Rob_E

I feel the opposite way. When hammock camping comes up on the bike forums, I feel like I start the internal clock ticking: "Cue the 'what if there are no trees' question in 3 ... 2 ... 1"


To me that is the downside to using a hammock. I think it's possible to get very similar weights between hammocks and tents. Costs also seem comparable, with the only, real hammock-specific gear being the hammock itself and the underquilt. The underquilt basically replaces a sleeping pad, and prices vary just like they do with sleeping pads. In fact, many people just use sleeping pads. Hammock/rain fly also compare well to tents in cost. I've seen useable hammocks and tarps in the $30 range, but of course you can always spend more for more features, lighter/stronger material, etc.

But the tree question: If there are no trees you either hang from something else or sleep on the ground. If you're used to using a hammock, then you're eyes are open for what looks like a good hanging spot, and you usually find one. A tent camper might look around and say, "Thank heavens I have a tent." But a hammock camper might look around think, "I may have to get creative." I haven't crossed the country with my hammock, so I can't speak to the various terrains that you may have to deal with, but here on the east coast, I've hung from trees that seemed unreasonably far apart. I've hung under pavilions. I've hung from the rafters of a cabin. I've hung from electric poles. I've hung with one end around a tree and the other end running over a sawhorse sitting on top of a picnic table (that one was pretty sketchy). I haven't slept on the ground. If I had to, it wouldn't be the end of the world. If I knew ahead of time that it was likely, I might bring a sleeping pad, but otherwise I'd just take my chances and assume that a night on the ground would be a rarity. Hennessy has a couple of photos of dealing with that situation. It ends up being much like a bivy. https://hennessyhammock.com/pages/cycling

Here's someone else with same problem: http://i.imgur.com/SBP3l.jpg They said they spent 6 weeks touring Europe, had to put their hammock on the ground once. That's a decent enough ratio for me.

There is a lot of variation in hammock set-ups. PedalingWalrus's set up has a lot going on that is not at all necessary. Even so, it probably sets up more quickly than you'd expect. My first hammock tent was a Hennessy. it came with a small rain fly that attached to the lines of the hammock, which kept it close enough to the hammock to keep it effective in most weather. It was a diamond shape, so it had two more corners to tie out. So two lines from the hammock to the trees and two lines to stretch the tarp out to the sides.

https://goo.gl/photos/9ZkrSzrFWe1wzKXs8

With that set up, I need two stakes. Assuming I need the tarp. With my larger tarp, I can get by with 4 stakes for the tarp. I usually carry two more for the hammock itself.

Also a lot of the hammock-tents have tie outs for the sides to spread the hammock out a little more. My Hennessy had them, and the tarp used the same tie outs. My Warbonnet has them, too. They are handy, and make it a little roomier inside, but, in my experience, they are completely optional. If I'm getting in to camp and hanging out for a while, I'll take the time to deal with the side tie outs. If I'm pulling in, setting up, and going to sleep, I don't bother. Also, depending on the weather, the tarp in completely optional. In that case, set-up is super-easy.

To me, the hammock itself is dead simple to use, sets up instantly, and requires nothing other than somewhere to tie it up. All the complexity comes from the tarp. Those poles in PedallingWalrus's set up are not necessary, just nice to have in certain circumstances. The tarp in general can be just small enough to cover the hammock, or can be big enough to give you plenty of room. My old, Hennessy tarp was tiny, but functional, and easy to carry. My new tarp is bigger (but not much heavier because of using lighter material), and packs a little bigger, but when I get to camp, I can set up the tarp first and roll my bike right under it, and do the rest of camp set-up out of the rain. If you want air, you pitch the tarp high and open, and do things like the poles PW is using to get lots of airflow and the ability to see around. If you're worried about wind, you pitch low and steep. When I'm in bad-weather-mode, the tarp almost comes to the ground, so there's not much flapping around. But in the worst wind, yes, the tarp may catch it and react, but if you tighten everything down properly, there shouldn't be much actual flapping. I find that's trickier to do with a smaller tarp, but if you get it close enough to the hammock, it keeps a lot of the wind from getting under the tarp. If I find I'm going to be staying put for longer than it takes just to sleep, I may end up changing my tarp set up once or more depending on my needs. It just takes a minute. So the tarp ends up being the most fiddly part, but mainly because it's also the most versatile.