OK, I want one. Help me get started please

**wahowad** · 03-02-2024, 22:05

I'd like recommendations for a full blown camping hammock setup. It will be used for kayak camping trips and occasional backpacking. I'm an experienced backpacker and car camper although I'm slowing down and only get away for a few trips a year. Some of the destinations can be a challenge to find a nice flat tent spot.

I have several Eno style hammocks frequently used in the yard or to hang out in around a campsite but I'm thinking those aren't the best style for true hammock camping? I will want an underquilt for early/late season trips and I think an integrated net to keep out mosquitos? And a tarp. I have an older hollofill 20 degree sleeping bag that is still in good shape and I'm assuming I would use this in the hammock? I also have a set of cheap hammock straps, they seem to be made of thickish strap material and would upgrade to new straps if they were thinner and lighter weight. I'd like an attic or side pocket of some sort to put my phone, pocket knife, flashlight, etc.

I don't know if I should be a shopping for a hammock setup package or piecing together individual components. Any recommendations appreciated!

**Crawldaddy** · 03-02-2024, 22:19

This is a great way to start........https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ials-For-Noobs

**wahowad** · 03-02-2024, 22:39

Thanks. I will watch those but I have to wonder if the models/materials/pricing/features are different given that post is 14 years old?

**FLTurtle** · 03-02-2024, 23:48

It's a journey...hammocks and gear are quite fiddly things. Anyone here can recommend what works for them, but sometimes it won't work for you. Take a look at some of Shug's canoe and kayak videos for info that might be more relevant to what you're looking for.

Hammock...start with an 11 ft with a bugnet. Symmetrical or asym, depends...I move around when I sleep so an asym doesn't work for me, the symmetrical lets me lie in either direction. Dutch, HG, Warbonnet, Dream Hammock, a few others that I'm forgetting. But that's if you want a gathered end...then there's the bridge hammocks...and the variations like the Amok Draumur.

Since all the hammocks we recommend have a ridgeline, just get a ridgeline organizer to stash your stuff. On the Dutchware hammocks, he has some extra options for a peak loft (behind your head)....pretty sure DH and HG have some options as well. WB has that shelf on the BB XLC. On my DW hammocks, I have the peak loft and stuff clothes or my topquilt up there when not in use.

Insulation...skip pads get an underquilt. Partial lengths are easier to set up, but temps under 50F I'd get the full length. I use a 40F HG Phoenix partial for a majority of my warm weather camping, otherwise its the full length 20F HG Incubator. HG, Warbonnet, UGQ, Loco Libre, poke around on the forums for other vendors. There's a whole bunch of options...material, fill power, zippered/sewn footboxes, a few more I'm forgetting.

Tarp...hex or doors. Minimum length? 11ft...some go 12ft. I got 'em all, hex, partial doors and full doors. I've been partial to Warbonnet...I got their Mamajamba hex, the Thunderfly with partial doors and a Superfly with full doors. If I know the weather gonna be bad, the SF. If you're kayaking, I would assume windy conditions so I would definitely use a tarp with full doors. General backpacking I'll go with the hex or the TF...depends on season, chance of rain and how much wind. Of course, you need to pick material...silnylon, silpoly, DCF. Then you got how to rig it...split or continuous ridgeline? For the tie outs...shock cord/no shock cord? Which cordage? What kinda stakes? My opinion: MSR Groundhogs.

Straps...there's a whole bunch of options. Simple? Get the ones with loops and a carabiner. Looking for more adjustable? Then buckle and strap systems or whoopie slings. For zero hardware? Search the forums for becket hitches.

My spring/summer/early fall loadout:
DW Chameleon, 11ft, symmetrical, ridgeline organizer and peak shelf.
DW 12ft spider/poly straps with DW Beetle Buckles
HG 40F Phoenix/Burrow
WB MJ or TF

For late fall/winter, I switch out the 40F quilts for the HG 20F Incubator/Burrow and switch the tarp to the WB Superfly.

**jakev383** · 03-02-2024, 23:49

It sounds like you're hunting around some, so I will say that it is a journey for most and there is not a one-size-fits-all setup. A "kit" with everything could be nice to get started, but I suspect you'll experiment and find some things you like better than other things.
I started with a 2nd hand Warbonnet Blackbird, and a Free Soldier tarp from Amazon. I used a sleeping bag initially, and then made my own underquilt from a Costco down throw blanket. I also got a topquilt/blanket from Sierra Madre - the Puffle in down.
I then moved to a Dutchware Chameleon hammock, and added a side car and peak shelf. I also made my own ridgeline organizer (I think it was made from materials in a sample or "grab bag" of stuff from Ripstop by the Roll). This is also when I moved to a Warbonnet Superfly tarp, and started messing with Zingit and some Dutchware titanium pieces to make setup easier. I experimented quite a bit with suspensions, trying whoopie slings, Atlas straps, Dutchware Beetle Buckle suspension, and eventually landing on straps from Myerstech and using Becket hitches. I also got a Simply Light Designs Trail Winder underquilt with the modular insulation. That was awesome since it was good for regular late spring/early fall weather and I could just snap in some extra insulation for colder weather as needed. I also ended up picking up a 2nd hand topquilt which had a few more features than the Puffle.
I then tried a Warbonnet Blackbird XLC since I really missed the shelf, and moved my ridgeline organizer and straps to it. After struggling with calf ridge for a while, I ended up back on the Warbonnet Blackbird with a Wookie underquilt (which is also awesome). I moved the same ridgeline organizer back, but otherwise and still using the same Superfly tarp and suspension system. I added a "summer" topquilt to my stash for nights when a 20* topquilt is too much, but not having one was not enough. This was a cheapie Amazon down one, and it's fine in the 60s to upper 70s. I forgo the topquilt if it's much warmer than that.
That's sort of a long example of how I have personally tried different things and found bits and pieces I like best for me. This will not be the same for everyone.
For mostly kayak or short back pack trips, your current straps are probably fine for now. I had found that I like a tarp with doors to mitigate wind, even in the spring and fall. A bugnet is a must for me - I'll never own another hammock without one. I even zip mine in the winter since I feel (probably placebo) that it holds a little warmth in, but I know some hate having to use a bugnet at all.
Read around the forums some - watch some videos and reviews, and pick a path for gear which you think you'll like based on your tastes and budget. You may hit the perfect setup for you right out of the gates, or you may be like me and experiment some until you find the various pieces you like best. That's my thoughts anyway!

**Phantom Grappler** · 03-03-2024, 05:22

And if you’ve got time, go to a local group hammock outing. These will be posted on Hammock Forums. You will see many different hammocks, tarps, suspensions and insulations.

Sometimes Facebook will have a local group of hammock campers and their future camps.

Good luck

Yates Place is this coming weekend, late notice
March 7 8 9 10

Wooley Swamp Farms in Snowhill NC is on Facebook. April 5 6 7.

**SoaknWet** · 03-03-2024, 06:29

RUN! While you still have money in the bank. There's no cure for the hammock illness! Run now!

**wahowad** · 03-03-2024, 08:27

I looked at topquilts pictures online. Why not just a sleeping bag? Is it because a standard sleeping bag is restrictive and most usually want more room to stretch out?

**Shug** · 03-03-2024, 08:47

Originally Posted by wahowad

I looked at topquilts pictures online. Why not just a sleeping bag? Is it because a standard sleeping bag is restrictive and most usually want more room to stretch out?

TQs weigh a bit less than sleeping bags. No zippers and less fabric. But you can use a sleeping bag in a hammock in TQ mode for ease or try to zip it up which can be a struggle.
Shug