Hammoc instead of a tent??
 

Hi guys , I am getting ready for a trip accross Central America and I am contempleting to take a Hammoc with net instead of a tent , I use hammoc while travelling in Asia and also some part of South America ,much lighter than a tent . safety wise its like a tent and the good one are water proof the only big default is you cannot put anything inside while sleeping ( gear ,luggage , girl friend).
does anyone use these for South and Central trip ( love to travel light)

Hendi

Hendi
You might already have seen these hammocks but there are a lot of reviews and testimonials (provided by the manufacturer) here:
http://www.hennessyhammock.com/

Hammoc
 

Thanks for the link , those are expensive but they look really good and you can't get lighter than that.

Hendi

Hello Hendi

I'm afraid I'm not adding much to this thread except to say that I have a Hennessy hammock and am intending to take it, rather than a tent, for a European roadtrip this year.

I haven't even tested it yet.. bad Mike.. get off yr backside and get cracking Mike.. but in *theory* it's the perfect solution: lightweight, small, flexible, comfortable, protective. If you can wait three or four months I should be able to post a more constructive report!

--Mike

Hammoc instead of a tent
 

Never have figured out yet how to sleep in a hammoc after buying one in Mexico years ago. Is it diagonally or in line with the hanging points ?
Many of the old local hotels in Mexico and Central America contain hooks in the wall to suspend hammocs, I suppose for folks who crowd more into a room than the available beds. Handy, but then , as a tourist why would I hang up a hammoc if there are beds ?

For Mike
 

Hi Mike, I am French and travelled pretty much everywher in Europe , to be honest the Hammock will be pretty useless, take a tent or go to Youth Hotel.
If you need some more info let me know.
Hendi

Hello Hendi

I'm interested to know why you think the hammock will be useless in Europe.. not enough trees to hang it off?!

--Mike

Hammock
 

Hi , I travelled for a long time in Europe and it is very difficult to now do camping ouside of campground , the hammock will work but not your adventage as the site are not done for it and the weather even in the summer is not the safest , the last reason will be for the safety of your gear , I know most of these countries and I can tell you that you need to keep a eye on your staff.
Nothing impossible and I was there this year again , I confirm there are still a lot of threes but the choice is yours.

All good points, Hendi, but I don't think they're enough to offset the pleasure of the hammock:
- good for my bad back
- set-up requires trees/ buildings etc but copes with rough ground
- extremely light and small

Yes, I know. But some campgrounds do have trees. I'll also be staying with friends who have trees in their gardens (or -- hopefully -- spare rooms...)

That's all part of it, though, isn't it? I can stand a little rain - the Hennessy is as waterproof as a tent. (Although I could probably cope with some of the weather you get in Ft Lauderdale too)

No more or less than anywhere else. No more or less than in a tent. And i'll have Metal Mule panniers for anything I don't want stolen.

good for CA
 

Hi Hendi
A Hammock for Central America is good - apart from tucking your gear out of site - like you can a bit better in a tent - the only real way to secure your gear is to have it with you or lock it up/away.
Putting it in a tent does not make anything secure - in Costa Rica thieves have a habit of cutting your tent open at night with a razor blade and grabbing things out - while you are sleeping !
I spent a year working in CA as a Tour Guide - id say 75% of the time I was sleeping in a in a Hammock - 25% in a tent -when there were no trees to use.

( I used a woven Guatamalan Hammock and a British military Basha with Nomad Mossie net - which ties into the Basha - good combo and cheap)

A Hennessey would be good here as there are some HEAVY rainfalls in season - it is MUCH MUCH cooler than a tent too - you get some gentle breeze through or you can swing it if its hot - and make your own !!!

For travelling now I have both - Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 + a Hennessey Ultra light Backpacker - together they are less than 2 kilos - best of both worlds.
Cheers
Grif

Sleeping in a hammock
 

Sjoerd,

They best way to sleep in a hammock is diagonally. Recommended is a 30 to 35 degree angle. This way your back is kept straight and the hammock more easily conforms to your body. The this is also true with spreader-bar hammocks, although they are more tippy when you do not lay loop-to-loop. A couple of great sites to buy high quality yet inexpensive Brazilian hammocks: http://www.hammockbarn.com or http://www.hammockzone.net

Currently in northern Norway with a Hennessey Hammock. No trees up here (surprisingly for Scandinavia) which means no sleeping in the hammock, but otherwise it's been terrific. Highly recommended.

The problem for me with using a hammock as a sole shelter in Europe, is the lack of privacy. Since most times I camp in campsites (in Northern Europe anyway) and like to have some private space in which I can unpack and relax. Comfort is another consideration, and being pestered by mosquitoes and other bugs while I'm relaxing is uncomfortable for me. That's why I will always use tents.

PS. Hammock are great by the way and that's why I carry a mexican hammock as well for those sunny, lazy afternoons.

Yes Mudlark! the voice of reason! Forget the seasoned traveller look of a hammock - youre right- what about the mossies eating your face all night. A tent is the thing.....

hensessy hammocks are great
 

i have been using mine for the last 3 years of travel and i love it ,i also have a small whitewater raft www.alpackaraft.com that i use for sleeping on it is great and i can go paddling when i want to as well greatest thing since sliced goars balls

Basketball poll will do
 

now... as you can see if there is no tree around you can use..... take that basketball poll and you are sorted.....

thats camp side in Denmark this summer, I used my Hennessy and my mate had his "Scout Hammock DLX" from EXPED, it was a rather funny place, the side was on a propper camping place, but since we didn't set up a tent... we where allowed to camp for free....

any way I rather like th Hennessy regarding it's easy and fast setup and better shelter option.

There is one big bonus using a Hammock, well you don't have to clear the ground... removing all this spiky things that are around.... specially if you plan to share your place with trolls or big stones in beauty spots... would be a bit hassle to pick up the bits before putting a tent up...

Hey Caminando,

The Hennessy comes with a Mossie net that's integral the the Hammock. I never got bitten once inside the hammock in a total of 18 months in SE/Asia and considering a spent 3 months in the Jungles up north I can say that it was so much easier to put up then any tent and offers the same amount of protection.

I joined the Dark Side this year and bought a 2 man Blacks Cygnus tent for when I'm in places for more the 2 days, as a bit of a base is so much better for the extra room it gives you, but my Hennessy is always put up someplace near it so that I have a seat to lounge around in.

Storing gear..
 

A hammock in central america's shouldnt be any problems. Far easier to use than in europe.
I would take some extra lengths of webbing with you to ensure you can extend your guys/ropes if need be.

Also another tip used by one of my customers. Grab a cheap ex-army nato european camo basha/tarp and some green para cord.

If you want to travel light, you can wrap your gear into the tarp, pitch the green para cord up and over a high branch near to the trunk and hoist your gear up, wrapped in the tarp.. descretely tie off the para above head hight where most people wont be looking and you gear should be fairly safe up in the leafs and out of sight for short periods.

The basha also comes in usefull for covering gear, bike etc whilst you sleep too.

John

who needs trees?
 

Places ive put a hammock: between a fence and a lampost, between 2 trucks in a scrapyard ( lovely n quiet, best nights kip ever), between a tree and a telegraph pole using about 25 foot of old rope found lying about (they were about 10 meters apart! had to climb the tree to fasten the rope about 15 feet up) between a pole and my bike, sidestand toward me on a bit of boead so it didnt dig in.

so you dont really need trees, just imagination!

Martyn

for strength to weight try taking 6 mil dyneema/spectra cord (go to a climbing shop). Very very strong. I also took two small three roller pulleys, used with the cord I could winch many times my body weight, meaning I could hang the bike off a tall tree to work on it. The same cord could be very useful for extending the hammock, and takes up very little space or weight.

If I go anywhere other than a desert I would be very tempted by a hammock

The hammock may be able to keep the tarantulas away from you but the onças (jaguars) and banditos (thieves) could be another problem. :eek3:

A hammock may give you a bad back. Most dont keep out mozzies.

Just checked out the Hennessey Hammock website. They look great! Seem like just the thing for South America. Wish I had know about them when I got into camping I've already spent way over what one of them costs on sleeping bags,a thermarest, and tent.

Much more flexible to set up than trying to find a flat, non-rocky area in some areas also will be cooler to use in the warm weather. I can't believe that this is the first I heard of them.

Brian

they ain't no cheaper, but Clarke tents (UK manufacture, I think) are also on my review list as well as Hennessey. Lightness and ease of use far better than tents. Slept in hammocks many times- and they really are better than tents for keeping out the creepie-crawlies.
There is no outdoor gear effective against jags and thieves.
My trip is to Belize-I will probably bring my tent as a "base", but sleep in the hammock.
greg

I've had a Henessey for years and would never go back to a normal tent on hard ground again. The comments above implying that a hammock can give you a "bad back" are simply false. If that were true, entire cultures in South and Central America who sleep on hammocks 365 days a year would have a chiropractic epidemic on their hands spanning generations.

It took a few nights for me to get used to the feel of a hammock, but once you're accustomed to it you'll never go back. Your weight feels much more evenly distributed and I don't toss and turn at all, where I always do on a flat surface.

If you're like me and always woke up exhausted when camping from getting a poor night's sleep on the ground, give a hammock a try for about three nights and by the third night you'll be sold. Make your own at home for free to test it out before buying one. You can pull the knots off the web and use a sheet.

Thanks Cereal for your statement... :)
I totally agree !
have used a Hennessy over a period of three years for 365 nights the year... what else can I say.. YOU ARE TOTALY RIGHT !! :thumbup1:

Well just one addition.... the outdoor shop industry for the common mass... make much more dosh on hanging on telling people to buy tents for comfort, better spending for a 4,5Kg - £500 Tent, additionally for groundsheet's, spike's, tent, poles, extra bags and straps, bigger luggage and all this heavy crap... simply they can charge you far more and make a good living out of it by NOT even mention the existence of a Hennessy Hammock at all..... :stormy:

just think about this matter too....

for some one playing with the thought may buying a Hennessy now... :)
you will be thankful in daytimes not to carry a ton of gear, and your back will thanks you for the best night sleep ever, being fresh and relaxed next morning again and again... :D