Just sharing a silly Reddit argument I landed on today. This all started because I was shopping for beds recently and saw one in the store with a $20k price tag. I never knew beds could even be that expensive; turns out they can be way more than that (upwards of $1 million). Hästens is one such brand, with their most elite bed costing $500k. It is filled with horsehair and includes stingray leather, apparently.
Anywho, this is such a Reddity thread. If there is an opinion, there is a Redditor out there who will debate to the death to defend that opinion. Kudos to u/the_leviathan711 for arguing with that weirdo.
I used to think my mattress was causing my back problems, then I figured out if I do squats regularly my back stops hurting
cheap-ass foam mattress win
Some people literally just sleep on carpet. I tried it, I didn’t have the commitment to get used to it, but it is possible. It’s like how proper bicycle seats are designed to use your seat bones rather than be overly cushiony. I’m a proponent of this kind of minimalism. We are so used to luxury that we think our bodies are fragile. So, we wear big pillowy shoes that numb our feet and make them weak. We get big squishy beds that hurt our backs. We sit in chairs 24/7 and lose our hip mobility that comes from sitting on the floor. Hip mobility in particular is so important in old age, as quality of life drastically declines when you can’t squat or even stand properly.
Digression aside, I think people buying these super expensive beds is predicated on two toxic ideas, firstly that our bodies are fragile, and second that good health can be purchased.
The only drawback to endorsing hammocks for every human is that it’s tricky to get your fuck on. Fortunately, this is an ace lemmy instance and we frown on fuckin’ round these here parts. Hammocks for everyone!
I replaced my bed with a hammock for over year; slept like a baby after the adjustment period. Had to go back to a bed because it was indeed hard to add a second person to the mix.
I have been curious about hammocks for a while. Do you have one? I might need to get one for camping at least.
If the places you’ll be camping are wooded, I think they’re the best possible camping arrangement. They beat the absolute shit out of sleeping on the ground if you have sufficient weather-related protection. They’ll be very cold in cold weather - it’s been years since I actually camped often, and one of my last trips I didn’t get much sleep because I failed to pack my bicycle with enough blankets and under-drape to retain my body heat. I was miserable all night while my friend was cozy as shit, it sucked.
I threw an inflatable klymit sleeping pad in the bottom of mine - you have to be careful because you slide around a bunch if you move, but the extra air totally solved the cold butt issue for me.
I’ve made it through some cold nights with just a collapsible foam pad under my sleeping bag in a hammock - that kept me surprisingly cozy
i’ve camped out in a friends barn on a hammock a couple times and although it was a little chilly, it was some of the best sleep I’ve had in years.
Your friend wasn’t willing to share their body heat?
I’m not waking somebody up because I’m uncomfortable
I’ve slept in both a hammock and tents while backpacking.
Pros: much easier and faster to set up and break down in wooded areas, lighter and smaller pack size than most small tents, they tend to handle rain better than tents as long as you pack a rainfly because they are off the ground, more convenient in warm or hot weather when you also won’t need a sleeping pad.
Cons: can be very difficult to impossible to get comfortable enough to sleep in if you are a side sleeper, you’ll freeze your ass off in cold weather VS a tent, some people don’t feel as safe with regards to nocturnal wildlife as they do in a tent.
My main issue was that I’m a side sleeper and no matter how I set it up and what angle I was laying, I just could not get comfortable and I slept like crap in the hammock. After that I purchased a 2 person trekking pole tent and never looked back. It’s actually lighter than the one person hammock if you include the rain fly and mosquito netting.
I’ve slept in a hammock for half a year, I can highly recommend it. The mistake most people make is they tie it up too loose, which fucks up the back. The hammock should be taut - it shouldn’t droop or have a curve, that’s something that comes when you lie in it. Keep your sleeping bag in the hammock and keep a bedsheet in the sleeping bag. This makes it easy to pack and unpack, keeps you warm without making your bag dirty.
Other bonuses of hammocks are that you have much more space suddenly - so much room for activities!
You can also modify your hammock to your hearts desire. Each line can be made shorter or longer individually, depending on what you need. I ended up making mine so when I put myself in it, it folded up around me.