rgpg_99

I'm looking for opinions on hammock stands that are lightweight enough to carry on your bike on a regular basis.

I'm thinking of those situations where a tree or pole may not be available, and taking your own hammock stand would give you the freedom to set up the hammock anywhere.

A search for "portable hammock stand" on Google returns many options, but they are all bulky and heavy and intended more for a car trunk than a bike.

Any suggestions will be welcome.

fietsbob

you packing up the SUV? or is this a bike with a cargo trailer hauling 100 pounds?

Just buy a tent and a nice insulated sleeping pad, there is nothing like you wish for weighing as little as you dream it should.

staehpj1

I really doubt that anything light and portable enough exists. I would recommend either just using a sleeping pad on the ground in a tent or under a tarp as needed or touring where there are trees. There are some very light and comfortable sleeping pads available these days.

revcp 

I would do some research to see how people have adapted their hammocks to use as a bivy shelter. I have a warbonnet blackbird, and I bet I could rig something with a few poles on either end to allow the tarp to be stretched over the hammock, allowing me to bivy on the ground and stay reasonably dry. This could work for me as I have my hammock set up so that the ends clip with carabiners to be suspended from loops from the tarp ridgeline, so the bug net would be up out of my face and the "wings" on the sides could be guyed out some. You'd have to carry some kind of ground pad, of course, but that's a minimal weight and space penalty.

I understand completely not wanting to go back to the ground. I've never slept as well as when I sleep in my hammock.

Dc5e

The Handy Hammock is really the only lightweight portable hammock stand suitable for touring and backpacking that I know of.

shipwreck

that's a neat product. I don't know if I would want to carry a 54 ounce, 70cm item for "just in case" scenarios, but its interesting... heres the link Handy Hammock

rgpg_99

My feelings exactly. There are times when I may have to use a tent anyway (e.g., group camping), but if I'm going on a solo trip I prefer to take a hammock with me.

rgpg_99

Thank you Dc5e and shipwreck for your information about the Handy Hammock. I found a few YouTube videos showing the set up and some modifications/improvements. As some of the videos say, the Handy Hammock may not be for everyone, and it won't replace two good trees (if you have them around), but there may be some instances when this is good enough.

Interesting system to reinforce the poles, I could use that to hang wet socks and shorts ;-)

MassiveD

The diamond wires are a pretty standard detail, it is the other stuff that seems innovative like the pegging details. Getting pegs to hold in all the environments shown seems pretty optimistic, given the fear many campers have about their ability to pitch a tent that isn't self-standing. Having a very jacknifed sleeping posture certainly reduces the loads on the system. Still a good alternative to catch and release tree wrangling, and all the damage that will do in regularly used areas.

fietsbob

people have staked out a line And, used their bike's top tube height for 1 end of a hammock support.



The Proposed handy hammock using the guy stayed poles to counteract the pole's tendency
to bend in the center under Compression is something borrowed from sail boat masts..

and 1 presumes allowing the pole tubing to be thinner ..

but all told all that stuff Is ... hammock + poles & shelter = to bringing a tent.

revcp 

Disagree. I'm assuming the OP would use the hammock where and when trees allow and hit the ground only when forced to do so. The problem with bringing just a tent is that you can't ever use it as a hammock.

The problem I see with the handy hammock is that I don't think it would work with a camping hammock, for which you need much higher attachment points. It does, however, look like it could work very well for stretching the tarp over a hammock that's lying on the ground. My concern with that however, is that hammocks themselves have no waterproofing, so you would either have to rely on your pad to keep you dry or maybe bring along a small silnylon tarp for under the hammock as well.

fietsbob

OK.. Data needed.. what does it weigh and how big does it pack down to?

revcp 

Not exactly sure what this means, but I'm assuming it's referring to strangling trees with cords? As with anything, there are bad actors and good. The bad actors use cord for anchors around trees, the good use webbing, which, in my experience, doesn't even flake bark if done correctly. In very well used areas I suppose there might be posts erected or trees identifies for use in the same way that tents are given a designated tent pad, choosing to kill all the on the ground flora in one spot instead of allowing grass wrangling. But, really, if you know what you're doing and you take care you can hang a hammock from trees without harming them at all.

revcp 

Hmm. Looks like I very well could be wrong. Here's a photo with a Hennessy Tarp and Hammock.



@fietsbob, According to the promotional material, with the included hammock the product packs to 27" (a bit long) and weights 3.3 lbs (not bad). If it really would keep a hanger off the ground it would negate the need for a pad. An interesting concept worth keeping tabs on.

Here is a link to a review for camping purposes and mods done to accomodate a camping hammock. Handy Hammock Stand Review | The Ultimate Hang. The hammock community is chock full of born tinkerers. I'm sure some internet sleuthing would uncover many mods and ideas for using this product.

fietsbob

Yea but, Still lose body heat through the hammock fabric. so you need insulation under you , anyhow .

staehpj1

Personally I am not a hammock fan at least for bike touring. I have backpacked in places where a hammock would have been nice due to lack of a flat spot or boulder strewn or swampy land. I can see that some may prefer a hammock for comfort and that is a good reason to use one. Generally for me either a bivy, a bivy and tarp, or a light tent are usually lighter than a hammock and plenty comfortable.

For people who a hammock makes sense for, I'd suggest that you can usually find a support for at least one end. In that case you can use the bike for the other end if you can manage strong enough anchor points in the ground. Using it as a bivy is also fine if you have a sleeping pad. I rather do that than carry the weight of the Handy Hammock.

revcp 

Yeah, they've figured that one one too. Underquilt. Lighter and more packable than a pad.

fietsbob

Exped Down filled Air mattress packs pretty damn small.. the polyester insulated ones, not much more ..

Walter S

Depends on the weather too. Right now in the southeast where I live, the last thing I want is insulation from the "cold".

revcp 

I think we can go overboard on weight savings.

I was strictly a backpacker into my late 20s, so worked to go lighter and lighter with each trip, even resorting to counting out squares of toilet paper. Then I switched to canoeing, which is a very different animal. I still pack lighter than many for canoe trips (no saws, no axes, minimal cookware, a twig burner and small trangia burner instead of a larger stove, etc.), but I don't shave ounces (and my tripping canoes are an 18' 1925 Old Town Otca that weighs about 95 lbs, but portages beautifully because it is so well balanced, and a much lighter but still not featherweight 15' Will Ruch Minetta for solos that comes in at about 48 lbs). I've found that a pound or five extra makes no difference to me. I can't imagine that I would notice the less than three pounds for the handy hammock stand sans hammock.

My suspicion is that paring weight is more about telling others how little our "kit" weighs than it's about a difference that translates to any speed advantage.

Walter S

One thing I've learned about weight trade-offs is that they are very personal. One man's "overboard" is another man's "not enough".

staehpj1

Perhaps, but I suspect that not many bike tourists are going very far "overboard with weight savings". Heck even when backpacking I have run into very few who were all that extreme in their weight trimming. Yes, you can read about folks going sub 5 pounds on backpackinglight.com, but I have run into very few on the trail who were much under 20 pounds of gear. When bike touring, despite having done quite a few long tours, I have yet to meet another rider carrying even as little as 20 pounds (base weight). At 20 pounds you aren't depriving yourself of much if anything comfort wise if your packing list is well thought out.

Not sure many have claimed speed as the reason for packing lighter. I don't think I ever have said it was my reason for packing light. I have found that riding with a lighter load is just much more pleasant especially when there is a lot of climbing. I think I do make more mileage in a day, but comfort and generally enjoying the time on the bike are my main motivation. Also I find the simplicity of a limited number of items to deal with to allow a simple life on the road. That simple life is one of the main reasons some of us tour. How far you take that is a personal choice.

I often advise packing lighter and do keep close track of how much I carry, but the bragging rights are not my reason for packing light. If it were I wouldn't be taking my fly rod or musical instrument (a 7 ounce mountain dulcimer of my own design and construction) on my upcoming tour. I take what I need and additional items that I think I will enjoy enough to be worth the weight. I do watch ounces when making those choices but the gear has to work and I do have to be comfortable. I also try to keep my gear choices cost effective and as a result I do not tend to go to high dollar stuff like Cuben fiber.

I don't consider what I do to be going overboard, but opinions on that will vary so feel free to disagree.

revcp 

Not saying you're going overboard. I should have been more specific in my direct response by writing that I have a hard time seeing saving less than three pounds as a reason not to use this product if this is the best possible way to allow one to use a hammock for a tour which might include treeless areas. The bit about "ultralight" was not at all a direct response to you, just an observation that I see a lot written on web forums about paring grams and ounces and the holy grail of a kit that weighs less than X. Like you, I go light, but not ultralight, as there is typically a significant increase in expense and decrease in durability to shave a pound or two.

My guess is that this thread probably seems odd to those who have not used a good camping hammock for a trip of any kind (and I really do mean "a good camping hammock", as I would have zero interest in sleeping in something similar to a backyard napping hammock). In my experience: they are more comfortable and drier than tents; they stand up to a storm better; counterintuitively, they are roomier than a tent or bivy of comparable weight. I've spent several hundred nights in a tent and only forty or so in a hammock, but I can't think of a good reason ever to go back to a tent.

Caddy909

I'm very interested in this as I've found hammocks to be more comfortable than ground sleeping, but how would you carry the package at 70cm on a bike? Panniers are not that tall, even diagonally, and it would be difficult to strap it to my xsmall bike.

revcp 

Yeah, that's an issue. It would be easy with a trailer. Sans trailer, I see only two ways of it working on a bike, both problematic: strap it to the top tube or the rack. The former would be really tough, as it would have to hang out fore and aft. The latter would probably be best. You could anchor it well and it wouldn't really be in the way, but it would still hang off the back a good 15 to 18 inches on most racks.