Camping in a Hammock

I suppose we all have a favorite church calling, one that we really enjoy. Mine is being Scoutmaster.

I served as Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster for quite a few years, and I really enjoyed camping with the Scouts.  However, my body joints are stiff, and I had a hard time sleeping in my tent on hard ground. Finally, I discovered a better way: hammocking, the use of a hammock instead of a tent. You must be kidding, you say! How do you keep dry in storms? Easy! Pull up a chair and let me tell you about it….

Hammocks Can Be Used In Any Weather

I've slept in my hammock during 60 mph winds and heavy rain (the meteorologist from Ft. Devens (Massachusetts) said the storm would be so bad that we would have Scouts floating away). I've slept in my hammock when the temperature was zero degrees Fahrenheit and the wind was 40-50 mph (I don't even want to think about the wind-chill factor that night). I've been in my hammock for 15 hours waiting for the rain to stop (try lying on the ground for 15 hours!). On two occasions, I slept in my hammock for the full week of Scout Camp because of a shortage of tents at camp. My PR (personal record) for winter camping in my hammock is
-10 Fahrenheit, a temperature equivalent to about 20 below zero in Utah because of the high humidity in New England. On all of these occasions, I enjoyed myself and spent the nights with no discomfort.

Not Many Problems

In four years of hammocking, I only had two nights that were problems. One was the time I tied my hammock to a dead pine tree. When I sat in the hammock to try it out, the tree snapped, and the hammock pulled the tree onto my head; my scouts got real first aid training that night (I suffered a slight cut on my forehead). We had arrived at the campsite after dark, and I didn't notice that the tree I selected was dead. The other problem was the night I got a slight case of frost bite on my big toe. I solved that problem in future campouts by placing hand warmers (the kind that contain iron filings and get warm due to oxidation of the iron after you shake the envelope) in the foot of my sleeping bag.

Advantages

Hammocking has great advantages!

To be honest, though, I wouldn't recommend hammocking in desert areas. There probably aren't many trees, and one needs a tent to keep scorpions out.

Overview of Hammocking

Convinced that hammocking has merits? Ok, lets see how it works. Your hammock will be tied between two trees. A long rope will be tied between the two trees and will be above the hammock. A plastic tarp will be draped over that rope and will serve as a "roof". Wooden clothes pins and short pieces of rope will be used to fasten the tarp so it won't blow away. Closed-cell foam pads will be used to cushion your body so you won't feel the nylon webbing that makes up the hammock and so you'll be warm in the winter. A "bug head-mask" will protect you from mosquitoes. Finally, your sleeping bag will keep you warm. Got the picture? Ok, lets look at the details.

Items needed

This sounds like a lot of stuff, but it doesn't take much room in your backpack.

Setting Up Your Hammock

It takes about 5 minutes to set up a hammock, and it can be done in the dark (hold a mag light in your mouth or wear a head lamp). Here is what you do.

1. Select two trees about 15 feet apart. Trees further apart than that can be used, but your hammock will sag more and might scrape the ground after you are in it. If you use hardwood trees, you can use trees as small as 4 or 5 inches in diameter. If you use softwood trees, use larger ones.
   
   
2. Tie one end of the hammock to a tree. Position the hammock so the ring is about 5 feet from the ground. Wrap the rope around the tree a couple of times, and then run it back through the ring and back around the tree again; after going through the ring, the rope should be going the opposite direction around the tree. Then use half-hitches to secure the rope. Going back through the ring will make your hammock more stable, because you will have, in effect, two ropes holding the ring to the tree.
   
   
3. Tie the other end of the hammock to the other tree. In doing this, leave a little sag in the hammock to increase its stability.
   
   
4. Sit in the hammock to test that the trees will support your weight and that the hammock won't scrape the ground. Tighten the hammock if necessary.
   
   
5. Tie the long rope about 12-15 inches above the hammock to support the roof. Pull the rope tight when tying it.
   
   
6. Place the plastic tarp over the rope and fasten it with three clothes pins.
   
   
7. If you don't expect wind, you can let the corners of the tarp hang loosely over the hammock. Or, you can tie the corners away from the hammock to give you a larger "bedroom". If you do expect wind, tie the corners of the tarp so they won't flap in the wind and disturb your sleep.
   
   
8. Place closed-cell foam pads in the hammock (one if by summer and two or more if by winter). Place your sleeping bag on top of the pads. The pads keep the hammock stretched out a bit so you won't feel like you're in a cocoon.
   
   
9. Place your sleeping bag on the pads.

Guess what? You're finished! Fast and easy!

Getting in the Hammock

Getting in the hammock is easy (I do have to admit, though, that it took me a couple of years to figure out this scheme…)

1. Zip open your sleeping bag and drape the top of it over the far edge of the hammock such that it hangs down. Be sure there are no folds in the bag, because once you are inside the bag you will be lying on top of the folds and won't be able to remove them. This is a key step in insuring a comfortable night.
    
2. As needed, place a couple of hand warmers in the foot of your sleeping bag.
    
3. If you don't sleep in your clothes, remove your clothes and dress in pajamas or what ever you use when camping. If you use a down filled sleeping bag, you should not sleep in the clothes you wore during the day, because the clothes are damp from body moisture. If you use a bag with synthetic fiber, this moisture is not a problem.
    
4. Sit in the hammock such that your feet are dangling over the edge of the hammock and the portion of the sleeping bag that drapes over the edge of the hammock is behind you.
    
5. Remove your boots and stow them at the foot of the hammock. During the winter, I place my boots inside my sleeping bag so they won't be frozen when I use them the next morning. During the summer, I place them inside a plastic bag and leave them on the ground.
    
6. As needed, place dry, wool stockings on your feet.
    
7. Swing your legs into the hammock and lie down.
    
8. Pull the top of your sleeping bag over you and zip it up.

Miscellaneous Comments

A jacket rolled up makes a nice pillow. The rope supporting the plastic tarp makes a nice hand-hold if you need to shift body weight during the night.

It's a nice feeling to be swaying gently in a hammock while looking into a star-filled sky.

Hammocking isn't for everybody. Some people can't handle the curvature of their body while sleeping. Others miss the lack of privacy that tents provide. However, many campers love hammocks. As I mentioned above, I required that hammocks be used on our annual hike up Mt. Washington so we could camp off-trail. I found that about half of my scouts voluntarily chose to use hammocks at other times during the year.

Try it, you might like it!