Hey everyone,

As Christmas gift my lovely wife offered up the idea of getting me a BWCA gear present... which is the best kind of present. I was thinking about it and decided that I want to give hammock camping a shot. I have been lucky enough to have gone to the BWCA/quetico many times over the past 5 years and during my time up there I have seen an increasing number of hammocks. I have only used my 3 person tent which is great but I am open to trying a hammock,

Can folks recommend a hammock "set"? Our budget is certainly not unlimited but I am fine getting above average costing gear if it means it will last. I may hit up the local outdoor store and ask them but I know this message board is a great place to start.

I am sure there are some cons to using a hammock... can you let me know what you DON'T like about hammocks?

Thanks in advance for the input.

-kevin

I have a Clark hammock and a warbonnet hammock I much prefer the warbonnet Blackbird it has straps instead of ropes is much easier to set up and is a much flatter lie. I only purchased the hammock I had my own tarp a CCS that I use. I just put a pad inside my hammock and it's a double layer hammock with a sleeve area to put your pad so it makes it easier doesn't slide around. I think I paid around $185 for my warbonnet my Clark was $300.

I'd consider an underquilt if you are planning to use this in cooler seasons (like under 50 deg F). Since adding one to my rig, the comfort level has been night and day better.

Hennessy Hammock Asym is a pretty good bargain and a good starter kit. It needs a different (bigger) tarp for rain though (old 7x9 footprint will do to start). I also swapped out the suspension.

I occasionally bring a hammock for lounging (BIAS or my ENO single nest), but after a few trial hanging trips, gave my hennessy to my brother. I like sleeping on the ground, its flatter, warmer, bigger, more comfortable for me, there's room for me to lay out my gear, plus the dog gets to sleep with me. My bro loves sleeping in the Hennessy and wouldn't sleep in a tent unless he has to. I found no matter what I did, after tossing and turning all night, I would wake up scrunched in the middle with a sore back and a stiff neck.

Hammocks are nice but they are also fiddly and need special gear to make them ideal, tarps, suspension, under/over quilt, snakeskins, drip lines, etc.

Just got a Dutchware Chameleon. Its a well refined setup with tons of options. Zipper supports bugnet or solid shell on top. With the Beetle Bug and a bar, it can be configured to do side-by-side with a second hammock for one tarp usage.

You'll need and over and underquilt, Enlightened Equipement has down versions and more budget friendly versions. Down compacts really well.

A bad hammock can be painful, it'll push on your shoulders inward or give you too much of a bend horizontally. Until you figure out how to put it up a few times, its a challenge to get dialed in. Once it is dialed in, its fantastic.

If you are in the Twin Cities, you'd be welcome to come take a look at my setup.

Hammock forums is the place for everything hammocks: https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/content.php



Daniel

I did a 4 nighter in a hammock a couple of weeks ago out of EP16. and used the Warbonnet Blackbird XLC (Double Layer) with "Whoopie Slings". Couldn't be happier, but a sleeping pad (optional I guess, but I used one) along with an Underquilt is a must for when it gets cool at night. I would also recommend getting the winter Topcover and Superfly tarp to complete your set up. All my stuff is from Warbonnet and I have nothing but good things to say so far. Easy to set up and seems to be quality stuff (made in CO). It might be a good idea to get the Hammock first, try it out and if you like it you built up on it...

Andy

Not American made but made by the Brits. DD Hammocks are good quality and very reasonably priced. Some how they get it shipped to your house in 3 days

A hammock can be very personal on likes and dislikes. My friend loves the Hennessey Hammock Explorer Assym with the split bottom entry. I have never been able to get comfortable in it though. I use the ENO Junglenest with Helios XL suspension and the Profly Sil raintarp. I've used it on a week long in Quetico and a lot of backpacking trips. My kids prefer the ENO Doublenest with the Atlas suspension and the regular Profly.

Warbonnet Blackbird XLC for me with Superfly tarp and Dutch bling.

Hammock gear top and bottom quilts

Warbonnet Blackbird with a superfly tarp and a Hammock Gear 20 degree Incubator underquilt. I use a sleeping bag as a top quilt. The hammock forums is a great spot to learn. Also check out Shug emery on you tube. Lots of gear reviews and he's wildly entertaining.

BTW if I was starting out I'd really look into the Dutchware chameleon. Looks very interesting.

quote kpdoyle: ...Can folks recommend a hammock "set"? Our budget is certainly not unlimited but I am fine getting above average costing gear if it means it will last. ...

Kevin,

Converting to a hammock camping set-up is not inexpensive but, would be comparable to buying a premium tent and high quality sleeping bag. If you know anyone with a set-up ask if they will let you borrow it before investing.

Recommending a good first hammock is somewhat like recommending which canoe you should buy. Your size and weight will matter but also your preferences, ie soft vs firm mattress, integrated vs add-on bug net, ect.

I have been hammock camping for about 7 years. I have more than a dozen hammocks.

My favorite is my Wilderness Logics Lite Owl. This gathered end hammock is feature rich, comes with a suspension and is super comfortable. ($125)
http://www.wildernesslogics.com/LITE-OWL-LITE-OWL.htm

This hammock would required the addition of a bug net accessory if using during bug season. Consider a BIAS Buginator ($65)
http://www.buttinasling.com/buginator.html

If you prefer an integrated bug net, the best choice in a Warbonnet BlackBird. Full of features, includes choice of suspension and is still light enough for backpacking. ($170-185)https://www.warbonnetoutdoors.com/product/blackbird/

Without question, the most popular and versitile tarp is the Warbonnet Superfly. ($140-160) https://www.warbonnetoutdoors.com/product/superfly/

Finally, insulation. Most will start with a pad underneath and use their current sleeping bag on top but, a down, full-length 20* underquilt will maximize you comfort. If you can afford only one quilt get the underquilt and use your sleeping bag on top. I use HammockGear quilts but, there are dozens of cottage manufactures turning out great quilts.
http://www.hammockgear.com

Good Luck. Now which canoe should I buy?

OCDave pretty much nailed it. I just finished my first week in BWCA and the hammock is a huge advantage over tents there. Good tent pads are limited but there is no shortage of trees!

Try this setup. This is a good baseline to see if you enjoy hammock camping or not.

Warbonnet Blackbird or Blackbird XLC
Hammock Gear Econo 30* Quilts for 3 season use
Tarp of your choice with a minimum 11' ridgeline

Btw there is nothing econo about that line of HG quilts. These quilts were the premium quilts until super lightweight fabrics became available. Hikers are looking to save 1/2 ounces and pay for that.

quote dew042: "Just got a Dutchware Chameleon. Its a well refined setup with tons of options. Zipper supports bugnet or solid shell on top. With the Beetle Bug and a bar, it can be configured to do side-by-side with a second hammock for one tarp usage.


You'll need and over and underquilt, Enlightened Equipement has down versions and more budget friendly versions. Down compacts really well.


A bad hammock can be painful, it'll push on your shoulders inward or give you too much of a bend horizontally. Until you figure out how to put it up a few times, its a challenge to get dialed in. Once it is dialed in, its fantastic.


If you are in the Twin Cities, you'd be welcome to come take a look at my setup.


Hammock forums is the place for everything hammocks: https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/content.php



Daniel "

A comfortable ground huger here with never a problem sleeping well, but have looked/compared/studied hammocks a lot and have settled on this specific combination if I choose to start hanging.
It will be a leap as I have budgeted about $1000 for the full setup including high end down that will accommodate low temperatures, but as I own and use a sleeping bag system and mattress that will get me going I can cut 2/3rds of the budget and upgrade if I truly convert. I'd appreciate any comments or review you have after using your Chameleon.

butthead

I sort of agree with all those who've recommended you get a WB XLC Black Bird, but after using that for a while I tried the Warbonnet Ridge Runner and find it to be MUCH more comfortable. It is, like all have said on this forum for years, a matter of preference on the gear you use. However, if I were going to make the investment into hammock camping, I'd want to know what I'm getting into, literally!

I'd recommend getting a trial night in each of the Warbonnets before making a final choice if I were you. If you're in the twin cities I'm sure you could get some volunteers to lend theirs out. I'm not making any guarantees, but every person who's spent the night in my Ridge Runner now owns their own...

Welcome to the rabbit hole that is hammock camping!
For a birthday present of high quality gear I would go with:
Dutchware Gear Chameleon with bug net
Hammock Gear Burrow Econ 30 down top quilt
Hammock Gear Incubator Econ 20 down underquilt
Warbonnet Superfly
The Hammock Gear Econ quilts are a new addition to their lineup and a real game changer as far as down quilts go. Keeping the quality very high and knocking a C note off of the price of a down quilt is pretty amazing.

I do have to add a warning about hammocking in the BWCA. I discovered last summer that they will bite through most hammock materials. Even in the summer you will need a fleece or sleeping pad under you.

quote rdricker: "I do have to add a warning about hammocking in the BWCA. I discovered last summer that they will bite through most hammock materials. Even in the summer you will need a fleece or sleeping pad under you."

An underquilt protects you from bugs from below.

i like my warbonnet blackbird hammock. it is the "Glock" of the hammock world. Some people like other things, but everyone seems to compare theirs to a blackbird.

getting a double layer will eliminate mosquitoes from biting through, but as mentioned so does an underquilt. You can do the pad thing, but it is likely you will eventually want an underquilt. I still have not migrated to a top quilt. just use my sleeping bag as such.

I have a new superfly that I have yet to use but am looking forward to it. It has some Dutch wear gear. Prior to that I was using DIY tarps and ridgelines. Sewing silnylon is a pain, don't recommend that.

The downsides of a hammock are if there are no or poorly spaced trees, that is a problem. If you want a bug free place to sit and play cards you don't have a tent to do so.

I'm going to be upgrading from my ENO Doublenest and have done a fair bit of research on hammocks lately. I'm going to be getting a Dream Hammock Raven. I like the fact that it is a symmetrical hammock meaning I can lay any way I choose in it and not have to worry about an asymmetrical lay. I also like that it is fully customizable and from all I've read the company is outstanding to work with.
Dream Hammock - Raven

I highly recommend spending the money once and being done with it.

Warbonnet Blackbird XLC with Superfly tarp. It's the best setup there is.

I hang it, along with two of my friends. We all love it. We also all use a Kelty Cosmic Down 20 bag unzipped (like a top quilt with a foot box). Two of us run a DIY poncho liner underquilts, and the third has a down 3/4 underquilt. If I had the spare cash, I'd upgrade to a down full length underquilt to save space and weight, but mine works just fine for now.

-RW

I just want to post a link to Shugemery on youtube. He does lots of tutorials and reviews related to hammock hanging. A bit of a legendary figure as he's also a professional entertainer and does some very good videos.

He recently posted reviews of all of his top quilts. He's got a nice review of the chameleon and Dream hammock too. You can find all kinds of stuff in the older videos. Highly recommend.

quote TomT: "I just want to post a link to Shugemery on youtube. He does lots of tutorials and reviews related to hammock hanging. A bit of a legendary figure as he's also a professional entertainer and does some very good videos.


He recently posted reviews of all of his top quilts. He's got a nice review of the chameleon and Dream hammock too. You can find all kinds of stuff in the older videos. Highly recommend.


"

Whooo buddy, Shug is the man when it comes to hanging!

You'd asked for "cons" - the only one I have is that it's our preference to stay in a tent when tripping with the wife. The 1/2 to 2/3 of my trips with the guys, I'm always hanging though.

Try before you buy. I bought a gathered end hammock and tried it a couple of nights, I didn't care for the Shoulder Squeeze. I then bought a Warbonnet Ridgerunner, a bridge Hammock, and now I sleep like a log.

quote bcelect: "Try before you buy. I bought a gathered end hammock and tried it a couple of nights, I didn't care for the Shoulder Squeeze. I then bought a Warbonnet Ridgerunner, a bridge Hammock, and now I sleep like a log. "

+1

kpd - Con: It can be hard to find a good spot to hang if you are camping north of 50 degrees , e.g. in Wabakimi or WCPP. Same thing if you camp at altitude. PrkrMg is right about camping with the wife.
One other thing some have complained about is knees can flex back in a hammock. A little stuff sack with some clothes under the knees fixes that.
Otherwise, you're good to go.