My first hammock was a Hennessey and it is what I still use today. (in the processes of making a new one for myself). When I first got it up until I changed the suspension to whoopie slings I would crank down on the spectra. I'm talking almost 0 degrees and I was good. you have to remember to sleep on a diagonal as some have said above. I can't sleep on my back either but I do find that sleeping on a 45 is perfect for me. By 45 I mean not on my back but not quite on my side, half way.
Yosemite Sam: Are you trying to make me look a fool?
Bugs: You don't need me to make you look like a fool.
Yosemite Sam: Yer deerrrnnn right I don't!
The most important thing IMOOriginally Posted by MedicineMan
I can relate. My first night in a hammock was the worst nights sleep I have ever had. It took a long time for me to get comfortable in one. I would lay there tossing and turning all night.
I never believed the folks who said their first night in a hammock was the best ever. Too many things to do to get it right the first time.
I am lucky that I can sleep in a tent or a hammock and get a good nights in either one.
'Classic.' A book which people praise and don't read.” ― Mark Twain
Who cares about showers, gourmet food, using flush toilets. Just keep on walking and being away from it all.
There are times that the only way you can do something is to do it alone.
Thanks for all the advice. I will try experimenting a bit.
'Morris
A lot of folks have mentioned the 30 degree angle. That's a good general rule, but with the Hennessey you might want to try it a bit tighter. Keep experimenting and you'll find what works best for you. I'd recommend switching to whoopie slings or adjustable webbing. I wish I would have known about such things when I started hammock camping. It's so much easier to make adjustments if you don't have to tie and untie and retie a knot every time. An adjustable ridge line may be helpful too.
Don't alter my altar
don't desecrate my shrine
My church is the water
and my home is underneath the shady pines
From the song "One Man's Shame" by William Elliot Whitmore
Well It goes without saying Owls are Nocturnal, so sleeping in a hammock the first two nights was ....AWKward. Later we had huge party near the Hostel and we invited a large quantity of shelter mice.... Ha Ha, they so fall for that line...You know a Digital Camera with a good flash and "CHEESE" So a little later we all went to bed stuffed and nothing to crow about.
There was an Old Man with a owl,
Who continued to bother and howl;
He sat on a rail, And imbibed bitter ale,
Which refreshed that Old Man and his owl.WOO
I agree with Canoebie about that fiddle factor stage.
The first few times I slept in a hammock I didn't sleep well either and it was in a BB. That's right the best hammock out there! I nearly gave up and went back to the ground!
But as I figured out it wasn't the hammock it was the set-up. I wasn't the one setting it up either. I was borrowing it and since it was theirs I was being polite by letting them set it up for me. I never would have figured out my own personal "Sweet Spot" if I hadn't gotten my own hammock and gone through all that "fiddle factor" on my own. I now have one in my house that I regularly sleep in.
My point is we all have our own personal comfort zone. Keep trying and try it all. You'll get there.
Hootenanny Hang June 11-13, 2021
Love many, trust few & always paddle your own canoe. American Proverb
Adventure is Calling... nolilearn.org
Yet another post about how I didn't sleep well the first time either.
But some more unique information I want to give is, my problem was I was trying to replicate how I fell asleep on a bed and doing that in the hammock. Well I learned this was wrong since then. On a bed you are a back, side or stomach sleeper, because that is all you can be. Me in a hammock, well I'm a 45 degree sleeper with one knee up. There are so many new positions in a hammock, just experiment and you will find one to work.
I like metric, I use metric, for those of you who don't ... you should, for those of you who won't ... here.
0*C - 32*F, 10*C - 50*F, 20*C - 68*F, 30*C - 86*F
100g - 3.52oz, 500g - 17.63oz, 1kg - 2.2lbs, 16oz - 1lbs
10cm - 3.9", 1m - 3.28ft, 1km - 0.62mi
As is mentioned often here, going from the ground to a hammock is a HUGE learning curve, especially if doing it alone. HF helps, but the quickest way to shorten the LC is someone with you for hands on tinkering to fit to YOU! Start out with trying all the above advice about angle of the dangle & stuff, & as said a few times before but bears repeating: DON'T GIVE UP!
Don't let the videos & reports "Got a new hammock, set it up first time & was impressed" from us old timers discourage you, many of us took a few weeks to get it right with our first attempts. Now (For me at least, but I'm only on hammock #5) set up is nearly automatic even for those who we have to add a ridgeline to. As stated, the ridgeline "Sets" your sag, once that is figured out, the rest is just gravy, & the HH ridgeline is pretty much a good (Great?) guide as to what sag is best for that model.
Welcome to the madness! Remember, it's only an addiction if you are trying to quit!
When you have a backpack on, no matter where you are, you’re home.
PAIN is INEVITABLE. MISERY is OPTIONAL.
I've tinkered with the length of the ridgeline on mine some, but not too much as it is a little bit of a process tying and untying. I recently bought an adjustable ridgeline from whoopieslings.com (essentially a long whoopie sling) so that I have infinite adjustability as I try to dial in my perfect ridgeline length.
SN
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