Hammock Camping


I have been looking for a camping option that is easily pack-able on my bike.  I have some small tents but because of the poles there is a limit on how small you can pack them down.  So when looking through the camping blogs and forums I came across groups of people who love hammocking.  

I read about the benefits of  this mystical hammock thing.  They raved about how they were off the ground and no longer had to worry about that rock that seems to crawl under even the thickest sleeping pad, how easy they were to setup and take down, and how they felt closer to nature.  I'm not sure your any closer to nature in a hammock then a tent, but other than that I figured it was worth a try.

I purchased the Eclypse II Backpacking hammock from TBA ($55) and the Hammock bliss extra large rain fly ($55).  I thought this was everything I needed, but being a hammock newbie I didn't realize they generally don't come with tree straps (we will get back to this later).

Hammock Bliss Rain Fly (Left), TBA Eclypse Hammock (Center), Leatherman for size ref. (Right)


The hammock itself is well built and has a zip up bug net.  It easily folds up into the bag that remains attached to the hammock, and this little bag gives you a convenient place to stash a flash light and a few other things for the night.  The hammock also comes with an elastic cord to hold the bug net up and it works fairly well.  When you lay in it its actually pretty comfortable and fairly cozy.

While the hammock itself goes up pretty quickly the rain fly takes a little back woods engineering to setup.  You can put it up with just the two trees you put the hammock on, but it helps to have a few more around and maybe some logs or downed branches to tie it off too as it doesn't come with stakes.  It has 6 pre installed cords for tying it off, but has another 4 anchor points built in for extra stability, so remember to pack some extra cord.


Once you figure out how to tie off the rain fly it makes for a good back woods bike garage.  I'm glad I got the extra large rain fly, as it is just enough to cover this hammock with enough room left over to tuck my CRF250L under and still have enough room to get in and out off the hammock and sleep without fear of bumping into the bike.  This setup managed to keep me, my stuff, and my bike out safe from the morning dew.   I haven't had the pleasure of trying it in the rain yet, but it held up well to some high winds, though it took a lot of rework to get the rain fly tied off just right.  After all of that it wouldn't have taken any longer to set up my two man tent, but I wouldn't have had a place to park my bike either.  And with my Field and Stream mummy bag in it I slept really well.



The down side of the hammock was that it didn't come with tree straps, but a trip to home depot fixed this issue promptly.  I looked at tree straps ($20 to $40) and realized for the same price I could get a 4 pack of tie down straps that were just as easy, if not easier to adjust the length.  Plus they served a dual purpose on my last trip with the bike riding in the back of my Dads truck, these held the bike in place for the trip up.  though you could get away without the stainless clips I opted to grab 2 of these as well just so I knew I had a secure connection back to the straps around the tree.  These also make an excellent place to clip the rain fly cord and bug net cord.  Just make sure to check the load rating when getting these (and for that matter the straps too), they are not all up to the job of holding you.  This solution worked out great and it is super easy, but as I said I didn't expect to have to spend the extra money so that was a down side.  I needed knew straps anyways so it made for a good excuse.


After spending some time with this setup I'm glad I gave it a try.  With a good sleeping bag it makes for a great nights sleep.  If you get sea sick this may not be the option for you though, after a night of sleeping it it in the wind you have the feeling of having been on a boat all night.  But if your like me it won't bother you at all.  I'm not ready to put my tents at the curb, but I'm excited to take my hammock out again.




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