Getting Into the Swing of Hammock Camping

Rating: *****

This article was very interesting, and I greatly approve of it for one main reason. This reason being that it convinced me to try hammock camping.

The main body of the article describes the benefits to hammock camping over tent camping. For example; you can set up a hammock pretty much anywhere. With tents, you need a flat area, you need to avoid areas where water builds up, and rocks and roots can get in the way of a good nights sleep. With a hammock, you just need to find two trees to hang it up in between. It stays off the ground, making rocks, roots, and water flow not a problem. It's very comfortable, and you won't need to worry about waking up if your companion does. Rain is not a huge problem, because proper camping hammocks have canopies and other accessories to make it as comfortable as you need.

There are some disadvantages to hammock camping, though. If the proper straps are not used, you could damage the bark on the trees that you are using. Also, a tent may cost more than a hammock, but one hammock only fits one person, and everyone would have to carry one. Rain and wet may not be problems, but wind always can be. If the wind is strong enough, it could be harder to fall asleep. Another thing is that if you need a space to change your clothes, it would be harder to do that in a hammock than a tent.

This article brought up a new type of camping that I didn't even know existed. However, now that I know about it, I'm eager to try. If hammock camping sounds like it might be for you, I highly recommend this article.

Dave Brown Ottawa Outdoors Fall 2011 pgs. 5 - 7