Hammock for a bed?

[AngryVanMan]

Having never slept in or had a hammock, I had not ever considered this before - but I watched towhee there in that video and it was a good sales pitch! Good enough, that if I was building for one, I'd set a hammock up in the house and try it for a long duration test and perhaps change my van design to suit. I like open air/spacious builds, and this seems well adapted for that. I don't figure that it would work for a twosome as well...?

 

[DannyB1954]

I had no idea that these things were so complicated. Reading the descriptions is like a foreign language.

 

[Almost There]

I had no idea that these things were so complicated. Reading the descriptions is like a foreign language.

Haha, easy to learn though, head to a bunch of videos by Shug. Not only will he keep you amused for hours, he'll explain it so that all that foreign language becomes your own.
Either that, or ask, either here or there for translations. I'll be happy to help!
I'm in my 4th year of a DIY Bridge hammock complete with DIY quilts, underquilt, bug neg and tarp. For out in the bush on canoe or hiking trips, I wouldn't trade that hammock for all the tents in China, Indonesia and wherever else they're produced these days....

 

[towhee]

Almost there I would love to see your DIY hammock. And under quilt and mosquito netting and all that. !!! You are talented. I wish I was good with a sewing machine. I can hem a pair of pants and sew a button on. That's where my skills end.

 

[DannyB1954]

Watched all the videos. Hammock prices vary widely between $35 and $200. Do you get what you pay for, or is it just branding?

 

[Almost There]

Watched all the videos. Hammock prices vary widely between $35  and  $200. Do you get what you pay for, or is it just branding?

That depends! It's branding if you buy something like a Bear Grylls hammock. It's quality if you buy from one of the smaller US based cottage industry hammock makers.

Here's a link that you might not have found. It's a sticky on Hammockforums listing all the known manufacturers of hammock related stuff!

http://www.thesolarbiz.com/Trojan-T105-RE-6V-Battery-225-AH#gsc.tab=0

 

[Almost There]

Almost there I would love to see your DIY hammock. And under quilt and mosquito netting and all that. !!!  You are talented. I wish I was good with a sewing machine. I can hem a pair of pants and sew a button on. That's where my skills end.

Next winter I'll try to find 2 trees in the same 1/4 mile....   and hang it up for you!

 

[GotSmart]

Next winter I'll try to find 2 trees in the same 1/4 mile....   and hang it up for you!

Perhaps two of these?

 

[DannyB1954]

You might be able to use your vehicle for one of the trees.
I am now leaning toward one of the bridge designs. In a gathered hammock you have to lay sideways to get flat. So if the Hammock is 10 feet, and you are 6 feet, the footprint is 10' x 6'.
I don't like the idea of spending $200 just to find out I would rather be in my cot.

 

[Almost There]

Perhaps two of these?

Only if no one lays in it to see how comfortable it is...

The horizontal stress on trees placed on them by a fully loaded hammock simply cannot be imagined by the average person. I was kinda joking with Nancy (Towhee) since all the time we were camped in the Quartzite/Ehrenberg area we were lucky to have trees at all, let alone two without thorns and none were ever close enough together to hang a hammock. We'll have to go find a forest.

You might be able to use your vehicle for one of the trees.
I am now leaning toward one of the bridge designs. In a gathered hammock you have to lay sideways to get flat. So if the Hammock is 10 feet, and you are 6 feet, the footprint is 10' x 6'.
I don't like the idea of spending $200 just to find out I would rather be in my cot.

If you go to the "Hangouts, Campouts and Trip Planning" section of hammockforums, you'll find that each area of the world has smaller groups that plan and get together for a 'hang'. So no matter where you are in the states, you should be able to find an event, much like the RTR but different where you could go. We always like to show off our hammocks and gear the same as we like to show off what we've done to our vans. Subject to the standard rules of emptying your pockets and taking off your shoes, most every hammock enthusiast will let you try out their hammock.

Go to one in your area, enjoy the cameraderie and get to test various hammocks out.

The other thing is that if you do buy a good hammock, they retain their value and you could resell it without incurring any great financial loss. Some use C/L but most at HF can sell their excess gear through the forum.

Oh and about that footprint - a 10' hammock needs a footprint of about 14'. The 10' is the length of the material and it also needs an allowance for suspension. My 6' bridge (I'm short so I designed it for me) still needs a minimum of 12' for the suspension triangle that is inherent in a bridge. The ones that use a shorter suspension length on a gathered end hammock generally end up sleeping like a banana which is not how one is supposed to be laying.

 

[GotSmart]

Only if no one lays in it to see how comfortable it is...

The horizontal stress on trees placed on them by a fully loaded hammock simply cannot be imagined by the average person. I was kinda joking with Nancy (Towhee) since all the time we were camped in the Quartzite/Ehrenberg area we were lucky to have trees at all, let alone two without thorns and none were ever close enough together to hang a hammock. We'll have to go find a forest.

Speaking of thorn trees~~~ I had a house in the Ozarks with Osage Orange trees.  150 year old Hedge trees,  The thorns on those were 4 to 6 inches long.

 

[BlueWeezle]

You might be able to use your vehicle for one of the trees.
I am now leaning toward one of the bridge designs. In a gathered hammock you have to lay sideways to get flat. So if the Hammock is 10 feet, and you are 6 feet, the footprint is 10' x 6'.
I don't like the idea of spending $200 just to find out I would rather be in my cot.

You don't lay sideways, it's more like 20 degrees or so off center. So if you hang it from the passenger front to the drivers side rear, your body would be laying parallel in the center of the van.

And you don't need to spend anywhere close to $200. If your looking at some of the hammocks made for backpackers they cost more because every oz saved is important when your carrying it on your back and lightness cost some big bucks sometimes. In a van that doesn't matter.

A cheap hammock like the Grand Trunk Ultralight ( https://www.amazon.com/Grand-Trunk-Ultralight-Hammock-Forest/dp/B001AIHB76) is 20 bucks and it doesn't matter that the rope is heavy and the S hooks are made of steel. If you don't like using it in a van, they are still nice to have if you find a camping spot with trees. :shy:

Oh and instead of using expensive down under-quilts, top-quilts, You can rig up some fleece blankets or a comforter they will keep you just as warm. They are too heavy and take up too much space for a backpacker but in a van....

 

[accrete]

Thought i'd chime in...

My wife and I regularly include a few nights each outing (~week long trip ~once a month) sleeping in our hammocks > > OUTSIDE the van. I know your Q was on use inside : )

She is currently using a Warbonnet Ridgerunner bridge hammock, I am using a Warbonnet Blackbird gathered end hammock. They both have pros/cons.
As other's have said, as comfy as they are one would be giving up lots of usable storage (we have a platform bed in our conversion). We also do not use trees anymore. We were using two of my DIY stands (easy home depot items...a build thread if anyone is curious) The reason we went with stands verses trees is 1) consistency of setup/hang, 2) rangers LOVE our camp setup, i.e. not bothering park's trees (and yes we always used appropriate tree gear, but there is a beauty of doing this without trees IMO.)

Here is a pic of my wife's setup under a Warbonnet Superfly:

I think inside a van if I had a shorty I might try a bridge hammock like the Ridgerunner and do a modified suspension somehow.

Thom

 

[DannyB1954]

There are three that I have it narrowed down to. The Warbonnet Ridgerunner, blackbird, Hennessy Jungle Expedition Zip. I like the idea of a double bottom. Too bad you can't rent each one for a week to see which is best for you.

 

[DannyB1954]

I also am considering hanging a cot or bed from the ceiling. It would be hung by chains or some other means of adjustment for un level ground.

 

[accrete]

There are three that I have it narrowed down to. The Warbonnet Ridgerunner, blackbird, Hennessy Jungle Expedition Zip. I like the idea of a double bottom.  Too bad you can't rent each one for a week to see which is best for you.

: ) my wife had the HJEZ asym and switched to the WB RR. She likes the fit for her much better. As an FYI my WB BB is the 1.7oz Double Bottom and I put a pad in the pocket and sleep like a baby without any underquilt. Most of the time I also sleep in my Selk' Bag Patagon. My big Gumby Suit.
Thom

 

[DannyB1954]

I would have liked to try a economy bridge hammock, but couldn't find one. I found a basic gathered end model that was cheaper to buy than I could get the material to make it.. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011TV0R3S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
If nothing else, it will let me know if I can get comfortable in one.

 

[accrete]

... I found a basic gathered end model...
If nothing else, it will let me know if I can get comfortable in one.

That looks like a nice place to start.
Also on comfort, I don't know how much study you've done on the proper suggested "hang" but you might include making a ridgeline for the hammock you have coming out of something as simple as 550 paracord. The popular calculation is ~83% of the length of the gathered end hammock for the RL length. In this case you take the 115" x .83 and come up with ~96". What you do is tie off the line from the gathered end loops to the 96" length then mount the hammock ends appropriately. This should allow you to lay diagonally with a comfortable near-flat lay every time you hang the hammock. Sort of a set and forget, back to zero sighting trick.

Thom

 

[DannyB1954]

That looks like a nice place to start.
Also on comfort, I don't know how much study you've done on the proper suggested "hang" but you might include making a ridgeline for the hammock you have coming out of something as simple as 550 paracord. The popular calculation is ~83% of the length of the gathered end hammock for the RL length. In this case you take the 115" x .83 and come up with ~96". What you do is tie off the line from the gathered end loops to the 96" length then mount the hammock ends appropriately. This should allow you to lay diagonally with a comfortable near-flat lay every time you hang the hammock. Sort of a set and forget, back to zero sighting trick.

Thom

If only Shugemery could now teach me to juggle. For those not familiar, Shugemery goes by the name Shug. He is very much an entertainer who has done a number of hammock tutorials. He also was a circus clown and often juggles in his videos. I am happy his videos were pointed out to me. https://www.youtube.com/user/shugemery/playlists

 

[Almost There]

That looks like a nice place to start.
Also on comfort, I don't know how much study you've done on the proper suggested "hang" but you might include making a ridgeline for the hammock you have coming out of something as simple as 550 paracord. The popular calculation is ~83% of the length of the gathered end hammock for the RL length. In this case you take the 115" x .83 and come up with ~96". What you do is tie off the line from the gathered end loops to the 96" length then mount the hammock ends appropriately. This should allow you to lay diagonally with a comfortable near-flat lay every time you hang the hammock. Sort of a set and forget, back to zero sighting trick.

Thom

Good idea except for the paracord - it stretches so you don't want to use that.

Get some good non stretch Amsteel (sticky attached from Hammockforums for info.

https://hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php/125262-Guide-to-Amsteel

While I've never used a gathered end, most people need to adjust the ridgeline until they've found their own sweet spot. The 83% is only a starting point.