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Novelty or practical? Novelty or practical?
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Camping Equipment and all Clothing Tents, sleeping bags, stoves etc. Riding clothing, boots, helmets, what to wear when not riding, etc.
Photo by Hendi Kaf, in Cambodia

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Photo by Hendi Kaf,
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  #1  
Old 21 Mar 2009
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Novelty or practical?
Novelty or practical? I have purchased a DD hammock and tarp and am wondering if it would or could be put to better use than a tent, it has a built in mozzie net and if you don’t find any trees to lash it to it can be used as a bivvi bag, where a thermarest can be inserted between the bottom 2 layers, and that’s when the tarp comes into play as its not then waterproof , I only took delivery of it today and not had chance to try it out , so what do you think? Should I also take the tent as a back-up for awhile? :confused1:
Question? How the hell do you get undressed in a hammock and store boots and helmet? I know pannier storage is taking the pi$$. Perhaps at Ripley someone could give a ‘demo’ and take the pi$$ at my expense.
This will be fun!
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Old 23 Mar 2009
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In a hot / humid country, definitely practical. I used to use a similar arrangement when I used to lead expeditions in HK. Never used it since I got back to UK though. Good when a tent is too hot and you want a bit of air movement to keep you cool. Not so good when it is blowing a gale and you're trying to keep warm. I usually hung my rucksack from one of the hammock ropes using a karabiner, just make sure that it is under the tarp. Easier to get changed outside the hammock than in, although it is possible.
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  #3  
Old 24 Mar 2009
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Nice, BB kit is big with a lot of bushcrafters (Ray Mears types), I used to have one myself. Fantastic in summer, you've got all that space and a seat included for the evenings. The downside is of course needing trees / other supports, and that it's a fair bit colder than using a bivi bag or tent. A lot of the guys that use them in winter end up using a thick wool blanket around them. One useful trick is rather than tie the hammock directly to a couple trees, use a small loop of rope to tie each end to a carabiner, then tie the carabiner to a tree. The carabiners act as a drip cord and stop you getting a wet hammock when it rains.
Enjoy!
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  #4  
Old 7 Jul 2009
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Absolutly practical in a hot/humid country. (Or on a boat) Nothing like rocking away to sleep in a hammock.
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  #5  
Old 8 Jul 2009
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Best of luck with the new acquisition. I'm interested to hear how it works out for you. I found a hammock didn't suit me as I prefer sleeping on my side - the sag in the hammock meant I could only be comfortable on my back, and only for short periods.
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  #6  
Old 8 Jul 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by farqhuar View Post
Best of luck with the new acquisition. I'm interested to hear how it works out for you. I found a hammock didn't suit me as I prefer sleeping on my side - the sag in the hammock meant I could only be comfortable on my back, and only for short periods.
Try a Hennessey Hammock .. HENNESSY HAMMOCKS.com: ultra-light line of jungle hammocks, ultra-comfortable camping hammock /chair/ tent combo
.. which is designed in some clever way to make it possible to sleep on yr side/ at a diagonal. Very comfortable, even though I have a bad back.

Definitely recommended on the road, providing there are trees. And I know from experience, there are fewer trees out there than you might expect....

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  #7  
Old 9 Jul 2009
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Horses for courses! it really depends where you are going. Mike is right-= trees are often fewer and in the 'wrong' place!
Hammocks were (imho) designed for places where there were to many creatures running about the forest floor at night - large and small! and hotter climes-

Pro's
Hammock= great if there are lots of trees-
& great on beaches / where it is hot with a breeze

Con's
No real storage so a lot of your kit is 'exposed' outside-
In bad windy rain, it will never be as good as a tent- you much more exposed to the elements- and to prying eyes-

Size- not a huge weight saving ( I compared mine with my Hilleberg)
In cooler climes, you get a lot of cooling - too much at times

If space and weight is not an isssue (in a 4x4) I take mine along
On a bike - I leave it at home
My 2pence-
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