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Camping with no tent, hammock

When a fellow wilderness guide instructor convinced me to try hammock camping, I can tell you it was a frustrating couple of nights until I learned some valuable lessons. I knew I needed a Thermarest pad inside under me, even on relatively warm summer nights. The dang thing kept floating up and ending up on top of me. So very frustrating. I soon decided to take an old bed sheet, sew it to make a bag out of it and place my pad and sleeping bag inside. Problem solved. Later I bought Big Agnes bags with built in bottom sleeves to hold a pad. Problem solved again. How tight and at what level to tie the ends between trees is a very trial and error personal learning process to find the right level so you don't slide down where you don't want to be in the thing.

After we convinced other instructors to try their first night in a hammock, it became a comedy show to watch their antics until they learned too. Most became converts like me. Especially those of us who like to primitive camp away from designated flat treeless campsites and prefer to be in rough unlevel terrain at random lake shore sites, or when bushwhacking between remote ponds. A second extra lightweight large silnylon tarp over the integral netting and tarp completes adequate rough storm proofing gear. I feel that necessary extra weight and bulk to survive in very cold 4th season weather means you might as well just use an old school lightweight tent for better comfort.
 
I started backpacking with a tarp about 12 years ago. I wear a head net at night over a baseball cap. It is cool in the West except for the desert so the rest of the body is not exposed to bugs in a sleeping bag. Usually I still bring a tent for river trips because they can be more insects along rivers. Lately I have been just rolling out a pad and sleeping bag under some big trees. The big trees keep the dew off.
 
I've been using a Rhombus Hammock Hot Tarp for early spring, fall and early winter trips for a few years now. The design works great for my Warbonnet Ridgerunner hammock, with enough room for a stove and an area to sit in. I especially like the option to leave one or both ends open for airflow. I've seen videos of it being used on backpacking trips - I don't see that as a viable use, because of the weight and bulk. However, for canoe camping, it is great. I don't use it in the summer because there is no protection from insects (with exception of the netting on my hammock). Instead, I use a Nemo Bugout Shelter, which has double zippers on each end, allowing my hammock straps to go through and still close up enough to keep insects out. Like the Rhombus, there's enough room inside for cooking, sitting etc.
 
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I have hammock camped most of my life, I was just a teen when I started, 13, maybe 14. I was hunting, fishing and camping in the lake swamp north of Lake Maurepas in south Louisiana and one of my uncles heard me complaining about how hard it is to stay dry in a tent on the "ground" in a swamp. I had taken to tying my flat boat between two trees and sleeping in it, cold and uncomfortable, but still dryer than trying to sleep on the ground. The next day he brought me an old army surplus hammock and a canvas oil tarp to go with it. I've been hammock camping ever since. Even if I didn't have any dry land at all, I'd tie my boat between two trees and hang my hammock and tarp above it. Worked great!

Fast forward 45 years.....

Now for the OP, you can absolutely side sleep in the right hammock. Like the previous posters have mentioned, an asymmetric hammock is going to be your friend. Once you figure out "the spot" it'll be the most comfortable sleep you've had in a long time. I have a Hennessy Deluxe Classic XXL, bottom entry, and I side sleep in a fetal position all the time. Like you, I have some lower back issues and that's my favorite way to sleep. I have also made quite a few hammocks and tarps for myself and friends, I'm 100% hooked on them over a tent. IMHO they're more comfortable and they pack down to a lot smaller size, perfect for expedition or extended off grid type travels. I love using it when I road trip on my motorcycles, drops right into a saddlebag. I even made an extra long tarp that will cover my hammock and my bike so it's dry the next morning. For winter time, I use a regular down quilt and an under-quilt on the hammock, I've camped to 5° F that way, snug as a bug.

Try a hammock out, I think you might like it.


Rusty
 
I have hammock camped most of my life, I was just a teen when I started, 13, maybe 14. I was hunting, fishing and camping in the lake swamp north of Lake Maurepas in south Louisiana and one of my uncles heard me complaining about how hard it is to stay dry in a tent on the "ground" in a swamp. I had taken to tying my flat boat between two trees and sleeping in it, cold and uncomfortable, but still dryer than trying to sleep on the ground. The next day he brought me an old army surplus hammock and a canvas oil tarp to go with it. I've been hammock camping ever since. Even if I didn't have any dry land at all, I'd tie my boat between two trees and hang my hammock and tarp above it. Worked great!

Fast forward 45 years.....

Now for the OP, you can absolutely side sleep in the right hammock. Like the previous posters have mentioned, an asymmetric hammock is going to be your friend. Once you figure out "the spot" it'll be the most comfortable sleep you've had in a long time. I have a Hennessy Deluxe Classic XXL, bottom entry, and I side sleep in a fetal position all the time. Like you, I have some lower back issues and that's my favorite way to sleep. I have also made quite a few hammocks and tarps for myself and friends, I'm 100% hooked on them over a tent. IMHO they're more comfortable and they pack down to a lot smaller size, perfect for expedition or extended off grid type travels. I love using it when I road trip on my motorcycles, drops right into a saddlebag. I even made an extra long tarp that will cover my hammock and my bike so it's dry the next morning. For winter time, I use a regular down quilt and an under-quilt on the hammock, I've camped to 5° F that way, snug as a bug.

Try a hammock out, I think you might like it.


Rusty

Rusty
You mention that you have made a few hammocks, I have the material to make my own, it would be great if you could show how you made your hammock?
 
Rusty
You mention that you have made a few hammocks, I have the material to make my own, it would be great if you could show how you made your hammock?

Yes please share how you made your hammock, that might be next winters project.
Jim
Sure, I'm going out of town for the weekend today, but I'll post up about it after I get back. I only have one left here, that I built, I gave the other two to a couple of buddy's to guilt them into going camping with me. 😁 It worked and they're hooked on hammocks now too. I'll try to find my original build pictures but if not, I'll take some new ones and describe what I did.

Rusty
 
Sure, I'm going out of town for the weekend today, but I'll post up about it after I get back. I only have one left here, that I built, I gave the other two to a couple of buddy's to guilt them into going camping with me. 😁 It worked and they're hooked on hammocks now too. I'll try to find my original build pictures but if not, I'll take some new ones and describe what I did.

Rusty
I didn't forget you guys, I just got back into town late last night. I tried to go back to Hammock Forums to my build thread and it's no longer there. They had a data problem a few years back and lost a lot of good info. I still need to look for the photos on my old computer and if all else fails, I'll set it up this weekend and post up all the info and pictures.


Rusty
 
Well, I can't find my hammock, and I'm not going to lie, I'm a little panicked...I have the tarp for it that I made, but the hammock isn't where it's supposed to be. It sits on the shelf between my Hennessy setup and the tarp, both of those are there but it's not. I have looked high and low, I don't know where it might be. I'm going to tear my shop apart till it shows up, I'm assuming one of the kids used it and didn't put it back where it goes. I had it last year sometime shortly before my surgery.

I have one more place I can look for the original build pictures, and I've put in a text to one of my buddy's that I made one for. I'm hoping one or the other of those will turn up some pictures for you guys.

I learned all the particulars of building from hammockforums.net, it's been 10 years+ since I was a participating member, but tons of good hammock info to be had there. Shug Emery on YouTube has a lot of really useful hammock camping info too. I love watching his trek videos and checking out his camping set ups. He has lots of great reviews and pointers for packing ultralight, and the guy is super funny to boot (oh and he juggles occasionally :LOL:) .

Just as a general overview, I used a gusset/gather method of construction, using a double layer of 60" wide ripstop nylon and 1/4" Amsteel rope rigged to double metal rings on each end, think motorcycle helmet type adjustment. I made a set of 1 1/2" nylon tree-hugger style straps to sling through the rings. It was made so it can be rigged as a banana style hang or a 30° asymmetric hammock for flat hangs. It can also be sat in sideways like a sling chair. My tarp rides a ridge line and is a full double width of the hammock, both are made from the same ripstop. I'm hoping I'll be able to put my hands on it this week, if not, maybe my buddy will come through with some photos. If I had access to a sewing machine, I'd just throw another one together to show you guys. You can do the hammock in 6 or 8 hours, the tarp takes a lot more time because of all the rigging points. I can definitely set up my tarp and show you guys how it went together, hopefully I can get some hammock pics some how to go with it.

Edit: I just heard from my buddy, he's going to get some pictures for us in the next few days!
 
Rusty
You mention that you have made a few hammocks, I have the material to make my own, it would be great if you could show how you made your hammock?

Yes please share how you made your hammock, that might be next winters project.
Jim

My buddy sent me a few pictures. This is a 12' hammock built for a guy 6'3", 250#s. This is how big it is packed. About the size of a football.
IMG_20250812_195318.jpg

This is the end detail. It's six zigzag passes to form the gusset then the Amsteel is passed through and tied. The knot is tucked into the gusset. The rings function just like the rings on the chin strap of a helmet, using the hanger straps. You can see in the photo above, these tree huggers were made from 1" ratchet straps.
IMG_20250812_195324.jpg
I'll hang the tarp this weekend and show you guys how it went together.
 
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