Here’s a crazy question
As I’m getting older it’s harder and hard to sleep on the ground. Even with an air mat it’s just very uncomfortable. In fact lately the only negative part of my canoe trips is the sleeping part. A cot if cheap is so heavy and the good ones I’m not going to fork that much for. So here’s my crazy question. My wife gets these catalogs with weird Christmas gift ideas and in there is a portable hammock with a frame. Says about 20lbs.
Any thoughts on how comfortable it might be and would it work in a tent?
Mike

Why don't you just get a real hammock? I don't hammock but I believe they only weigh a few pounds. Why would you want to haul a 20 pound hammock around?

I agree, I find a hammock very comfortable, but just go with the hammock and two trees.

The sliding around and moving to avoid rocks and roots got to me too. I bought a cheap hammock and used my pad and sleeping bag for awhile. As others report, and you will soon learn, hanging can have lots of options and unless you get the right system for you it might not be much better than being on the ground. Get one strap a little high on one tree and you slide around, if the tension is too loose or too tight you fold up like a knife or get your shoulder's pinched. In the end getting off the ground was a right choice for me.

Buy yourself a hammock and some straps. All you need are a couple of trees between 12 and 20 feet apart. You probably already have an extra tarp you're using over your tent or could bring along. My best nights sleep in the woods is always a couple feet off the ground. Went on a river trip in early October and took the tent to sleep on gravel bars. My back still isn't speaking to me.

Lots of double wide hammocks can be had for less than $50. You probably already have some old straps that you could repurpose too. That's how I started.

Just make sure you read up a little on the right way to hang a hammock and lay on the diagonal.

Hammock Camping 101

Whatsit: "Here’s a crazy question
As I’m getting older it’s harder and hard to sleep on the ground. Even with an air mat it’s just very uncomfortable. In fact lately the only negative part of my canoe trips is the sleeping part. A cot if cheap is so heavy and the good ones I’m not going to fork that much for. So here’s my crazy question. My wife gets these catalogs with weird Christmas gift ideas and in there is a portable hammock with a frame. Says about 20lbs.
Any thoughts on how comfortable it might be and would it work in a tent?
Mike"

The opportunity to sleep in my hammocks is one of the many rewards and motivations for me to get into the outdoors. As hammocks have become more accessible to the masses, getting farther into the wilderness has become the most assured way I can enjoy my hammocks without worry that an over zelous park ranger will take issue. So, in a way, hammocks were my gateway into canoe tripping.

Canoe tripping, especially in the BWCA, is made for hammock camping (No stand required). A hammock with an intergrated bugnet and tarp will replace your tent entirely. Splurge for a full length 20* underquilt and you will likely never sleep on the ground again.

If a hammock stand is your goal, Look at the Tensa4

It is relatively new, inovative and light enough to carry if you had no trees available.

Good Luck and happy Hangin"

What the . . ., whatsit? :) You're younger than my oldest child! :) You need a better pad . . . maybe a trip to the doctor if you're really having that much trouble.

Seriously, besides being heavy - surely even a cheap cot should be lighter - I'm sure you'd need a really big tent to fit it lengthwise and height wise, especially with the high points likely being each end. You could put it under a tap/bug shelter, but that may have limitations. A true hammock set up might be the thing for you, but certainly no cheaper than a good cot . . .

Seriously, I hope you're not having that much trouble with it - even I still sleep on the ground without any great trouble.

It reminded me of instructions I once came across about making a cheap hammock. I don't think this is the exact one, but something like it.

Used a hammock for the first time on my solo this year in Quetico and I have no plans of going back to the ground for soloing. Agree with OCDave - it seems BWCA/Quetico is made for hammocks. I never slept more than a few feet from the water and had great views. Campsites that could be ranked as 2 or 3 star for tent camping could easily be 4 stars with a hammock.

I used a Warbonnet bridge hammock and found it infinitely more comfortable than the ground.

RidgeRunner

Yes I prefer my hammock to a tent now also. It's just nice not having to crawl around with the set up and the pad etc. With a hammock everything is done standing up. Plus - they make a very comfortable chair.

Sierra trading post currently has an Alps Mountaineering 9 lb cot for $40.

Have you tried a good quality inflatable? After years of using the thinner, closed-cell foam pads, my wife and I bought Big Agnes inflatables and it made a huge difference in our comfort. For solo trips, I am strongly considering a hammock. My son uses one, and I tried it out while on a backpacking trip with him this fall --- pretty nice. Only trouble is the investment required to be comfortable in cooler weather in a hammock.

A Hammock is the only cure.. Was for me. No matter how much you spend on a pad.

I dunno.......I can't picture sleeping in a banana shape. Blah! I would like to try a hammock out some time though.

I hiked areound Mt Rainier once using a Z-rest. Tiny, thin popcorn type close cell foldable foam pad. Longest nights of my life. It took about 7 nights before we came to some semblance of mutual understanding and then I was fine. I guess you just toughen up after a while.

Modern air mattresses are quite comfy IMO.

mastertangler: "I dunno.......I can't picture sleeping in a banana shape. Blah! "

This is the myth. Try it, you might like it.

TomT: "

mastertangler: "I dunno.......I can't picture sleeping in a banana shape. Blah! "

This is the myth. Try it, you might like it.


"

I thought the same thing.
I'll never go back.

AmarilloJim: "

TomT: "

mastertangler: "I dunno.......I can't picture sleeping in a banana shape. Blah! "

This is the myth. Try it, you might like it.
"

I thought the same thing.
I'll never go back."

For gathered end hammocks it's all about laying on a diagonal. I can side sleep or lay on my back very comfortably this way. I've never tried a bridge hammock. I have a Warbonnet Blackbird with a footbox and a shelf to store your stuff. That's all I need.

Here's the pros and cons for me with Hammocks.
Pros
- All set up and take down done standing up. No more crawling!
- No need to find level ground. Lay is the same every night.
- Never fear taking on water and only top of tarp gets wet (unlike bottom of tent).
- Stuffing under quilt and top quilt in a stuff sack is so much easier than dealing with a pad and sleeping bag.
- Always sleep like a baby with no joint pain or numb limbs.

Cons
- Can only store a limited amount of gear inside.
- A good quality set up is more expensive. (Tarp, hammock, top and under quilts.)
- Must sleep alone. Not great if there's a significant other.

Start your research and get a hammock.
Oh - did someone else say that?
I started with my original Clark NX 150 6 years ago and have not slept on the ground since.
Now, mind you, with the hammock at 400 bucks and the under quilt and top quilt each at 250 bucks, the outfit come in just under 1K with some straps involved, other paraphernalia, etc.
I have also upgraded to an NX 270 and feel like I'm sleeping on a cloud.
All I need is two trees. I don't care if it's cold, raining, windy, rocky, muddy, etc.
It doesn't matter!!!!!!! And I use it year-'round.
It's easy to almost - almost! - feel guilty in the morning being so comfortable.

TomT: "- Must sleep alone. Not great if there's a significant other.
"

Not true.

Clark Double Hammock

KarlBAndersen1: "

TomT: "- Must sleep alone. Not great if there's a significant other.
"

Not true.
Clark Double Hammock "

Damn, I didn't know. My dog would love this! :)

KarlBAndersen1: "
Now, mind you, with the hammock at 400 bucks and the under quilt and top quilt each at 250 bucks, the outfit come in just under 1K with some straps involved, other paraphernalia, etc.
I have also upgraded to an NX 270 and feel like I'm sleeping on a cloud.
"

That outfit comes with a tarp I presume? The top quilt is really not necessary to start if you already have a sleeping bag. I think a good quality outfit - hammock, underquilt, and tarp can be had for around $650. Really a beginner can just get the hammock and use their own tarp and a pad under you so for around $200 anyone can get started.

I would not advise going cheap on the hammock to see if you like it. You get what you pay for and if you sleep crappy that will be the end of your hammocking.

Shug has a great you tube channel all about hammock sleeping how to's and reviews of different brands.

Try before you buy a hammock if you can. I gave "hanging" a try for a couple of years and just didn't like being in it. Way to confining for me. And yes I did it correctly. Also you're going to need an under quilt even in the summer in the BW. A quality hammock system and under quilt can add up in the money area.

Blatz: "Also you're going to need an under quilt even in the summer in the BW. A quality hammock system and under quilt can add up in the money area."

A lot of people use ground pads underneath you in the hammock. Some brands have a sleeve the pad fits into. I did it this way from 2009 to 2016. I used a 1/8 inch gossamer gear closed cell foam pad. I cut it to fit and it wrapped around my shoulders then tapered down to my feet. It worked great to about 35 degrees. I used a 10 degree sleeping bag for a top quilt.

Shug has a video dedicated to using a pad underneath you.

You can’t go to a store and look at several different hammocks. So go to Hammickforums Hangouts, Campouts and trip planning. Select your area and look for a gathering near you.
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/forumdisplay.php/44-Hangouts-Campouts-and-Trip-Planning
Go to the gathering on the second day after most of the people are there and start asking questions. Most everyone will tell you what they like and don’t like about their hammock. Some will even let you try them for a while. Some may have an extra hammock that they can set you up with for a night. You will get the one they like the least.

I have been sleeping in a Warbonnet blackbird hammock for 6 years now.
It is the most comfortable camping I have ever experienced.