(Part 2) Best products from r/hammockcamping

I just used the Outpost Double hammock for the first time this weekend. $30 buys an 11 foot hammock, and the straps have buckles for adjustments instead of loops or whoopie slings. Set up is very easy, and the total package is relatively compact. The only thing I recommend adding is a structural ridgeline. It'd be even better of the carabiners were smaller and lighter.

For a tarp, I use a Paria 8x10 tarp ordered on Amazon. I turned it diagonally to handle blowing rain, and I sewed on LineLoc3 cord tensioners to ease setup and reduce cordage. I'm considering their 10x12 tarp for the upcoming stormy season, or a tarp with doors. 8x10 should be big enough if I hang the tarp low enough, but I like to hang it high so I have room to chill and enjoy the view while waiting for better weather.

My top quilt is from Enlightened Equipment. It can be a bit pricey, but I got mine in a group buy on Massdrop. It's very nice, although excessively wide if strictly used for hammocking.

My first bottom quilt is an Outdoor Vitals 20°F quilt ordered on Amazon. I love the length, width, price, and ease of use, but hate the weight and bulk. If I had planned further ahead, I would have bought a budget underquilt from Loco Libre or HammockGear. My second bottom quilt is a Costco converted Gemini quilt. It's compact and light, but I worry about the cords tangling. I don't know how they'd tangle, but it'd be an awful mess if they did.

Other bits that I'm liking so far are lots of micro biners. It seems like I always have lots of little things to hang. I'm also loving the Nite Ize Camjam XT. It's a strong tensioner with a biner, and it's awesome for quickly creating and breaking down a very taught tarp ridgeline and making adjustments when it starts to droop in cool damp weather. When car camping, I use a second one for a clothesline. Normally I'm against toys like this, but it works so well.

Eventually I'll get a better 3-season underquilt and hammock. For me "better" means lighter and more compact.

While the cottage vendors have better gear, I waited too late into the season to order most of my gear, and had to make do with what's on Amazon. If you can afford to wait 2-3 months, get your gear from a cottage vendor like Arrowhead, Loco Libre, Enlightened Equipment, HammockGear, Dutchware, and many other excellent vendors.

https://smile.amazon.com/Premium-Outdoor-Hammock-Carabiners-Included/dp/B01M1EQCZO

I'd recommend this hammock instead. It's 11 feet long instead of 10 feet for the other one. Longer means it's easier for you to get a good, flat, diagonal lie. I have a 10 foot single and it's great when I need to go lighter or want to use my mummypod, but an 11 foot double hammock is waaaaay more comfortable with an underquilt and top quilt.

Cheap summer underquilt, good down to about 40: https://smile.amazon.com/OneTigris-Hammock-Underquilt-Lightweight-Packable/dp/B01N95BEZU

Any blanket or an unzipped sleeping bag will work, but if you want a dedicated one: https://smile.amazon.com/SnugPak-Jungle-Blanket-Survival-Polyester/dp/B07BGY8WW2

That snugpak blanket is probably a bit warm but easy to hang your feet or knees out of and let it vent.

Another thing you could do to save money is if your sleeping bag has two zippers you can unzip the foot end and run your hammock through the bag. Sleeping on top of your bag inside the hammock is pointless because you'll compress the insulation and get a cold butt. Running the hammock through the bag will force you to lay inline like a banana but you will probably stay pretty warm on the cheap. It's way more comfortable to use a dedicated underquilt, though.

Did a quick run up to the BWCA this Labor day weekend, and ended up with five hammocks and two tents scattered over the campsite. Three generations of tarps on this trip.

Finally got to use my cuben tarp this run. Picked up a 12’ Hammock Gear cuben, shaving off about 12 oz from the SuperFly. Mother nature was kind enough to provide some strong winds and rain, so a more thorough test than I anticipated. They say 6.5oz, but once I added in some cord it was closer to 9. I like the doors, which provided extra coverage when the winds shifted direction. I may need to take a measuring tape to it, as I’m not convinced it is an extra foot longer than the 11’ ridgeline of the SuperFly - going to measure that out before I pack it away. First unfolding was a bit unnerving. The fabric gave a ‘rip’ sound as I pulled it apart. My brother saw the ‘oh shit’ look on my face, but it was just the first time the fabric was unfolded. Nothing damaged. Whew. Staked out the fabric, which did not stretch out when the heavy winds came up. When the rain hit, there was no misting like I’d sometimes get with the SuperFly. The down side, it sounded like I was inside a drum. Very loud, every time the rain hit the tarp. Thank goodness for earbuds.

The SuperFly, as usual, worked great. Treated it with a bit of water repellent, which stopped the misting I encountered last season. I packed in some lights for the ridgeline (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004DZBYXK) which helped ease my daughter through the storm. Glad I tossed it in her pack.

I ended up packing in an old blue poly tarp for the third hammock. Thought it was the 12x10 tarp, but was the 10x10. Ended up angling it diagonally to maximize the coverage. Heavy, loud.. but love the one you are with. The trees worked out at the correct angle, so he managed to stay dry. He did end up adding some drip lines in the middle of the night, however.

New for this trip was also one of those $30 woot specials. I’ve gotten spoiled with the webbing and whoopie slings packed with the warbonnets, and never thought to look to see what it came with. Surprise, nothing! The only bit extra rope was some stretchy cotton, so ended up making a few tension adjustments as the trip progressed. Tried it with my neo-air, which did not work out near as slick as the warbonnets dual layer pouch. The soul pocket was on the outside of the netting, so anything I had inside the hammock ended up under the mattress. Argh. Once settled in, it was reasonably comfortable. Wish I had packed the winter underquilt rather than trying the pad with that one. The mosquito netting had a blemish, so wondering if woot sells the ‘rejects’.

I’d been saving my reflective cord for the new tarp. The only complaint is the reflective bits came off. For tying knots, not great. Visibility and weight, was alright. In the future, will probably pack a bit more to hold out the side.

Lastly, the guy with the XLC opted to not bring in the underquilt or pad. He ended up dressed in every layer of clothing while the rest of us were warm.

I own two Dutchware hammocks, a Single Layer 1.6 and a Double Layer 1.6. Think of stretchiness sort of like mattress firmness. My Double supports my heavy bits (hips, shoulders) a bit more than the single, where they tend to sink a bit. (I'm about 200lbs.) I switch back and forth every 2 months or so (I sleep nightly in a hammock). I've been considering a single layer Hexon 2.4 to have a "middle of the road" between the 1.6 and the Double 1.6.

I didn't buy the double because I wanted to use it with a pad, but it is a nice option. (I've got 2 underquilts anyhow). If you're serious about cold weather camping "more than once" or "more than infrequently", I'd highly recommend leaning towards an underquilt yourself. For $150, you can get a really nice 20°F Hammock Gear Incubator ECON.

"Wide" is not currently available at Dutchware, just standard width. Both of my dutchwares that I currently own are "Wide" (72") hammocks and while I like them, after spending a year and a half in them, I don't really see the need for extra width. Extra length of a dutchware (11') is more than sufficient for a good ASYM Lay. "Double" sized hammocks are a myth. Sure, you can fit two people in them, but do not for one moment think that co-sleeping in a hammock is any kind of blissful situation. Your heavy-and-hard bits will collide and when hips are force-taco'ed together, it get's sore and cramped quick. For a short siesta, no big deal, just not overnighting and napping.

As for a Rain Fly, I recommend looking on Amazon at the Hennessy Hex Fly. Coming in under $70, it's no the lightest, but it's well built and has great coverage. Watch out for those "deals" on amazon for no-name and "small brand mass produced clone" tarps as they're usually a bit small to accomodate a smaller hammock. Set up right, an 11' Dutchware will have a Ridgeline just barely over 9' long (83%). The Hennessy Hex fly has a ridgeline of almost 12', giving you roughly a foot and a half of coverage on both ends. This is a good all-weather tarp and will take you through a storm. After that, I'd consider a cheap "fair weather" tarp.

In the 30 dollar range I would say most of the amazon ones will be pretty similar. Though anything that you get as a feature is probably a cost cut somewhere else.

Something like this might be a good start. It has tree straps with it, but I would strongly recommend getting a ridge line somewhere. Arrowhead has some adjustable ones that you can take with you between hammocks if you get into it and want to get a nicer one. There is also Dream hammock for a bit less and will make it to the length of your hammock. Usually you want your ridge line about 83% of your hammock length, and they are easy to make if your up for it and have some amsteel laying around.

This all works for body and suspension, but do know that under insulation is important if you're sleeping in it. You can use a cheap foam pad or camping pad if you want to save money.

FWIW, I used an Alps Mountaineering Ultra-light Series pad (I believe I have the long) and it kept me warm in the mid-50s (not that that was cold). I probably would have been comfortable going down to the 30s or 40s.

I was worrying about the pad shifting through the night, but honestly, the pad kept the perfect shape for my sleeping area and I didn't have to worry about shoulder roll or anything. The pad fits my length and body size perfectly (I'm 6'3" 206). The only issue was maybe getting in and out of the hammock. If the pad was too far down I had to lift my self and scoot it up into a comfortable position. Once it was there it didn't move.

Went out for a quick overnight-er yesterday on the Pennsylvania AT! It was a bit hot in the day but night time was pretty comfortable. Lots of bugs and a bit of rain but the bulk of the thunderstorms missed me. My MRE dinner was surprisingly good even though it was probably close to 10 years old.

Gear list:

• Hammock- SLD Trail Lair
  
• Tarp- Cheap Amazon Tarp I'm waiting on a custom camo tarp from SLD at the moment.
  
• Underquilt- HG Phoenix 40, which I highly recommend
  
• Topquilt- Snugpak Jungle Blanket, which I also recommend
  
• Pillow- Nemo Fillo Elite
  
• Pack- Osprey Exos 58
  
  Looking forward to doing this again when my Winter Haven from Jared at SLD gets here!

Don't worry you should be fine, in 50-60 degree weather I would imagine the Yoga mat will be enough especially with a low tarp. If you want to read I'll throw some tips below for you.


Try to look up where wind flows while camping so you can avoid areas with cold air and wind. One tip is don't camp where the ground is lower, cold air collects lower to the ground, such as a valley. It also follows water corridors so next to a stream. You may know all of this but for hammocks it's more important since the wind can cut underneath.


The tarp can help considerably especially if you cocoon it a bit by pegging the two corners to the opposite side to make closed doors. I've done this in shoulder season temps with lacking gear in much lower temps and the tarp is what really kept all the heat (very first trip).


If you don't test it in a park/backyard first then at least make sure you are taking into consideration what you would require if you needed to hike out instead of stay. I have a headlamp that has a red light setting that can be used at night since it is much harder to see red light in the dark. Just make sure you do what you are comfortable with. Don't ignore any warning signs of insufficient health and comfort of yourself because they come for a reason and only get worse with time.


And just to clarify, the effectiveness of a camping mat comes from the material it's made from and the thickness of open cell foam, from what I can google. Most mats I can find seem to be an open cell foam of a plastic base. It seems most yoga mats are either closed cell or open cell made from a different plastic or type of rubber. Other eco friendly mats may vary. If you were to buy yoga mats, try to get open cell closed cell ? and it should do better based off of my google fu.


I know that 20 per is likely out of the picture in this if the yoga mats are 8, but you'll be wasting 24 and then have to rebuy or you could get 3 regular sized of the thermarest classic for 20 each and not have to rebuy. Obviously, your situation is what will discern what your choices are and I don't presume this is an option; these mats are just popular and effective.


Have fun out there!

I've had fairly good experiences with this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PA8PCNW

It looks like they've updated it since I bought it (new logo, spring carabiners instead of screw, etc.) but should be pretty similar. I replaced the suspension with whoopies and straps, though I wouldn't worry about the included rope stretching too much.

I've been very impressed with how durable it has been, but I wouldn't be comfortable with multiple people on it. For the price I definitely think it has been worth it, though depending what you're considering as a complete "system" 70 dollars may still be optimistic. Even using the included suspension you'll need a tarp and insulation and that can add up quick.

What you said!

Mountain King trailblazer poles, fixed length but collapsible into four sections (packs up super small) 8.2oz for the PAIR (not each)!


MountainKing Trail Blaze Trekking Pole (115cm, 120grams) - SS19 - Red - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XMW3RVM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_E0hTCbR9QYQDD

theyre great super light and sturdy poles. Used these on a TRT thru last year

I used this for 6 months as my bed, I've built stands before and they work well enough but this one is nice and sturdy (Zupapa 550LBS Capacity Universal Multi-Use Steel Hammock Stand, 2 Person, Fits Hammocks 9 to 14 Feet Long, Adjustable Heavy Duty Hammock Frame https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JRWHNE2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_aI6rDbP6EK3DR) , there is a stand that Walmart sells that is $50 and folds out, it works pretty well but if you're over 200 lb it may not last, mine lasted around 2 months of daily use and then just bent in half when I got in it one day. The Amazon one is great, heavy duty enough for two people and packs down into a small bag.

Check out Derek's technique for split skins in his book; it works great, and bonus: it keeps your tarp from getting super wrinkled when you just cram it into the skin.

Best amazon arrangement in my opinion:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011W0VETW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
get a "double". They're currently out of doubles. And this does not imply double as in "for two people". Two people in one hammock is awful.
Add an Amsteel ridgeline.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XCRYKT5/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Clip off the little plastic hooks. Use the hammock structural ridgeline to keep net up off of face.
https://www.amazon.com/Hammock-Sunshade-Backpacking-Lightweight-Waterproof/dp/B071KJ4LZ3/ref=sr_1_33?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1503402533&sr=1-33&keywords=hammock+tarp
a pretty darn good tarp for the money

I have 3 Eno hammocks among my family. I just replaced 2 of them with Bear Butt hammocks from Amazon. The fabric is exactly the same. (75D/250T) The gathered ends use nylon straps instead of the marine grade rope on the Eno. (I replaced these with Amsteel continuous loops from Dutchware.) The carabiners are not as nice as the wire gates on the Eno so I just transferred those from my old hammocks.

For a budget hammock you cannot go wrong with Bear Butt. I am more than happy with them especially for $26.

Linky

Prusik knots are easy and allow your tarp to be easily maneuvered but will keep it in place at night.

https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=Rl_dpfjgPL4

The figure nines keep you from
to tie a knot at the tree. They are attached to my ridgeline with prusik knots as well.

www.amazon.com/dp/B001C3LEMW/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_ycBpyb3F365J3

Oh you have no idea, down in middle Tennessee in the summer so I’m sure you can imagine how much of a god send that bug net was. And the bug net in the photo actually is separate and I just fed my hammock through it on either end and then tied it off so nothing could come in on where the straps meet the tree. And then it’s a double zipper and only about twenty bucks, here’s the link:

pys Hammock Bug Net - 12' Hammock Mosquito Net Fits All Camping Hammocks, Compact&Lightweight, Fast Easy Setup, Security from Bugs and Mosquitoes, Essential Camping and Survival Gear (1.4) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072KMG5HP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Zrd7CbAD60D2Z

Neither kit includes thread. Put some Mara 70 in your cart.

The hammock kit doesn't have webbing to use with the cinchbuckles. Put some webbing in your cart. (see my original comment)

The tarp kit doesn't have cordage for your ridgeline and tie-outs. I like to use Zing-it (or Lash-it), which you can also add to your cart. Personally, I use small figure-9s for my ridgeline, and Skurka's method for my tie outs. I use 6-8' for each tie out, and maybe 10-12' for each side of the ridgeline.

Might be worth it to just bring a separate bug net specifically for sleeping on the ground if you have to. Something like this wouldn't weigh much or take up much space.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01IVQ4ADC/ref=mp_s_a_1_1

12ft Extra Large Tarp Hammock Waterproof Rain Fly Tarp 185in Centerline - Lightweight Ripstop Fabric - Stakes Included - Survival Gear Backpacking Cam https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QBJZG83/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_N96sDBYzRegKP


This doesn't have doors but it's 12x10 so you can just make them. This is what I use and I like it. Tons of tieouts

I'm looking at this one, people seem to really like this company

I think you'll need to sacrifice the underquilt to attempt to make this budget.

Maybe the Wildhorn Outpost - an 11 ft hammock w/ real suspension for $50. Add a structural ridgeline (~$5) after the fact.

Use your existing insulated pad, possibly supplement with a CCF.

Kelty Noah 9 is $50. The 12 is 20 bucks more, and provides more coverage, but limits site selection a bit more.

Of course, I suppose it must be said that using the word "ultralight" and trying to hit under 200 bucks is a total pipe dream. But you can get decent normal quality stuff in that range.

As soon as my paycheck clears, I'm buying this. Seems like a good choice, but we'll soon see!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B072KMG5HP/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1527640301&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=hammock+mosquito+net&dpPl=1&dpID=519yzvlFiAL&ref=plSrch

This book, The Ultimate Hang, is the absolute bible on hammock camping. I can't recommend it enough. Make sure to get the 2nd edition.

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Hang-Hammock-Camping-Illustrated/dp/1478351187/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8