Hello all. I am considering a May trip in the Sawbill area and want to pack light. Would a hammock sleeping system be reasonable for a potentially cold night or would you only recommend them for a summer night? Any recommended brand of hammock? Thanks for everything all the time.

Between the search function here and the info over at HammockForums, you can get all the answers you need. There's a lot to cover with this topic.

For how to apply a hammock system into a paddling trip, fire away with the questions. There's a few hangers here that can help you.

Sleeping in the cold requires you to change some of your sleeping gear, if done right a hammock does not need to be excluded.

I have only slept in below 30degree temperatures a handful of times in my hammock, and usually by mistake. But think of yourself as a bridge in the winter, you need to keep the wind and temperatures below you at bay. Go about doing that properly and you will stay warm.

If I knew for sure that it was going to be dry with no due (every night) I would try it.

quote Richwon4: "If I knew for sure that it was going to be dry with no due (every night) I would try it."

The dew has nothing to do with hammock camping. I am in a gathered end hammock surrounded by a bug net, underquilt for insulation, and a tarp for rain protection. The dew forms on the tarp not you. It is just like a tent in the air.


I know many friends that sleep in cold weather. Just have to get the right gear. Most do not take a sleeping bag. They have underquilts that are the shape of the hammock and use a overquilt with a foot box on top. As for brand names I have an ENO, there are Hennesey hammocks, blackbird warriors that are nice too.

Warbonnet Blackbird with the Warbonnet Superfly tarp. High and dry and comfortable as can be. Also doubles as a chair when the netting is pulled back.

great picture, looks interesting, next time I'm at a sports show I will have to give more attention to the hammock vendors.

quote TomT: "Warbonnet Blackbird with the Warbonnet Superfly tarp. High and dry and comfortable as can be. Also doubles as a chair when the netting is pulled back.






"

Nice pic, but I have to ask.....

Double fly? Are you using the SF as an auxiliary tarp for camp and as a backup for more coverage if weather turns bad?

quote The Lorax:
Nice pic, but I have to ask.....

Double fly? Are you using the SF as an auxiliary tarp for camp and as a backup for more coverage if weather turns bad?"

When not solo I bring a 2nd tarp for over the eating area. The superfly is silnylon and packs down very compact with the hammock. But for a solo this will be the only tarp I'll use. It's large enough to cook under in bad weater and I can sit in the hammock very comfortably.

The doors on the superfly make it very versatile. In this pic I only have the doors on one end (they snap on and off). It's actually hung wrong here. You are not supposed to use a line under the length of the tarp to form a ridgeline. There's 2 small rings sewn into the ends and you just tie off from the rings at each end. Thre's a video at the Warbonnet site where he demonstrates this.

Seriously, for a solo, hammocking is an unbeatable way to go. It's light, small, quick to setup and take down, and most important - comfortable. Warbonnet is the cadillac of the industry. But I am biased of course. :)

I have slept in my hammock in cool or cold weather several times and never been cold I usually only take a light sleeping bag or in summer a fleece bag, the trick is I have a foam pad I cut to shape for my hammock it's probably 2 or 3 inches thick. I sewed a cover for it I roll it up and strap it to my thwart for traveling, last fall it got down to 25 one night and all I used was a fleece blanket. Try and hang your hammock so it is perpendicular to the wind so it isn't blowing lengthwise under your hammock that will chill you, I remember a couple of years ago a guy I go with put his hammock up on a bluff above our camp he frozen his rear off in the wind and had to move his set up the next day

I enjoy using my hammock, and have done so in early May in Wisconsin and in August in the BWCAW. I have an ENO (Eagle Nest Outfitter) double with their bugnet. It is very sturdy, easy to set up and the bugnet is roomy (i.e. not on your face) and easy to get in and out of. I also use a 10x12 foot Cooke Custom Sewing Tarp. I was in high winds and rain part of last year's trip and I was fine. The ENO also is great as a swinging chair during the day. Finally, if not prepared and high enough winds, you will feel a cool draft on your hinder as the material is thin. I do not use a sleeping pad with my hammock, but that would take care of that problem. I would prefer losing the weight of the pad over having a potential draft on some nights. All in all, hammocks are a great way to go, especially if solo or in an odd numbered group.

What happens in a hammock in a bad storm? Wouldn't rain blow under the tarp in strong winds? Sounds like a wild ride, too. Just curious what it's like in that case...I'm talking a pretty wicked thunderstorm.

you can weather the storm pretty well in one nojobro. I generally set my tarp up high in most summer weather, but when the big winds and rains move in you can tie it down nice and low. My tarp has doors too so if by chance the storm swings around on you and comes at you from another direction you are fully enclosed.

quote nojobro: "What happens in a hammock in a bad storm? Wouldn't rain blow under the tarp in strong winds? Sounds like a wild ride, too. Just curious what it's like in that case...I'm talking a pretty wicked thunderstorm."

You'll see that most folks will buy a larger tarp than supplied, especially for a Hennessy, though I have never had a problem with my Hennessy ul backpacker asym. I've spent many nights during rain and wind and have noticed that wind while raining tends to push the tarp down against the mesh creating better shelter and wind while not raining will tend to lift the fly. Not sure why this happens but I've never gotten wet. I always pitch the fly so the tails set about six inches above the corners of the hammock.

Mine has sets of stabilizer tie outs on both sides that can be staked in the ground or tied to something. The large tarp can be lowered and tied out tight to not let any rain in. The one I use has doors on both ends and also four pull out ties in the middle of the tarp to stop it from billowing. It really works well.

There's demo videos at the Warbonnet site.

quote nojobro: "What happens in a hammock in a bad storm? Wouldn't rain blow under the tarp in strong winds? Sounds like a wild ride, too. Just curious what it's like in that case...I'm talking a pretty wicked thunderstorm."

I was in a all day long rain last year and was dry. One of the tents got wet and we had about 1 inch of rain in a pot by the fire. This year I will be having more protection from the rain/wind with a CCS 10x12 tarp. Last year I would have been wet if there was a side wind with the rain. The CCS tarp should solve this worry. The only leak point is rain running down the suspension lines and soaking the hammock. I solved this by hanging a cotton shoe lace on the suspension line on each end so the rain has a path to the ground not my hammock.