Hammock or Tent? Which do you prefer?

With many campgrounds now making space and allowing hammock camping which would you prefer and why? There are real perks to both!

If I have to pick, I’ll go Hammock. With the right sleeping bag and an air mat you. don’t really have to worry about the weather getting too cold on you. You’re right though, they both have their perks, that’s why I will sometimes take both on a trip.

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Both have perks depending on the weather, location, etc. Backpacking, hammock is lighter and less space, even with under quilt and tarp. I get a better night sleep in a hammock too!

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hammocks are just so cozy it’s hard to beat. Like being wrapped in a burrito. As long as the weathers really nice and there’s no bugs.

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If I’m alone I like to hammock camp! I like being off the ground but of course backpacking I also have to account for my bag being on the ground. Otherwise if a friend or my husband joins me then we sleep in a 2 man tent.

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I hook my bag on one of the straps around the tree and keep it off the ground :slight_smile:

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I always WANT to love sleeping in hammocks, but it is NEVER as comfortable after an hour as I had hoped it would be.

That, and living in upstate NY, it is often too buggy to enjoy it for too long at night anyways. But even without that…I WANT to love sleeping in hammocks…or swings…but I just don’t :frowning:

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Have you tried tightening your hammock and the trick is to sleep angled not straight between trees. You will sleep flatter that way. and you cannot not have a bug net in my experience!

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Almost 10 yrs as a hammock camper, never going back, although I’m not selling my tents either!

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What sort of hammock are you using? There’s a fair amount of trial and error to get “dialed in”
The bigger the hammock the better, I started with a small (9’) parachute cloth ENO type, my current is a custom 12’ xtra wide made of Hexon ripstop, super soft, roomy etc.
My back can’t take the ground anymore.

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Try a proper asymmetrical camping hammock with integrated bug screen integrated to the hammock.

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I have only spent 1 night in my hammock but I got one with the mosquito netting and it was amazing! Hoping to expand the set with a tarp and under quilt soon. Usually stay in a 2 person tent with my boyfriend though.

I have tried the snuggling with 2 folks in a hammock - didn’t work so well for me (I don’t think it was cold enough - LOL)

I tend to make my tent like my grown up clubhouse :slight_smile: Something about the ritual of setting it up says, “You’ve done it, you’ve escaped the chaos, now exhale”. Hammocks are awesome, but I prefer the cozy aspect of my tent.

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I love them both and have been an avid hammock camper for a long time (I also own a hammock company, so I’m a bit biased). If I’m camping solo (as a woman), I’ll usually pitch my tent… or if it’s raining, or if I have a lot of stuff for some reason and have to pitch my tent anyway. But if there are good trees and it’s good weather… I"m team hammock all the way.

I have learned that many people who don’t like hammock camping don’t know there are tricks to good hammock sleeping…

  1. Your hammock has to be hung little more loose than you might normally hang it for sitting (a taught hammock is not a comfortable sleeping hammock)
  2. When you sleep in your hammock you’ll get the best results if you lay diagonally – about 45 degrees – across the center of the hammock.

When you do both of these things, together, you wind up laying close to flat rather than uncomfortably contorted like a banana.

Also…

  1. If you are a cold sleeper, a towel or a yoga mat between the hammock and your sleeping pad makes a great layer to block out the air from below and to keep your sleeping pad from slipping around.
  2. A solid sleeping pad (like an egg crate) will be warmer than an uninsulated air mattress in your hammock.
  3. Always have a rain plan (ie. a tarp, a fly or a backup tent) If you don’t, it will rain. This is just the law of the universe.
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It doesn’t matter how big the hammock, there is no way to comfortably sleep 2 in a hammock.

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I personally prefer a tent, while a hammock is great for comfort I like to have a little something extra for movement and stowing my few things I keep inside.

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I’ve seen a bar that’ll allow one to hang two hammocks side-by-side.

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This is like asking “which religion do you prefer?” :grin:

I started using a hammock while hiking because I could no longer sleep on the ground. (I was using a Zrest pad because my luck with self-inflating pads had been terrible.) Even when we car camp, I bring my hammock, quilt, and underquilt just in case. I love sleeping in a hammock.

We have a massive tent we refer to as The Taj MaTent. We use a folding bed with a queen size inflatable mattress. The Hubs gets the tent to himself when I’m able to use my hammock. It works better for us, as we have different sleep patterns.

I’ve spent cold, rainy nights in my down cocoon in my hammock while hiking. I love being able to feel the air moving around my face, even when it’s cold. Tents - even our large tent with plenty of ventilation - feel stuffy to me now.

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I have a Tensile tree tent that I love! However tent camping has its perks though I don’t do the ground anymore, I use my trailer w/tent.

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