Quote Originally Posted by DebW View Post
I love my hammock. Quite comfy. It's tarp camping off the ground, so no crawly things to worry about, and no hard wooden platform under your back. I made my own, using directions you can get from the book sold on this site: www.speerhammocks.com. You do have to worry about keeping your backside warm, so either a foam pad inside or quilt-like insulation outside and underneath. Here's a picture of the cocoon-like insulation I made for the outside of my hammock.
Looks comfy! I ordered a hammock with attached bug netting from Amazon; it was on sale and seems like it should be decent to try. Only bummer is that I looked at the weight of the whole system (hammock, tarp, stakes/guylines) and it's slightly heavier than the tent I have. However, that tent is very cramped and hard to pitch on the platforms without it sagging, plus the platforms are uncomfortable. I'm thinking the extra few ounces are a reasonable trade-off, though just tarp camping on the ground would be over a pound lighter and that would be nice...but then there's the possibility of random critters in one's sleeping bag or waking up in a puddle if it rains. With the foam pad in the hammock, do you just use the regular kind you would use on the ground? Seems like it would be awkward... That quilt thing you made looks pretty cool but how hard are they to make?