sleeping in hammocks

[MeiLing]

That's comforting. :11:

Not necesssarily because of the hammocks! There were lots of things that did.:11:

Here in Hawaii, they still make a huge deal out a baby's first birthday. Not uncommon for parents to spend like $5K! They do so because it's stuck here culturally in a time where passing your first birthday, meant that you were likely to be around for a while.

 

[JahJahwarrior]

Yeah but they were on ships being shot at.....I mean, I guess you could say that maybe hammocks are bullet magnets or something maybe....??


This thread is going exactly where I will go if I have a nightmare while in a hammock. Down!

 

[MeiLing]

Yeah but they were on ships being shot at.....I mean, I guess you could say that maybe hammocks are bullet magnets or something maybe....??


This thread is going exactly where I will go if I have a nightmare while in a hammock. Down!

No, the AVERAGE life expectancy of everyone back in the old days was something like 33! There was a lot of disease and not much in the way of cures! Penicillian was discovered less than a hundred years ago (1928). Then throw in injury and whatnot!:11:

In 1900, in the US, the average life expectancy was 47.8 for all races. At the same time, it was 33 for blacks. By 1950, it was up to 68.2 for all races and averaged 60.8 for blacks. If you want to look at the charts, here's the website: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus06.pdf#027

Back then, I'd venture to say, that most of the folks who tended to sleep in a hammock, worried more about making it to the next day, than if they were going to have back pain when they were old!

Now the average life expectancy for all Americans is 77!

 

[IGM]

Can we see a picture of the hammock? Please.

 

[MeiLing]

Back then, I'd venture to say, that most of the folks who tended to sleep in a hammock, worried more about making it to the next day, than if they were going to have back pain when they were old!

I was right! According to Wikipedia, hammocks were popular because of their ability to provide safety. By being suspended, sleepers were better protected from snakes and other harmful creatures. It also allowed people to avoid water, dirt, and other unsanitary conditions that existed in the early New World.

I imagine that also applied to ships which were rife with rats in the old days. Plus hammocks were very light and wouldn't cause weight issues that built in bunks might create.

 

[Bryan]

Video editing in all my spare time, several nights my left arm kind of gets alittl enumb and the fingers tingle funny (left handed with a mouse) Kind of a cool feeling. probably not good for mys pine.....

As one who just went through it a year ago... if you spend a lot of time on the PC, try to be aware of whether you are leaning on your left elbow a lot... over time, it can damage your ulnar nerve, which in my case required surgery to relocate the nerve to prevent muscular atrophy since all of that leaning was causing scarring and choking off the nerve's blood supply at the elbow. No joke!

The symptoms were tingly pinky, bottom half of my ring finger, and along the bottom edge of my hand from wrist to pinky... all numb and tingly.

Sorry to hijack... just something you'll want to watch, as it can be serious if it doesn't get better within a month or two.

 

[MeiLing]

As one who just went through it a year ago... if you spend a lot of time on the PC, try to be aware of whether you are leaning on your left elbow a lot... over time, it can damage your ulnar nerve, which in my case required surgery to relocate the nerve to prevent muscular atrophy since all of that leaning was causing scarring and choking off the nerve's blood supply at the elbow. No joke!

The symptoms were tingly pinky, bottom half of my ring finger, and along the bottom edge of my hand from wrist to pinky... all numb and tingly.

Sorry to hijack... just something you'll want to watch, as it can be serious if it doesn't get better within a month or two.

Thanks for sharing! Since I work on the PC at work (systems analyst) and spend a fair amount of time at home surfing, it is good to know what bad habits to be on the lookout for!

 

[Cacia]

sleepers were better protected from snakes and other harmful creatures.

My mom hiked the Appalachian trail and I made her take a hammock for that reason.
I told her she whould be worried about bears...what do I know? nothing about camping that is for sure.

 

[trucker girl]

No, the AVERAGE life expectancy of everyone back in the old days was something like 33! There was a lot of disease and not much in the way of cures! Penicillian was discovered less than a hundred years ago (1928). Then throw in injury and whatnot!:11:

Wow. Good thing I'm alive now and not then. I'd be dead! I'd better start putting my borrowed time to good use! I've only got 42 years left on average...

 

[northen diver]

Hammocks are the way forward !! I hang mine with climbing strops/slings and carabiners - quick and easy !! If you go for rope, try a bowline - it's a knot that should never slip !!

Wrong. If tie sloppy, it will slip and it will KILL you. Even in a hammock

Buy some 9/16" climbing webbing and use it to tie your hammcok up. Use the water knot.

Go to grog knots.com and it'll teach you all about knots. Its a animated site, so even the simple minded folks such as myself can pick up these knots.....