Since this has kind of turned into a camping thread, I have a question for y'all. I came across an ad for camping hammocks a while ago and was wondering, what makes them different than normal cloth hammocks? I've used hammocks solo camping for years but never knew they made any specifically for camping.
It depends on where you are camping. In many parts of the US it is safe to sleep on ground. In other parts of US...I'd say swampy areas you need a hammack. The material it is made out of say cloth for instance will hold a lot of humidity/moisture/water weight. If you go with a nylon (more modern one) they dry very quickly and thus are less wait to carry but don't hold in the heat at night. The mylar sleeping bags probably won't cary your weight in a tree but they hold in the moisture and body heat very well even in very cold climates. As others have stated they are a bit "noiser" probably to be used in a stranded car situation but I think I must in the midwest as it can get very damn cold in the winter. These could save your life if stranded in the winter.
You need to very your weight carying, volume of packing, and effectiveness. Your gear is only as good as much as you can carry efficiently. A cloth blanket will hold moisture for days and useless in snow. Wool will dry quicker. Mylar/space blankets pick up no moisture. You got trade offs. Cloth you would have to dry/smoke near fire to dry in rainy weather, wool will dry quicker but is still acceptable, mylar well is a shiny plastic taken on space missions and doesn't absorb water and is always very light. Probably not anywhere near as puncture resistant as wool or cotton but will keep you keep in good condition for a week or so. Wool is probably 2nd on my list but heavier and more volume. Cotton can just down right weigh you down until you have chance to dry it out.
If you fall below icy water with cotton or wool you are recommended to strip naked due to hypothermia concerns. Cold wet clothes will just keep your body cold. Your cotton won't dry for days but your wool has chance of drying in hours if near fire. Wool is itchier to the skin but in cold/wet environment I'd choose wool.
Cotten however breathes better. If you are in a dry arid climate area where sweating a lot. Cotton tends to breath and wick the sweat away and keep you cool...but you need constant intake of water.
Not sure how this applies to hammacks but that is my understanding of the difference between cotton, wool, and mylar. Living in midwest water is pretty plenty. It's the harsh winters that will do you in.
Nylon is lightweight but not going to keep you very warm. It will dry out very quickly. So maybe use that in hot dry climate. I have not done any camping in desert and you're extremes are going to very between day and night as much as summer and winter in the midwest. Extreme heat and extreme colds for desert every day. In midwest you are talking seasonal changes of summer and winter. In my mind summer is much more survivable with water supply but the winter cold is going to kill you without a shelter of some sorts.
Fire, water, shelter...the order isn't always clear until putt in that situation. In most cases you want to stay put and mylar bag will server as reflector in the heat and retainer of heat in the cold. Can even be used to gather water in desert. Again that's just surviving a few days until rescue. Surviving more than a week with no grocery store; most people aren't going to make it. At my age I probably wouldn't make it myself.
At any rate just get 3+ days of food and bug-out bag and go camping. I mean really camping not electrical plugin camping. Do that with your family and/or neighbors. Maybe someday it will save one of your family members lives or one of your neighbors.
My nephew hates it; but I know he'll thank me for it 10 years down the road.
Other camper comments welcome. I'm not as hard core as some of these guys just can give you advice on what I know.
but everyone should have 3 days worth.
