Hammock Camping

[jsweens88]

Hi, I'm in the beginning stages of a cross country trip. I plan on leaving early next June. I'm looking to go west to east and finish in Boston where I'm from. I'm leaning on a northern to mid country route. Has anyone hammock camped? Does anyone have a strong feeling one way or another between tent and hammock?

[staehpj1]

Hi, I'm in the beginning stages of a cross country trip. I plan on leaving early next June. I'm looking to go west to east and finish in Boston where I'm from. I'm leaning on a northern to mid country route. Has anyone hammock camped? Does anyone have a strong feeling one way or another between tent and hammock?

I always thought a tent was way more suitable for a coast to coast trip.  Unless you just really hate sleeping on a decent pad on the ground, I wouldn't consider a hammock.  My advice is to get a decent pad and a tent.

I have heard of a few folks that were die hard hammock users who managed, but tents are way more common on the coast to coast rides I have done.  I actually don't recall seeing anyone on the Trans America or the Southern Tier using a hammock.  I camped a lot of places where it would probably been either difficult or impossible to find a way to hang a hammock.  I suppose if you carry a pad too you could use it like a bivy when necessary, but I don't see much benefit to a hammock unless you really hate sleeping on the ground.

I did the ST with a bivy and found it OK, if a bit sweaty, when it was hot and the bugs ruled out cowboy camping.  Most folks find a bivy too confined though.

[John Nelson]

I have not used a hammock on a bicycle tour, but I have slept in hammocks and I like sleeping in hammocks. If I took a hammock on a tour, I would want to have a very good backup plan. In many places I've camped, I would not have found anything to hang a hammock from, or I would have had to make serious compromises to do so. And I don't think I'd want to take both a hammock and a tent.

I too am interested in feedback from people who have taken long bicycle tours with a hammock as their primary option, and what they used as a backup plan.

[canalligators]

I've used one for up to a week. I love the comfort, but find it otherwise a pain. Difficult to find well spaced trees, cold below 60f, difficult to enter with more than a single layer. I'll keep it for some uses but am getting a solo tent for most times.