Comfort and convenience is my main concern.

How comfortable are you on the ground ?

A friend ("Trapper Tom" Thompson) & I were talking about the amount of camp equipment you see new as well as old hands packing into a camp, a trek or have available in their iron horses.

We watch these fine folks year after year doing the same thing, never trying to lighten their load. The biggest thing we notice is how after doing this for a few years they're moving slower &  getting lower to the ground with packing their wares on a bad back.

I have a bad back as does several friends & several folks we run with, which makes for restless camping - a nightmare; usually I have a hard time riding the next day after trying to sleep the night before on the ground. We used to use pine limbs, or straw when camping - then with local ranger complains so we stopped that practice. I have tried one of the "self-inflating" camping pads hidden in a canvas cover (not period correct), but I'm old. I found these pads just leave me with a numb butt and still not much sleep.

I thought about using either a period correct (that's what the trader's ad said) cot or portable hammock. Which would help to minimize lower back pain, I often suffer from this? There was a BIG NO from my camping partners, and there's always the baloney received when mentioned. !@#$

But a hammock of correct fabric goes back to and before Thomas Jefferson's time & are available from several traders dealing with period camp wares.


The portable hammocks we had experimented with were worse than the cots. I have tried a hammock on horse packing trips but the hammock has to be set up between two trees. But could be a problem if there's a shortage of trees, needed for holding horses. I have to say it was much more comfortable than the ground, I'm always having to make excuses why I have such items.

How many times have you woken up after sleeping on rocks &  roots & wished for a more comfortable bedding surface? Several of us "old far... fellows" get up with sore shoulders in the morning, aching lower backs, & hip pointers. For me, these things aren't an issue when I sleep in my period correct hammock. I love to say that because it really sets Kermit "Powder Hawk" Trustem off. Heck, if it was good enough for Jefferson, I'm game.

Since the hammock supports the whole body, instead of just supporting my hips and shoulders, I don't get sore spots & it relieves the pressure on my lower back. The first few times I slept in a hammock I had a little lower back pain, but once I learned a few tricks like putting my capote or folded breeches between my legs, the pain went away. I don't even toss & turn when I sleep in my hammock, because there are no pressure points to relieve.

Hammocks are extremely convenient when setting up camp. While others are still clearing their sleeping site of rocks and roots, or trying to find a level spot, I can just string it up and stake out my tarp. It only takes a few moments to find two suitable trees, & no serious ground clearing is necessary. Several members that hang out here laughed at me a few years ago & have now joined the ranks of the "hammock boys".

Just give it some thought when your tail-feathers are hurting after a sleepless night. Remember hammocks were developed by native inhabitants of Mexico for sleeping. Later, they were used aboard sailing ships by sailors to enable comfort &  maximize available space, & by explorers or soldiers traveling in wooded regions of North America.

I just go for the food, if Ben Thompson was doing the cooking you had a feast (that guy could cook - WOW) .....


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Hey Buck, how come we both travel the same range, can't you come up with something better than just copying me ....... "Utah, Colorado, Wyoming - roaming around ...".



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