I love going camping. I've been doing it since I was a kid. The only problem with camping was that I could never get a good night's sleep when camping. It was because I could never get comfortable sleeping on the hard, cold ground. And then I discovered the camping hammock.
When I was younger we used to backpack into primitive areas far off the beaten path. If you've ever backpacked you know that you only take the essentials with you, and that luxuries like foam pads to sleep on were just additional weight and bulk. So we slept right on the ground inside our tents.
Last summer I went fishing with my best friend Mark and we planned on spending a couple of nights camping nearby. These days we drive into our camping spots. There is some benefit to driving up to your camping spot because you can put a lot more stuff in the back of the truck than you can in a backpack, and these days that extra stuff tends to be things like toilet paper, beer, chips, pillows and air mattresses. Yeah, I know, I've gotten soft in my old age.
The first thing I usually do when we get to a camping spot is to pitch the tent in case it decides to rain. I've put up tents in the rain and in the dark too many times and I prefer doing it when the sun is shining. I found what looked like a nice, level spot, and cleared away all the rocks and branches and pine cones. Five minutes later the tent was up and I laid out the air mattress and put down my sleeping bag. All ready for bed when the day was over.
After a good day on the river, and after a nice dinner of fresh trout and a few beers, I was ready to turn in. I climbed into the tent and into my sleeping bag only to discover the air mattress was flat and there was a rock that felt like it was the size of my fist - and right between my shoulder blades! Where did that come from? I rolled up my pants and sweatshirt and put them on top of the rock. It cushioned the rock, but now I was sleeping on top of a big lump. Another sleepless night camping lay ahead.
After that incident I determined that I was going to seek out a solution and headed to the nearby REI store. I went in looking for a new therma-rest foam pad to sleep on. I never got back to where they displayed the foam pads. In the store they had a camping hammock set up on display with a sleeping bag laid inside. I was mildly curious and the friendly store employee urged me to crawl in and take it for a spin. Oh my. Immediately I knew that this was going to change everything! I was completely surprised at how comfortable I was. Never again would I sleep on the cold ground, on a rock, or a pine cone!
But wait, I couldn't sleep in a hammock inside a tent. What if it rained? What if there were mosquitoes or other bugs? Well guess what, the geniuses who thought of camping in hammocks thought that through too. They have very cool accessories for camping hammocks! Rain-flys and mosquito net covers. Eureka!!
Here are some things to keep in mind when looking for a camping hammock. A camping hammock should be portable, lightweight, easy to hang between a couple of trees, and should be quick-drying. The best camping hammocks are made of high-strength, breathable, woven nylon and feature triple interlocking stitching and marine-grade line with metal snap links so that you can securely hang it between two trees or whatever else you can find.
If you're thinking about buying a camping hammock here are a few more tips:
Nylon woven hammocks are more comfortable than rope hammocks, and they dry more quickly.
Buy a good quality rain-fly. This is your "tent" and in rainy weather you'll appreciate having it.
Get the mosquito net accessory to keep the insects out. They are sold separately but are worth the extra money.
Size matters. Camping hammocks come in double sized versions and are more stable. The additional cost is modest and they provide additional space to store your other gear.
Bring along additional, sturdy rope and some carabiners. This gives you more options as to where you can hang your hammock.
Bring the tent anyway - it's a great place to store your gear.
So now I can't wait to go camping this summer in my new camping hammock. I'm going to talk Mark into getting one too.
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