the bottom of the bag. No under guilt and no over quilt. So assuming I have a +20 bag zipped over the hammock, how cool of a night do you think I could get by fairly comfortable with only the bag and hammock using the peapod style? I\'ll probably sleep with my clothes on.
 
Michael,
Yes the Skeeters can be bad up in the mountains once the snow melts. From what I recall (It\'s been a few years since I was up on the flattops during the summer) they come out in force about an hour after sunrise, and thin out pretty well about an hour before sunset. This has been a pretty wet year so far, so I\'m planning on a bad skeeter summer.

My hammock skeeter net shipped yesterday, and will be used on my first scouting trip here in about a month.

Skeeters are normally a minor issue come archery season. That of course depends on what the summer brings.

Bill, I\'ve looked at the Pee Pod setup you brought up. From what I read (Haven\'t tried it myself) there are two issues. 1., the sleeping bag space is also shared with the hammock material. It could get kind of tight depending on ones size and the bag volume. 2., You loose the asymmetric (semi horizontal) space required for a mostly flat sleeping surface. This means you end up sleeping in the banana shape.

I may give it try this weekend in the back yard.

AB
 
So sleeping on the ground, with just a tarp overhead, should be okay? Trying to cut some weight from my pack.
 
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