Should I consider buying a travel hammock rather then a 1-man tent for my Europe cycle tour?
I am going to cycle from Athens to Amsterdam. From May too August.
And I always thought I was going to take a one man tent, but I just found out about these travel hammock type things, waterproof and smaller then a tent. all I need is trees.
Does anyone know anything about these hammock things? It is a new world to me, will it work and will I find places to hang the thing at campsites or close to the road in Italy and Germany?
Anyone ever used them succsefully?
I have never tried to sleep in a proper travel hammock, but I have tried to sleep all night in a regular hammock and I can tell you that it was like torture. My back hurt like crazy. I don't understand how anyone could sleep all night in any sort of hammock. You should definitely test this out before committing to the trip with a hammock. Give me some flat ground and a thermarest any day."All I need is trees." Does re-reading that give you a clue? You may not be able to find trees where you need them. On the other hand, colleagues have used jungle hammocks, which seem fairly similar, and liked them. They had no need for privacy, though.You won't find trees for your hammock in the campsites, but cleared areas for tents and campers on wheels.
You'll probably want to use the camp electricity, showers, bathrooms, laundry facilities and store, so it's probably worth the money to use the campsites. Camping in the woods is not as safe or legal.
I use a camper all year in those areas, and I've used tents and camper hammocks as well. The camper hammock will be very wet and cold to the touch and you won't really be able to sleep well or get far enough from the walls to get comfy. In a tent you can use a portable heater, hot pot and lights on camp electricity! It's safe and so nice after a day of travel! Electric blankets and mattress pads go for about 20 euros and run at 60 watts or so, plenty well on camp electricity. They provide real comfort.
I am writing this now from the North Sea Coast Bike Path in Holland, near The Hague. It's raining, so I'm in a campsite, right next to the path, on the web! The beaches here are awesome, but I will say Northern Europe can be pretty COLD in summer. I am a 50 year old lady but I can go 50 kilometers in a day here, never be in the way of the cars, see tremendous beauty of every kind, drink Dutch beer in a different outdoor cafe every day, and always be home to my campsite in time to cook Dutch food for dinner. It's darn nice for bikers!
Orignal From: Should I consider buying a travel hammock rather then a 1-man tent for my Europe cycle tour?
No comments:
Post a Comment