How I Slept on my Camping Trip
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (118996)
Gainesville, Florida
March 1, 2023 8:12pm CST
On my backpacking adventures with my son, we have to carry all of our gear on our backs, since we hike for great distances in some of the most remote areas of the state. This gear includes our sleeping shelter.
In most other years, we have slept in hammocks, but this year we decided to try tents. In the photo, you can see my single-person backpacking tent that I set up once we picked a camping spot on the first day of our hike. This tent weighs just over one pound, and takes about 30 seconds to set up. It is made almost entirely of a mesh screen material that allows plenty of airflow. And because it was hot and there was less than a 5% chance of rain, I chose not to put up the rain tarp over the tent.
The tent was just big enough for me to fit inside comfortably. However, I will say that after sleeping on the uncomfortable ground for 5 days, I will definitely switch back to my hammock next year. The hammock takes up more space in my backpack and is heavier than the tent, but is much more comfortable, at least for me.
If you had to sleep in the woods for a week, would you prefer a hammock or a tent?
26 people like this
26 responses
@LadyDuck (461836)
• Switzerland
5 Mar 23
@wolfgirl569 @moffittjc - Eva you can see my comment and a photo of the camp and this is the inside of those tents.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
I feel safer in the woods with wild animals than I do in the city with crazy people.
3 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (97280)
• Marion, Ohio
5 Mar 23
@LadyDuck Those look very comfortable. I could sleep in that
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
The condo on the beach sounds nice. Or even a hammock on the beach!
Some of the best sleeping I’ve ever done (besides at my desk at work) has been in a hammock.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (461836)
• Switzerland
2 Mar 23
Same as @wolfgirl569 I would choose not to sleep in the woods.
Let me find the closest motel and sleep on a bed.
Let me find the closest motel and sleep on a bed.4 people like this
@LadyDuck (461836)
• Switzerland
2 Mar 23
@wolfgirl569 OH YES! Everything is better than a small tent.
2 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (97280)
• Marion, Ohio
2 Mar 23
Even the back seat of a car is better
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
A motel? Where’s your sense of adventure? Haha
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137142)
• United States
2 Mar 23
I'd choose the bed in the closest hotel... I'm not really a camping type of person.
5 people like this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
Where I camped, the closet motel or hotel was probably 75-100 miles away! Lol
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137142)
• United States
3 Mar 23
@moffittjc Then I might have to call you to say good night. 
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Mar 23
@DaddyEvil I was about to say I had zero cellphone reception out in the middle of nowhere, but truth be told I had better service in the woods than I do at home in the city! Lol
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
Any bears within 2 square miles of me probably heard me snoring and ran like hell to get away from me! Lol
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
@TheHorse Yes, we each carry single-person tents in our backpacking gear
@TheHorse (208290)
• Walnut Creek, California
3 Mar 23
@moffittjc Your son had his own tent?
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (160234)
• United States
2 Mar 23
First of all, I wouldn't sleep in the woods for a week unless there was a Holiday Inn nearby; and I certainly would not sleep on the ground. With my arthritis and other challenges, I wouldn't be able to walk for a week!!!
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
So if there was a Holiday Inn nearby, we could get you to camp in the woods in a hammock?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Mar 23
@LindaOHio But you’d still have to come out into the woods to enjoy the campfire with us! At least for a little while!
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (160234)
• United States
4 Mar 23
@moffittjc Nope! I would be staying IN the Holiday Inn.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (63054)
• United States
2 Mar 23
If I had to sleep in the woods for a week I’d do something so I wouldn’t have to sleep in the woods for a week. I think I’d take the ground, simply because I’ve never slept in a hammock before and I’ve seen videos of “fails” where people tried to get in or out of them.
I think I’d take the ground, simply because I’ve never slept in a hammock before and I’ve seen videos of “fails” where people tried to get in or out of them. 2 people like this
@FourWalls (63054)
• United States
3 Mar 23
@moffittjc — I’ve heard that hammocks are great for people with bad backs.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Mar 23
@FourWalls I definitely have a bad back from all my years of playing paintball and other sports. It all catches up to you eventually. Normally, I toss and turn a lot at night, but when when I’m in my hammock I can sleep in the same position all night long and never move.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
The hammock system I sleep in is much different from the ones you’ve seen in the videos. I don’t think I could fall out of mine if I tried.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
That’s works! You could park yours next to Jim’s (porwest). Although where I hike and camp, there are no roads.
@rakski (112924)
• Philippines
3 Mar 23
@moffittjc I have not tried sleeping in hammocks yet.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
@rakski It’s my favorite way to camp, I am so comfortable when I’m wrapped up in my sleeping back in the hammock at night.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
I like the roominess of sleeping in a tent, but the comfort of sleeping in a hammock. In fact, there are companies that actually make hammock tents, but they’re very expensive.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (40783)
• United States
2 Mar 23
I would prefer to never in this lifetime sleep in the woods. But I really am glad you guys had fun. How was your vertigo.
2 people like this
@1creekgirl (40783)
• United States
3 Mar 23
@moffittjc I wonder if the pollen affects the vertigo?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
@1creekgirl It does. It triggers my allergies, which affect my sinuses, which then sometimes clogs my inner ears.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
But the woods are so nice and quiet and peaceful!
My vertigo was non-existent the whole trip. But now it’s hitting me again. I did notice yesterday that the pollen was really bad.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
I grew up sleeping under the stars, but have noticed as I’ve gotten older that I can’t handle sleeping on the ground like I used to. Hence why I sleep in a hammock now.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
@sallypup I remember that! Lucy was so hilarious in all her antics.
1 person likes this
@sallypup (58552)
• Centralia, Washington
3 Mar 23
@moffittjc Hammocks always remind me of the slapstick that Lucy went through when she tried to get into one.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
Whenever I hike, I keep my eyes open along the trail for good sleeping spots. If I have my hammock, I look for spots with lots of trees; if I have my tent, I look for open areas.
1 person likes this
@RubyHawk (99421)
• Atlanta, Georgia
3 Mar 23
@moffittjc I used to like to lounge on my hammock strung between trees. A good place to read and be lazy.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
@RubyHawk I still do that now in my backyard, when the weather’s nice.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
I did see a 4-ft black rat snake slither across the ground where we set up camp, but I took that as a good sign that I wouldn’t have to worry about small rodents in the night. And I’m not afraid of wild animals, they’re pretty predictable. I’d be more worried about people than I would animals; people are completely unpredictable. That’s why I like getting away from civilization and out in nature.
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
I love camping on the beach, but there are very few places left in the US that allow you to camp on the beach.
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (87041)
• United States
2 Mar 23
I would do any of those..I have camped many times for fun and for homeless
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (87041)
• United States
4 Mar 23
@moffittjc The only time I didnt like it was when our tent was water logged lol and we were in the North of England and we were bloody freezing Jeff
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
I’m glad you enjoy camping, even if it’s not under the best circumstances.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Mar 23
@RebeccasFarm I had that happen to me one time, where a bad storm came through in the middle of the night, and it rained so hard that it flooded everything. The inside of my tent was like a swimming pool, and all my gear and sleeping bag was soaked all the way through. It was in the winter time and I was soaking wet and freezing cold!
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (19146)
• United States
7 Mar 23
never been camping, I wouldn't like sleeping on the hard ground.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
9 Mar 23
I don’t like sleeping on the hard ground either, which is why I usually carry my hammock with me in my backpack. I sleep much better in the hammock.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (328068)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 Mar 23
If I had to sleep on the ground, I'd probably go for a hammock but if I had an air mattress of some sort, I'd go with the tent. It's hard to be objective about when you're older and have a dodgy back. When I was younger, I'm sure a hammock would have been fine.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
I have a bad back and sleeping in a hammock does wonders for me. Some of my best sleeping has been in my hammock. I did bring a small inflatable air mattress, but honestly it really didn’t help with sleeping on the hard ground in the tent.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Mar 23
@JudyEv At most, the air mattress makes the hard ground a little less hard. Barely.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (328068)
• Rockingham, Australia
4 Mar 23
@moffittjc I've never found the air mattresses much help.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
3 Mar 23
At least you gave it a try. I respect you for that, even if you don’t like camping.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Mar 23
@nela13 I think you could do it! You are a strong and brave woman. I think you would have so much fun with your children.
1 person likes this
@nela13 (55825)
• Portugal
6 Mar 23
@moffittjc Yes, I tried, now my kids are saying they want to try camping too, I am gaining courage to go with them.
1 person likes this
@Fa_Maverick (9469)
• Australia
25 Mar 23
That tent makes me feel claustrophobic, hammock it is then.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Mar 23
There is more room in the tent than there is in the hammock. The hammock wraps around you like a cocoon,
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Mar 23
@Fa_Maverick Yes, it is a 1-person tent, although there is room for 2 people if they are snuggling close together.
The only time I ever seem to get claustrophobic is if I'm in a confined space with no airflow. I don't get terrified or anything, I just start to feel a little uncomfortable.
1 person likes this
@Fa_Maverick (9469)
• Australia
25 Mar 23
@moffittjc I have an aversion to one person tents which is what *that* looks like. Hammocks are fine. Im strange.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (30166)
•
4 Mar 23
I did some tent camping in my younger years. Sleeping on the ground is rather uncomfortable, I agree. If it ever came to that, I would at least want an air mattress. Sleeping in a canopy bed might be nice, but how do you keep off the gazillions of bugs that live in Florida without a tent? Mosquitos love me, I would be one big bite after a night in the open in the summer.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Mar 23
My backpacking hammock has mosquito netting built in. I have a complete system, which includes the hammock, under quilt, mosquito netting and rain tarp.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118996)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Mar 23
@MarieCoyle Yes, the technology is getting better every year, making it easier than ever for people to get out and camp.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (30166)
•
4 Mar 23
@moffittjc
Camping equipment has certainly advanced since we did our frequent camping. I would be very thankful for the mosquito netting, especially in buggy Florida!
1 person likes this
