4 Season Hammock System

[TheRambler]

To prevent the further hijacking of a thread on quilts i opted to start a seperate thread so we can discuss 4 season hammock use.

I have been a hammock covert for several years now and have really got my system dialed in. I have hundreds of nights with varying parts of this system so far. I have found it to be a dependable, and versatile shelter option year round. I have been as low as -26F with this setup.

My system:
Hammock: Warbonnet Blackbird 1.7 double layer weighs 32.5oz
Tarp: Warbonnet Superfly (132"x120") w/ doors and side pullouts weighs 19oz
Sock: Papasmurf momentum hammock sock(had this custom made) weighs 2.5oz
Top quilts: 0F Hammockgear Burrow and a 40F Hammockgear Burrow weighs 26oz/ 15oz
Underquilts: -10F full length Hammockgear incubator and a 3/4 length 20F incubator weighs 29oz/ 16.5oz
Ground cloth: piece of tyvek weighs like 2oz

I use varying parts of this system to allow me to use my hammock year round. When the temps start approaching below freezing consistantly i switch over to my winter quilts.

A brief description of all the items:
The hammock is a double layer hammock, so it basically has a sleeve where you can put a sleeping mat etc. I used a sleeping mat until i saved up enough for an underquilt. Both methods work, but i find the underquilts to be the more comfortable option.

The tarp is a large 4 season tarp with doors that allow me to completely seal it up in foul weather. I routinely set up the tarp in porch mode, which is where i elevate one side of the tarp with my trekking poles to make a covered porch. This is my typical setup even in most rain and snow conditions.

My hammock sock is essentially a tube of highly breathable and very water resistant fabric that i can pull over my hammock and quilts to add more warmth and to block wind, and rain. I almost always have my sock on my hammock(it stays in a small bag at the footend) and as long as any expected rain is not going to be more than light or if its just scattered showers i will not even put up my tarp. I takes me only a second or two to pull it over the hammock if i am laying inside. It also makes a huge difference in winter and during high winds. Essentially its a lightweight bivy over my hammock.

Quilts are fairly self explanitory, top quilt is my "sleeping bag" it snaps together to make a footbox and will snap and cinch around your shoulders, or you can leave it wide open like a blanket. Underquilt is basically my sleeping pad in a hammock. It provides insulation for my backside.

I always have my ground cloth but really only use it when its really kinda swampy , slushy, or muddy out. Just use it as a place to put my stuff , stand on etc. Just helps keep everything a little cleaner.

My total winter setup weighs in at 6.8lbs, summer setup is 5.4lbs. This is including everything, hammock,tarp,quilts,sock, tarp rigging cordage and stakes, hammock sock, and tyvek sheet. This would be comparable to ground dweller's tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad. My hammock system is far from being lightweight, but it is superbly comfortable. I sleep soundly through the night every night, and awake completely refreshed and feeling like a million bucks. A night and day difference from when i slept on the ground.

Ask away with any questions, and if your a hammock camper yourself post up your setups!

 

[RockChucker30]

Nice post Rambler. I've got a WBBB 1.1 DL and a TTT Switchback. I love hammocks in hot, wet, or buggy weather.

 

[unm1136]

Currently running a custom Papa Smurf Dangerbird. I use it with a 20 degree slumberjack bag (until I can afford a Jacks-r-better high sierra sniveler). Hammock gear phoenix 20 degree with 2 oz overstuff. I have used this rig in rain and snow, down to 19 degrees in my puffy layer, with no problems without a tarp, using only the overcover. Total weight as is is just under 7 pounds. Since I have very little control year after year over where I hunt I decided against a Superfly for a Kifaru Megatarp. Based on everything I have seen it will work just fine with a three oz weight penalty. I don't have two underquilts now, so when I take the daughter on her first hunt this year we will be on the ground. Plus it is a December deer hunt, so having her where I can reach out and check on her will be a plus. I will be adding the annex and a new stove as well for this trip. Total shelter weight is 1#10oz, not including stove. The Dangerbitd and Heneessy will work as bivies inside if need be, but since it will be december, I don't see a need for bivies. I would like to get a sierra sniveler and a hammock grar incubator for the daughter, but that is YEARS into the future.

pat

 

[Rizzy]

Nice post!
I struggle with keeping my feet warm. The underquilts look short, is there ever any issues with cold feet with the hammock system?

 

[colonel00]

I would love to see some pics of the various setups with different configurations of the tarp and the use of the sock as you describe.

 

[Higbean]

I really like the idea of a hammock but honestly I don't sleep all that well in mine until I've been out a few days. I'm a stomach/side sleeper and find my Hennessy super comfortable for hanging out all night in drifting in and out of a light sleep. By the third night I usually conk out and sleep great the rest of the trip.

The other part that sucks about hammocks is the huge learning curve. I don't want to have another hobby, I just want to sleep comfortably when I'm out there. Reading the hammock forum is helpful, but learning all the lingo and abbreviations would take 6 months

There is no weight savings and the expense is right up there with a Sawtooth. So why am I talking myself into trying another hammock? Because I sleep super good after the first few nights, the spots we set up camp lend themselves to hanging and I don't want to go back to the ground.

Gonna try a Warbonet Blackbird with a Superfly and if that doesn't fly I'm done w hammocks all together.

 

[WV Dan]

Rambler you sound like a regular visitor\user of Hammock forums. I also, have a couple Warbonnet products and Blackbird 1.1 double and a new to me Ridge Runner 1.1 double and a tarp. I belive hammocks to be the most comfortable outdoor shelter available. I don't have near the time in mine you have yet but thus far I really like the bridge style Ridge Runner.

Hammocks definately require some fiddling but once the system is dialed in I believe them to be the most versitile system as well. You only need trees. I'm aware that is not always an option when in the north\high country. But I'll cover some distance to get the best rest I can....2 cents

 

[TheRambler]

I will try and get some pics up for y'all, just bare with me as I am quite busy with work.

The full length underquilts cover your feet, however the 3/4 length ones do not. During the temps I use my 3/4 cold feet are rarely an issue. The top quilt footbox usually takes care of them. You can always put anything available under your feet, empty pack, spare clothes etc. I recommend full length underquilts for beginners.

There is a slight learning curve with hammocks, but it really is pretty simple to get it down pat. Trees 10-16ft apart, straps at a 30 deg angle, footend slightly higher than head end, hung at chair height. done.

 

[unm1136]

Nice post!
I struggle with keeping my feet warm. The underquilts look short, is there ever any issues with cold feet with the hammock system?

I keep a pair of super thick wool socks in my stuff sack. Combined with the beanie I have had no issues using a 3/4 length underquilt below freezing. My current setup is rated to about 20 degrees. I prefer to stay above 26 or so in it. A good top quilt will get me into the lower teens, but I want to stay a bit above the limits.

The weight savings is not great for late november hunts, and the cost is high. Most of the stuff can be adapted to sleeping on the ground. I also carry a set of hot hands hand warmers for each night I will be out, just in case. The times that my quilt has gotten damp or wet from misty fog, or from rain, the hot hands have dried it out in just a couple of hours. Getting up to piss in the middle of the night, particularly when it is cold out, is a real pain, so the flask stays in the pack most nights. I consider my hammock a three season setup, that can be pressed into four, and I also need a couple of nights to get used to sleeping in it for the best night's sleep, but so far the worst nights hammocking have been no worse than an average night on the ground. The best nights hanging are the best ever. The hammock shines when it is rainy and wet and you don't want to be on the ground, particularly in a floorless shelter.

pat

 

[TheRambler]

When I first started using my hammock , the first few trips I took I had the same issue falling asleep. I would just lay there for quite some time and had real difficulty falling asleep. After a few nights in the hammock though over the course of like 2 trips I finally overcame it. Now I can asleep as soon as I lay down and close my eyes.

I am a side/stomach sleeper at home, but sleep on my back in te hammock. I have slept on my side, it works, just. not as comfy as being on my back.

 

[TheRambler]

When my system made it through a surprise blizzard that dumped like 3 feet of snow on us I was sold. I had to wake up once During the night to slap the tarp and knock the snow off. Other than that she did fine.

My big issue I had to overcome in the winter was the super cold strong winds. They would just steal the heat right out of my underquilt. Tarp only helped so much, so I got the hammock sock and never looked back . I liked it so much I keep it with me year round now, I think it's a super versatile piece of kit.

 

[unm1136]

When my system made it through a surprise blizzard that dumped like 3 feet of snow on us I was sold. I had to wake up once During the night to slap the tarp and knock the snow off. Other than that she did fine.

My big issue I had to overcome in the winter was the super cold strong winds. They would just steal the heat right out of my underquilt. Tarp only helped so much, so I got the hammock sock and never looked back . I liked it so much I keep it with me year round now, I think it's a super versatile piece of kit.

Since my Papa Smurf hammock has a built in overcover, I dropped like $35.00 for one of 2QZQ's underquilt protecotor. It is much heavier than their website indicates, but works well. A couple of times I got CBS from having my UQP too tight, compressing my UQ.

pat

 

[kyle1112]

tagging

 

[fillthefreezer]

maybe its just me, but this your system seems really heavy

 

[unm1136]

Yeah, I think so too. I will be shaving just over two pounds off of it with some other selections in the next couple of years. I could shave off some more weight, but I need a flexible system, and there is a weight penalty of several oz for for doing that...But even at seven pounds the weight is worth it, the quality of sleep that I get is fantastic.

pat

 

[TheRambler]

Hammock systems are definitely not always the lightest, though they can be. During the true summer months they can get far lighter than a tent setup, but as the cold weather rolls in the weight adds up quick with the extra items. You can also save some weight by using a smaller tarp and a single layer hammock.

For me, the comfort of the system and the protection if affords me from any and all weather conditions is worth it.

Though when you really start crunching the numbers, hammock systems usually arnt too far off a comparable ground set up. For example, for a compareable tent system you need to add the weight of the tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag. For most people that weight will be at least 6lbs, and thats with some really top of the line gear. Most people average 3-4lbs for a tent or more, around 3/4-1lbs for a pad, and 2-4lbs for a sleeping bag depending on the rating and quality.

You cant really compare a tarp setup for weight purposes, because its not an equal comparison, a more equal comparison would be a tarp and bivy setup. Essentially a hammock is just an elevated bivy.

 

[Higbean]

Hey Rambler. Where do you keep your rifle and pack in stormy weather? I just ordered a BIAS WW and a Superfly tarp for this years hunts. I'm anticipating a wet fall, so trying to stay ahead of the game.

 

[TheRambler]

Whether i am rifle or archery hunting i just keep them in my pack under my tarp, hanging from the hammock suspension at the footend. As long as you dont set up over an area where water will flow, they would be fine on the ground too. But I have found hanging from the footend works for me.