Tips for Hammock Camping in the Heat
Planning to go backpacking or camping and spend the night under the sky with the stars? If you’re planning to go camping with a hammock, we’ve got a few tips that you ought to know. Read on to learn how to make yourself comfortable while hammock camping and to prevent any frozen butt syndrome during cold nights.
Here are our tips for you:
How to Set Up or Hang the Hammock
The proper angle for a hammock, suspended by straps, is at a 30-degree angle. The longer the distance between the trees, the higher you should place the straps on the tree trunks. One way to find out if your hammock is at a comfortable angle is by checking the ridge line. Just pinch and bend it. When you bend it, if it isn’t too taut nor too loose, that is a perfect hang.
Tarps
A tarp is a cover that is placed over the hammock. It is lightweight and made from a silicon material. It is especially useful to protect yourself from the rain, wind and cold. If you’re backpacking or canoe camping and you don't have a car to place your gears in, you can put your things under the tarp. To set up a trap, pick your trees to be a good length apart, not too far nor not too close.
Check out our Ultra-Light Tarp. We also have it with a mosquito net to keep the bugs out. Check out the Moskito Tarp here.
Storage
In the circumstance where you’ve already set up your hammock for the night and you decide to go for a walk around, if you do not have a tarp above your hammock, it would be best to store your hammock away to protect it before you go for your walk. If you leave your hammock in the open without a cover protecting it, you might get bugs, bird droppings on it or get it wet in the rain. You will not regret getting a tarp. Get our super popular Ultra-Light Tarp.
Hammock Underquilt
The hammock is thin so to prevent frozen butt syndrome from the cold night air circulating around you, you’ll need insulation underneath you to keep you warm at night. The best insulation is an under quilt. You put it underneath the hammock and place the hammock inside of it.
If you are looking for a cheaper alternative, a closed foam mat is a good option. You can get it from any department store. If you choose to use a foam mat, it would be better to get a double-layered hammock. You can then slide the mat in the middle and it won’t shift around when you twist and turn.
Mosquito Net or Bug Net
During summer, having a mosquito net is essential since there’ll be lots of mosquitos. It also shields you from falling twigs, acorns and leaves. At night time, it won’t stop you from looking at the stars as you’ll barely notice the net. Have a look at our Moskito Traveller Hammock that comes with a sewn-in zip-up mosquito net.
How to Lay in a Hammock Correctly
Generally, when people lay in a hammock, they lay with their feet and head up high with the body resembling a banana. That position would feel normal in the beginning but after some time, it’ll start getting uncomfortable as that is an incorrect way to lay in a hammock. The proper way to lay in a hammock is to lay as flat as you can, like on a bed. To lay flat, shift your body sideways, like the minute hand on a clock, till you find yourself lying flat.
There you go! Those are our tips for you when you go hammock camping. Let us know which tip helped you the most and have a look at our award-winning hammocks. Simply Hammocks was voted Best Hammock in 2021.
Here are some of our popular travel hammocks:
Moskito Traveller Extreme Hammock
