Hammock or tent?

[awa355]

I'm going to replace my old 2 man tent. Have been toying with the idea of either a hammock under a tarp or another 2 man tent. I like the thought of being off the damp ground, but the draw back would be having to camp only where trees are suitable. I did think the hammock would do away with the additional bulk of a bed roll..

I wondered about this as an alternative to a tent.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/sports/camp...-883801632.htm

Main criteria would be compactness and light weight. The tent, bed roll and sleeping bag all make up a lot of the bulk of camping equipment on a bike so I want to cut back as much as possible. Most camping would only be for a couple of nights at a time. I'm thinking of DOC camping sites rather than holiday parks.

So, tarp and hammock, or
Tent and sleeping bag/mattress?

[Scubbo]

get a SWAG

heres a linke (http://www.wildearth.com.au/buy/true...nvas-sw/TM32BK)

[RMOTO]

If your goal is lightweight and compact then a hammock with fly will certainly do the trick.

Another option is a simple fly, mosquito net and sleeping mat combo which still comes in with less weight and bulk than a tent.

Fly camping on the Mackley River bank

A bivy bag is another option but for me they are too cramped and confined for comfort on long trips.

I have a hammock and have used it a number of times on rides, this is the one I use here:

http://www.remotemoto.com/articles/hennessy-hammocks/

This is also an interesting read on hammock camping in general by Ian Meyle

http://www.remotemoto.com/articles/hammock-camping/

There are both negatives and positives from hammock camping. Hammock camping in Central Otago... good luck finding trees in some places!! Even on the West Coast I struggled in places to find suitable trees close to where I can pull my bike up. The Hennasey Hammocks are quite comfy and in some cases I'll use mine (mostly for either back country fly fishing tramping trips or a super lightweight bike trip) but generally when out on the bike I prefer the comfort of a spacious 2 man tent with plenty of room for both me and all my gear.

My 2 cents

[Dadpole]

That tent alternative is a pricey one. Cheapskates like me just use a coated nylon square.

I tried the hammock option a few years back but went back to the tent. I found I needed decent padding underneath to stay warm. I also found it gave me back pain, but I think that is only because I am an 'active' sleeper. I often wake up being strangled by the sheet and bent like a capital W.

[awa355]

Since posting, I have watched a few videos on the Hennessy Hammock. Looks okay but I'm tending to lean towards a tent or a fly for the capability to sit up and get changed out of the weather. Last October I used a borrowed Microlight tent. About $450 but well made and easy to put up. Just slept on the floor, wasn't too bad (for 1 night).



Looking at RMOTO's fly camp, nice and simple. Would be as warm (or cold) as the night air.

[Akzle]

hammocks are a cunt to sleep in.
Fly tent.
Thermarest if you havent already. Even their old alpine guidelites (? ) are fkn warm and comfy enough. Obviously thicker is comfier.
But yeah, waterproof mat saves you carrying ground sheet. 3 bits of string and youre away laffing with the fly.

[Tazz]

You need a layer under you in a hammock still. I love the idea of one but I can feel the breeze under me on a stretcher let alone a hammock. Just not tough enough :'(

[skippa1]

Hammocks are useless and bad for your back

[R650R]

I bought a military style one with mosquito net built in from some Knife outlet in Auckland. Comfy as but a few issues as stated above.

You need an under blanket for insulation with negates the smaller size advantage.
Never used it in the wild yet but thought after the fact that possums will prob treat the lines like some kind of adventure theme park to play all night on.
When the ends become unsecured a rapid meeting with the ground occurs. I sheared off a 6mm bolt that was already stressed with shade sail in back yard, lucky I landed fairly square on my back.
To top it off the cat was nearby, intrigued by the new thingy hanging in back yard, frightened by the bolt snapping he promptly pissed on it!!!!

But I must get around to using it come summertime, just pay more attention to mounting!

[Night Falcon]

For the non Daniel Boone fair-weather adv types like myself, I find the lightest and simplest option is to carry my wife's credit card in my pocket - works great and you even get a cosy bed, cooked meal, hot shower & sky TV thrown in.

[awa355]

For the non Daniel Boone fair-weather adv types like myself, I find the lightest and simplest option is to carry my wife's credit card in my pocket - works great and you even get a cosy bed, cooked meal, hot shower & sky TV thrown in.

How the fuck do you fit under a credit card?

[vegeman]

...and for the same reasons you started with in this thread, I can share my experiences. I bought a Hennessy Hammock and took it down south on my bike for a test. I to had thought it would be efficient, lightweight, easy to use etc but reality seemed to derail that thought. I was aware that they are cold to sleep in but didn't take a thermorest (but I did take a small emergency blanket for refective warmth) as I was trying to save space and wieight. The first night travelling, I had ridden through molesworth, lee's valley and got to a very busy Fairlie meaning I struggled to find 'any' accommocation (so NF's credit card scenario would haven't helped much). Ironically The main camp ground didn't have two trees to use for the hammock, which surprised me only flat ground for a small tent - go figure!...so I had to ride 25K's back down the road to a free DOC camp ground which having already ridden 650K's wasn't ideal. I pitched the hammock and it rained ,and only 9C...so a good test and comfirmed the hammock was a lot colder than I thought, besides shuffling around and sorting out gear to keep warm, I really didn't like also having to have my expensive bike gear outside (theft, rain, rats eating it). Hmmm, this hammock isn't doing what I imagined.

Long story short - I also have a light 1-2 man Adventure racing tent which was my previous solution, ( and a Hubba Hubba 2 man). The adventure tent is a Mountain Equipment AR Ultralight tent and is lighter than the hammock, works anywhere when I am with the bike, and getting out of the weather completely in the tent with all your gear was the clincher for me.

Just to be sure, I've tested the hammock a few more times, and for any weight saving or convenience of it, didn't eventuate.
get a tent.

[bart]

I got a 1 man tent from kathmandu for around $100 on special. Very well made, packs down to nothing, light weight. No way you can sit up in it, and kind or reminds me of sleeping in a coffin. Luckily I’m not worried about that sort of thing, and I’m only 5 foot FA, so works for me.

Down sleeping bag packs down to nothing also, but they’re a bit shit if they get wet. Used it for years and always managed to keep it dry. (No jokes about pissing the bed. I haven’t done that for weeks)

[.chris]

Hammocks are great, but you really do need an underquilt for NZ's unpredictable weather.

I have a grandtrunk hammock & fly, with an underground quilts 0deg underquilt (essentially a sleeping bag that slings underneath the hammock).
This setup is pretty good for me, it keeps you pretty warm and I am quite comfortable sleeping in a hammock, but the times it lacks is when the weather goes bad.

A bit of rain is no problem, but when that rain comes sideways just having a diamond tarp can let you down. You can get more coverage from a larger tarp with doors (almost a tent) and this would be recommended for non-summer hammocking.

I find my load out is a bit smaller and a bit lighter than the tent/sleeping mat combo, but not by a huge amount, but the smaller shapes do make it easier to pack.

I tend to use the hammock for the predictable weather periods (and/or where I am know I am going places with good sheltered hang options) the rest of the time I use the tent and sleeping mat.

[R650R]

For the non Daniel Boone fair-weather adv types like myself, I find the lightest and simplest option is to carry my wife's credit card in my pocket - works great and you even get a cosy bed, cooked meal, hot shower & sky TV thrown in.

That's it I'm cruising with club KTM now
And if you check out Agoda.com often you can score some great last minute hotel deals, I find their site the best despite all the fancy tv adds by the competition whose deals you can never click through to.

Was looking at one of those Moto-Tents awhile ago but that's a bit too BMWish sleeping with your bike and their heavy, around 5kg...