4 season hammock options

[OutandBack]

Welcome element, Are you car camping or backpacking?
If backpacking total weight of the complete kit should be considered.

[Rolloff]

If its a weight thing your looking at, in most cases, the WBBB or something else similar with UQ and TQ, plus tarp and such, whether you are in bug net weather or not should come in quite a bit under the Clark set up you've described.

While the pitch line for Clark will always be "bombproof shelter", most everyone else has pretty much caught up. They will stand up to the rigors of thru hiking, when equipped and set up properly, and you will be warm and dry. The Clark may indeed still remain more durable, but in many cases, needlessly heavy, for the required application.

For example, when I first bought equipment years ago, I followed Collin Fletcher's lead. His selection of pack alone came in at 1/3 of my target base weight now. Great pack. Full length, exterior frame, bottomless capacity, indestructible. He actually wrapped it up in his poncho and used it for a raft for hangersake! The point is, I never really needed to use my pack as a raft, or required that it be totally bomb-proof.

Hammocks vs other shelter(insert name here) is also a comfort trade off. For those counting grams, you can always find a single walled tent, biviy, or straight tarp shelter that will be a few grams less than all but the very lightest of hammock/tarp rig. The gain will be in grams or ounces at the sacrifice of ease of set up and a good nights rest.

Take a look at my signature pic. That is a 50cc scooter. Some do, but I don't need a Harley or a BMW for how I like to camp off of a bike. Cheaper, lighter, easier to stealth in and out of somewhere, and not near the hit, if someone decides they want it more than I do. Might take a little longer getting where I'm going sometimes, but at 100 mpg and 4 dollar gas, I'm good with that

[Bubba]

Thanks for the replies!

@Bubba
I've been reading a lot about quilts and needing various over/underquilts but it seems to me that they would add a significant amount of weight to the overall package and really constrict your range/movements inside the hammock. Is this true?

Also I'm always a bit leery of important things being held together with velcro I have this horrible vision of a bad storm ripping off the underquilt somehow if it's outside the hammock . A stupid thing I know, but I have to ask, how strong are the underquilts, and do they collect water in between you and the hammock?

If this makes no sense it's because I'm under the impression an UQ is essentially a sleeping bag you wrap around the bottom part of the hammock to prevent heat loss from the passing air underneath..

UQ's are held in place by shock cord and they mold around you so the stay place pretty well. Down UQ's and TQ's are pretty light but a winter set up is going to be a bit heavier than a summer set up. A winter TQ and UQ from Hammock Gear is around 3.3 lbs whereas a winter sleeping bag and pad would be around 4.2 lbs (randomly selected sleeping bag and thermarest from my local outdoors store)

In terms of range of movement it is not much different from moving inside the hammock when there is no quilts in place. Moving inside a hammock is something that has to be learned anyways. For moisture management in cold temperatures, vapour barriers can be used.

They do have a durable water repellant coating and as others have said you would have a tarp rigged low for weather protection.

[Law Dawg (ret)]

Also I'm always a bit leery of important things being held together with velcro I have this horrible vision of a bad storm ripping off the underquilt somehow if it's outside the hammock . A stupid thing I know, but I have to ask, how strong are the underquilts, and do they collect water in between you and the hammock?

If I find myself in a wind that strong, I will be hugging the ground and praying it does not blow me and my little dog to Oz.

The two most popular hammock manufacturers here are Warbonnet and Hennessy (a toss up IMO which rules the roost but prolly the WBBB). These rule the roost for a reason and are chosen by almost all of the most experienced hangers here. I loooked to the HH and then Clark before deciding on the WBBB frankly because of price and, just as important, the ability to custom set up as much as I want. The fact that Shug and others really like the WBBB is simply the tip I needed to go there.

If weight is your issue then a Traveler with 3/4 UQ and a TQ in down (you will need a tarp too) is your answer. The Traveler should beat the daylights out of a Clark weight wise even with the WB Skeeter net option. As to comfort and the ability to spread out with an UQ...well some here find that to be an issue with the Clark. I am not hindered in any way with my UQ and WB hammocks (I have the WBBB & Traveler).

The Clark is a fine hammock and so is the WB and HH. The best way to sort this out IMHO is to atend a group hanging and sample the different offerings. Maybe consider something like a Traveler and UQ/TQ that will work with any other hammock you get...believe me if you get the bug, there will be other hammocks. I'm up to two and eyeing a third...that from someone who wanted to be economical with this.

[KayakCarl]

I have an NX150,and a 1.1WBBB. In the colder weather my go to hammock is the Clark with TQ, and UQ. Toasty warm. I think the outer cover brings the Clark to the top of the list for cold weather camping.
Just my $. 02.

[BillyBob58]

Hi Element, Welcome to HF!

Ditto what has already been said. Basically, ANY hammock is a 4 season hammock all depending on what you add to it. And the tarp or various hammock socks is a big part of it. Keeping wind and wind blown snow/fog/rain well blocked. You can have a system more than warm enough for the conditions, but if you can't block the wind you are in trouble.

There are a LOT of ways to go, and MANY successful winter and even below zero hangs have been done by the folks here, with many different equipment combinations.

Minus 27 has been done by kwpapke with a souped up HH Supershelter, while Shug hung beside him encased in down UQs and TQS. This year, various pod approaches have been all the rage. Whether the commercial Speer PeaPod augmented various ways, or folks using their sleeping bags wrapped around the hammock for way below zero. I personally have been warm enough at a balmy +10F with a PeaPod wrapped around a Claytor No Net hammock, augmented only with a space blanket below and a summer weight bag on top.

There are many fine UQs, both full length and torso length used with a leg pad. Most all work fine with many different hammocks. Plus there are the new IX offerings, either used alone or to augment the various down UQs.

One unique and really great approach- for some of us- is a JRB BMBH (bridge hammock) used with a JRB MW4 UQ, along with an appropriate winter TQ or sleeping bag on top. This quilt has taken some folks to zero or even a bit more. I wouldn't know, I can only vouch for it to about 10. But it was one of my most comfortable winter nights ever in a hammock. And this hammock/quilt combo is one of those idiot proof ( I need that! ) designs with zero fiddle factor. If you just put the quilt on the hammock per simple JRB directions, there is nothing else to adjust and no way to go wrong.

So, just dig into the forum threads- maybe reading up on some of the winter trip reports- and figure out what is right for you. There are several ways to skin this cat!

[warbonnetguy]

Thanks for the replies!


I've looked at the Blackbird but it seems...simple. As in it has nothing to cover the mosquito netting if it rains and can't go to ground. Am I missing something?

all hammocks need a tarp to cover the hammock. some vendors include them some sell them seperate, that's usually reflected in the price.

any hammock can be setup on the ground.

as far as insulation goes, underquilt and topquilt will usually be lighter than the alternative (sleeping bag and sleeping mat). underquilts are not attached to the hammock with velcro, so no worry there

[warbonnetguy]

The drawback to frost on you net is that is will fall off on you and your gear and end up adding moisture to all of it. Not a good thing in cold weather.

Some hammocks can be without bugnets or have removable ones. If you do the DIY route you can make a bunch of different types, for every need and to loan to all of your friends.

It just means, if you are going to camp in all seasons you will end up with a bunch of different gear that you will use according to the conditons.

Welcome to the Forum, Let the gear addiction grow

TZ

if you removed the bugnet from the equation and just used a tarp with an open hammock, i think the frost will wind up directly on your topquilt, that's my experience. the net may get frost or wet, but it keeps some of the moisture off you.

[whayneneal]

I use my Blackbird as a 3 season hammock and my Traveler as my winter hammock. There is no need to carry bug net when not needed. There is a separate bug net that is available for the Traveler if you just one hammock. This makes the Traveler the most versatile hammock and it is very comfortable.

I also have quilts and tarps for winter, summer and 3 season. It can get expensive.

[Bradley]

. . . Clark NX-250 + z-insulator as a year round shelter . . .