Backpacking through South America(mainly Brazil) with a hammock?

[Exodous]

I served a Mission in Brazil and noticed that 90% of the people there (at least in Sao Paulo, SP) had a place to hang a hammock. I wanted to go couch surfing though Brazil and maybe more depending on how far I can stretch my money by couch surfing. I figure that with a hammock when there isn't a extra bed or couch I can use my hammock. Anyone ever done this before? Specifically in South America and can comment on using a hammock in the summer months?

I slept in a hammock for about 4 months of my two year mission so I'm used to it although haven't done it in a while so I set up my hammock in my back yard and about froze to death. I have the Yukon Outfitters Mosquito Hammock, got it off of woot for $20 I believe, and it is pretty comfortable. When I slept in a hammock in Brazil it was summer, it was inside, and it was hot and the hammock I slept in was hand made from cotton I believe so that kept me hot also. With this parachute material there is no insulation at all so I'm wondering what do I need to take with my hammock? Should I take a over and an under quilt? Since I'm backpacking, urban backpacking, I want to not only keep it light but keep my pack as small as possible for buses and such. Is it probably better just to leave my hammock at home? One reason I wanted to use this is I'm eaten by bugs and really wanted to use the net on the hammock. Any recommendations?

[Gravity]

You will have to do some research about the temperatures that you will likely encounter. I just spent 1.5 months in southern Mexico, and slept in my hammock half the time. The hammock came in very handy, because the place where I was staying didn't have a bed for me. I was in a mountainous area where temperatures went down a bit at night, but I only used my underquilt two nights. For a blanket, I used a sleeping bag silk liner. I didn't get inside the liner, just used the whole thing on top of me. The hammock's bugnet was a life-saver, I would have been miserable without it.

My recommendation is that you take the hammock and a summer-weight top quilt, maybe a 40-50 degree one, although a silk liner supplemented by a thin blanket may also work. If you will be staying in warm areas, (and Brazil can get very warm - I lived in Brasilia for six months), you may not need an underquilt. I also spent six months sleeping in a cotton hammock in hot southern Venezuela, and never needed an underquilt. But if you will be in areas where it cools down at night, it may be good to have a short, summer-weight underquilt. Mountain areas can have a large differential between day and night temperatures. I hope this helps, enjoy your adventure!