Use a pillow with a hammock?

[Scoutfish]

Was thinking about setting up my hammock tommorow night and giving it it's maiden run.

 

Then thought about wether i should buy one of those compact camp pillows or just use my pillow I use in bed.

 

Then started thinking about how I sweat on my pillow when camping and how a camp pillow will keep me from having to wash it and let it dry before using it in my own bed again...blah, blah, blah.......

 

Then it occured to me - Do you even use a pillow when sleeping in a camp hammock?

 

I have taken a few naps on regular outdoor back yard hammocks, but a nap isn't sleeping 3 or 4 nights in a hammock.

 

SO, do I need one?

 

[DLChris71]

Try it out.

 

But me personally I use a pillow to do that "whole align my spine with my head" thing. In a hammock the ends tend to be higher than the middle so your butt is swinging lower to the ground anyway. So I've always been comfortable in a hammock without a pillow. Sort of like napping in a recliner.

[Scoutfish]

WEll, the first time I ever napped in a hammock...I didn't start out with the intention of napping. It just happened. No pillow, no problem

 

 

The next two times I napped on hammocks, same thing: just laying there relaxing and the naps just happened!

 

So I started thinking I didn't need one, but I also realized that an unintentional nap is not teh same as planning on a full nights sleep.

 

I also thought about the head being higher than my body.

 

At home, in my regular bed, I use a latex foam pillow . Can't use anything else. I use it for the suppport and spring back that poly and feather pillows don't offer.

[perdidochas]

I like one of those compact camp pillows when I'm in a hammock. It provides insulation in the winter. It also just feels better to me.

[Basementdweller]

I don't use a pillow.....

 

First trip take one just in case.....

[Tampa Turtle]

I use a tiny handmade "mini-camp pillow" my scout son sewed for me. Smaller than an 8" by 6" it cradles the pressure point behind the skull. I have also used an inflatable one and my fleece jacket all bunched up. I don't feel like I need as big a pillow as at home just something to cushion that pressure point, provide a little insulation, and keep my head pointed up. I use my mini-camp pillow because it is small, compresses up even smaller, and my son made it.

 

I like a small one as it can get crowded in there sometimes.

 

[SMT224]

I use my fleece sweater for a pillow. I can make it any size by folding or wading it up to be as big as or flat as is comfortable. Then, when I get up I have a warmed fleece ready for the cool morning. Plus, this way I'm not carrying any extra weight or bulk, as I use my hammock (ENO singlenest) mostly when backpacking.

[allangr1024]

The best pillow for hammock use I have had is one of those horseshoe shaped pillows that can go around your neck, or that can just hold your head in place. With the slant of the hammock, this is a good solution for me.

 

When I don't have that, I use my little extra cloths bag. I can do the same with that by pushing the cloths to the sides and creating a little pocket for my head.

 

A regular bed pillow would be too much, unless it is somewhat thin, and my head just compresses everything almost down to the hammock bottom.

[jdsmerud]

I use a pillow (rolled up fleece or stuff sack) in my hammock when I'm reading. Sometimes it stays for the night, most the time I don't use one. Helpful hint though, for those whose butt is lower than the rest of them, in a camping hammock (think sleep, not nap) you should sleep diagonally to the hammock, this allows you to sleep flatter, so you don't get the "butt dip" and it save the knees and back after a few nights in it.