October 2019
As the 1st anniversary of my first ever wild camp approached I was looking forward again to the colder months. Although I'd had some great experiences over the summer, I'd learned there were some big compromises that came with fair weather dossing.
- Insects. I wasn't as freaked out by general creepy-crawlies as I thought I may be, but I also had no idea that proper, continental style mosquitos were thriving in the woodlands of central England. They are merciless, and I had the constant greasy, chemical joy of DEET in my beard throughout. And still got bitten somehow.
- Daylight. Too much of it! If the stealthy ethos of 'pitch at sunset, pack up at dawn' is to be followed, you're lucky to get 4 hours kip mid summer. That dawn chorus is lovely, but at 4:30 it's a bit much..
- People. More likely to come across other casual campers - kids having a fireside party, that sort of thing. I noticed this down in Exmouth in particular. Not what I'm after at all!
As if saying goodbye to the longer evenings, around the mid September Equinox I had a very swift and stealthy Friday night local camp after work, using a spot I'd stumbled across near to a favourite pub.
However, after this I soon came to regret wishing the summer away when faced with the wettest Autumn for decades. If there were occasional breaks in the interminable precipitation, they were invariably midweek when I was stuck at work. Extremely frustrating! Wild camping has definitely become an addiction, and I'm starting to get tetchy going more than a fortnight without a fix.
Even if the rain were to stop on a weekend, likelihood is that the ground would be way too much of a muddy puddle to lie on. If only there were a way to sleep OFF the ground, I could maybe still manage to camp..? Thus pure logic (coupled with a little bonus in my pay packet on becoming a first aider) led me to purchase a hammock setup.
Having used their excellent tarps for a while now, I knew I wanted to get one from Scottish company DD Hammocks. So I ordered their popular Frontline Hammock which comes with a built in bug net. A bit of research advised me that in anything but the warmest months hammock camping could be chilly, due to the air circulating from below, so I also splashed out on a dedicated 'under blanket', a sort of hanging quilt which traps air below your back. Both arrived the very next day - the usual DD efficiency. And the day after that I was in my local woodland spot giving it a go!
Even if the rain were to stop on a weekend, likelihood is that the ground would be way too much of a muddy puddle to lie on. If only there were a way to sleep OFF the ground, I could maybe still manage to camp..? Thus pure logic (coupled with a little bonus in my pay packet on becoming a first aider) led me to purchase a hammock setup.
Having used their excellent tarps for a while now, I knew I wanted to get one from Scottish company DD Hammocks. So I ordered their popular Frontline Hammock which comes with a built in bug net. A bit of research advised me that in anything but the warmest months hammock camping could be chilly, due to the air circulating from below, so I also splashed out on a dedicated 'under blanket', a sort of hanging quilt which traps air below your back. Both arrived the very next day - the usual DD efficiency. And the day after that I was in my local woodland spot giving it a go!
It was after work so I was up against it with the light, particularly as it was a completely alien process. I had done my homework though, and learned that there was a very specific angle and height of 'hang' which would optimise the comfort. I managed it fairly efficiently, added the under blanket and my usual 3x3m tarp above and was just about done before it was pitch black. The great thing is that it doubles as a rather comfy seat, and I enjoyed a cooked tea and a canteen of wine into the evening.
Apparently hammock sleeping is a bit Marmite - some swear by it, others give up quickly as it is so uncomfortable. It was a complete lottery which category I would fall into. Getting into the sleeping bag at bedtime wasn't a great start - extremely fidgety to get in and zipped up. But once in I was blissfully swinging under the relaxing glow of the candle lantern, and dozed off fairly quickly. What followed was not only the best night's sleep I'd ever had camping, but possibly one of the best night's sleep I've had, full stop!
It was all about getting the angle of lay right. There is an instinct to stay in the middle of the hammock, which results in a banana shaped back which seems nice at first but soon hurts. No, the advice is to lay a bit more on the diagonal, with head poking out a bit one side, and feet the opposite. This makes for a much flatter experience and the hammock becomes like an anti gravity mattress.
I slept so soundly that my throat hurt in the morning from the snoring. Even getting up for a wee during the dreaded 3-4 am shift was better - a bit of a mither getting out and in again admittedly, but I went almost immediately back to sleep once back in the hammock. This is unprecedented - there is normally a good hour or two of mind racing and trying to get back off to sleep in my experience of 'ground dwelling'. Also, after dawn you actively WANT to lie in a bit longer, unlike sleeping on the ground where frankly you can't wait to get up as soon as it's light enough. Even once you are up and dressed and breakfasted, you use the hammock to relax in a way you just don't with a tent. It was a wonderful experience, a game changer - and I couldn't wait to do it again!
In late October half term came around, and the start of it offered a much needed 3 day window without rain. I picked the last of these three to have another go, mainly to give the ground a chance to drain off a bit. I was excited by one other advantage of hammock camping that I haven't mentioned yet : no need for flat ground to pitch. So I headed on foot to a different local forest, an evergreen one which is quite spectacular but has so far eluded me for camping due to the absence of a single square meter of flat ground. Well, us hammock campers tweak the twinkly nipples of such trivialities!
Apparently hammock sleeping is a bit Marmite - some swear by it, others give up quickly as it is so uncomfortable. It was a complete lottery which category I would fall into. Getting into the sleeping bag at bedtime wasn't a great start - extremely fidgety to get in and zipped up. But once in I was blissfully swinging under the relaxing glow of the candle lantern, and dozed off fairly quickly. What followed was not only the best night's sleep I'd ever had camping, but possibly one of the best night's sleep I've had, full stop!
It was all about getting the angle of lay right. There is an instinct to stay in the middle of the hammock, which results in a banana shaped back which seems nice at first but soon hurts. No, the advice is to lay a bit more on the diagonal, with head poking out a bit one side, and feet the opposite. This makes for a much flatter experience and the hammock becomes like an anti gravity mattress.
I slept so soundly that my throat hurt in the morning from the snoring. Even getting up for a wee during the dreaded 3-4 am shift was better - a bit of a mither getting out and in again admittedly, but I went almost immediately back to sleep once back in the hammock. This is unprecedented - there is normally a good hour or two of mind racing and trying to get back off to sleep in my experience of 'ground dwelling'. Also, after dawn you actively WANT to lie in a bit longer, unlike sleeping on the ground where frankly you can't wait to get up as soon as it's light enough. Even once you are up and dressed and breakfasted, you use the hammock to relax in a way you just don't with a tent. It was a wonderful experience, a game changer - and I couldn't wait to do it again!
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In late October half term came around, and the start of it offered a much needed 3 day window without rain. I picked the last of these three to have another go, mainly to give the ground a chance to drain off a bit. I was excited by one other advantage of hammock camping that I haven't mentioned yet : no need for flat ground to pitch. So I headed on foot to a different local forest, an evergreen one which is quite spectacular but has so far eluded me for camping due to the absence of a single square meter of flat ground. Well, us hammock campers tweak the twinkly nipples of such trivialities!
I'd come across a perfect little spot on a slope a few days before, and even cleared the ground of brambles in anticipation. It was far from any paths, and very well hidden generally, involving wading through bracken and thorns to get there. Always reassuring if you want to avoid the dreaded dog walkers.
I'd placed another order with DD for a different kind of hanging system called 'whoopie slings' in the interim. These were supposed to make achieving a good hang a doddle, but as it was my first time with them I found them a fiddly pain to be honest. Hopefully they will pay off eventually as I get used to them. As a result the setup took a lot longer than last time, but it was satisfyingly done by the end, with the tarp in a classic hammock camping 'diamond' setup.
The night was a lot colder than the last, and I was glad I'd finally bitten the bullet and splashed out on a down jacket the day before. Lovely greasy sausage and egg baps cooked on the Brukit gas stove for tea, a hip flask of JD, and once again a cosy, lengthy night's sleep (apart from the mystery beast - see the video below for more on that!)
Once again I lingered well into the chilly morning enjoying the comfort, and was even greeted by a nice sunrise poking between the tree trunks at breakfast.
So to summarise, I think you can tell I'm a fan. It won't replace the tent, tarp and bivvy camps as they still have advantages in certain situations. Where there aren't any trees being one obvious example! And the packing is harder - whilst the hammock itself packs fairly light and small, adding an underblanket and tarp as well fills your rucksack quickly. But the unique selling point is luxury - it really feels like a treat in terms of comfort, rather than a compromise. There is an awful lot to be said for that!
(I made a Youtube vid of this second camp. As ever, please subscribe, like, comment & enjoy!)
©Rich Lane 2019
