r/hammockcamping

I'm going on a trip to NC in Late October-early November and I'm planning on bringing my current hammock setup. I have a one wind setup with an under quilt, rain tarp, and National Park Foundation insulated blanket to use as a top quilt. My problem is the under quilt is only rated 35F-50F and it may drop down to the 20s around that time in the mountains, so my question is whether or not I can fill the gap with a decent R4 rated sleeping pad in the hammock, or would I regret that? I'm new to hammock camping so I don't really know much. Also is the NPF blanket enough for the top quilt?

I have tent camped in the backcountry for years. I tried my friend’s gathered end hammock one night a few years ago and liked the comfort when I figured out the diagonal lay, but I found it too restrictive and claustrophobic for me. In 2024 I decided to try out the Amok Draumr 5.0. Since then, I've had around 40 nights in it and the UL version I purchased so I could reduce my weight and get my brother hooked on it!

I end up sleeping on my back for most of the night with an occasional roll to one side or the other for a bit. From the first time I tested it out in my backyard, I knew I was hooked. It's more comfortable than my sleep number bed. Only once since then have I used a tent, but that was for a front country trip with questionable tree availability.

The UL version with Amok's lighter pad and a 10 m2 tarp comes in at 4 lbs, 10 oz. I realize that this is not an ultralighter’s version of “light” but the kit comes closer to the weight of a traditional gathered end hammock setup when an underquilt is factored in. My kit is the same weight as my NEMO Dragonfly 1P tent and Quasar regular-wide pad. While neither of those is a gram counter’s idea of UL, I consider these NEMO products to be on the lighter side for backpacking while still providing the comfort I need to sleep. I tried a mummy pad once and despised it. I simply don’t sleep well without the extra width to keep my arms on the pad.

I was a bit anxious about the learning curve in getting in and out as well as keeping my balance when inside, but only once did I have an issue. While getting dressed in the morning I leaned too far towards the foot end and the hammock tilted down, putting the footbox on the ground. I had to step out to finish dressing. Since then, I've gotten the muscle memory and have no issue getting in or out of a sleeping bag as well as fully changing clothing. This is not to say that it's as easy as in a tent, but I'll take the comfort any day! I have never fallen out even after a night around a campfire enjoying some adult beverages.

I have camped on nights that didn’t get below 60° F and a couple nights in the low 20’s. The airflow on the warm nights was better than I experienced in a tent, and the insulated pad kept me cozy on the cold nights. I used an Enlightened Equipment 0° quilt on those low 20° nights with no draft issues even though I couldn’t strap the quilt around the pad.

I can now camp over uneven ground and pitch and pack the setup without anything touching the ground (just like any hammock). This keeps it clean and dry (er). I also never have an issue with condensation on the bottom of the tarp which was often an issue with a tent fly. I also love that I can still enjoy a view from bed in marginal weather unlike in a tent with a fly hugging the ground.

I did try the Haven Spectre out because I’m a gear junkie. I slept two nights in it and found it as comfortable as my Draumr hammocks. But I felt a bit too closed in and couldn’t get past the monstrously large packed size of the 30” width pad required for it.

My gathered end hammock buddy bought it from me though and now uses that as his go-to setup on our trips, mostly 4-6 mile hikes into a base camp and then day hiking from there as well as canoe trips with carries of up to 3 miles. He has some issues with balance and likes the Spectre better for that reason.

I wanted to share my experiences as a recent convert to camping off the ground. I hope some folks find this helpful!

Last summer I saw three guys arrive by kayak, hang their hammocks between two trees, and basically had their whole camp sorted in minutes. It looked so simple.

But the more I look into it, the more I wonder what the actual advantage is.

A hammock + tarp + underquilt + top quilt doesn’t always seem much lighter than a small tent setup. And you still need somewhere to keep your gear.

Is it really better than a tent, or is it just a different way of camping?

I’m genuinely curious. For those who use both, when do you choose a hammock over a tent?

I live down in the deep south where I seem to have ann opposite problem where temperatures barely go below70 year round and often times the hammock is just hot. That got me to thinking. Would a rope gathered end hammock work? Ive seen them with wood beams but that doesn't fit well in a kayak. I was interested to see if any of yall have ever seen or attempted one? I was thinking something along the lines of creating a fishing net. With similar dimensions as a fabric one?

I'm just thinking about getting started into overlanding, and I've got a couple thought I figured I'd bounce off this community.

I have a 99 Toyota 4Runner, no mods yet, and I had an idea for a hammock sleeper setup.

On the roof, incorporated with a rack potentially, have 4 receiver hitch style mounts, one on each corner or the rig. Have a beam slide through them left to right, let the beams slide out to one side and lock in, at the ends of the beams. Have telescoping poles to the ground and a cross beam between them at the corner. Hang a hammock between the poles, and run an awning over top.

When you're camped, the beams are slid out to the side with the poles to the ground installed, when driving, pack up the poles and slide the beams across the roof to the other receivers and lock in place.

I'm curious if any commercial like this exists or if I'd have to fabricate it myself.

Anybody ever do this? Last week I was at a state park where there really were not that many trees available at our site, but there was an oak with big overhanging branches. I tied one end tight to the trunk, low, and extended my strap on the other side, adding another 10 ft. of paracord to make about 20 ft. total from the hammock to the branch. I use an Amok Draumr so I can get away with a bit more narrow hang, but I got it to work. (Forgot to get a pic).

Hi all!

Long time reader here. I just got done with my first camping trip using my Simp light designs Trail Lair with a hammock gear incubator under quilt. Overall, I slept much better than when I have camped on the ground, but I did come away with two questions.

1. It seems like my shoulders were getting pressed together, despite using a diagonal lay. My hammock comes with tie outs at the head and the foot, but it seems like these just pulled out the fabric above the areas that pressed in. Am I missing something here?
2. It seemed to me like my under quilt was naturally in a U-shape, which contributed to the tunnel feeling in my hammock. Again, even when laying at an angle, it seemed like I was really pressing against a quilt that was trying to cave in. I tried the different adjustments on the under quilt, but couldn’t really get it to work. Any tips?

Despite all of this, my watch says I regularly slept eight or more hours which is pretty unusual for camping so I’d say this was a win. Just looking to further refine the system.