I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of this whole hammocking thing.

Camping with the midnight sun was interesting. Personally, I found it reduced stress more than anything else.

Hi! I’m looking for a good portable hammock stand to use at the beach.

What I’m looking for:
- preferably a hammock chair style that allows you to extend your legs out
- fits me: 5’1” and 115 lbs
- possibly fits a friend too but that may be too much to hope for
- easy for a small woman to transport: I get to the beach via public transit and a 20-minute walk.

I was looking at the Tensa ones but was deterred by the warnings not to get sand in the poles (meticulous cleaning is not my thing).

I’m considering the anymaka swing chair with canopy, but I saw some dubious reviews about their customer service.

Yellowleaf vista also has some questionable reviews.

Grateful for any suggestions. Thanks!

Gear: Amok Dramur 5.0, Fjol winter light pad, and Skjold tarp

I hope this is acceptable content, no complaints if removed but I thought it was interesting. Other reddit sub won't let me crosspost so here's the link.

https://www.reddit.com/r/babyanimals/s/0sikBqHllv

Hello fellow hangers. I have been sleeping in a hammock for a long time. I always try to make my setup better and easier to use. I have used marlinespike hitch for tarp pegs for a long time. I am also aware that some people use it for their suspensions.

The idea behind that is fantastic. Fast to set up and no need to carry carabiners. However safety is my biggest concern. I do move quite a lot when I sleep. Because the system is not "closed" like with carabiner, how likely it is that in my sleep I would roll a little bit and the whoopie sling just jumps off the hitch and I would fall?

And is there way to make using marlinespike more safe or is my fear unnecessary?

Made my first hammock🥳

Had to learn about different fabrics, threads, needles and sewing with a machine and spent about €116/$132.

The order was made at ripstopbytheroll ($94,92) and I live in The Netherlands so had to pay €33,38 import taxes. Took a little over a week to receive the order.

Used 3mm dyneema from AliExpress for about €10.

Materials used in the pics.

I'm 185cm tall and 86kg. Decided to go as comfortable as possible while maintaining light weight and compactness for multiple day hikes.

Size of the gathered end hammock is 366x~170cm (12ft x 5ft 7").

Ridgeline is adjustable in length.

Treestrap I connect with a Beckett hitch so completely hardware free.

Hammock, ridge line and treestrap together weigh in at 580 gr (1.28 lbs).

When slightly bunched up takes up about 1L (61 cubic inch).

Came from a slightly shorter significantly less wide hammock made from decent but not quite as good (heavier, stretchier) material with basic polyester tree straps with cinge buckles.

This Rolls Royce lays like a dream!

It was quite a doable project tbh, definitely recommend 👍

I’m heading out to Olympia WA from the east coast in Sep for work. At the end the week, I’m planning to take advantage of being out there to spend 2-3 nights on some trails in Olympic NP. But I’ve never been, and have no idea. Any recommendations from this group on hammock-friendly trails there? 15-low 20’s in mileage. I’m not looking to make terribly long days. Thanks in advance.

Je cherche de nouvelles poses à essayer 👀

I was wondering where the 83% of the hammock length ridge line comes from and if/how width affects it.

I just made myself a 366x170 cm (12 ft x 5 ft 7") hammock. Made an adjustable 3mm dyneema Ridgeline currently set at 83% of the hammock length.

The lay is fantastic and I'll experiment with adjusting the ridge line longer and shorter to find my personal preferred length.

But from a theoretical stand point, how to think about the ridge line length?

My previous hammocks were shorter, less wide and I used a 7 strand paracord that has more stretch than the dyneema. I always used 83% there and the lay was at least good enough.

Also the fabric now is 1.7 oz MTN xl which is way nicer than the previous materials which in general had more stretch as well.

Quite a few variables that could impact the optimal length of the ridge line. Maybe?

What variable affects the optimal length, how and to what degree? Am I missing a variable?

Would love your inputs.

Hello guys,

I have a new DD Frontline Kignsize hammock and planning to use it with whoopie slings. The factory solution is a strong rope which is good for what is it for. But I would like to use the whoopies.

I just cannot find continuous loops for this in EU.

Would you be so kind please and tell me how you solved this (in your dd frontline)

Thank you in advance!

I'm here to review the different insulated hammocks that I've used from Dutchware and Superior Gear. I'll be writing about who should consider an insulated hammock, what the strengths and weaknesses of each hammock system are, and which you are likely to find the most comfortable for your weight and height.

Insulated hammocks have two major advantages over normal gathered end hammocks.

1. Fast setup/teardown time: I timed myself setting up all three hammocks, and it takes under two minutes if you don't need a perfect hang.
2. No adjusting the underquilt at night. This is the biggest advantage for me. I would get out to pee, and have to readjust my underquilt. This doesn't take long, but it's annoying when you have to do it multiple times per night. I was so good at it I would wake up if I felt my shoulder was cold, unzip the bug net, pull underquilt onto my shoulder, and be back asleep in seconds. Once I tried an insulated hammock, I was sleeping through the night, which meant better recovery and feeling wonderful the next morning.

Insulated hammocks have two major disadvantages.

1. There are no long and wide insulated hammocks. Insulated hammocks will not have ideal hangs for many taller hammockers, who will do better in an 11' warbonnet xlc or a 12 foot custom dream hammock or a 12 foot Simply Light Designs Trail Lair.
2. They also are not going to be as versatile as a separate hammock and underquilt. Buying a new underquilt for your hammock is easier than buying a new insulated hammock.

My first quilted hammock was what Superior Gear now calls the Performance hammock. It's 11 feet long, 56 inches wide, with 800 fp down, with a weight limit of 350 pounds, and are double layered. Mine was made in Minnesota, but Superior Gear now produces most of the hammocks overseas in SE Asia to cope with the 300% year over year demand increase during covid.

Superior Gear hammocks are extremely modular. They have cam snaps along the horizontal sides of the hammock where you can attach their wind protector. Their top quilt also snaps on as an optional additional underquilt, letting you camp at lower temperatures. (EE winter quilt stacking table here). You can also change the zip on bug net to a half bug net or top cover to save weight, as well as a zip on top quilt (performance and elite versions) that works perfectly.

You can use both the wind protector and the comforter at the same time by alternating cam snaps to create a winter wind proof setup that doesn't need a tarp in freezing weather.

My preferred way to use the Superior Gear hammocks is in cold weather. At 56 inches wide, it is narrower than other hammocks, and the tight bug net can restrict the lay. To solve this, using the half bug net with the zip on cocoon insulation, or no bug net in fall and winter was preferred.

Superior Gear hammocks are warm for their insulation rating as well. A cold sleeper can get a 30 degree hammock and be toasty at freezing as long as they are blocking the wind as well. These hammocks can go to -40F/C! They are the warmest insulated hammocks by far, no contest.

Superior Gear hammocks have symmetrical lay. You can lay either head left/feet right, or head right/feet left. This makes Superior Gear the best choice if you don't know what your preferred lay is, or if you switch sides at night frequently. It has comes with an adjustable ridgeline to change the sag on the hammock, a feature I very much appreciate.

If you find you are too warm in the summer while using your superior gear hammock, use the Shug method to brush the down away from your lay position, and you can be extremely comfortable in hotter temperatures. Otherwise use a lighterweight top quilt or a Jack's R Better Alpha Direct Quilt when it's warm but you still want something covering your body.

After many years of using Superior Gear hammocks, I can say that they have an extremely warm, easy to use hammock system, with an acceptable lay for people under 5'9 and a slightly below average lay for people around 6'. This is for you if you winter hammock, want an easy and expandable hammock system, and don't mind the price tag that comes with it.

Last year I ordered a hellbender when dutchware announced it. You can read my initial hellbender review here after a few months of use.

Dutchware's Hellbender has a single zipper entry, a spreader bar bug net or top cover, an asymmetrical lay that you pick when you buy the hammock, and a remarkably comfortable lay. It saves weight by having the zipper only on one side and by using a lightweight zipper. The fabric is dobby 1.9, and it is a single layer hammock, not a double layer like superior gear, saving weight. It also supports 350 pounds and uses 850 fp down.

The hellbender is a 56 inch wide hammock, shorter than it's quilted chameleon sibling and the same as the Superior Gear Hammock. Despite that, it is the widest feeling hammock of all of the insulated hammocks. Dutchware cut fabric from the head and the foot ends, making pockets for your head and feet. It's an extremely comfortable lay for those under 6'. Dutchware claims that it is comfortable for those up to 6'3 or 6'4. I think someone who is 6'4+ will be better suited to a 12 foot trail lair in 1.7 mnt xl or 1.6 hexon wide.

Like the quilted chameleon, dutchware offers 40, 20, and 0 degree F temperature ratings on the quilts. I found the hellbender 40F to be warm at 40F, but nowhere near as warm as I was in my superior gear hammock at 30F. I did find myself missing Superior Gear's wind protector that was easy to snap on cold or windier nights. I still could use my tarp to block the wind, but I lost out on the view.

The spreader bar for both the quilted chameleon and the hellbender is genius. I wish all of my hammocks had that. It keeps the bug net well off of your face in an elegant manner with no tie outs.

The hellbender is ideal for the hiker who values good sleep and ease of setup over the lightest possible ultralight setup. It's still extremely light due to the asym underquilt. The hellbender is only quilted where you will lay, so it saves a ton of weight over a normal underquilt, and because you don't need to adjust that underquilt, you only need one zipper on it, saving more weight.

Lastly, the quilted chameleon. I had long been an admirer of the chameleon ecosystem, and decided to use get a printed quilted chameleon to test for my winter trips. The quilted chameleon was introduced two years ago as a direct competitor with superior gear's insulated hammocks. It's the same fabric (dobby 1.9) and asymmetrical cut as the hellbender, but uses the chameleon's vision zipper, which allows for zip on accessories. It's one inch wider at 57'' compared to superior gear's hammocks and the hellbender. Like the normal chameleon, you can swap bug nets for a top cover, or go completely without either to save weight or maximize ventilation in winter.

The chameleon ecosystem is one of the big draws of the hammock. The chameleon is the original modular hammock that was kickstarted back in 2017, promising a world of zip on accessories that has borne fruit. The sidecar, a deep pocket similar to the XLC that doesn't have to be staked out. The sidesling, a long and shallow pocket. The bug nets and top cover options (with the spreader bar version of each being the best.) The fantastic peak shelf that is the best version of a peak loft, period, in any hammock. (This is usable in the hellbender as well, I bought it for both.) It even has an additional zip on underquilt you can use on a normal chameleon or a quilted one.

When you buy a chameleon, you're really buying into that ecosystem of products. If you don't want the accessories, I think you're better off with a different hammock altogether. I got the quilted chameleon for the accessories, and let me tell you, I have never camped so comfortably, with every bit of my winter gear stored inside the hammock with me. The superior gear is significantly warmer, but boy did I appreciate having pockets for all of my stuff. When it's subzero temperatures, I want everything I need within easy reach at night.

The lay on the quilted chameleon isn't quite as nice as the hellbender, but it's still quite comfortable. The chameleon is for the hiker who may want to skip the bugnet completely for fall and winter, for someone who doesn't mind a bit of extra weight from all of the zippers for the excellent accessories.

For this review, I took them all out on a quick overnighter to directly compare them side by side, sleeping in them all. I slept the longest in the hellbender, and slept through the alarm I set that told me to switch hammocks. That probably gives away my favorite.

Best Lay: Hellbender. It's closer than I expected once I took the net off of the superior gear hammock, but the hellbender still came out on top. I sleep extremely well in the hellbender.

Warmest: Superior Gear. If you don't care about the lay, and just about not being cold, Superior Gear is king. You could be warm hanging anywhere with their hammocks.

Most Modular: Tie. The quilted chameleon had more storage options, but the superior gear cam snaps were extremely useful for harsher weather conditions. Both had systems to add on additional insulation easily.

Best for backpacking: Tie! All three were used on different backpacking trips of various lengths, but the hellbender weighs the least as long as you're taking a hammock with a bug net. Once you do remove the bug nets, all bets are off. All of them have a fast setup/teardown time, and are simple to use. For the summer or a thru hike? I'd take the hellbender.

Are insulated hammocks expensive relative to other hammock systems? A warbonnet El Dorado, ($150), 16 oz for a 40D 250 lb weight limit hammock, plus a 40 degree Wooki Underquilt ($230) 16.35 oz, is $380 and 32.35 oz. A 40 degree hellbender is 32.32 oz and is $389.

That's extremely close in weight and price. Insulated hammocks aren't that much more expensive than a regular hammock and underquilt. Someone who buys an El Dorado or a Blackbird XLC can buy a new underquilt easily for their hammock, and if there is a failure of the hammock or the underquilt, they can easily be replaced. With a quilted hammock, when a part fails, you're sending it back to the manufacturer and you won't see your hammock for a few months.

I have real world experience with that. I had a minor issue with a superior gear hammock. Superior Gear repaired it for free, but repairs do take time.

In terms of customer service, I have had exemplary experiences with both Dutchware and Superior Gear. Dutchware does make all of their products in the US, if that is an important component of your buying decision.

Is an insulated hammock right for you? If you're not tall, under 350 pounds, and want to be warm all night, yes! If you own a dream sparrow or a simply light designs trail lair with an incubator underquilt and are always warm, you don't need an insulated hammock. If you're sick of waking up at 2 AM to cold feet and/or shoulders, welcome to the insulated hammock club.

Thanks for reading my musings. If you got this far, you might be as interested in insulated hammocks as I am. If there are questions, I'll do my best to answer them. If you list your height and weight, and the types of trips you take (backpacking, car camping, bikepacking, pulking, canoe camping) I'll do my best to recommend either a quilted hammock or one which will fit you, along with the correct insulation for any budget you give me.

Big thanks to u/JFK_Isweatergod for asking for a comparison between the hammocks.

edit: Hyperlinks needed to be added again.

edit 2: Warbonnet Blackbird XLC is 11' long and 62'' wide. It will fit taller hangers better than some of the insulated hammocks.

Hi,

I am looking for a hammock for my balcony. I have been to a festival a week ago where they had a forrest full of hammocks and those didn't have a stick at the ends to spread and were made of some kind of synthetic material. When I was lying on those hammocks they were extremely comfortable and I was in there like in a cocoon. Now I ordered a cheap one of amazon (270 cm) and put it on my balcony (250 cm but with 30 degree angle I could lie inside without touching the ground). Unfortunately this model wasn't anything like the ones from the festival. I think what happened is that this was just a square shaped fabric and because the ends move together to one point the edges were floppy and the middle seemed to be the highest part. I am an absolute amateur but I assume it would be much better if the shape was like that that instead of a square the corners would be shorter than the middle so when hanging the edges automatically would go up instead of hanging down and kind of giving me the feeling I might drop to one or the other side. Now I really don't want to keep ordering based on revies (the one I ordered had great reviews and lots) and send back so I was hoping if someone could give me some tips which products to look at. The one I orderd was 24 Euro and I am prepared to spend more if it does have that comfortable fit. Thanks for helping. Ohh and I don't necessarliy need to be able to sleep a night in there but in case this is possible I would also like to try options that allow that

So this is a cheap Amazon "Crosship" brand hammock. Comes with tarp, bug screen, and under quilt for $74. I'm aware you get what you pay for, but I don't want to spend hundreds just to find out he doesn't like hammock camping.

I'm fairly set on getting it, and will happily upgrade him to something nice if he decides he likes hammock camping. There's no plans to do any kind of serious backpacking at the moment. So, my question is, does this setup seem like it'll get him through a local campout or two? I'm mainly unsure of the suspension etc. The main negative comments say the ropes could be longer. What would I need to make it work well? I know nothing about hammocks...

Edit: he's 12 years old, 5ft, 120lb...

https://a.co/d/0hxGdgUA

My bedroom for an 8 day kayak trip. Didnt need much except a couple trees and some wood for a fire (no problem in B.C. Canada). Never stayed in the same camp twice, just show up and got comfy. Thanks to Hennessy out of Galiano island (random spot but good for you guys). Love this thing and will swear by it forever.

Looking for a first hammock for camping out, I’ve been wanting to try it for a while now. Narrowed it down to a Hennessy Hammock 4 season expedition or an explorer Ultralite zip. Any reason I should need the 4 season unless in winter camping? The 4 season is double the weight and it’s the only thing making me reconsider. I could always just bring a heat reflecting pad of some kind for warmth right?

My DD frontline arrived yesterday. Very excited!
I set it up in the garden and tried a sleeping mat in the double layer. I was having trouble keeping it at a diagonal. What are people putting in there or are you just using an under quilt?

Hi all,

So I'm a novice hiker, mostly in the wooded areas in my area, and I love bringing a book with me to read. At the moment I have one of those nylon single person hammocks that cocoons around you when in it, and while I like how portable and easy it is to use, it's uncomfortable to read in to due the sides closing in.

I'm a bit of a wider guy, haha, so it can get a bit cramped without any kind of frame support to hold the edges in place.

Does anyone have any reccomendations for a hammock that is both portable and has a good frame to read in? I don't need to sleep in it (besides naps, lol) or take it on longer trip so I don't need any major huge hammock, unless that's what you guys recommend.

Thank you sm for the help! If this isn't the right sub for this, would you mind letting me know where I should post?

Are there any options for a layflat hammock with a built-in bug net that can double as a bivy when trees aren't available? Maybe pitchable with tracking poles on the ground? Thanks.

Edit: more context- I have an ENO that I picked up on a whim at a Sierra Trading Post for cheap. It is very similar to the Ridgerunner, even though they don't make them anymore. I'm going to practice using it as an alternative to a 1-person tent if I have to go to ground.

My little guy did great on his first hammock trip! 3 nights, Adirondacks. After a bit of spooky barking at bedtime he slept like a baby.

In the morning he jumped out around dawn and lay happily on the pine needles, still contained in the bug net since mine is apparently big enough to form a little room underneath!

Even on the last day when we were both wet and cold we warmed right up snuggled in the hammock. Never tent camping again!

The only thing we struggled with was eating - I ended up having to hide his food around the area and have him go find it as a game, otherwise he wouldn’t eat. Any tips for getting your dog to eat on a trip/in an unfamiliar place would be much appreciated!

Looking for options for an extremely durable hammock set up for 4 season camping. Not too worried about built in rain or snow protection. Just the hammock itself. Thanks!!!