>>209750Point one, no, not really true...You can sometimes hang from multiple branches of one tree, or a large branch of a oak or whatnot. Honestly, if there are "trees" where you are, this will NEVER be a problem.
Point two...yes, you DO need something under you, either a sleeping pad or under quilt, or like I do, a wool blanket. But no, these items do NOT take up the same room as a tent. There are no required poles, for one thing.
Point three...you really should not sleep on your stomach, but sure, you can, if you get a large enough hammock and sling it appropriately.
point four actually, it's far easier to stay dry under a tarp with a hammock than to keep a tent dry, in my experience. You don't have to worry about water flowing down hill into your tent and bedding. As long as you have properly rigged your tarp and have a dripline (such as a sock) set up on your hammock lines, you will always sleep perfectly dry.
I have a 10x12 rectangular tarp for my hammock. I can rig it in such a way that my hammock hangs in the center, a couple of feet off the ground, and the ends of the tarp fold over each other...completely boxing me in. There is no functional difference between this setup and a old school tent. Minus the lack of tent poles to make it work.
As a bonus? I can set it up anywhere. Everyone who says "it's so much easier to just get a one or two person tent and carry that"...You're overlooking the second major advantage to a hammock. (the first is pure comfort). I don't need flat ground. I don't like setting up on a steep hillside, but I can, and HAVE, when I had no other wind-sheltered choice. All I need are two trees that are less than fifteen feet apart, or so. And if I only have ONE tree?
I sleep in a queen size hammock. I can comfortably sleep in that thing laying crosswise...which means I can secure it to a single sturdy tree branch, and sleep perfectly flat on my back. I've done that too.
