u/kullulu

The first person who saw my tarp asked me, "Is this an art exhibit?"

Hi hammock friends! This is going to be a shorter review than usual. I've been using a dutchware .9 printed xenon hex tarp for the past five months and wanted to give a glowing review.

My 11 foot dyneema tarp with doors started de-laminating last year, so it was time for a new tarp. I had originally planned on getting another dyneema version, but everyone was out of stock due to global supply issues, and I realized this was the perfect moment to use Dutchware's legendary print to fabric shop.

I elected for a 12 foot hex tarp with the side pullouts. It weighs 326 grams or 11.5 oz. I chose a 12 foot tarp because I had been testing 12 foot gathered end and bridge hammocks that needed a bit more room.

The major thing that separates Dutchware's tarps vs most of their competitors is that they bond the tarp, it's not stitched through, so you don't need to seam seal it.

I've taken it on a dozen trips this year. I recently had it out in Voyageurs National Park, getting wind gusts of 30mph. I had elected to set up my tarp right next to the water on Lake Mukooda, which was not terribly smart given that a storm was rolling in. Despite weighing only .9 oz/ sq yard or 30 grams/sq m, the tarp handled the wind and rain with no issues.

I particularly love this tarp in porch mode in the sun, it creates a patchwork of colors on the snow/some ground.

I'm using two dutchware stingerz w/ 12 feet of zingit for the ridgeline, a hammock gear mesh storage sleeve for the tarp, dutchware ringworms for the guylines with 6 feet of zingit and loops of shock cord, and four pachallama stakes. (I usually take six stakes just in case.) For some trips I'm using the dutchware external pole mods, which I want more experience with before I review them.

Pictures show the 12 foot hex tarp with the patchwork denim print, what it looks like inside the snakeskin, as well as that it can be used with bridge hammocks with panels pulled out (townsend big guy bridge).

I would buy a tarp from dutchware again, and I would get another custom print with them. I love colorful gear, and companies like dutchware, hilltop packs, simply light designs and ripstopbytheroll are great for that.

You can also contact sales@dutchwaregear.com to get a custom pattern of your choice printed.

Thanks for reading!

I'm here to review the different insulated hammocks that I've used from Dutchware and Superior Gear. I'll be writing about who should consider an insulated hammock, what the strengths and weaknesses of each hammock system are, and which you are likely to find the most comfortable for your weight and height.

Insulated hammocks have two major advantages over normal gathered end hammocks.

1. Fast setup/teardown time: I timed myself setting up all three hammocks, and it takes under two minutes if you don't need a perfect hang.
2. No adjusting the underquilt at night. This is the biggest advantage for me. I would get out to pee, and have to readjust my underquilt. This doesn't take long, but it's annoying when you have to do it multiple times per night. I was so good at it I would wake up if I felt my shoulder was cold, unzip the bug net, pull underquilt onto my shoulder, and be back asleep in seconds. Once I tried an insulated hammock, I was sleeping through the night, which meant better recovery and feeling wonderful the next morning.

Insulated hammocks have two major disadvantages.

1. There are no long and wide insulated hammocks. Insulated hammocks will not have ideal hangs for many taller hammockers, who will do better in an 11' warbonnet xlc or a 12 foot custom dream hammock or a 12 foot Simply Light Designs Trail Lair.
2. They also are not going to be as versatile as a separate hammock and underquilt. Buying a new underquilt for your hammock is easier than buying a new insulated hammock.

My first quilted hammock was what Superior Gear now calls the Performance hammock. It's 11 feet long, 56 inches wide, with 800 fp down, with a weight limit of 350 pounds, and are double layered. Mine was made in Minnesota, but Superior Gear now produces most of the hammocks overseas in SE Asia to cope with the 300% year over year demand increase during covid.

Superior Gear hammocks are extremely modular. They have cam snaps along the horizontal sides of the hammock where you can attach their wind protector. Their top quilt also snaps on as an optional additional underquilt, letting you camp at lower temperatures. (EE winter quilt stacking table here). You can also change the zip on bug net to a half bug net or top cover to save weight, as well as a zip on top quilt (performance and elite versions) that works perfectly.

You can use both the wind protector and the comforter at the same time by alternating cam snaps to create a winter wind proof setup that doesn't need a tarp in freezing weather.

My preferred way to use the Superior Gear hammocks is in cold weather. At 56 inches wide, it is narrower than other hammocks, and the tight bug net can restrict the lay. To solve this, using the half bug net with the zip on cocoon insulation, or no bug net in fall and winter was preferred.

Superior Gear hammocks are warm for their insulation rating as well. A cold sleeper can get a 30 degree hammock and be toasty at freezing as long as they are blocking the wind as well. These hammocks can go to -40F/C! They are the warmest insulated hammocks by far, no contest.

Superior Gear hammocks have symmetrical lay. You can lay either head left/feet right, or head right/feet left. This makes Superior Gear the best choice if you don't know what your preferred lay is, or if you switch sides at night frequently. It has comes with an adjustable ridgeline to change the sag on the hammock, a feature I very much appreciate.

If you find you are too warm in the summer while using your superior gear hammock, use the Shug method to brush the down away from your lay position, and you can be extremely comfortable in hotter temperatures. Otherwise use a lighterweight top quilt or a Jack's R Better Alpha Direct Quilt when it's warm but you still want something covering your body.

After many years of using Superior Gear hammocks, I can say that they have an extremely warm, easy to use hammock system, with an acceptable lay for people under 5'9 and a slightly below average lay for people around 6'. This is for you if you winter hammock, want an easy and expandable hammock system, and don't mind the price tag that comes with it.

Last year I ordered a hellbender when dutchware announced it. You can read my initial hellbender review here after a few months of use.

Dutchware's Hellbender has a single zipper entry, a spreader bar bug net or top cover, an asymmetrical lay that you pick when you buy the hammock, and a remarkably comfortable lay. It saves weight by having the zipper only on one side and by using a lightweight zipper. The fabric is dobby 1.9, and it is a single layer hammock, not a double layer like superior gear, saving weight. It also supports 350 pounds and uses 850 fp down.

The hellbender is a 56 inch wide hammock, shorter than it's quilted chameleon sibling and the same as the Superior Gear Hammock. Despite that, it is the widest feeling hammock of all of the insulated hammocks. Dutchware cut fabric from the head and the foot ends, making pockets for your head and feet. It's an extremely comfortable lay for those under 6'. Dutchware claims that it is comfortable for those up to 6'3 or 6'4. I think someone who is 6'4+ will be better suited to a 12 foot trail lair in 1.7 mnt xl or 1.6 hexon wide.

Like the quilted chameleon, dutchware offers 40, 20, and 0 degree F temperature ratings on the quilts. I found the hellbender 40F to be warm at 40F, but nowhere near as warm as I was in my superior gear hammock at 30F. I did find myself missing Superior Gear's wind protector that was easy to snap on cold or windier nights. I still could use my tarp to block the wind, but I lost out on the view.

The spreader bar for both the quilted chameleon and the hellbender is genius. I wish all of my hammocks had that. It keeps the bug net well off of your face in an elegant manner with no tie outs.

The hellbender is ideal for the hiker who values good sleep and ease of setup over the lightest possible ultralight setup. It's still extremely light due to the asym underquilt. The hellbender is only quilted where you will lay, so it saves a ton of weight over a normal underquilt, and because you don't need to adjust that underquilt, you only need one zipper on it, saving more weight.

Lastly, the quilted chameleon. I had long been an admirer of the chameleon ecosystem, and decided to use get a printed quilted chameleon to test for my winter trips. The quilted chameleon was introduced two years ago as a direct competitor with superior gear's insulated hammocks. It's the same fabric (dobby 1.9) and asymmetrical cut as the hellbender, but uses the chameleon's vision zipper, which allows for zip on accessories. It's one inch wider at 57'' compared to superior gear's hammocks and the hellbender. Like the normal chameleon, you can swap bug nets for a top cover, or go completely without either to save weight or maximize ventilation in winter.

The chameleon ecosystem is one of the big draws of the hammock. The chameleon is the original modular hammock that was kickstarted back in 2017, promising a world of zip on accessories that has borne fruit. The sidecar, a deep pocket similar to the XLC that doesn't have to be staked out. The sidesling, a long and shallow pocket. The bug nets and top cover options (with the spreader bar version of each being the best.) The fantastic peak shelf that is the best version of a peak loft, period, in any hammock. (This is usable in the hellbender as well, I bought it for both.) It even has an additional zip on underquilt you can use on a normal chameleon or a quilted one.

When you buy a chameleon, you're really buying into that ecosystem of products. If you don't want the accessories, I think you're better off with a different hammock altogether. I got the quilted chameleon for the accessories, and let me tell you, I have never camped so comfortably, with every bit of my winter gear stored inside the hammock with me. The superior gear is significantly warmer, but boy did I appreciate having pockets for all of my stuff. When it's subzero temperatures, I want everything I need within easy reach at night.

The lay on the quilted chameleon isn't quite as nice as the hellbender, but it's still quite comfortable. The chameleon is for the hiker who may want to skip the bugnet completely for fall and winter, for someone who doesn't mind a bit of extra weight from all of the zippers for the excellent accessories.

For this review, I took them all out on a quick overnighter to directly compare them side by side, sleeping in them all. I slept the longest in the hellbender, and slept through the alarm I set that told me to switch hammocks. That probably gives away my favorite.

Best Lay: Hellbender. It's closer than I expected once I took the net off of the superior gear hammock, but the hellbender still came out on top. I sleep extremely well in the hellbender.

Warmest: Superior Gear. If you don't care about the lay, and just about not being cold, Superior Gear is king. You could be warm hanging anywhere with their hammocks.

Most Modular: Tie. The quilted chameleon had more storage options, but the superior gear cam snaps were extremely useful for harsher weather conditions. Both had systems to add on additional insulation easily.

Best for backpacking: Tie! All three were used on different backpacking trips of various lengths, but the hellbender weighs the least as long as you're taking a hammock with a bug net. Once you do remove the bug nets, all bets are off. All of them have a fast setup/teardown time, and are simple to use. For the summer or a thru hike? I'd take the hellbender.

Are insulated hammocks expensive relative to other hammock systems? A warbonnet El Dorado, ($150), 16 oz for a 40D 250 lb weight limit hammock, plus a 40 degree Wooki Underquilt ($230) 16.35 oz, is $380 and 32.35 oz. A 40 degree hellbender is 32.32 oz and is $389.

That's extremely close in weight and price. Insulated hammocks aren't that much more expensive than a regular hammock and underquilt. Someone who buys an El Dorado or a Blackbird XLC can buy a new underquilt easily for their hammock, and if there is a failure of the hammock or the underquilt, they can easily be replaced. With a quilted hammock, when a part fails, you're sending it back to the manufacturer and you won't see your hammock for a few months.

I have real world experience with that. I had a minor issue with a superior gear hammock. Superior Gear repaired it for free, but repairs do take time.

In terms of customer service, I have had exemplary experiences with both Dutchware and Superior Gear. Dutchware does make all of their products in the US, if that is an important component of your buying decision.

Is an insulated hammock right for you? If you're not tall, under 350 pounds, and want to be warm all night, yes! If you own a dream sparrow or a simply light designs trail lair with an incubator underquilt and are always warm, you don't need an insulated hammock. If you're sick of waking up at 2 AM to cold feet and/or shoulders, welcome to the insulated hammock club.

Thanks for reading my musings. If you got this far, you might be as interested in insulated hammocks as I am. If there are questions, I'll do my best to answer them. If you list your height and weight, and the types of trips you take (backpacking, car camping, bikepacking, pulking, canoe camping) I'll do my best to recommend either a quilted hammock or one which will fit you, along with the correct insulation for any budget you give me.

Big thanks to u/JFK_Isweatergod for asking for a comparison between the hammocks.

edit: Hyperlinks needed to be added again.

edit 2: Warbonnet Blackbird XLC is 11' long and 62'' wide. It will fit taller hangers better than some of the insulated hammocks.

This is a review with a few random pictures for the simply light designs gear hammock. It was inspired by

u/longwalktonowhere who asked me to post a few pictures of the setup.

TLDR: I love it, it's a brilliant piece of kit. Great way to store gear, keep things off the ground like your shoes so slugs, spiders, and other pests don't surprise you. If you wish you had more storage adjacent to your hammock, this is it chief.

Picture 1 shows the gear sling. There are two whoopie slings that connect it. You can use dutchware beetle buckles or superior gear cinch buckles to connect the whoopie sling directly to the hammock suspension (picture 2) or use mini biners to connect it to your continuous loop (picture 3). Picture 4 shows off the fantastic capacity of the gear sling: inside of it it has a 68 liter ULA Circuit pack, a townsend bridge hammock with bug net, another 12 foot tarp in a stuff sack, two water bottles, and my shoes. It could have fit more gear as well, I just ran out of stuff to throw in it. Picture 4 was taken from the perspective of me inside the hellbender hammock rifling through the gear hammock.

My iteration of the gear hammock has waterproof zippers, xenon sil 1.1 fabric, amsteel whoopie slings, mini biners, and lash it loops. I could have configured this to be much lighter, but decided to try out a more water resistant setup. I have had it out in light rain and had the contents inside be dry.

The pictured hammock is a dutchware 40 degree hellbender, and I forgot to put in the spreader bar poles. I wrote about my experiences with the hellbender last year, and my opinion has not changed at all. It is a fantastic hammock for people who want a simple setup for backpacking and aren't especially tall.

The Simply Light Designs gear hammock has performed exceptionally well. I have tried other gear hammocks over the years, but this is without a doubt the best. It has numerous customization options from fabrics, suspensions, and zippers. The whoopie sling suspension is especially nice to dial in exactly where you want the gear hammock to lay.

If I want to use it as a ground cloth I can. If I want to use it as a chair, I can. It fits more gear than I can carry. I can adjust it to be hang from the side of my hammock instead of beneath it, making it more like a dutchware sidesling.

I think the price of the gear hammock is well worth it for the peace of mind it offers me. It doesn't come with me on every trip, but it does come with me anytime weight is not a limiting factor. For short to medium backpacking trips, canoe camping, or bikepacking? Absolutely, it comes along.

Jared at Simply Light Designs makes outstanding hammock gear, and this is one of his best. Check it out here.