Even when I'm car camping, I REALLY REALLY try to avoid sleeping on the ground. Even a big air mattress inflated with an electric pump isn't nearly as comfortable as my hammock.

I used to have serious back issues when backpacking, due to an old roofing injury when I was a teenager and putting shingles on houses. It still bothers me at the end of the day, but when I wake up in the morning in my hammock, I'm ready for another day on the trail.

Waking up on the ground, it took me an hour to get loosened up.