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  1. #1
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    First night in a hammock

    Going to sleep and waking in a hammock is a blast but clearly I was doing something wrong. I used a Feathered Friends Flicker as an underquilt, which worked pretty well but the head side seemed to sag so it didn't offer as much insulation around the shoulders. My top quilt was just a fleece blanket and it was a lot colder than I'd expected. Slept mostly on my back, which is interesting because I'm usually a side sleeper. I tended to tuck my legs, sometimes in a lotus position while laying back and sometimes fetal kind of off to the side. Not sure how much sleep I got, but it started raining around 5am and I hadn't set up a tarp so I went back inside (I was just in my backyard to try it out). I used my eno doublenest since I'm still waiting on some 1.6oz hyperd to make an 11 footer. My neck is really killing me today. I had a camping pillow, and I don't think I was as flat as I ought to be because it feels like I slept all hunched forward. Having a ridgeline might have helped with that but I still need to make one. The doublenest is only 9 1/3 feet long and I'm 5'9" so maybe that had something to do with it. All in all, it was a good experience but not a good night's sleep. Also, does alcohol hit harder in a hammock?

  2. #2
    Senior Member Smckinney0031's Avatar
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    It sounds like the eno was too short for you honestly. And yeah, the motion of the hammock, could make the alcohol hit harder

    Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

  3. #3
    Senior Member MAD777's Avatar
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    Congrats on your first night off the ground! While ultimately comfortable, hammocks do have a bit of a learning curve. The biggest challenge is usually the underquilt adjustment, so you're not alone there. You were smart to start out in your backyard
    The short ENO in combination with no ridgeline greatly handicapped your chances of success. An 11' hammock with a ridgeline will seem like the lap of luxury compared to your present rig.

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    Mike
    "Life is a Project!"

  4. #4
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    Hi
    This is my two pennies worth, Try to get rid of the camping pillow they are normally much too high,the shape of hammock bends you in a nice position for your head you just need something really to support your neck, even a stuff sac with thin fleece is normally enough for me,i am getting used to sleeping on my back now,i am normally side sleeper,But my feet still have not got used to where they want to be comfy,i don't like my feet touching each other lol,but I do have a down pillow coming soon to scrunch up around my feet to separate them and provide bit of insulation, to start off with its all a bit of fiddling around with things to get comfy and warm, but worth it in the end.

    Dave
    Last edited by hangerdave; 05-03-2020 at 11:23.

  5. #5
    cougarmeat's Avatar
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    One common issue with new hammock sleepers is they think they need to sleep the same way they do in a bed. Because the support in a hammock is different from a bed, you will probably sleep differently.

    A pillow, normally used, would raise my head too high and put a strain on my neck. If I use a pillow at all, it’s usually as a support under a knee - just for a different feel.

    Great decision to try at home, backyard, first. There are a few kinks to get out and better to find out at home then 5 - 10 miles down a trail. But rest assured, there will be things to learn once you’re “out there.”

    Welcome to the comfort world of Hammock Camping.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  6. #6
    Senior Member oldgringo's Avatar
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    The worst night I ever spent in an ENO was far better than sleeping on the ground...I'm a big guy, ya just gotta hang it right.
    Dave

    "Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self."~~~May Sarton

  7. #7
    New Member
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    I’m 5’9” and sleep fine in a short gathered end hammock with no pillow. Just make sure you’re as diagonal as you can get and the edge of the hammock supports your head.
    Make sure the underquilt is all around your shoulders, the foot end is less important especially if your topquilt has a footbox (or you manage to engineer one out of your fleece).
    I’m also a side sleeper in bed but are ok on my back in a hammock. Once you find your sweet spot you’ll be away with the fairies for hours.
    As for the alcohol, drink a pint of water before you go to sleep to prevent dehydration and have an empty bottle ready for comfort breaks during the night


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  8. #8
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    I'm setting up a fixed ridge line for the doublenest today. The line I'm using is pretty big- it's that yellow poly utility rope... I think it's 5/8ths. I'm going to give it at least an 8"-10" bury length since the diameter of the line is so much bigger. At 83% hammock length my ridgeline should be only 7.8' long which definitely seems pretty short but it's worth a shot. I also found an extra draw cord in the Flicker I didn't notice when I set up, it would have cinched in the sag around the shoulder area so that'll be great for next time. I might even try a tarp, but it'll probably be a cheap poly tarp, the heavy duty brown/silver type since I'm taking baby steps. I'll try it without a pillow next time. I'm definitely digging this hammock camping thing. Compared to a bad night on the ground the night seemed to go by a lot faster even though I was waking up a lot from the cold and neck pain and constant pee breaks. Properly tuned I can definitely see why people prefer hammocks over ground camping.

  9. #9
    cougarmeat's Avatar
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    bearito - good that you understand the longer bury with the thicker line. But know that when you get the angle right on the hammock suspension, it won’t put too much pull on that ridge line.

    In other words, a ridge line can be “structural” or not. One that isn’t structural is used for ”measuring” meaning you set the suspension angle to the support (tree) so that line can just be tweaked with your fingers - not guitar string tight. A structural ridge line is the same length but constructed to take extra force. So if you need to make the hang angle shallower (tighter), the ridge line takes the extra force as the hammock keeps the same sag. But there is still “extra force”. It is applied to the elements of your suspension. So even with a structural ridge line, it is still best to aim for that 30 degree-ish angle - loose enough to just tweak the ridge line.

    The question “Are you in the hammock or out of the hammock when you make the tweak test?” seems still …. up in the air.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by cougarmeat View Post
    bearito - good that you understand the longer bury with the thicker line. But know that when you get the angle right on the hammock suspension, it won’t put too much pull on that ridge line.

    In other words, a ridge line can be “structural” or not. One that isn’t structural is used for ”measuring” meaning you set the suspension angle to the support (tree) so that line can just be tweaked with your fingers - not guitar string tight. A structural ridge line is the same length but constructed to take extra force. So if you need to make the hang angle shallower (tighter), the ridge line takes the extra force as the hammock keeps the same sag. But there is still “extra force”. It is applied to the elements of your suspension. So even with a structural ridge line, it is still best to aim for that 30 degree-ish angle - loose enough to just tweak the ridge line.

    The question “Are you in the hammock or out of the hammock when you make the tweak test?” seems still …. up in the air.
    So, is the difference that a structural ridgeline will take more stress, or are they attached to the hammock differently? This line would have been very strong, had I not goofed with the measurement and made it too short. Unfortunately I think I'm out of spliceable rope.

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