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  1. #1
    Member CrazyZippo's Avatar
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    Sleeping head chest more elevated

    Hey all jts been what seems like forever. Had to take to the ground while kids were growing older but now we are at a place where most of them have chosen either tent or hammock as the primary camping experience for themselves. Since my wife doesnt camp its been me in a tent with either 1 2 3 or 4 of them with me.
    Now everyones old enough or already using their own tents or hammockd they no longer need to sleep next to Dad. Mixed emotions but does give me the chance to get back into hanging.
    Heres my first question. Is there a hammock setup that anyone is aware of the will let me sleep more in a slight rexline position. Sometbing where my jead and chest are more elevated then my stomach and legs.
    I have have a gathered end hammock..and rei bridge hammock. What i havent tried is the amok do to its weight and size.
    I have gerds/acid reflux mixed with sleep apnea..which is corrected with chest elevated sleeping.
    Second question, what is your honest opinion is best setup for close proximity 3 to 5 hammock setups? Mutilple or same trees. Even though the kids are moving out of my tent they still feel the need to be close as they can, which i understand.
    Any other thoughts please feel free to share them.
    I live about hour north of Indianapolis. My kids and i camp year round till single digits, evem then sometimes. Kids are 7 to 13 yea4s old. Added this for addtional insight to proposed answers

    Thanks again
    Crazyzippo

    Forgive my grammar i did this quickly on my phone while at my work desk lol

  2. #2
    cmc4free's Avatar
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    The Amok Draumr will for sure let you sleep on an incline. Bridge hammocks are typically pretty flat. Gathered end is often the opposite of what you're asking, where the foot end will be hung higher than the head end.

  3. #3
    Senior Member jeff-oh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cmc4free View Post
    Gathered end is often the opposite of what you're asking, where the foot end will be hung higher than the head end.
    I find with a gathered end hammock you sleep in a reclined position as a back sleeper. Your center of mass (around the lower back/abdomen) will tend to slip to the lowest point of the hammock, thus people will hang the hammock with the foot end slightly higher than the head end to off set the low point of the hammock toward the head end. This helps keep the occupant more centered in the hammock. However, position wise the head and chest is still elevated above the stomach, though the feet will be also. CMC4free do you agree?

    For hanging purposes You can usually find a good central tree that you could hang 2-3 hammocks from all going out in different directions. When my daughter was that age we'd do the common tree thing, then she was fine with near bye (within 10-20 feet). Now she wants the Snoring Wookie way off in the next county.

    Use what you have, use a SRL to set your sag and try it out at home. If the GE hammocks are not cutting it then look at other options. I agree bridge hammocks probably are not your answer, and certainly the AMOK will put you in whatever recliner/seated position you may want.

  4. #4
    cmc4free's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jeff-oh View Post
    I find with a gathered end hammock you sleep in a reclined position as a back sleeper. Your center of mass (around the lower back/abdomen) will tend to slip to the lowest point of the hammock, thus people will hang the hammock with the foot end slightly higher than the head end to off set the low point of the hammock toward the head end. This helps keep the occupant more centered in the hammock. However, position wise the head and chest is still elevated above the stomach, though the feet will be also. CMC4free do you agree?
    You know, I suppose that might be true. Feet elevated for sure, but head and chest may also be slightly elevated when compared to stomach. Typically for me, though, I'd say my head and chest would probably be only very slightly inclined - pretty close to flat. I wonder how much of an incline the OP is looking for.

  5. #5
    Senior Member sunsetkayaker's Avatar
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    Some people prefer to sleep banana style which also will elevate your head a little more than diagonal lay. You will need something under the back of your knees, but I have heard that banana style sleeping is like sleeping in a recliner. As jeff-oh said, fiddle with the sag. You may want the SRL shorter than normal.
    The essential part of me can not be discussed here. Ask me in person.

  6. #6
    Senior Member Karla "with a k"'s Avatar
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    I prefer a gathered end and I sleep banana style. (I feel like us banana sleepers are a rare breed.) At home I have an adjustable bed which keeps my head and feet elevated. I like recreating that feel in a hammock.

    While sleeping in a hammock, I find many positions very comfortable and my legs are all over the place - sometimes like a frog/ butterfly, like a figure 9 or 6, sometimes with a slight side turn, and sometimes with one arm over my head. For the longest time I couldn't understand what this "calf ridge" issue was, then I've finally experienced it, but only one time so far. I thought I might want an inflatable neck roll for behind my knees, but I haven't felt like I need it. (yet?)

    I've only slept in my REI bridge hammock a few times, but my head wasn't as high as I'd like. I thought about mounding clothes under my head to see if that made my experience more comfortable. It's on my list of things to try this summer.

    I'm curious to know what you finally decide works for you. Hang your own Hang!
    ◘ May 17-19: BACONFEST @ Interstate WI SP ◘ Oct 3-6: miCHILIgan @ Middleville, MI ◘ YouTube: karlawithak216 ◘ Instagram: i.am.karla.with.a.k ◘ 97 months

  7. #7
    dakotaross's Avatar
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    Well, you don't have to hang the foot end higher in a GE hammock. If you're wanting the elevation on the torso end, then you probably want to hang it even. Bridge hammocks are meant to be flatter, but can always use a pillow. The Amok might be more uniquely suited to getting the elevation where you want it to be.

    Hanging off the same tree is fine, though I find I'm often hanging on young trees that are smaller simply because the forests I camp in are often a mix of young and old without much in between, and the old trees can be dangerous. The smaller trees can shake with movements in the hammock, so to me, that would be a deterrent to wanting to hang off the same tree.
    "I wonder if anyone else has an ear so tuned and sharpened as I have, to detect the music, not of the spheres, but of earth, subtleties of major and minor chord that the wind strikes upon the tree branches. Have you ever heard the earth breathe... ?"
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  8. #8
    Senior Member WV's Avatar
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    My Peoples Bridge Hammock design might suit you. I think it offers the back comfort of a gathered end hammock without the tendency to hyperextend your knees that is seen in both bridges and GE hammocks. The built in knee ridge makes a knee pillow unnecessary, and it rewards hanging the head end higher because you slide downhill just far enough for your butt to be stopped by the ridge, putting you in the perfect sleeping position. Your legs are elevated a bit, but there's no pressure on your heels. Another advantage of the PBH is that DIY construction is much simpler than other bridge designs. Each side angle is just two straight edges, not a catenary curve. Here's a 1 minute video of a 2016 version (back when we had snow). I chose this prototype because it presents a simple version of the PBH - no end caps or recessed spreaders, which are options that can be added. In this video the head end is only slightly elevated (look at the line of my back), but it can be raised more.

    In this prototype the foot end is just as wide as the head end, but I've made it narrower in subsequent hammocks. Here are a couple of later designs. Note, the side angle determines the height of the knee ridge.
    PBH bed shapes compared (624x800).jpg

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by cmc4free View Post
    The Amok Draumr will for sure let you sleep on an incline. Bridge hammocks are typically pretty flat. Gathered end is often the opposite of what you're asking, where the foot end will be hung higher than the head end.
    Usually hung higher at the foot end, but not necessarily. I hang mine so I’m more upright for the same reasons as the OP: GERD.

  10. #10
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    M y hammock is a WBBB

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