10 Hammock Camping MISTAKES You're Probably Making

Top 10 Hammock Camping MISTAKES! Camping with a hammock is an enjoyable experience BUT there are some required gear and things beginners should know before hammocking. Here are my tips and hacks to make your camping experience more enjoyable.

Hammock Camping Gear Recommendations:

-Hammock Underquilt: Outdoor Vitals Aerie 20°F Sleep System

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[MrFmiller]

Been hanging for forty five years. I used one in Boy Scouts. It rains in Washington. After a couple of miserable trips I swore I wouldn't sleep on the ground again. I've slept well since.
A few things I've earned over the years:
I string a mesh hammock beneath for gear, pack at one end. It keeps everything off the ground, helps block wind. and gear dries off.
To keep crawlies off the hammock attach fly paper to a piece of cloth and wrap it around the rope at the ends sticky side out. Fold and keep in a ziplock. If you're careful there's no mess. Ben Gay works around stake lines, keeps ants off and it's waterproof.
The bigger the tarp the better. Mine's 12X12 (Tyvek). The extra tarp as compared with a 10X12 is about 4 ounces, the benefits far outweigh the extra weight. Like I said, I live in Washington. I tie up 4" off the ground 3' either side of center. That's 5' at the ridgeline. My hammock hangs 2' off the ground in the center in the lying position. It's the best balance for me.
12' length lets me pinch the ends with a clip to reduce air flow.
In really cold weather I draw one side under my setup to block air and trap heat.
I carry a half a shower curtain for a ground cloth. It's durable and keeps the dirt off my feet.
My under quilt is a lightweight sleeping bag (rated at 40 degrees but not really useful below 50 as a bag).
I'm good to about 15 F.
I cook with alcohol under the tarp before going to sleep to prewarm the enclosure a bit.
Site selection is probably the most important thing. A site protected from the wind is usually a plus unless it's warm out and/or the view takes precedence. If rain is forecast I always choose a site on a slight slope so water doesn't accumulate.
Last but not least more expensive doesn't necessarily equate to better. My son uses a window sheer knotted at the ends. It's worked well for years. My Tyvek tarp is well worn but still water repellent. My tree straps are webbing from Harbor Freight. We're not the REI crowd but we make out pretty well. It all depend on what you're trying to do and how you use what you have.
Happy hangin'

[thedude]

Pro tip: if you have a wool blanket, dont lay on it in the hammock, it inevitably slides down or out if the hammock altogether. Instead, string the blanket in a diamond configuration under your hammock, attaching the ends to either end your hammock with a bit of paracord or something, lay in the hammock and wrap the two draping sides over you. The blanket insulates you from the bottom, and the two layers over you trap dead airspace and help keep you warm from the top.
Works great!

Tip courtesy of Dave Canterbury.

[chasesavant]

I am out in the wild most of the time. Usually in places where a tent set up just isn’t worth the work. So a hammock is my go to sleep system when I am in wild terrain. I employ all the tactics that you a couple of extra disciplines. I use a daisy chain to hold gear that I need to have in arms reach during the knife, etc. I just run it right under my ridge line. I also use a bug summers in Texas are rough with all the mosquito. If you’re not using an underquilt, then make certain that your netting fully encompasses your hammock because mosquitoes have no trouble biting you right through the hammock material. Great video! I really enjoyed it.

[JulesMorrison]

Old boot protection trick, knock two short stakes into the ground and put your boots one on each stake upside down so they are off the ground, rainwater hits the sole and drips off, and bugs don't find it hospitable.

Also, strap protection trick, use a bag closing clip, that can clip over the flat strap. Being made of plastic it's an impermeable barrier that covers both top and bottom of the strap.

[Enorkyeoj]

I just place my hammock on the ground, no need for tree straps.

[nelsonashbrook]

I traded out my big straps for whoopie slings. Lighter, less volume, a TON of adjustability, and super fast. Thanks Shug!

[JerryWDaviscom]

I like hammocks because I can see the stars and fireflys. I love the fresh air of a hammock. I love the exposure, too. The critters growling at me in the dark are kind of thrilling. Hammocks weigh less than my smallest tent, and are faster to set up and take down. Plus, they pack smaller.

[alanpennykid]

I've been camping of a motorbike or sidecar in Australia for around 35 years. Tent mostly, sometimes a swag or even a plastic tarp on the ground. I've been watching a few hammock camp videos lately. I'd like to try it but to be honest most campsites in Australia don't suit, they arent usually in forested areas, we just dont have the trees on most campsites. The tent also gives my dog somewhere to sleep happily :)

[justinlowe]

I love hammock camping. I don't get to do it often because I usually have my wife and dogs, but if I am solo, especially on a motorcycle trip, it is my preferred method. The compact storage makes it perfect for motorcycle trips! Great video with good information. Happy to say I am already doing most of it, but I still learned some things. Thanks!

[Joshwaa_s]

My first hammock camp was a week of the worst storm to hit the UK in years. LOVED IT.
But since I've tent camped having bought a more sturdy (more expensive) sleeping matt, and I loved that too.

Hammock camping is definitely the way for space saving (and rocking gently to sleep).
A whole tent doesn't tend to easily fit in a backpack.

[kayakinggrandmakelly]

My hammock is set up in my backyard right now and I will sleep out there as much as possible. I started 2 nights ago. It rained and was SO RELAXING.

[mkx]

Thank you for the cool advice! Sounds like a lot of wisdom there. However, when I saw you put that dinky little carabiner on the proper one, I thought two things. First, those aluminum carabiners do not like to touch sharp hard objects, which deform them and ultimately make them fail. Second, the small suicidial carabiner is hardly designed to hold the amount of force that a human body sleeping in a hammock can provide. I'd rather visit a climber shop and buy some proper heavy duty alternative instead, and that type of stuff so that I never have to connect one carabiner to another directly, without some rope (or other softer, but highly bearing material) in between.

[klemtemlock]

I stopped camping when I was about your age (about the time you were born) because I was done with sleeping on the ground. Now with the hammocks available today I'm really considering going back into the woods !! Thank you so very much for the information and the inspiration !!

[TheFLOMAN]

I just got into camping a few years back... Not sure why I haven't been in the woods sooner, life got in the way. BUT!
I find myself loving the hammock so I appreciate any tips. I'm still learning but I love it so thank you!

[brentsander]

I've switched to the hammock awhile back and definitely prefer it. Being handy I made my own kit and dealt with some of the issues thusly. Concerning the loss of heat by convection, I purchased a %80 wool moving blanket and spray mounted a mylar safety blanket to it. The mylar reflects my body heat back towards me and the wool insulates to decrease any heat loss due to conduction. As for storage, I had extra fabric left over so I made a mini hammock that I string up just below the primary one. This allows for dry storage and makes for easy access to my gear while I'm in the primary hammock.

[barron]

Just starting hammock camping at 76 it was getting difficult getting up in a tent that I could not stand up in. also setup seem to be easer. I tried using my sleeping pad in the hammock that convinced me to buy an under quilt. I am also going to try placing a piece of reflectx insolation in the under quilt.

[robbyjessica]

1. Your intro logo is nicely artistic
2. You have a great idea about the socks stuffed and over boots.
3. I sleep folded in my hammock, thanks for the tip on sleeping ascewed.
4. Have a great day

[kurtbaier]

Good tips. I converted decades ago to a jungle hammock and then to a simple DIY hammock. And then to a super light weight hammock system with detachable netting by DD hammocks in the UK. The flat lay of the Jungle hammock was great for 3 seasons, but not in winter. Unfortunately as the years went by I developed 2 back injuries and did great with a standard hammock for a long time with a diagonal lay, but I am now relooking at making a DIY bridge hammock. Over the years I have used a poncho liner with a SOL Mylar sheet safety pinned to it, and attached some elastic cord, to use it as a light weight compact under quilt. And with the added foil windshield sun reflector on the inside, it allowed me to go down to high 30s F.. which was less bulky and less expensive than a standard down under quilt. My diy inner mat is constructed as follows: I cut and add foil windshield sun reflector pieces together in order to achieve the width and length of the mat that I need, and then sew those pieces onto a piece of fabric in order to retain the shape / coverage I want and to provide strength to the mat during my tossing and turning. A long length of de-stringed paracord is sewn down to the material in a “U” shape. Which allows it to be tied to the tree strap at the head end of the hammock, to keep the mat from sliding down. I use a 2 lb duck sleeping bag down bag unzipped as a top quilt. Adding extra clothes is also needed when using such a light bag. That combination makes overnights as low as 40 F possible. I put a piece of plastic down to step on, and hang my shoes at the head end of the hammock. Pack is hung on the tree closest to my head. And my food bag, a Kevlar food bag, called an UrSack, is tied to the trunk of a tree away from from my campsite. Bears, raccoons, even squirrels want your food. In colder temps I make both sides of the tarp hang straight down and stake 3 corners. The fourth corner by my head I tie a heavier piece a wood to it. So that it makes ingress and egress into my hammock easy. Wood holds side of the tarp down, yet moves enough to allow me to squeeze in and out. I find packing more lawyers of clothes with a smaller, compact, and lighter sleeping bag more helpful between 35-70 degrees. I typically bring a 20F sleeping bag if the temps are going to stay in the 20s and 30s at night.

[PaddyInf]

I spent a couple of months living in a hammock in the Belize jungle a few years ago on a course. I learned some of these tricks the hard way! Bergen (pack) stored above ground level was a good one - all sorts of creatures on the J floor. I found that storing my boots upside down on a trip flare stand under the basha (tarp) kept the beasties out of them (a thin stick would do). Sometime you would get a huge swarm of ants migrating through the area and the whole ground would look like it was moving, so being off the floor was a winner. I still banged the boots on a tree before putting them on though! Mozzie net was a must, if just to keep the scorpions off your face.

[fredricgriffin]

Great informative hammock camping video.

You asked about viewers tent/hammock preferences. As a backpacker I prefer a tent as it is simpler in various scenarios, more weather bomb proof, more organized, more versatile above tree line or desert, canyon, beach situations, etc.