Picking up a solo canoe soon, and I will need either a new tent or perhaps a hammock to go with the solo stuff. Any suggestions for a first time hammock? I am 6' and weigh 220. I have done virtually no research other than looking into the Hennesy's on the REI site. Not sure if this is a decent product or not. Some of the weights really did not impress me when compared to dedicated solos, same with the cost. I would have no qualms spending $300-$400 on a solo tent, and at that price point, I know I can get a really decent solo.

That said, everyone on this forum has nothing but incredible things to say about the quality of sleep in a sling, so please enlighten and convince me that I will not regret the purchase of a hammock should I go that route! Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Frenchy - I recommend the Warbonnet Blackbird. If you don't like it you can sell it on Hammock Forums and recoup most of your investment.
BUT, I think you probably will like it.
I used a Hennessy UltraLight BackPacker first. It was pretty good, but I got cramps in my lower leg because my toes were pushed up while I was lying in it.
Then I got a Blackbird. It has a footbox that allows a much more natural lie, especially for your feet. I did an extended review of the WBBB in the Gear forum here. It is not super lightweight, but at around 2 lbs. it is as light as any solo tent you are likely to get. Add a pound for a tarp and you are good to go.

I find the hammock remarkably more comfortable than sleeping on the ground. I'm in my mid-50s now and the bones and connective tissue aren't as soft as they once were. A big improvement is there are no pressure points while you sleep. Hammocks take a little time to learn, but if I can do it anyone can.

The wider hammocks that allow a diagonal lie are better. Also, I use the stock suspension on the WBBB. Some folks like the whoopie sling, and it does have a certain coolness factor, but the starps on my WBBB are so simple and easy I saw no reason to swap them out. WBBB Review

I went out and purchased this tent last fall on sale for about $170 from REI because my son will be joining me soon and he won't be down with sleeping alone especially in the beginning. I'm really excited about the purchase as I think I got a pretty good deal.
Quarterdome t3
Having said that, I'm going to miss sleeping in my Warbonnet Blackbird every single minute of the trip. Even with the tarp, webbing, and tiedowns, it weighs less and takes up less space. On top of that, and the most important reason, there is absolutely no way that I will ever sleep anywhere near as good in the tent as I do hanging. There are bunch more reasons to start hanging that others will point out, but this lays out my priorities.

Those Quarterdomes are very popular. Tents don't get to be so popular by being crummy. I almost bought one just before I went to the hammock. They are well made, well designed, and reliable. I bet you and your son get years of enjoyment from that tent.

The advantages of hanging are well described and you seem to have read them. jcavenagh makes an excellent point that their is a learning curve and I recommend trying it out at home before the real trip. Try out some of the sleeping pads you might have, rig the tarp for weather protection and get the angle of the pitch so you lay flat or as is most comfortable for you. Figure a way to stop the swing and getting in and out and once you have the hang of it (pun intended) you are ready to enjoy some really great rest.

I am 5'11" and 240# and I like a wide hammock that allows me to sleep at an angle across the center line. While everyone speaks highly of the Warbonnet and I have no experience with one, I have had much satisfaction with a $60 Hammock Bliss from Campmoor. I use their double and after my son slept in the single a couple weekends ago we looked online and they now have a triple. At Canoecopia I looked at the ENO setups and frankly saw the Hammock Bliss as an equal quality with much less cost.

Ditto what everyone else has said. One big advantage I see is staying drier, not only at night in rain, but setting up and breaking down (since this will be done under the cover of the tarp. And the blackbird, which I have, is a good recommendation, because you can mate one of two larger tarps with it.). Every afternoon/evening you pull a dry hammock out of the stuff bag instead of a wet tent. That's huge. And with a hammock your campsites are not limited to being able to find a good flat tent site clear of rocks and roots.
The best setup I've found is at the link referenced below. You may have to read it through a few times to get it and it takes a few simple mods, but it gives you the same angle hang every time and means only one line to each tree and you can more easily use trees that are farther apart.

Single Line Tarp/Hammock Suspension

Thanks, folks. I have an Eno double that I always bring on trips anyway, and I love spending time in it-when my kids don't beat me to it! I have a June trip with one of my daughters coming up, so maybe I'll play around with the Eno and my 10 x 10 CCS tarp as a starting point.

All good comments so far. I started with a eno double, bought the slap straps and threw them out. Got whoopie slings. Then bought the bug net. Great set up and comfortable. I used a thermarest and sleeping bag for many summer nights last year. Under quilts and top quilts a nice, and I have two sets now, but not required. I slept in my WBBB last fall in the BW in temps in the teens using a pad and bag. The best part of hanging is no aches and pains in the morning. Or is it being able to set up almost anywhere there are two trees. Wait, it's having dry gear all the time. I can't decide:)

If you want Frenchy, I'd be willing to lend you my WBBB and my eno bug net for your trip in June. That way you and your daughter could both try it out and you could try a different hammock.

quote RainGearRight: "All good comments so far. I started with a eno double, bought the slap straps and threw them out. Got whoopie slings. Then bought the bug net. Great set up and comfortable. I used a thermarest and sleeping bag for many summer nights last year. Under quilts and top quilts a nice, and I have two sets now, but not required. I slept in my WBBB last fall in the BW in temps in the teens using a pad and bag. The best part of hanging is no aches and pains in the morning. Or is it being able to set up almost anywhere there are two trees. Wait, it's having dry gear all the time. I can't decide:)


If you want Frenchy, I'd be willing to lend you my WBBB and my eno bug net for your trip in June. That way you and your daughter could both try it out and you could try a different hammock."

Dan,

Thanks for the offer, and I may very well take you up on it! We are going up the Gunflint, and it looks like you're in Cloquet, which is right on the way from the cities. That would save me some cash before making any decisions. FYI-I will also be going through Cloquet this weekend to look at a canoe up in Duluth. I will give you a shout out as my daughter Allie and I drive by!!

quote Frenchy19: "

quote RainGearRight: "All good comments so far. I started with a eno double, bought the slap straps and threw them out. Got whoopie slings. Then bought the bug net. Great set up and comfortable. I used a thermarest and sleeping bag for many summer nights last year. Under quilts and top quilts a nice, and I have two sets now, but not required. I slept in my WBBB last fall in the BW in temps in the teens using a pad and bag. The best part of hanging is no aches and pains in the morning. Or is it being able to set up almost anywhere there are two trees. Wait, it's having dry gear all the time. I can't decide:)



If you want Frenchy, I'd be willing to lend you my WBBB and my eno bug net for your trip in June. That way you and your daughter could both try it out and you could try a different hammock."

Dan,


Thanks for the offer, and I may very well take you up on it! We are going up the Gunflint, and it looks like you're in Cloquet, which is right on the way from the cities. That would save me some cash before making any decisions. FYI-I will also be going through Cloquet this weekend to look at a canoe up in Duluth. I will give you a shout out as my daughter Allie and I drive by!!"

Lol. Sounds good! I'll keep my windows open:). I'm busy all June so I won't be able to use it. You're welcome to it, just let me know.

By coming on a dedicated hanging sub-forum, you know the answers will be slightly skewed.

A hammock can set up dry, as can most tents with a 'wet pitch" method or one with a single layer waterproof fabric. No advantage one way or the other for me really. Try setting up a Clark fly with it's six lines in a downpour once. Make sure you have an extra set of dry clothes with you. lol

Hammock systems can weigh as much as some tents. There are some complete free standing tents that weigh in at 3lbs with 27 sq. ft. of space. That's nice room for one person with gear. With "fast and light" options on tents and tarptents, hammocks can actually start to look like bags of bricks.

Tents require some sort of pad to sleep on .This is a problem up north in a hammock unless it's summer and you get some really nice night time temps. Hammocks use a pad or an underquilt. This is all additional weight. No free lunch until it's warm through the night.

To me, the advantage is comfort and believe it or not, some folks just don't like the confines of a hammock and would like that extra room to sit up and change or arrange gear in a tent.

Sorry hammock hangers....but we all know it's the truth. Hammocks do not instantly cure everything. I'm trying to give an objective look here. Don't shoot the messenger.

To hang, one needs to try it out and tweak your system. I loved my first hammock, but hated it when it got below 50* because of all the rest of the additional insulation I needed to drag along. However, this was way before hammock specific pads and underquilts. I also had to put in some serious tweaking time to get me to the 20's.
I still believe you must want to hang and should take any opportunity to try one out for at least four nights if possible. Most of the people I have introduced to it have needed 2-3 nights to adjust. Their biggest adjustment (other than being cold)was stowing their gear for the night and realizing once they were in the cocoon, they were there for the evening.
Some have liked it, some have not taken to it.

For me, I believe the comfort is worth the effort in finding a system that works for me. I have become comfortable with it and have expanded to five hammocks now. I actually prefer it over my tents, but still use my tents in certain situations.

But, just buying a hammock thinking it will be a cure all? No way. Everything has it's ups and downs. It's up to you, to weigh it out.

BTW......Loved my Hennesy which I sold here to a happy new owner last year. Great hammock.

Lorax,

Nice, thorough and pretty objective post! I appreciate that. With feedback like that and offers from folks like RightRainGear, one cannot go wrong! I do look forward to trying a hang come my mid June trip. Will maybe give me some options for an upcoming what now appears to be a solo 12-14 day trip to the WCPP in July/August. If I cannot find anyone to join me for that trip, I know I do not want to take a 3 person tent.