< playing devil's advocate >

Looks like you have to drive a dozen or more stakes in the ground to hold all that Up .

can you do all that in a 30 Knot wind?

On the website testimonials, someone responded that the setup held their hammock in 40mph gusts. I dunno about setting it up during the gusts. Thinking hard about this!

[MENTION=197614]fietsbob[/MENTION], the simple answer is, "Yes." First, I can't imagine there would be any problem at all setting up the Handy Hammock stuff, as it's just cord and poles that aren't going to be blown away. It can be a struggle to guy out a hammock and tarp in a hard blow, but I've done it several times. Once set up, no problem, as I've included 12" lengths of shock cord into the tensioners on my tarp and hammock.

And to be fair, wind is certainly not just a hammock issue. I can remember struggling mightily to deal with especially freestanding tents in the wind.

Either I am not up to date on underquilt technology or you aren't up to date on the better pad offerings. The under quilts I have seen have all been over 20 ounces. Most seem to weigh about twice what a 20x72 Neoair Xlite weighs. Not sure how small they pack, but the neoair xlite packs to 9" long x 4" diameter. The underquilts I have seen also tend to cost about twice as much as the xlite.

I have to wonder if it wouldn't make more sense to just use an Xlite and have the option of using it on the ground when needed.

I have put up my non Freestanding hoop pole tent in such a wind . it was Like sleeping in a Flag ,

But I was in out of the wind itself ..

and I even asked permission from the Owner of the House Up-wind of me

if I could pitch my tent on the Lee Side of their house .. On the Irish West Coast.

... they brought out a Pot of Hot Tea .


Ah it did read like you are selling these things, and that is why you are defending it so vigorously.

Nope. Hammocks work. Pretty simple. I'm wary of the stand. If it's a better mousetrap, great. If not, move on to something else.

The price is similar, with the uq being a bit more or the same depending on material and/or manufacturer. Weight for the 40 degree I use is 12 Oz. The 20 degree would be 16. The neoair would not work with a hammock, as the bottom of it would not be against the ground so heat would simply pass through. A closed cell foam would work in place of an uq, but I have found them to be not nearly as comfortable.

[MENTION=269593]Fies[/MENTION]tbob, It's quite ok to wonder why I'm "defending 'these things.'" It's odd to assume you know the reason. If you don't know, and you don't, ask. As I wrote, it's simple: hammocks work. I sleep well in them. They're still pretty rare and relatively unknown. Like other things that I like or that make my life simpler or better, it's fun to tell other people. No conspiracy. No hidden agenda. No commission.

I have a hennessy hammock that I plan to tour with. I was once considering getting the Handy Hammock but decided not since I don't mind sleeping on the ground if I have to and don't want to carry the extra weight for something that I wouldn't use very often. I'm planning on using a CCF pad for insulating my bottom and for those times I'll have to sleep on the ground. The only thing I'm worried about is trying to set up camp on the ground (when there are no trees around) in rainy weather, as the hennessy hammock isn't waterproof. I'll probably bring a ground sheet or tarp, but even then, I'm not sure how dry I'll be able to stay. I'm just hoping I'll never run into that situation.

As for the poles on the Handy Hammock, I imagine that you could strap the poles to your top tube lengthwise.

I often camp on wet ground and I never carry a waterproof ground sheet. My 3/4 length CCF pad is waterproof. I use a large trash compactor bag in one pannier to keep my insulation dry and I put it under my feet. So I stay completely isolated from wet earth with zero weight penalty.

My concern about a portable hammock stand would be the anchors, both numbers and strength. One reason I enjoy my simple Tarptent is that it only takes four 6" stakes (at least one model only takes two) and in some areas that's enough of a challenge for me. Some treeless areas tend to have very hard rocky earth, or sand, or even a combination thereof.

Amen. I know it's not for everyone, but anyone who looks at the problems associated with using a hammock and says, "You might as well get a tent." is missing the point. Hammocks may save weight over some tent systems, but to me it's far, far more about comfort. The hammock vs. tent debate isn't worth having if it's just about people trying to win the others over to their point of view. For me, tent camping has always been a mixed bag, and by the time I had come up with a set up that would leave me comfortable and dry, it would no longer fit on a bike. I know there are options, but shelling out extra cash for lighter, more compact systems in hopes that they would be remotely comfortable seemed like a risk I couldn't justify. Then I started reading about hammock camping, and it renewed my interest in bike-camping. After the first night, I was sold. Tent camping for me has always been about trying to make myself comfortable enough to not lie awake wishing I was in my bed at home, while hammock camping quickly became something I made excuses to do. Bike touring is now just an extended excuse to sleep in my hammock.

I love the idea of the Handy Hammock, and I'm glad I found this thread. I've been trying to come up with a portable stand, and so far the best I had come up with was some aluminum poles that are/were used as some sort of portable, military antenna set-up. Each segment must be about four foot long and very bulky and heavy. I decided they weren't right for bike camping, but I might make a decent car-camping set up out of them. The expense, the weight, and the bulkiness of the Handy Hammock may not exactly be a welcome addition to my gear, but I would certainly consider all those negatives to be a reasonable trade off to sleeping on the ground. And, of course, if you could use your bike an one end of the stand, you would only need half of the Handy Hammock set up. That said, I've been in some hammock-challenged areas and have always managed to find a way to hang. So I would have to be pretty certain that I was going to have to go to ground before I would try and strap that thing on to my bike. But I can think of a couple of trips where my stops and camping sites have been decided by my desire to stay off the ground. For those trips, I could definitely see taking the Handy Hammock or something similar.

Not really. I have no idea whom I would even tell. Reducing weight is a huge performance improver. I did a backpacking trip in the 70s where we did X distance in one week. We returned the following year and did the same trip by kayak. The weather came up and we had to hike back for the car, coincidentally covering the same distance... in an afternoon. All we had were day packs, compared to the external frame loads we had carried the year before. Back then I enjoyed carrying the weight, but it was undeniable how fast we went in sneakers with a daypack. And we were both pretty average athletes at the time, nothing special. Then in 05 I got back into bike camping, and I had bad legs, and a heart condition. Carried the same gear people use to do UL backpacking today, not all of which was successful, but it made what some people regard as a big deal, bike touring, basically a wheelchair sport anyone could do.

If you look at the same period in Climbing what do we have? Radical reduction in the time to climb the Eiger, the Nose, Everest (without Oxygen), all due to the lightweight ethic. What most people fear the most about touring is probably climbing...

I do agree there is some difference on the need for weight reduction depending on mode. Canoe portages are pretty miserable with weight. I remember reading this thing about a guy who built 20 pound wood canoes and how he was doing portages in Algonquin park while in his 70s. But sure, a boat carries weight better than a back. But the other thing is what is ll this crap we bring actually for? Most of it, after the initial shock, will not be missed.

What I do think though, is that if you go bare bones, it is reasonable to have one or two luxuries. On one of my trips I took a hammock and a tarp tent. I prefer sleeping on the ground but a hammock is better in the deep woods, and one can sleep on cliffs, not dangerous monsters, but just sidings, the kind of space, often on rail trails, nobody is looking for a stealth camper. Twenty years down the road, since a lot of municipalities cut back on mowing, there are very dense with trees areas one can set up on in many town. So for me carrying two extremely light sleeping set-ups made sense, just so long as one doesn't double up on everything. So I would carry the stand if it was critical to my success. Like maybe no trees, but a lot safer in some places with nasty crawly things.

I love hammocks and hammock camping without a doubt but I can assure you if I didn't have trees where I was going I would have a tent (or shelter like the Sea to Summit Specialist Duo) and a lightweight pad or at the very least a Bivouac sack and pad. Trying to come up with odd hammock remedies is cool on paper but will prove to be more of a pain to build and then later set up in the real world. I hate to say it because hammocks are quite comfortable but I gotta be practical here.

Has anybody here tried setting up their hammock as a tent?

Used as a Tent: Hennessy Hammock

I am glad to see some open-minded-ness on a topic where the proponents seem to be pretty much not open to alternatives. I agree that you should pick the solution that fits your situation.

I think that with just a bit of care in equipment selection the various classes of shelter choices can all be quite adequately comfortable. Hammocks, tents, tarps, and bivies all have their advantages and it makes sense to choose the one that makes the most sense for where and how you are travelling. For me I find various ground based shelters fit most of my needs better.

If I did more backpacking in the places with lots of trees and extremely swampy or rocky ground I'd probably buy a hammock. While backpacking in Pennsylvania, I have camped in places where a hammock clearly would have been a better answer. Similarly in Washington state I have had the same experience.

That said... for my style of bike touring I don't think I will ever use one though.

I did use my Hennessy fly once as a tarp. It would have been laughable had the rain poured in overnight. I was on a pad and in a down bag. I did have a bivy with me, but set it up, didn't like how it fit, and wanted to return it to REI so I didn't use it.

still un answered ... that setup in the back yard must be using a dozen or more stakes.

still un answered ... that setup in the back yard 14th post, must be using a dozen or more stakes.

The set comes with 12 stakes total - the entire set weighs 3.2lbs. The tarp would just need whatever tie-outs usually needed.

I think I'll be getting one of those. Really nice to carry for "in-case" situations. Just have to figure out how to strap it on my bike... probably just sticking out behind me on the rack.

12 stakes and looks like you need them all ..


I like tents with only 3. or 4 . mine has 2 doors on either end. 2 stakes already set in the ground . so final erect is Badda Bing.

There are a few times that being a little more open minded is important. This is one of those cases. When things start getting weird and impractical you have to be reasonable. If you are going to be in a place that a hammock wouldn't really work you have to adapt. You don't want a complicated hammocking system after a day of riding most smaller tents and bivouacs are easy to set up and a pad just requires blowing or a pump if non-self inflating or not foam.

The best solution though is to not camp in crappy places without trees. Trees are awesome for a ton of reasons but mainly they make getting to sleep quick and easy ; )

Kudos. If the sole goal is to use the fewest stakes you are clearly the winner.

That means I'm inside, and not wrestling with a flapping fly in a force 5 Gale... do WTF you want I DON"T CARE.

[MENTION=64151]staehpj1[/MENTION], I think you're the pot calling the kettle black. I don't see that your mind is particularly open, as there is nothing in your posts that leads me to believe you have ever camped with a hammock and you close this post by doubting you will ever use one.

For most of us who camp with hammocks, we do so not because we camp in swampy, rocky, crappy areas where tents are inconvenient. We use hammocks mostly because they're comfortable, and not adequately comfortable, but some-of-the-best-sleeping-there-is comfortable. It was open-mindedness that allowed me to check out hammock camping initially, and now, having used both tent and hammock I clearly prefer the latter. If I were to tour in the desert, open grasslands, coastal plains, etc. I would use a tent. It may be, however, that a new idea will come along that will allow hammock use in those areas. What I see myself and other "proponents" doing is discussing whether the new idea the OP brought up is one such. Personally, I would need many more positive reviews and a smaller than 27 inch packed size to convince me, so I'm still on the look out for a better alternative.

Well, the repeated questions and replies, along with the caps, seem to indicate that you do care...