Fire Safety

A few words of caution when using tents in a wilderness situation. As the material of modern tents is usually extremely flammable, or at the very least, melts easily, it is important to keep the tent well away from fire. Also, as fresh air cannot be easily introduced, hot coals such as in a barbecue should never be brought into the tent. Every year, people die due to carbon monoxide poisoning after bringing disposable barbecues into the tent to provide warmth. The same applies to camping stoves and the like.

HAMMOCKS

Hammocks are truly unique shelters with a large number of benefits and very few drawbacks. Hammock camping is still relatively unknown but is becoming increasingly popular. Hammocks are now so much more than a net slung between two trees; they have become truly high-performing suspended tents.

When compared to a regular tent, hammocks present a number of important benefits. You don’t need to search for flat, open ground to set up a hammock. All you need is two anchor points about 12 to 15 feet apart. These anchor points can be trees, fence poles, large boulders, vehicle roof racks or any combination of the above. With a hammock, it doesn’t matter if the ground is wet or covered in snow. I’ve seen hammocks slung up above a swamp, with a canoe tethered underneath. Rocky or uneven ground or hillsides are not a problem when using a hammock. In fact, the ability to sling up a hammock in inhospitable terrain is a great asset if you wish to keep a lower profile. Being above ground, you’re far away from annoying or potentially dangerous crawlers. By hanging your hammock higher up in the trees, you could even stay safe from other animals, such as wild dogs or (some) bears. Even if keeping a low profile or safety are not a concern, you will still have a far wider choice of campsites compared to a normal tent.

Comfort

A hammock is not a compromise of comfort for lower equipment weight. The hammock is actually more comfortable than a normal tent. As you are above the ground, you do not have any problems with hard spots or uneven terrain features. This also means you won’t need as thick a sleeping mat as the sleeping mat is now only there to insulate you from the cold rather than to provide padding over hard ground. When the hammock is of good design and correctly slung, and you adopt the right position, there is better and more flexible support for your body, which prevents stiffness and provides a generally more restful sleep since you won’t roll around as much in search of comfort. The hammocks I use have a ridgeline running through them, ensuring that the internal space is always the same and allowing for the inevitable differences caused by setting the hammock up in different circumstances. In my experience, sleeping in a hammock allows me to wake truly refreshed each morning. I have never missed my bed at home when out with the hammock.

Environmental Connection

The hammock allows a better connection with the environment around you while providing more than adequate shelter. In a tent, the level of awareness is generally quite low and any sounds heard during the night often remain unidentified. In some situations, if more investigation of the happenings around the tent is required, the unavoidable noise associated with getting out of the tent will draw unintended attention and highlight your position. In a hammock, you retain visibility of your surroundings because you can simply look around you when required without moving a muscle.

Carrying and Storing

Hammocks are lightweight and pack up small as there are no poles to worry about. The Hennessy Hammocks photographed here weigh between 2 and 3 pounds. This includes the suspension, hammock (enclosed with mosquito netting) and flysheet. The hammock packs up in two long tubes called “snakeskins.” These allow you to set up or take down the hammock within minutes. Some people like to use two sets of snakeskins; one for the hammock and one for the flysheet. Storing the flysheet in its own set of snakeskins allows you to tie it to the outside of your pack after a wet night.

One of the models visible in the photographs actually includes an extremely lightweight, reflective pad, which will remove the need for a separate sleeping pad.

Should you end up in an area where there are no suitable suspension points, you can actually set up the hammock on the ground with the aid of hiking poles or some shorter sticks, in which case the hammock will function in the same way a small hiking tent would, except for the heavy waterproof groundsheet. You may wish to put a tarp on the ground first if it’s wet.

Chair Functionality

While a tent is only for sleeping, the hammock can also be used as a chair while the flysheet will give you enough space to perform your daily chores out of the rain.

Setting Up Your Hammock

Depending on the model, the hammock will need from 10 to 16 feet of space between the two anchor points. The hammocks I use from Hennessy Hammock come with tree straps. These straps provide convenient attachment points and help to avoid damaging the tree when tying the hammocks or leaving telltale signs of your presence after you’ve left. If your hammock doesn’t come with straps like these, then you may be able to improvise some from webbing straps or old seatbelt straps.

A carabiner is useful to connect the hammock to the tree straps after wrapping them around the tree. Once you become used to the hammock, you will find your own preferred way of setting it up; the following instructions are best practice guidelines.

1.Suspend the hammock. Connect the head end of the hammock first to the tree strap, carabiner or tree itself with a temporary knot. Walk to the second tree and tie the foot end to the strap, carabiner or tree. Most people prefer to have the foot end slightly higher than the head end, in which case you’d want to ensure that the strap is 3 to 4 inches higher at the foot end compared to the head end. You want to make sure that the hammock hangs perfectly centered between the two trees, with a distinct drop in the middle. When there’s weight in the hammock (put your pack in it) the angle of the two suspension ropes should be around 30 degrees off the horizontal dropping toward the center.

2.Retie your knots. When you’re happy with the way the hammock is arranged, tie the knot at the head end off properly. While there are a number of suitable knots you can use, I recommend starting with the knots suggested by the manufacturer as they are designed with the type of suspension used in the hammock in mind.