[at-l] Hammocks, cold weather, and peeing during the night

[askowronek at mindspring.com (amy)]

On Tuesday, August 12, 2003, at 02:22  PM, Kelly Whitman wrote:
>
> Grey Owl's post brings up another question I have about drinking 
> enough water and hammocks.  I drink around a gallon a day here at 
> home.  That means either I stop drinking 2-3 hours before I go to 
> sleep (not possible in the summers here when it's over 100F) and spend 
> the night parched, or I keep drinking  and spend the night getting up 
> every 3-4 times to go to the bathroom.  Not such a big deal at home  
> but when it's freezing and you're sleeping outside in a hammock... 
> what do you do?  When I spent several months living in a tent one 
> winter, I just set up a portapotty inside the tent and tossed the used 
> bag outside afterward (to be thrown away in the AM).  I had to get out 
> of my bag but that was much warmer than leaving the tent to tramp 
> around the frozen ground outside.  Someone on another list suggested 
> simply going through the exit slot in the hammock (which seems rather 
> acrobatic; is that even feasible if you're female)?

Very, very few nights have I not had to get up to pee, and I was 
probably
dehydrated for those.  Getting in and out was less of an issue for me 
than
not disturbing my companions with all the rustling.  The colder it is, 
the more
rustling.  (In my hammock.  In one of the double layer ones where you
sandwich your pad, maybe not.)

I wouldn't want to pee out the slit of my Hennessey, because then I'd 
have
to step in it the next morning.  Ick.  And if you're less than perfect, 
you probably
manage to wet the hammock anyway.

After you've climbed in and out a few times, rearranging yourself once
you get back in isn't such a big deal.

>
> When did the hammocks start becoming more popular with 
> hikers/campers/backpackers, btw?  I've been going through books in the 
> outdoor sports sections in bookstores and I never see them mentioned 
> when authors talk about gear.  None of the stores around here carry 
> hammocks (except the backyard kind) but then I live kind of in the 
> middle of nowhere (*sob*).
>

A few years ago.  Not so long , really.

You can mail order a hammock, or you can make one yourself.  Ed Speers 
has
a good book on making them, I hear.  I haven't read it, but there have 
been glowing
reviews and lots of success stories.   If you're interested, you can 
join the
hammockcamping group at yahoogroups.

-amy