[treeswarper]

I've got a young, slightly used dog. She is a kitty dog--small and weighs not quite 30 pounds. She's a mutt and has no undercoat. Do you dog people ever go hammocking? I do not think I could sleep with a dog in the hammock with me. The Used Dog, who is a lab, slept on a pad near my hammock, but he's got the body mass and hair to keep warm. It was also during a heat wave. I've got a suitable tent. The Used Dog can no longer go on hikes. I'm not even sure if I'll go anywhere overnight. But I wonder. Here is a size comparison.

[Randito]

Depends on the dog. My prior dog would find a brush patch near where I was camping and curl up in there by herself as darkness fell. My current dog likes to curl up next to me when it gets dark and has spent the night when I was in the hammock pacing and panting. She kind of freaked out when I tried to bring her in the hammock and at 50lbs it was a little awkward anyway.

[Bedivere]

Can't tell you about hammocks but my dogs have always slept in my tent with me, except in cases where they got really wet or muddy in which case they were kept out in the vestibule. Smallest dog i've owned was 52 lbs. Current mutts are ~70 and ~90 lbs. If I'm taking both of them with me I carry a BA Copper Spur UL3 tent for the three of us... LOL. If only one, then my Tarptent Rainbow works.

[Slugman]

My Daisy always wanted to be in the tent with me. She didn't like being outside at night, she would go into the tent when it got dark, but then stare at me, she wanted me in there as well. She would also tend to wiggle out from under any blanket, etc, that I used, then get cold, so I got her an insulated coat to wear at night. She slept on a closed cell foam pad, partly for warmth, partly for comfort, and partly to protect the floor of my tent. I carried her stuff in my pack due to it not fitting well in her pack, then had her carry some of my stuff.

[wakerobin]

Tiny Dog is only 10lbs and sleeps WITH me wherever we are (full body contact at all times ) In the hammock he sleeps in the crook of my leg- I sleep in the "figure 4" position, under my top quilt. He has adapted nicely to hammock life, if it is low enough he will get in and out by himself. In the tent he sleeps next to me but under the quilt. If we are car camping I will bring a big fleece blanket and sometimes he is willing to curl up there. Here is Tiny Dog hanging out in the back yard...

[wolffie]

A corgi fits inside the sleeping bag. Heck, I'm not even sure I need a sleeping bag in summer, just a bivvy sack. But even with a hammock low to the ground, I'd be afraid Al might get hurt falling out. I mean, I wouldn't kick Al out for farting, but he could fall out...

[HitTheTrail]

I would suggest you search this topic on the hammock forums . You will probably find lots of stuff.

[jimmylegs]

get one of these.

[wakerobin]

Tiny Dog actually rolled out of the hammock one night, took the top quilt with him, proceeded to sleep on the ground until I reclaimed my quilt.

[grannyhiker]

I prefer a tent, but it really helps if the dog is crate-trained before introduction to the tent. I've never hammocked (pretty difficult with a 75 lb. dog that wanted to sleep with me, plus I prefer being at or above timberline when possible), but I've talked to a few who have who had their dogs sleep directly under the hammock, usually on a piece of foam pad. I'd use a leash, though, at least until you're absolutely sure the dog will stay put. My sympathies to those whose dogs are getting too old to hike or have left us. There's a hole in the heart that is hard to fill! After three years, mine is still there. Edited later to correct weight of dog! As can be seen from my avatar, he sure wasn't that small!

[Bronco]

We have an old Newfie/Pyrenees mix who isn't allowed inside the tent due to size restrictions. She will frequently determine the location of my head and lay on it through the tent body in the middle of the night. Is that helpful?

[grannyhiker]

At least you know she's there, and she'll still keep you warm! But what if she gets too snuggly and the tent goes RRRRIP? Personally, I'd consider a bigger tent, so she could be inside and keep my feet warm, but that's me.

[Wazzu_camper]

Our 15lb mini Schnauzer goes on every non-National park hike with us and generally does fine. She sleeps in a pillowcase that my wife sewed in a drawstring which pretty much keeps the dirt and grit contained. If its really cold usually one of us will put her in the bottom of our sleeping bags (Of course still in the pillow case) where she actually helps keep us warm. We've never had any problems with that setup. I don't hammock camp, but if I did I would be fine with her shacking with me. Again she is only 15 lbs.