Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => Camping It Up => Topic started by: guidon on 11 April, 2018, 12:03:42 pm
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the agonising has begun - tent better or travel hammock plus tarp. It is also a battle of weight and bulk, and, budget....I can't claim to becoming an ardent cyclocamper as I don't get that much free time so continuous use is not going to be an issue, neither is year round performance as it is unlikely that I'll be off camping in winter anymore. I have an excellent tent for backpacking etc (Terra Nova Quasar) but it is bulky and weighs a bit...I have been looking at the DD travel hammock as it is also suitable for ground use, or an Alpkit tent, the Tetri...I don't have the budget for a Hilleberg etc .... Opinions welcome as are reviews of the above.... Thanks in advance
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A hammock & tarp is unlikely to be any lighter than a smallish tent like a Zephyros 1 or 2 (https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/p/wild-country-tents-zephyros-2-ep-tent-D1314001.html?colour=98), and may be heavier by the time you've added the tree ropes, the tarp and guys & pegs for it, plus a couple of poles if you are considering ground use.
Hammocks are generally for wild camping only, as formal campsites don't usually have suitable trees. If you are wild camping, it can often be easier to find a suitable copse than a discreet bit of flat, dry ground, though not everywhere.
If you forego campsites, you also miss out on showers and other facilities, so then you may want to carry other stuff, like a collapsible washing bowl or a toilet trowel.
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Hammock has the advantage when wild camping of not requiring flat ground, on many a trip I've cursed not having a hammock as I've had to cycle considerably further to find somewhere flat to roll out my bivvi bag. Conversely, it does tend to require trees...
The main downside of a hammock is that the insulation to make it comfortable is heavy and bulky. Typically as well as the hammock you're looking at an under quilt for under insulation, as well as your sleeping bag or top quilt. On top of that if you go the DD route of a travel hammock that you can use on the ground, then you are then also looking at carrying a sleep matt as well! It gets bulky and heavy fast. That said one of the female competitors of the TCR 2016 used a hammock and it seemed to be very effective.
Personally unless I'm using official campsites*, or going somewhere I'm expecting substantial storms or wind, I go for a bivvi bag and tarp. If I'm going really light it's about 500g for my shelter (200g for the tarp, 250g for the bivvi, 50g for the pegs). But that doesn't include poles, and relies on handy trees. I do have a set of poles, but they add about 100g to the setup. If I'm after a bit more comfort rather than weight savings, then I use a 500g bivvi bag instead. I can fit everything I need for a night out wild camping, including an evening meal, stove, and something to cook it in, in my 15l backpack. With some origami, it fits in my 16.5l saddle pack.
J
* I have used the bivvi+tarp option on official campsites a couple of times, the main issue you run into is people asking "Wait, you slept in that?!". That and trying to get into clothes inside the bivvi bag, as when you weren't awake last night you stripped off to sleep, and now it's day light...
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I have both a DD Tarp & Frontline hammock and a Zephros 1 tent. The Frontline is not the smallest or lightest hammock, and I think you would need a Scout for that. The point Quintox makes about the 'extras' does stack up. You can use the basic setup but as kit fans we do buy the accessories also. I think the Zephros has it in terms of the less bulk over the tarp AND Hammock, but is requires flat ground. But equally the DD setup does offer sleep anywhere benefits and where I live (Scotland) there are no shortage of places I can legally go and hammock. I did try a borrowed Alpkit bivi and roll mat made of bubble wrap (as it was very light and disposable), but being in Scotland, the weather was wet and I suffered.
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That said one of the female competitors of the TCR 2016 used a hammock and it seemed to be very effective.
I'd suggest she was into Middle/Southern Europe in August within a couple of days of starting where even when it's raining it's warm enough that the extras were less essential*.
*as long as she camped low down
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Thanks for all the views, I am slowly coming round to the tent idea although the hooped bivi (plus a required mozzie net) may just take it on the cost front....Although the clothing contorsions are heavy on my mind... It's a good job I'm a libran and the trip isn't until July!!!!
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Very few places to hang a hammock out this way ;)
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Having trees the correct size and distance apart is the issue.
I remember two explorers constructing an A frame between the only two trees and having hammocks between tree and A frame. Great until one of them got up in the night and the other dipped down onto the floor!
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Thanks for all the views, I am slowly coming round to the tent idea although the hooped bivi (plus a required mozzie net) may just take it on the cost front....Although the clothing contorsions are heavy on my mind... It's a good job I'm a libran and the trip isn't until July!!!!
You see Hooped bivvi's make no sense to me. It seems to have all the disadvantages of a tent, with all the disadvantages of a bivvi bag, but none of the advantages of either. Esp as breathable fabric is so heavy compared to sil nylon, meaning that your bivvi bag weighs almost as much as some tents. Take the Vaude Power lizzard SUP 1-2p. It's a 1kg tent, with space for 2 (people that get on very well...), as well as room to sit up, and to cook if you're careful. Vs the Dutch hooped bivvi, that's 1.4kg, and not enough space to sit up in... For that weight you could get a Luxe Hexpeak V4a, which is huge!
Conversely an alpkit hunka bivvi is under 500g, and even if you want a little more protection, then a Rab Siltarp 1 is 200g. Giving you a flexible shelter for under 700g. If you're willing to take a few grams more, you could use the Alpkit Rig 3.5 tarp, and then you've got a tarp + bivvi for under 100 ukp. It's a hard solution to beat.
J
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I've slept in bivy sacks a few times, hooped and otherwise, and I'm happy now to spend the extra cash on a real tent, especially since there are now so many good ultra lightweight tents on the market. Getting dressed inside a bivy in a drenching downpour is just not fun.
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Getting dressed inside a bivy in a drenching downpour is just not fun.
My experience of that was the other way round; trying to go from packed panniers to sleeping in a drenching downpour.
It didn't work well - I (and my bag) got damp enough that I gave up at some time around 04:30 or 05:00 and went home (just a weekend trip anyway).
Since then, I've regarded a small tarp or some other additional shelter as being necessary, which doesn't help with weight comparisons
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Getting dressed inside a bivy in a drenching downpour is just not fun.
My experience of that was the other way round; trying to go from packed panniers to sleeping in a drenching downpour.
It didn't work well - I (and my bag) got damp enough that I gave up at some time around 04:30 or 05:00 and went home (just a weekend trip anyway).
Since then, I've regarded a small tarp or some other additional shelter as being necessary, which doesn't help with weight comparisons
When a Rab Sil Tarp 1 is 198g, it's not that much of a weight penalty...
Ultimately it all comes down to personal preference really.
J
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Okay - ruled out the hammock, the 3f ul one man tent although good on price is not that good for me as the footend is just not big enough - with large feet and a single layer construction I can see Condensation as a serious issue. Zephros 2 in the running but looking far and wide...
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Hammocks are ok but having to carry two trees around does tend to increase the load ;D
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Hammocks are ok but having to carry two trees around does tend to increase the load ;D
You can save a lot of weight by just carrying a couple of acorns.
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If you've plenty of time.....
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Yes, if time's an issue then magic beans would be a better solution.
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Magic beans lead to big problems, giant problems. That's why I always travel with a friend called Jack.
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Enjoying the fables! At long last have pushed the buy it now button - Wild Country Coshee 2 for just over a ton....looking forward to getting it set up and spending a night in the garden with the sheep.....