Suspended Slumber

How to complete Suspended Slumber

This is about trusting a hammock to hold you for eight hours instead of just an afternoon nap. The real challenge isn't comfort, it's staying warm and not flipping out at 3am when the temperature drops and your back hits cold air.

1. Hang the hammock with a slight sag, not pulled tight, and lie diagonally so your body flattens out
2. Insert a sleeping pad or use an underquilt underneath you, since the compressed fabric under your back loses all insulation
3. Pick two solid trees roughly four meters apart and rig a rainfly or tarp above in case of dew or drizzle
4. Get in before full dark to adjust the height, then commit to staying through sunrise

Tips

• Cold from below ruins hammock nights more than air temperature does, so never skip the pad or underquilt
• Bring a small pillow or stuff sack under your knees to kill the pressure point
• A bug net is worth it near water or forest edges

What counts as done

You woke up at sunrise still in the hammock after sleeping through the night, not having retreated to a tent or the ground.