Hammocking vs tent(ing?)

[pellet gun]

I enjoy both. Biggest thing for me, in a hammock, is sleeping on your side...I am a side sleeper...and haven't mastered that yet after 6 years of hanging. But, I love being off the ground and not limited to where I can sleep in a physical location.

[Roadrunnr72]

I can say that I have never had a good nights sleep in a tent. Toss and turn all night and wake up with sore shoulders and hips. It is always nice to go lay down in a tent and find that 1 root, stick, rock, ect that you didn't see. Never had this problem with my hammock.

[fgblueenohanger]

I've been camping and backpacking with scouts for five years and for the first 3 1/2 years I tent camped. I bought a hammock last year and have carried it on every outing since March 2011 and have only tent camped once. I did not sleep nearly as good in my tent as I do in my hammock. I just got back from a backpacking trip this weekend in 20 degree weather and carried a ccf pad, hammock, tarp and sleeping bag and was very comfortable and warm. I always thought sleeping in a hammock was uncomfortable and I wouldn't get good sleep. But, I've never slept better. The only downside I can see about hammocking is changing clothes outside. At least in a tent, you have cover.

[G.L.P.]

for me it really doesn't matter much ... but i rather my Hammock like others have said no roots,rocks and so forth digging into your back and finding a nice site is easy with a hammock
if i had to tarp it i wouldn't mind much i never had a problem sleeping on the ground i just hated crawling to get in and out and like Dutch pointed out packing a wet tent sucks .... and slugs ... there good with butter
i also like how you can mix and match with a hammock setup there are so many options it's crazy ... some people don't take to hammocks right away .... i can climb into my WBBB i have set up in the basement and sleep till 10 in the morning if no one wakes me up my kid sometimes sleeps in it with me he thinks it's fun

[DivaB]

Cold Butt Syndrome (CBS) is one of the biggest differences between hammock and tent. Insulation underneath you is a bit more difficult in a hammock. There is a lot of information on this site about ways to insulate your underside. You can do it very cheaply with closed cell foam pads and you can do it very expensively with some of the underquilt or peapod type systems. There is a whole range of different under side insulation methods at all different prices.

+1 on the CBS....but then I even suffer CBS in my regular bed, which is memory foam

[dakotaross]

A tent is built around the premise of the bedroom... 4 walls, a roof, and a mattress. The hammock is a totally different thing, yet it contains those same basics and improves upon each. Instead of 4 walls and a roof, you have a tarp which provides all that the other does, except for the perceived safety of enclosure (which is a false sense of security). The hammock provides comfort much like a memory foam mattress does - by spreading out the pressure points along your body so that you sleep for longer periods of time without waking to alleviate those pressure points. You have to add warmth underneath the hammock to capture your body heat like a mattress does, and once you do that, you realize that it is truly more like a bed at home than a pad in a tent could ever replicate.

I get drawn into this discussion over on Whiteblaze.net all the time where the discussion inevitably devolves into an "us vs. them" quarrel. It makes me realize just how different the hammock perspective is. And yet, if you take the time to understand it, its incredibly simple - its just that many of the hammock solutions are not commercial products that are readily available to satisfy immediate wants and desires. Those solutions ARE available through many cottage industry vendors which can be accessed through this website, but solutions are also solved through the ingenuity of many individual users who make this forum a bastion of creative thinking with regard to how to have a good time in the outdoors - specifically in terms of getting good sleep.

Welcome, and I hope our site leads you to a more fulfilling enjoyment of the great outdoors!

[Bradley]

I own a skill saw, radial arm saw, table saw, large metal band saw, and a table top wood band saw.
Oh yea . . . a couple of hand saws for wood . . .
a hacksaw, and a reciprocating saw for wood or steel . . .

I have my preferences . . . but those preferences usually are determined by the job that I am doing.

I own 2 tents, and a couple of hammocks.

I don't use the tents, myself . . .
but if I was in the arctic or desert I suppose I would.

I own and prefer the hammock . . . mostly because of comfort.

[mattmacman]

I agree with Dutch, roots in the back all night cant be beat!

[Beast 71]

Hammock cons;
1. lack of social space. A tent is a good place to play cards with a group or for a couple to snuggle while waiting out rain. Now that my entire group has become hangers, it's important for us to have a kitchen tarp that we all can socialize under.

2. Lack of a place to keep gear out of the weather. I never considered it a problem personally but the first question that converts always ask me is; "Where do I put my gear?" A poncho or a plastic bag works well on the ground. Or you can hang gear under the tarp off of the ridge-line.

3. The need for trees.

[joker]

one downside that i have encountered is when i was tent camping i would just put my pack in the tent with me or in the vestibule ...but you dont really have that option with a hammock, now i should say that i dont like my pack to be on the bare ground, im weird like that , so i have to hang it either from a tree or my line which isnt too bad as you can tell by me staying with the hammock best of luck at becoming a hammocker it will change your life