help please!?!?

[Hikingbear]

Okay first off excuse me if I ramble or are not asking specific enough questions. I thought I was all set gear wise for my thru-hike until I got inside a hammock and fell in love.

I was planning on using a tent and have the Hubba. I have used it for week trips but not any longer. I love my tent and was okay with the weight. I know I can go lighter with a bivy sack or tarp tent but did not want to go that route. I slept pretty comfortable besides a little soreness on shoulders throughout the night, so I just turn over. Also one trip the temps drop into the twenties with snow. I was toasty inside my bag but if my arms or legs were not on my pad they got cold.

Now I am thinking I really want to get a hammock. At first I thought this will cut back some weight but I am worried if I need to get an under quilt or any other items needed to stay warm does it really save any weight? Also I am hesitant to go purchase all this new stuff when I already have everything for a tent setup. Do people ever change between tent and hammock depending on terrain and weather? Now this might be a silly question, remember I am new to the hammock world, do you still sleep inside a sleeping bag in the hammock? All the videos I have seen I don't see a sleeping bags. If you do I think it might be hard to climb in the hammock and then try to get into a bag while in the hammock.

Lastly I have been looking at the Hennessy Hammock Hyperlite and Warbonnet Blackbird. I want to purchase one asap if I decide to hang with you all so I can practice with the insulation this winter. Any input on these would be great.


Thanks!

[G.L.P.]

Welcome to the forums..all very good questions ..
first if you would like to use a hammock and a tent you are more than welcome to...
do you need an underquilt..there nice ...but your pad will do till you see it is for you...than you can upgrade to a UQ
as for the weight..sometimes it's less...sometimes it's more...winter setups will
weight more...thats a given...
my summer setup is around 3.4lbs thats hammock,fleece blanket,tarp
winter i'm around 5lbs..still not bad

you can use you sleeping bag as a quilt just lay it over you opened up...will work just fine

[Dutch]

Welcome to HF
You will get a lot of prohammock answers here. However it is fine to switch between your tent and hammock. I think it depends on how much you like to sleep on the ground and also the cold is a factor. You can defeat the cold, but it comes at a cost. A hammock set up is pretty close the the weight of a tent though. You can go lighter than a hammock but then you are in the tarp area. I thru'd in 03 with a hammock and felt it was the way to go for me. Greatest benefit was I could set up anywhere which meant I could hike until I was dead tired or it was dark. No worries that I had to find a flat spot before dark. I only used a z-rest for bottom insulation and there are better options today. If you are going to be staying at shelters often then you will want a better pad then typically used in a hammock. And if you go with an under quilt you limit your option somewhat to stay in a shelter. I'm no shelter rat but there were days I was just too tired to set up my hammock and just crashed in a shelter. I always regretted it though right about 12:30 am until sunrise. So if you are leaving in February I don't know if that is the time to dedicate yourself to a hammock if you are not really comfortable with your set up. However with a later start like late march you won't hit such cold weather the hammock becomes more avantagous.
As far as using a sleeping bag. We tend to prefer quilts because it is hard to get into a bag especially one with a half zip. You can still use your bag, but just unzip it and use it like a quilt. Also since we have bottom insulation all we need is to cover the top. It is nice to just pull your quilt up like big down comforter without constricting you arms or anything.

Good luck don't miss Homeplace

[Rug]

Okay first off excuse me if I ramble or are not asking specific enough questions. I thought I was all set gear wise for my thru-hike until I got inside a hammock and fell in love.

And so it begins. Welcome, many of us on this board have been exactly where you are now.

I slept pretty comfortable besides a little soreness on shoulders throughout the night, so I just turn over.

This is likely caused by shoulder squeeze. A hammock that is 'big enough' for you should eliminate this occurrence. Also consider 'Bridge Hammocks'. Bridge hammocks use a spreader bar and are popular with people who don't like the shoulder squeeze. They are also popular for their 'flat lay'.

Also one trip the temps drop into the twenties with snow. I was toasty inside my bag but if my arms or legs were not on my pad they got cold.

This is very common. This is why UQs (Under Quilts) are popular.

Do people ever change between tent and hammock depending on terrain and weather?

Depends on the person, but the general consensus is that once you get used to life above ground, it is often too painfull to go back to ground. =)

Now this might be a silly question, remember I am new to the hammock world, do you still sleep inside a sleeping bag in the hammock? All the videos I have seen I don't see a sleeping bags. If you do I think it might be hard to climb in the hammock and then try to get into a bag while in the hammock.

A lot of people use their sleeping bags as Top Quilts (TQs) once they get an UQ. Getting into a sleeping bag while inside a hammock is a cross between gymnastics/yoga/Harry Houdini act. It is possible and doable but for some people it is too much hassle and they get an UQ. A top-loading hammock like the BlackBird is easier to do the 'sleeping-bag shuffle' because you can arrange the bag before you climb in. A bottom loader like the hennessy is doable, but a workout.

Lastly I have been looking at the Hennessy Hammock Hyperlite and
Warbonnet Blackbird. I want to purchase one asap if I decide to hang with you all so I can practice with the insulation this summer. Any input on these would be great.

I own a Hennessy Ultimate Survivor. I wish I had been able to 'test-sleep' with it before I had bought it. For me, the bottom-entry is too annoying when trying to access gear in the bag and to get things organized for sleeping. There is a user on the board (2Questions) who has a Zipper Modification for the Hennessy that converts it into a top-loader (search for 2QZQ zipper mod). In my opinion this is a must-have upgrade that eliminates most complaints about the HH. I have already had my girlfriends hammock modified, and the quality of the work is superb.

Thanks!

You are welcome, welcome to life above ground.

[mbiraman]

Welcome Hiking Bear. No question is too silly. There's allot of help around here. I'm not as experienced as some others here but i'll tell you what i know. Generally people end up hanging most of the time but there are a few who switch back and forth , tent to hammock, depending on the site, but not on a long distance hike cause your carrying more gear then. Some folks do use their sleeping bag in their hammocks and just leave it open on top of themselves except for the footbox. You will need an underquilt or at least a ccf pads to keep you warm below 70 degrees. The hammock offers more options in terms of where to camp in other words you don't need a flat site to have a great sleep. Hennessy and Warbonnet make great hammocks. I ended up going with the Warbonnet Blackbird because i wanted the option of top loading my gear with the zippered bugnet pulled back and i knew there would be situations where i would not want the bugnet zipped up all the time.The Blackbird also has a footbox which really adds to the comfort and the shelf is real handy. Allot of folks end up getting a bigger tarp than a stock hennessy for those times when weather gets bad, and it gives you more room than a tent to move around and hangout depending on how you pitch it. Warbonnet has tarps and there are other good tarp manufacturures as well. Look under tarps. check out Shug's video's on tarp talk also check out his warbonnet blackbird review video. Another good site is "To the woods", lots of organized stuff and pics. Here's the link. Enjoy
http://www.tothewoods.net/

[richtorfla]

Hi Hikingbear, welcome to the forum. I am no expert and there are plenty of fellow hammockers here that can give you the advise you are asking for. Just like putting together a tent sleeping set-up, same goes for a hammock set-up looking at all the weights. You can use a sleeping bag in the hammock; I do. Have not switched to top quilt yet. Most of the UQ's that are sold accomodate temp ranges that you think you will be in. Here in Fla, I just use a truck window sun reflector to lay on in my HH and depending on temps I use a 45* or 20 * bag. I have a BB dbl and have used a thermorest prolite partially inflated. Though I havn't ventured out of Fla on a hang yet, this has worked for me. I think if you start looking at combos, you will get at a weight you will be happy with. For me comfort of a hammock is way better than sleeping on the ground. If planning a AT thru hike, you can ship the winter stuff up and have it waiting for you when you get to the point you think you will need them. If weight is a concern,consider hammocks with no nets, single layer (WB traveller,Speer) that will hold you to offset the weight of UQ's and TQ's. There are plenty of threads on here to help you figure this out.

[KerMegan]

consider also the weight of the system- (tarp/hammock/TQ/Uq) vs (tent/fly/pad/sleeping bag)
then you can mix and match at your leisure.

[Quoddy]

Although not as big a problem in Florida as it is in my area, the ability to find a space to pitch a tent is difficult. I've yet to find a spot I couldn't squeeze a hammock into, although the ground itself usually makes a tent impossible. I've gotten the weight of my hammocking gear down to the same level as when ground dwelling... for 3 season that's normally under 10 pounds total for all my gear, food, fuel, and water for a 3 or 4 day hike. Photo below is of a quick setup of my Warbonnet BlackBird and MacCat tarp on the far northern end of the Long Trail when a severe squall line was approaching. A tent would have been impossible.

[dejoha]

Also one trip the temps drop into the twenties with snow. I was toasty inside my bag but if my arms or legs were not on my pad they got cold.

As you'll find with most backpacking endeavors, experience will tell you what you need to be prepared. Depending on when you want to start your thru-hike, you may or may not have time to adequately test your hammock system (it took me months of freezing myself to finally find an insulation system I liked: low weight & bulk, inexpensive, warm).

Also, depending on what kind of backpacker you are, you can get your hammock shelter system to be lighter than most tent shelter systems. I'm kind of a minimalist, and my current ultralight hammock is the Nano 7 from Grand Trunk. The hammock with suspension is only 8 oz. Pair that with a standard MacCat Tarp and my shelter system is barely tipping over 18 oz.

The Nano is small, and many people would agree that smaller hammocks are not as comfortable than larger ones. Personally, I don't mind, especially as a gram-counting lightweight backpacker--it suits my needs.

For bugs, I'm leaning towards the Equinox Mantis Sleep Net from AntiGravityGear. If your thru-hike is on the AT, you might want something more when you get into the 100-mile Wilderness, but the Mantis would probably be fine on other trails, like the PCT. Again, it all depends on your own comfort level and backpacking style.

For insulation, I've actually found great success using a rectangular down sleeping bag and using it as a pull-up bag around my hammock. The Kelty Galactic 20 is what I recommend. It's a less-expensive solution if you can't yet afford a separate UQ and TQ. I sewed a channel with gross-grain webbing to the foot so I could cinch up the foot around my hammock. Works like a charm. Adding a small fleece throw inside and a torso-sized CCF pad has been fine for temps down to 20°F.

The other thing I look for in my shelter system is modularity. If I have to sleep in the ground, I can! The tarp, pads, netting, and insulation all work fine on the ground, if that's what is required. But again, it may take time to test your solutions, and winter can be a difficult time to adequately test.

[tlbj6142]

For insulation, I've actually found great success using a rectangular down sleeping bag and using it as a pull-up bag around my hammock.

You can do that because your hammock is so small. Something for me to think about. It does seem like a "cheaper" option than buying an UQ. Especially if you already have a bag that will work in this configuration (I own a WM MityLite that would probably work for my 3-season stuff).

NANO-7, thanks. I'll keep that one in the back of my head.

Now the Mantis bug net seems like an odd choice for a hammock. It is a bit small, which means you'll have to cover your legs with something. Your fleece? Yet, bugs tend to be out and about when it is warmer and you don't want to be covered. Seems like an appropriately located ridge-line (low) with a simple 54" x X' piece of netting would accomplish more for nearly the same weight. And allow you to keep your legs "exposed" when bugs are out. Something to think about.

I like the rest of the ideas, somethings I've never seen mentioned before on this board.


Back to the OP, I assume you are thru-hiking the AT. If so, a hammock is the way to go. Maybe take the tent early on until it warms up a bit, then make the switch? Being able to setup camp any where is great.