Author Topic: One man tent, or hammock?  (Read 10937 times)

One man tent, or hammock?
« on: 10 September, 2010, 06:59:48 pm »
I'm after a setup that will allow me to go camping using only my Carradice Longflap Camper to carry my kit.  So far this year I've been using a two man Decathlon tent which is great, but far bigger than I need and rather more bulky and heavy than I'd like (3kg and takes up the entire carradice when packed). 

I'm tossing up between getting a one-man tent like this one, which weighs in at 1.5kg and packs down nice and small, and a hammock like this one, which weighs and measures half that, plus a basha off ebay. 

Is hammock camping all it's cracked up to be? Or will I be cold, wet, and debarred from most campsites?

Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #1 on: 10 September, 2010, 07:44:23 pm »
I think the problem with hammocks is you need suitable hanging points. I'd go with the tent option.

Chris N

Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #2 on: 10 September, 2010, 07:54:13 pm »
Hammock (or bivvy bag) plus tarp will probably weigh about the same as a lightweight tent, so don't look at it as a way to save weight. A hammock is probably more comfortable than sleeping on the floor and more fun, I reckon.

Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #3 on: 10 September, 2010, 08:17:47 pm »
Yeah, I rather suspected a full hammock setup wouldn't weigh less or pack smaller than a one man tent, although I suppose the lack of poles means it's more crammable and so marginally more space efficient. 

The fun aspect is what makes it so tempting! I can see the downsides, but I love the idea of having plenty of room under the tarp if it gets wet, when a one-man tent rapidly becomes no fun at all. 

Is it only really practical for wild camping, or can you get by with one on a campsite?

Kim

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Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #4 on: 10 September, 2010, 08:21:59 pm »
Me and hammocks don't get on (my last encounter with one ended in an embarrassing tangle of limbs), and the need for appropriately-spaced trees seems to be a major drawback, but they do seem highly earwig-proof...

Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #5 on: 10 September, 2010, 08:27:49 pm »
Hmm, good point.  Although I bet the little buggers would climb, once they'd smelled blood :-\

Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #6 on: 10 September, 2010, 08:28:04 pm »
I can recall very few campsites in the UK where you could string a hammock.   Mostly they cut down trees to get more caravans in.

Very nice on a summers day though http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/product29.asp?PageID=41
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Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #7 on: 10 September, 2010, 10:29:52 pm »
I'd say get onto Field and Trek quick and buy the Wild Country £75 one-man tent for half price - I've used a similar design for 3-season backpacking for years and have always been comfortable, loads of space for eg sitting up in it and cooking.  Hammocks are more for tropical climes (or Captain Haddock wannabes - IIRC?)

Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #8 on: 10 September, 2010, 10:36:50 pm »
Travel Hammock / Bivi - DD Hammocks

Have the option of hammock or bivi/tent.

Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #9 on: 11 September, 2010, 03:08:43 pm »
I've light-camped with a hammock. it only really works if you know you are going places where you know you can set it up - very good for wild camping, you can camp in boggy copses where no-one would think of camping or looking.

I made my own hammock for this, cost less than a tenner.  6m of polyester skirt lining. About 15m of 20-25mm webbing.  Cut webbing in half.

Double the material, then tie a simple overhand knot in each end. This forms a large lump in the material. Knot the webbing around material below the knot; I put the webbing against the material before tying the overhand knot so that the webbing ran through the knot.

You now have a double-material hammock, with 5-7m of webbing coming off each end. The webbing can tie well round trees - always wrap it several times round.

It balls up to the size of two grapefruit.

I never bothered with a tarp in summer, but had a sleeping bag with a pertex outer.

In cool weather, you get cold where you lying on the hammock. This is where the double material comes in; you put insulation between the layers. I used some laminate flooring underlay - it's about 3mm thick. That did the trick.
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Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #10 on: 12 September, 2010, 09:42:19 am »
I have an Aztec Rapido tent you can borrow and try out if you want, Phil.
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Oscar's dad

  • aka Septimus Fitzwilliam Beauregard Partridge
Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #11 on: 12 September, 2010, 10:03:02 am »
Just check Reg isn't hiding inside it!

Jaded

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Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #12 on: 12 September, 2010, 10:10:50 am »
It is simpler than it looks.

Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #13 on: 12 September, 2010, 09:15:39 pm »
Something like a bivi bag may be a better option than a hammock.  Most of the places I've ever camped wouldn't work with a hammock.  As others have said, very few campsites have suitable trees, and even those who do, probably don't have them with the right spacing.

This means that you're really only going to be able to use it when wild camping, and even then many of the locations I've camped haven't had suitable trees.  They would need to be reasonably robust, with roughly the right separation and not over the top of a mass of sharp undergrowth (or stinging nettles or similar).

Some of the bivi bags I've seen are comparable in weight to a small lightweight tent, so I think I'd stick with a small tent, such as the one you linked to.  Bivis may have less poles than tents, but modern small tents generally only have a few light poles, and are more versatile.

My single man lightweight tent (admittedly more expensive than the linked one), a Laser Photon, weighs just under 1kg, although with some sensible tent pegs, and a footprint, this goes up slightly.  Most bivi bags aren't much lighter than this, and some are heavier.
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

FatBloke

  • I come from a land up over!
Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #14 on: 12 September, 2010, 09:23:47 pm »
I have a Gelert 1-man tent which I am unlikely to use in the near future which you are quite welcome to borrow.
This isn't just a thousand to one shot. This is a professional blood sport. It can happen to you. And it can happen again.

Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #15 on: 12 September, 2010, 11:14:34 pm »
My single man lightweight tent (admittedly more expensive than the linked one), a Laser Photon, ...

But for the price of that, you could just buy the campsite!
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Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #16 on: 12 September, 2010, 11:21:45 pm »
In reference to the picture up thread, I have always liked Nick Cranes idea if a bivvy bag and an umbrella for over your head. I would need an umbrella that you can tie down with gut ropes though or I would be worried about it disappearing in the night.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

woollypigs

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Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #17 on: 12 September, 2010, 11:30:45 pm »
Current mood: AARRRGGGGHHHHH !!! #bollockstobrexit

GrahamG

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Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #18 on: 13 September, 2010, 11:23:38 am »
I bumped into a German who had a hammock for those drunken 'can't be bothered to pitch the tent' nights. He froze his tits off apparently. So you still need a little insulation as mention previously.
With an innate disliking of earwigs and slugs, I'd stick with a tiny tent, but if you're not a wimp like me then just bivi it.
Brummie in exile (may it forever be so)

Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #19 on: 13 September, 2010, 11:31:08 am »
If you'd happily sleep on frozen ground without a mat, you'll be ok in a hammock without insulation. Otherwise . . .

I find I sleep much better in a hammock than I ever do in a tent and considerably better than in a bivvi bag. I used a Buffalo summer bag, which shed water a bit, and let any other water run through. So summer medium-light rain never seemed to be a problem.
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woollypigs

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Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #20 on: 13 September, 2010, 11:42:53 am »
Some of the Hennessy hammocks have a double "skin/pocket" where you can put in your heat shield. Hennessy Hammocks DEEP JUNGLE

As for bugs using your hammock as a short cut, I asked Ray Mears a few years back, and his team answered back.

Quote
He said he puts insect repellant around the tapes which are attached to the tree.  You also need to make sure you position your hammock where it is not touching any vegetation as the ants can use any bush, branch etc to climb up.
Current mood: AARRRGGGGHHHHH !!! #bollockstobrexit

Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #21 on: 13 September, 2010, 02:09:52 pm »
As for bugs using your hammock as a short cut, I asked Ray Mears a few years back, and his team answered back.

Quote
He said he puts insect repellant around the tapes which are attached to the tree. ...

Cunning. :thumbsup:
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

Re: One man tent, or hammock?
« Reply #22 on: 14 September, 2010, 11:39:18 pm »
I'm after a setup that will allow me to go camping using only my Carradice Longflap Camper to carry my kit. 
<snip>
Is hammock camping all it's cracked up to be? Or will I be cold, wet, and debarred from most campsites?

This is my Longflap camping setup
I've since swapped the thermarest ultralite for a neoair, which gives a bit more space for clothing and food.
I reckon to get everything except the tent inside the body of the Longflap, with the drawcord pulled reasonably in, then just put the tent under the extended flap.


I think that both hammock & tarp or bivvy & tarp solutions should be viewed as wild camp only. On a formal campsite you shouldn't expect any trees or tarp suspension points. Even if there are some, you are often expected to camp where you are told. There's also the question of what happens if the weather closes in. I reckon that a 1 person tent like an Akto is a better place to spend a day than a bivvy or hammock would be,  allowing for tea brewing etc.

If you don't buy in too much of a hurry, you can often find bargain tent prices - eg last time I checked our local F&T they had Laser Photon at £230, Solar Comp at £220 and were out of stock on Laser Comp at £140