Sleeping in a hammock full time in my campervan.

What factors made me decide to go with a hammock?

• I was have had chronic lower back pain for years, and I started researching hammocks for some unknown reason, and discovered many people sleeping full time in hammocks.

• I was searching for a bed to install in my 2016 ford transit, but regular beds require carpentry skills to build a frame.

• Beds are EXPENSIVE!  I paid $3000.00 for my last bed.  It lasted 10 years with 5 years of back pain.

• Hammocks are light weight, and portable.

• For $23 I could get a hammock, and give it a shot, if I didn't like it, I was only out $23.

• Installation is so much easier than having to make a wood frame for an actual bed.

​

About my ErgaLogic double nest camping hammock

​

• DURABLE: Made from ultra-strong breathable nylon and triple stitched, this hammock provides comfortable support for up to 400lbs
   

• TREE FRIENDLY: Hammock straps ensure that no trees are harmed during use
   

• LARGE: Unfolded Dimensions: 10 ft 6 in (long) x 6 ft 6 in (wide)
   

• READY TO USE: Carabiners, tree straps and hammock included
   

• LIFETIME WARRANTY: Limited Lifetime Warranty

​

​

Day 1 | My first night sleeping on my hammock

Stealth Camping in a Walmart parking lot.

The first time I used my new hammock to actually sleep in was when I took a road trip back to Minnesota.

​

I stopped at a local Walmart in Illinois or Indiana, and I was hooked on hammock sleeping.

Day 3 | Sleeping in my van hammock

I can barely stay awake.

Things that help me fall asleep in general.

​

• White noise such as a fan, quiet non distracting music, or my favorite...  RAIN!

• Eating a slow burning protein such as non fat yogurt before bed.

​

How a hammock can help you fall asleep faster.

​

• Hammocks are comfortable when you use them correctly.

• The slight sway of the hammock when you get in it reminds me of being in the Navy where the slow rocking of the ship would put me to sleep fast.

• The sound of rain, and a swaying hammock is a one two knockout combo!

​

​

​

​

Day 7 | Sleeping in my van hammock

Within 1 week, my lower back pain was gone.

I was astonished to find out that my lower back pain was gone within a week of sleeping in my hammock.   All those years of back pain could have just been solved with a $23 hammock from Amazon.   

Day 30 | Sleeping in my van hammock

Here are some of the things I have experience since I started sleeping full time in my hammock

So it has been a month since I installed my hammock in my van.   

My hammock:   http://amzn.to/2cKw7TA
Suspension hardware: http://amzn.to/2dn8EVX

There have been many positive things that have affected me since I started sleeping in my van hammock.  Here are some of the positive experiences I have experience since I started sleeping on my hammock.

​

• I am 100% free of back pain.

I have suffered from chronic lower back pain for the past  5 years thanks to a back injury I received from constantly having to wear heavy body armor, and bomb suits in Iraq.  

I tried going to physical therapy which helped a little bit for awhile, but it never really went away which told me there must be something else going on with my lower back.   

​

• No more problems falling asleep.   I am out like a light.

I have never been so excited to go to bed before.   I love being able to lay down, and be out like a light in a few minutes.

• It is nearly impossible to toss and turn in a hammock.

I have been a tosser and a turner my entire life.   Adding PTSD from the Iraq war to the mix has caused my issues to be amplified to the extreme.   I often would wake up with all of my blankets, and sheets ripped off the bed.

​

I often felt like my body was in a vice which made every day miserable.

​

The way a hammock is designed, it makes it very hard to toss and turn in your sleep which has improved my sleep dramatically.   This life change has made my quality of life so much better.

 
I no longer feel like a pretzel when I wake up.

There are many aspects of using a hammock over a bed while vandwelling.   
#veteran #vanlife #hammock

The campervan hammock is moving into the house for the winter.

Well after a few months away from home, my wife found a new job, and needs help at home so I have traveled back from Minnesota to Pittsburgh to help out around the house, and work on my van for the winter.   

Van Materials:

​

Hammock:  http://amzn.to/2eKQVIe
Rigging rings:  https://goo.gl/ZTiwzB
Speaker cloth fabric:  https://goo.gl/dazvUq
3m Adhesive:  https://goo.gl/qOPGo5

​

In this video I give a an update on the rigging that I drilled into the Van's support beams, and show you where  I will be sleeping for the winter.

#vanlife #armedtosell