Got Scout Camp next weekend and I’ve been offered a camping hammock and tarp instead of a tent. Will I get a decent night’s sleep or will I be violating my own human rights? 15 kids, backwoods, should be quiet.

Went on Cub Camp last weekend and my airbed suffered a total existence failure in the middle of the second night, so the hammock will have to be very, very terrible to be any worse. 400+ kids, massive field, Glastonbury for 8 year olds.

You googled banana hammock? Brave!

They’re great.

If its warm enough.
If you find suitable trees.
Know how to set them up.

Ddhammocks do some good video on set up.

I love sleeping an a hammock with the tarp set nice and high or not atall.

I’d say go for it!

Brave!

I didn’t choose the Skux life. The Skux life chose me.

We took our scout patrol on a hammock camp a couple of weeks ago- nice and comfortable. It was their first time hammocking and had no complaints. Make sure you have a roll mat between the hammock and sleeping bag for warmth and the tarp covers the hammock.

I’ve got a Decathlon 2 man hammock so it’s nice and roomy and you can cocoon yourself in for warmth.
Seeing a group of bodies wrapped in their hammocks reminded me of the bags they used to sew sailors in before consigning them to the deep!

Yeah, try it.

definitely make sure you’ve got something underneath you. Depending on what you’re being lent, you might have a sleeve for a mat underneath you (stops it pinging out to the side when you move in the night) or possibly an underquilt which hangs close underneath the hammock.

If you’ve got nothing, you compress the sleeping bag’s insulation and your heat just get’s whipped away in the breeze.

If it’s colder, you need a thicker mat and/or a thicker bag, same as normal camping!

One disadvantage when you’re wild camping is that you’re restricted to wooded areas (who knew!), which means finding a spot with a good view is much less likely, whether that’s a view of the sunrise, sunset, stars, or just stuff far away.

You get lucky occasionally, though

Thanks. Will put a mat in it.

Taking a tent anyway, so I can always bail out if necessary.

Make sure you sleep diagonally, so that you are almost flat.
Not like the bananas in pic above 🙂

As mentioned above – see what the hammock comes with – if no under-quilt then you’ll need a mat. I use a very thin silver one for about £4 from decathlon. Then I wear my sleeping bag like a quilt and usually have a good night’s sleep.

I went looking for a pic I’ve posted before, easiest search was “nedrapier hammock” and I found a hammock thread from 3 years ago with perchypanther coming in with a near identical first reply:

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/hammocks-worth-a-go/

Keepin’ the classics alive.

I can’t hear the word hammock without thinking about bananas.

See also: smugglers and budgies

Pro tip, sleep at an angle to the pitch line, it’s a lot more comfortable and you still will not fall out. Also, make sure that there is enough drop on the hammock. Too tight on the lines and you may end up with a ridge in the middle, also uncomfortable.

They are awesome though. As long as you sleep on something that stops air movement below you, they are better than a tent.

I’ve only used my Alpkit hammock a couple of times but have been impressed with the comfort of them which is important for me as I have a dodgy back.
Much nicer than sleeping just on air mattress on the ground. Its lovely being able to just swing your legs over and step out in the morning.

As mentioned above, the only downside is that it can be colder due to the air movement below you.
Shouldn’t be an issue in this weather.

Bookmarked-curious. I often see folk in hammocks including at scout/cub camps and no-one’s grumbling. I like a totally flat bed/mat so have steered clear so far. I do have a slight fear of trees/branches falling, having had a close miss with a falling tree on a still day, but with some well picked trees on a summers night, it sounds good.

They are ok if you sleep on your back, not so good if you are a side or front sleeper.

It’s also handy to have a decent sized groundsheet underneath for your pack & boots.

Considering the tents won’t be inbetween the trees you are hanging from (is it a tree one or does it have a frame ??) you could get a good nights sleep away from the cub tents. taking a tent in case is a good shout.

Will there be midgies ? this is always my caveat for anything that doesn’t zip closed

Hi Ed, it is Giant’s Seat so there is no shortage of trees, near the original HTN Bomb Hole of Death!

Going with The Scouts, so they are a bit older and less likely to burst into tears.

Not sure about the midgies, but there is no standing water nearby which will help. If things get unfomfortable I’ll be back in the tent like a shot!

I got one with a built in mozzie net so you can zip yourself in. Used a few times, now prefer to tent when I’m by myself. Privacy is a bit of an issue on normal sites but it can be nice if you pitch the tarp right so you can lay there and look out in a morning.
I bought a down blanket for the bottom of mine but find I end up switched to laying on the bag and using the blanket as a cover as you cocoon into it!

They are ok if you sleep on your back, not so good if you are a side or front sleeper.

I’m very much a side sleeper in bed but find in the hammock back or side is just fine.
Must admit I was surprised by this.

Based on my limited experience of my DD hammock, it was a better nights sleep, than a)bivy bag, b)bivy bag with tarp, lightweight solo tent and I have got a decent range of experiece with the above.

I got one in for a sample to add to the PX/OO range.

I put it up in the woods by Cuckoo Steps in Hebden.

I was sat in it checking it out, and a bloke walked past and asked if I was protesting about the trees being cut down, that was cool, he’d be bag in a minute with his dog and a tent.

Are you going to start doing them? I may be in the market for a lot of them after next weekend.

Are you going to start doing them? I may be in the market for a lot of them after next weekend.

Looked at it but market seems to have gone already. Plenty out there for good money.

But I imagine you could figure out a favourable price for a scout group, right? 😉

That could be an offshoot of the trouser company HebHamCo

I have both ground dwelling and hammock set ups for wild camping.

Hammock from ebay, double with built in fine net for the midge. Circa 20 quid.

Winter i bivvy, summer I hammock. Its great but as others said, need mat beneath you to keep warm.

Get good straps for the trees, makes all the difference.

Set with a self inflating mat underneath my bag and a blanket and small pillow on top.

Verdict : Very cosy, but it was July! Bit of a nightmare getting back in at 3:00am after a slash.