Hammock complexity an observation

[noontime]

Lest we not forget that Jim_S is hanging a hammock, just take a look at his pics on the "tent hammock" thread. I think he has no arguments with the superior comfort just observations as to how he perceives things here as a new person.
Jim, call me crazy....no really, call me crazy... but part of the reason I camp is so that I can leave all the city stuff behind...including my bed! I don't want it, ya it's comfy but it wouldn't be enjoyable to me out in the woods. So maybe this is an hypocritical but, like others, I hammock cause of the comfort it brings with minimal toting...hammock, tarp, and warming tool of your choice.

[pgibson]

I sleep better in my hammock than the very expensive memory foam mattress we bought a couple years ago. Far better, and so does my wife. We would switch if we could find the right combination of space, and size in a home sleeper hammock, been meaning to have Canibal give me the low down but I know if I just search a bit I will find his post and recommendations of the subject. But I see no connection to that, at home in a bed is rarely ever been as good a nights sleep as in the woods with fresh air, the sound of a stream/river, and the general joy of being out in the woods. But since switching to hammock it's just that much better. Adding a comfotable place to sleep to the equation. O that comfortable nights sleep only makes it better. There are some places that I think I want to hike this spring that just do not have trees, I am excited about the hike but dreading going back to the ground to sleep on, will love to make use of the tent I have, but hate to think about laying on the ground rather than hanging. I think that experience plays a roll in how converting to hanging will work out, being open to the information that those here have to share from an educated perspective made it quick for me to get up to speed, learn about how to successfully hang a hammock and make it a better experience than my groudling days.

But as has been said before HYOH, YMMV and so forth

[finallyME]

Jim, you sure like to stir the pot.

[Jim S]

pgibson,
seriously, if yer gonna camp above tree line or in a desert where you cannot hang your hammock, get a warmlight down air mattress. Mine is huge, 80 inches long and 29 wide at the shoulder and its the 20 year old model and it only weighs 27 ounces. Besides the Warmlight DAM I can't sleep on the ground with anything else but my Big Agnes insulated air mattress but the Big A is a long ways from the warmlight. The warmlight is also very cool for rafting.

Everybody else.

I'm not trying to stir anything, just saying that you should do whats comfortable for you and with the gear you have that works where you go. I am not arguing against hammocks nor for tents, I am arguing that Hammocks are not simple nor are they any better than tents, merely different and that people who think they are superior to other people because of where they sleep, be in on the ground, in a hammock or in a tree are just a bit too narcissistic.

My friend enjoys my Down Air Mattress on an ice cold lake in the Sierras.

[ikemouser]

We're not arguing against you either, just saying that you should try something before you say its good or bad. I would not say mcdonalds is better than burger king when i have never tried mcdonalds, would you? 27oz is not light for a pad. If you detect an air of superiority, i think your misinterpreting people. We just like to poke fun at tenters, its not personal, we don't see ourselves as superior, the vast majority of the members are humble. That's why theres been so much innovation, or as you say "complexity" because people are open to new ideas. People who are arrogant are not open to new ideas, how could hf be arrogant if all these new ideas has come about?

[alienjeff650]

Clearly, it was a mistake to entrust you people with the safekeeping of the Mother Tongue.

ROFL Crikey

[hippofeet]

Jim....you rogue.

[Festus Hagen]

I don't hate tents... I have several and I like 'em for what they are. I certainly don't think myself "superior" to someone just because they choose to sleep in a tent, tarp tent, or tarp shelter. I do suspect that on average I sleep better than those folks when in the woods, but hey to each his own.... I've known campers that tried hammocks and didn't care for them.

A buddy of mine insists on camping under a poncho pitched as a tarp. He slept in a hammock once and wasn't smitten enough to switch over, and even the 32 ounce carry weight of my summer rig is too much for his taste. Truth, I always drive home from our outings while he snoozes in the passenger seat, but maybe the weight difference is worth it for him.

Something I learned when I was riding motorcycles. The Harley guys think they are smarter than the sportbike guys who think they are smarter than the touring bike guys who think they are smarter than the dual-sport guys who think...

Seriously, who cares? Stop worrying so much about what somebody else thinks. Life's too short. If you're having fun, you're doing it right.

[chezrad]

I'm just happy I don't have to blow up my mattress anymore. I also don't wake up in a pool of sweat if I come out of the sleeping bag and lay in direct contact with the inflatable plastic BA air mattress. This is one of the main reasons I sleep better in a hammock.

My hammock setup also weighs less than my backpacking tent setup. So it makes sense to me.

However, most people grew up with tents and understand them. Most people did not grow up with hammocks. So there is a perspective thing going on that you may relate to "Complexity".

I work with young Boy Scouts that have no done a lot of camping and to them a tent is complex (when you throw in site selection, wind directions, etc..) and a hammock (without UQ or tarp) is simple. Camping can be pretty simple or pretty complicated.

Folks who have been doing something well for a while tend to make it look simple when in fact there is a lot of knowledge and experience on display. Anyone getting "into the game", whatever the game is spend a good deal of time just trying to figure the game out. That's life.

[MedicineMan]

somebody say something about us dual sport guys?