Thread: Defender Minimalism

I've been thinking about buying one of these camping hammocks, but I haven't priced them yet. Could have the advantages of being off the ground, but with weather protection. Minimalism in a bag. What do you think?


Hennessy Hammocks Online - Hammock Camping Australia

The hammock looks great, being off the ground in the wet would be a big advantage. Wouldn't be very useful on the beach or anywhere lacking trees.

The minimalist approach definitely makes sense. Less weight means better performance and economy is a benefit straight up. I guess you need the basics - food, cooking utensils, shelter/sleeping, recovery gear and means to carry it all safely.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

I've been thinking about buying one of these camping hammocks, but I haven't priced them yet. Could have the advantages of being off the ground, but with weather protection. Minimalism in a bag. What do you think?


Hennessy Hammocks Online - Hammock Camping Australia

Ranga is your man

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

I've been thinking about buying one of these camping hammocks, but I haven't priced them yet. Could have the advantages of being off the ground, but with weather protection. Minimalism in a bag. What do you think?


Hennessy Hammocks Online - Hammock Camping Australia

They are great! Great in the wet and great for hilly terrain or places with unlevel or boggy ground. If for some reason you are hiking to big red with little in the way of strong trees they can be set up like a normal ultralight hiker with the tarp pegged between sticks and your still better off as you have the mesh inner to keep the midgies away. It does drop weight as you don't needed a thermarest or tent but you do need an isilator slung underneath as otherwise a cold wind will chill your back (as no sleeping bags will loft where your laying on them = may as well have a sheet under you). So ups and downs to both set ups I've been using a tent again because my girlfriend loves to hike too do the hammocks aren't much chop then.
I'm a big fan of minimalism so tend to like having over engineered basic equipment. But we are away for 12 months in the 110 and we have way too much crap ATM. As stated by others minimalism is very subjective. A few years back minimalism to me a Hennesy hammock, a bic lighter, msr stove, sawyer filter and if you could drive there it wasn't camping yet there would be folks who would scoff at taking a hammock and stove (there was a bloke in BC Canada that we knew that would regularly hike this week long pass down the west coast from near Bella coola that nobody else knew about and people didn't believe him until he took some of my mates along. They were early 20s with "minimalist" set ups and he was around 50 and left them for dead bearfoot and only took a huge block of hard cheese, for the snow sections he would wrap his feet.... Yet I'm sure there are Cilcotan Indians that scoff at him for taking a block of cheese) so subjective yes. These days I have a roof top top tent on a no.5 and cart the fridge everywhere which a few years back I would have seen as glamping.

They do look good for a single, but probably not for a couple.


Re. food I know some former rebel soldiers whose idea of bush living was a bag of rice in a pot with some water and seasoned with whatever they could find or kill. That's minimalism. Of course, they used to knock off village chooks as well.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

I've been thinking about buying one of these camping hammocks, but I haven't priced them yet. Could have the advantages of being off the ground, but with weather protection. Minimalism in a bag. What do you think?


Hennessy Hammocks Online - Hammock Camping Australia

Hey Mick, they certainly are minimal, but I reckon the novelty would wear off in terms comfort. They'd be great for temporary shelter while bushwalking up a mountain. But I wouldn't choose for Defender travel.

I'm a firm bed person and I'd hate to sleep with my back curved like that. While they take up more space, I reckon a swag with a good dual density foam mattress and a mozzie tent would be better / more versatile. Also more hard wearing. When I pack my Defender there is always easily enough room for at least two or three swags inside at the back and nothing on the roof. But no kids, so swags might go on roof if I had kids.

I've used parachute as a hammock during survival training. I will never sleep in one again, it was just so uncomfortable. Dedicated hammocks may be ok, but they just don't do it for me. Must be the bent back they entail. But, if you find it comfortable, off the ground is good!

Ive got a Henessy. Downside is that your sleeping bag compresses under you, so in the cold they are bloody freezing without an underblanket- particulary if a breeze is blowing.

Also made the mistake once of falling asleep with a water bottle at my head once- that ended up under my shoulder blades - woke up in absolute agony and ruined a bow hunting trip as a result.