Staying warm in a hammock...

MustardMan

MustardMan

Joined
Mar 14, 2009
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So this weekend, we headed up into the Rockies for some winter hammock camping.

Unfortunately, this was the first time we attempted to take the dogs along, and they didn't deal well with the snow and the hammocks in general, so we decided to bail, rather than freaking the dogs out any more than they already were. One of them was shaking so badly we were worried he might be hypothermic.


Still, we got to spend a fun couple of hours out in the woods, enjoying the cold, and I got a few good pictures of my hammock setup, so I figured I would share them. In a nutshell, the main thing you need to consider when staying warm in a hammock, especially in sub-freezing temperatures (we were expecting somewhere between 0-10F ), is insulation underneath you. A sleeping bag or quilt will work fine up top, but you need to insulate your butt and shoulders or you'll freeze. In our case, we used underquilts, which are a sort of specialized half-sleeping bag, filled with down, which are suspended UNDERNEATH your hammock - that way, they stay fully lofted, instead of being crushed by you laying on them, and provide maximum warmth. Here's what they look like:

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And just for fun, some scenery shots. I love the Rockies, man... absolutely love them.

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That sucks. I really want to give hammocks a try but having a dog I think just makes it too much of a hassle and ruins the whole point of a hammock ie: ease of setup and light weight, since i would have to bring along some sort of extra water proof and bug proof shelter for him. Looks like fun tho.
 
Some nice pictures! I know what you mean about those mountains - I live in the Canadian Rockies, and there isn't another place on Earth that I would rather be.
 
There are definitely solutions for hammocking with dogs.... IF your dogs are generally able to handle the weather where you're camping. The problem here was that the dogs couldn't handle the cold. That would have been an issue even if we were in tents. It was just made worse by them also not dealing well with the hammocks.


If the weather isn't so cold, a ground cloth under your tarp, and a cheap hanging bug net, can be enough for a dog, and not require much extra effort.
 
I use my Clark North American in the winter. I stuff some of my extra clothing in the pockets, and use a Big Agnes lost ranger bag with a sleeping pad in the sleeve (I use a Zrest Pad). I have stayed comfortable in this setup well below 0 degrees. However I sleep very warm.

I love my Hammock I'll probably never use a tent again, unless camping with someone else.
 
A sleeping pad provides the same effect as an underquilt - extra insulation under you. I've gone down around 0 with nothing but cheap walmart foam pads. The point is to get SOME sort of insulation under you.


The benefit of the underquilt is light weight, compressibility, and not having to worry about rolling off your pad :p
 
Those underquilts are nice, I will have to look into that.

I know in the summer sleeping in a hammock is heavenly compared to inside a tent.
 
Have you ever used the Inflatable Thermarests? Those are the only sleeping pads I have, they were on sale when I was looking for mats.

How much did your hammock sleep system cost?
Underquilt+hammock+tarp, ect.

How heavy and how much space do they take up?

Thanks!! I want to try hammock camping, but I have a limited budget, maybe ill have to stick to a tent for winter camping.
 
I have used thermarests in a hammock. They are a little narrow, so your shoulders can get cold, but some scraps of foam or a rolled up jacket stuffed in between your shoulder and the hammock can solve that problem.

The Underquilts were homemade, probably about $150 in materials in each of them (that's premium 850 and 900 fill power down, and ultralight momentum 90 fabric - with cheaper materials or stuff scavenged from old sleeping bags it can be done much cheaper)

The tarp is an OES 12x10 custom, and also ran around $150

The hammock is a Warbonnet Blackbird, and runs about $170


Weights are: 26.5 ounces for the tarp including stuff sack and rope, 36.2 for the hammock, storage sack, webbing suspension lines and climbing rated carabiners, and 22.5 ounces for the underquilt and suspension.



You can go both lighter and cheaper, if you so desire - a simple travel hammock with no bug net, a thermarest or walmart foam pad for under insulation, a smaller generic brand tarp, etc...


My entire hammock setup is hand-made in the USA, either by my fiance, or by cottage gear makers. That adds to the cost, but gives you premium quality gear while supporting a fellow hobbyist. If you just want to try it out, a couple bucks worth of ripstop nylon, some rope, a blue foam pad from walmart, and a plastic tarp will give you a taste of hammocking, and can be done for less money than I paid for materials for my underquilt
 
I have gone down to 3 degrees F with no underquilt, just a couple of pads. It generally works, but every hour or two a shoulder or elbow would slide off the pad and get cold, waking me up. I wish underquilts were cheaper, because they are a great solution.
 
remmmm said:
MustardMan - Is that a Warbonnet Blackbird?
Click to expand...

Yeah it sure is - the campout was actually at a group hammock hang, organized by the people at hammockforums.net

Brandon, the guy who makes warbonnet hammocks, is one of the forum members who was there. It was cool to be hanging out, sitting around a campfire talking and eating, with the dude who made the hammock that I've been using for over a year. There were more than ten people camping out in hammocks, and several of us had Blackbirds.
 
MM I can't roll of the pad in the Big Agnes bag cause the pad slips in a sleeve on the bottom side of the bag. The very reason I chose that bag for I had already dealt with the mobile pad problem before.

Pretty trick bag design.
 
I've only ever used a sleeping pad in my hammock.Though,I'll be giving those underquilts a look.I camp a lot in the cold.
 
Nice, another happy BB owner! This is good info for those who are curious about hammock camping in the cold.
 
I've slept in a big Agnes bag in my hammock, and managed to roll off the pad :D

the whole bag, and the sleeping pad with it, rotated and the pad was along side me. I roll a lot in my sleep
 
Very cool MustardMan! Those under quilts are very nice:thumbup:

I normaly stay warm in my hammock by not camping in the winter:p
 
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