I have enjoyed camping since I was a little boy. We started out tent camping. My parents got a motorhome and camping got fancy. As my teen years neared I enjoyed the privacy of tent camping while they slept in the motorhome.
My adult camping trips have followed the same model. I started out tent camping and then we got a camper. I mostly still enjoy bringing along a tent and "roughing it." It gives lots of options for comfort and privacy. My gear has grown in size and quality over the years. I used to have a little tent in the car's trunk that barely slept three. Now I have a cabin tent that will fit three queen-sized air mattresses with space to spare.
I had not attempted a more minimalistic style of camping using a hammock. I am into gear. The idea of being able to backpack out to a site, sleep in a hammock under a rainfly, and hike back out resonates in a few ways. I just had to give it a shot.
I went into this excited and wary. I am a big, heavy guy. Visions of sitting down on my tree-mounted hammock and having the straps or material snap did not appeal. I geared up under fifty dollars on Amazon. The wait for Friday night was tense.
Before this outing, I had set up two hammocks. One was tree-mounted and the other was a portable hammock on a frame. I wasn't very confident with either one. The cheap point of entry for this little experiment played a big part in it being realized. I already had blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags. I just needed a hammock, mosquito net, and rain fly.
I packed very light to get set up. From Left to right that is a Wise Owl Rainfly, Covacure Hammock, Pac Mul camp blanket, aluminum mallet, and Teton Camp Pillow. Everything fits in or is attached to my Helikon-Tex Bushcraft Satchel.
I added to the kit my magnetic phone battery pack, headlamp, pocket flashlight, and my Kindle. I am all about relaxing when I camp. Reading on the Kindle saves me from needing a lantern to go along with the books I would carry in its place. Isn't technology wonderful?
I chose Friday night intentionally because it was going to be a bit cooler with scattered rain showers. I wanted to see if being off the ground made camping in the rain more pleasant. Even in a water-resistant tent rain can spoil a tent camping trip. I had high hopes of seeking out a bit of rain.
It took me about half an hour to pick out the spot where I wanted to put up the hammock. My goal was to avoid doing too much modification to the area. I moved a few fallen trees and found a comfy little spot. I carried out my camp chair planning to just hang out a bit before bed. I changed my mind and packed it back up after getting the hammock and rainfly up. I had started at dusk and I knew that I didn't want to just sit out there alone until closer to bedtime.
I settled into the hammock and zipped myself under an unsuspended mosquito net. I popped the camp pillow under my head and covered up with the camp blanket. It was about 63 degrees when I settled. An hour or so into laying there reading and idly chatting on my phone it was clear I was going to be colder than expected.
I had planned to tough it out. The morning was going to dawn at around 51 degrees. I didn't feel like I needed more than a single camp blanket. I have slept under less in a tent. The big difference there is that the tent is on the ground and the pad or air mattress I sleep on insulates me from wind and ground chill. The hammock gets excellent airflow for obvious reasons. I was going to need a layer between me and it.
I walked back to the house and grabbed a sleeping bag and a hoodie. I considered putting on sweatpants over my shorts. It felt like overkill. I also didn't mind making another trip or even packing it all in if I was uncomfortable. I put down the sleeping bag still zipped up and got on top of it. I left my hood pulled up and settled in under the camp blanket. I was pretty darned comfortable. I fell asleep after less than an hour of reading.
I got up a couple of times through the night. The first time I settled back in and was able to straighten the sleeping bag up a little to get more comfortable. The second time I messed that up and ended up with one leg that was not on the sleeping bag. It wasn't a big problem. I often have one food outside the blanket in bed.
The hammock gave me a surprisingly comfortable night. It rocks a bit in the breeze. It was a pleasant sensation. It was quiet and peaceful. It was also fun to just be having a bit of an adventure. Next, go round I will try a second camp blanket in place of the sleeping bag to see if the bottom insulation really needs to be thick on a cool evening. I am certain I would need the sleeping bag if I were going to try this in the cold.
The next morning I woke up with the sun. I don't know if it was the light or just that I tend to get up just before dawn every day anyway. I got up, stretched, and debated for a few minutes about taking down camp. I was tempted to leave it and just zip the net around my bedding. The rainfly was a little damp from random sprinkles through the night. I was able to shake that off and start breaking down camp. Honestly, putting the camp up correctly is half the fun.
I got everything broken down and repacked in about ten minutes. Everything went back in my shoulder bag except the sleeping bag. It was a lot of fun to stuff the huge hammock down into a football-sized package. My hanging straps held up perfectly.
If the sleeping bag becomes necessary then I will up the bag to one of my hiking packs. I might also make certain to hang a ridgeline that I could hang a bottle bag and gathering bag from. It would be nice to have a place to shove the phone, kindle, and water bottle out of the way. They spent the night either on me or above my head. Nothing was in the way or problematic I just like thinking about how to make things better or more comfortable. I think I am going to enjoy this as a more simple way of camping.
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