Anyone who was brought up watching Gilligan's Island is well familiar with the intense laziness that hammocks seem to induce. It seems to take more effort than it's worth to wriggle your way into one, achieve a level of balance and then finally relax, but once you're in, there's something incredibly mind-numbing about feeling like you're floating in mid-air. Try reading a book and you'll see how difficult it can be to stay awake in a hammock! When combined with a gentle, cool breeze, a generously shaded spot under a tree with rustling leaves, a mildly alcoholic beverage and the chance to sit for a while and do nothing, hammocks can be very seductive indeed. Maybe it's a hark back to the womb where all you had to do was be nourished and grow. Being cradled and swinging back and forth is a naturally calming sensation.

Hammock aficionados have their favorite materials. Some enjoy the rope-style macram

Thanks to Gabriel Adams for contributing this article to our Hammocks blog:

Backpacking Hammock