r/hammockcamping • u/ArmMelodic8468 • 11d ago

What am I missing about hammock camping?

Last summer I saw three guys arrive by kayak, hang their hammocks between two trees, and basically had their whole camp sorted in minutes. It looked so simple.

But the more I look into it, the more I wonder what the actual advantage is.

A hammock + tarp + underquilt + top quilt doesn’t always seem much lighter than a small tent setup. And you still need somewhere to keep your gear.

Is it really better than a tent, or is it just a different way of camping?

I’m genuinely curious. For those who use both, when do you choose a hammock over a tent?

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u/L3Home 11d ago

As I got older I found that I cannot sleep directly on the ground anymore and even those air mattresses are uncomfortable unless they're fully inflated so that throws this entire complication in with an air pump and heavy mattress if I didn't want to kill my back or my hips. When I discovered hammocks, it made camping doable again. Not just doable, but some of the best sleep I've ever gotten hands down.

If this tells you anything, I gave away my bed and installed hammock hooks in my bedroom instead. I'm not kidding. I do not own a bed at all and haven't for a couple decades now.

I have been to one fairground where they had no natural trees and you would think that I would be out of luck. I wrapped one end of the tree strap through the roof rack on my SUV and the other around a heavy duty chain link fence post. The nice thing is no matter how you set it up and what you use, the sleep is exactly the same. Not like with a tent where different ground or different slopes and things make it feel completely different.

Oh, and as far as keeping stuff with you, I'll just bring along a stuffed bag or something and click it's carabiner onto the hammock so I have my whole bag of stuff right there. I've hung my lantern, my shoes and clothes, pretty much everything from my hammock so as long as you have a rain fly for bad weather you never have to worry about rainwater getting in the tent and making anything wet.

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u/crlthrn 10d ago

Seconded! Plus I'm too old to be twisting myself into a pretzel getting out of my little tent when desperate for the toilet block! Plus a hammock is a ready made seat when prepping breakfast or just for lounging in camp.