Of Whoopie Slings and Tarp Worms..Hammock Camping Discussion

Haggis

Adventurist
Senior Staff
Founding Member
Well I got one. One of those butt freezing, bear burrito, back buster hipster slings. After one hiking trip where the ground was so strewn with rocks that it was nigh on impossible to find a tent pitch, having buddies extol the grandeur of hammock camping and watching too many hiking YouTube videos I bought a damn hammock...

But the wise words of @TangoBlue still echoed in my head, so I approached it warily.

So far with just a meager five nights in the thing it's been pretty good. Comfortable, easy set up and some good night sleep. So as one just getting into this latest rabbit hole I thought I'd start a thread for the hammock hangers here to share tips ideas and set-ups.

My set-up so far consists of a Warbonnet Eldorado hammock, 1.8 mil double layered. I'm utilizing the cam buckle slings and a pair of Ultimate Hammock carabiners. Super easy to hang and adjust. On the hammock loop I have a rain drop cord at each end.

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After spending a couple nights without a place to put stuff (phone, knife and what not) I ordered a ridge line organizer from Hammock Gear. Multiple pockets on each side with a center opening for a water bottle or any other carried item. Works well, attaches with Velcro loops and can easily be slid back and forth along the ridge line.
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For the first two nights I just used a sleeping pad. I was comfortable but you have to adjust the pad every time you flop. I flop a lot. So a search for an underquilt began. Damn these things get pricey and not knowing if I was going to stick this hammock thing out I wasn't wanting to drop almost $300 on one. A friend recommended a budget friendly one on Amazon that he really liked so I thought I'd give it a go. I bought a Onetigris under blanket (it's wider and a bit longer than their quilt) for under $70. Weighs in at 2 lbs, ripstop material with synthetic down and rated to 40* so it's a three season quilt. Using it for two nights where the temps dropped into the mid 40s I was toasty warm. I used my old Slumberjack sleeping bag as a top quilt and ended up kicking it half way off through the night. The extra width works well with the asymmetrical lay and head/foot box of the Warbonnet as the sides rest above my shoulders when I'm reclined in the hammock. Best brand, hell no, but it does the job well enough.
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For rainfly I went with the Warbonnet Thunderfly. Olive in color and the 20D material. I like that you can either open or close up the ends for a little more rain and wind protection.

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I find that I prefer a continuous ridge line for this over just guying out the ends. For that I utilize a carabiner that loops around tree and than I just use the obligatory truckers hitch for the other side. Simple and quick.

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So far it's been pretty sweet in the hammock. Michelle has yet to try it but she's leaning that way too. Time will tell. So share your set-ups so we can borrow from each other's experiences with these damnable things.
 
Great thread idea. I used a hammock the entire time at Mountain Rendezvous and loved it. I honestly slept better than in my bed at home.

I use an Eagles Nest Outfitters (ENO) Doublenest with their ENO Atlas straps and ENO Ember 2 underquilt. Add my Nemo Forte 20 degree bag and it’s perfect for my needs so far. I don’t have a bug screen or a rain tarp yet, here it is at Mountain Rendezvous 2018.

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Nothing beats laying in a hammock watching and listening as the birds and other critters go about their business while the wind rustles through the trees.

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As a recent convert to the suspension life I too am amazed at the level of comfort to be had. Have not suffered from CBS yet but I'm interested in everyones solutions. ENO Double Nest is my base, tried their Atlas suspension system but went to Dutch Ware titanium clips as a space/weight consideration. I was leery of the whoopie strings initially but suspect I will try them soon. Plenty of YouTube to teach or confuse as one can imagine. Angle of hang and height off the ground can help or hurt. Primary and really only drawback to this type of sleep is finding points to secure to, no trees in desert and not everyone has a spare tire carrier to hang on. Big plus is just how small this all packs down to, basically grapefruit size. I carry one in the truck all the time. Go hang out!!
 
OP's pictures show one of my biggest issues with hammocks- mosquitoes (the picture looks like it's set up next to stagnant water). Here in the Southeast you need a mosquito net most of the year if you expect to get any sleep and wake up without bites all over any exposed parts.

That said, I've got an ENO Doublenest hammock, Dryfly tarp and their slap straps. I've got a military surplus mosquito net that I drape over a ridge line for the hammock, over the back of the truck when sleeping in it, etc. I don't carry the hammock backpacking so weight isn't really an issue and I use a wool blanket under it if the weather warrants. It always stays in the back of the truck and it's nice to be able to string up for those impromptu moments; yet another reason to have a bumper with hoops like an ARB. :D

Back when I was in the Boy Scouts in the '80s we used to backpack with those nylon camper's hammocks and a narrowed closed cell foam pad. Cutter's insect repellent and a piece of mosquito netting to drape over your ridgleline to help keep the mosquito's at bay.
 
I used hennessy explorer deluxe for the solar rendezvous. Mosquito net is part of the hammock. Couldn't have camped w/o it.

Hex rainfly, nite ize 500lb cam carabiner for the support ropes, webbing straps, snake skins, water collection funnels, everything fits in a 10L Kriega drypack and sat on top of the tank. Light sleeping bag is in a compression sack and fits in the pannier.
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How the snake skins work. You can use the snake skins on the hammock too.

This is how the asym works to make it easier to lay flatter by laying at a diagonal.
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I've got a Grand Trunk Skeeter Beeter Pro.

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Built in mesh keeps the bugs out and when you don't need it you just flip the hammock over and use the reverse side. No need to take it down or mess with packing up additional material. Couple of 1000lb tree straps and a thin rip stop silicone coated tarp round things out.

I tried the under quilt business and found packing the extra bulk annoying. The hammock setup is my go to for motorcycle camping and hiking so space is limited. Instead I use a sheet of foil coated insulation material (think foil windshield sunscreen material) placed in the bottom of the hammock. This traps body heat, reflects it back at me and prevents the heat loss normally associated with hammocks. Plus it rolls up small and gets strapped to the bike or top of my pack.

For a bag I use one of my surplus military sleep systems. With the modular sleep system design I can pack only what bag components I need. Using the complete system I've hung comfortably all night in the hammock all the way down to 16°F while sleet pelted my tarp. I was actually warm and had to vent the sleep system that particular evening. Deicing the motorcycle the next morning was an adventure in itself.
 
Five days, four nights hanging from a couple of North Carolina cedar trees and it all worked well.

I arrived mid morning on Wednesday and got to clearing brush from the new ARV site. Once done I got to setting up my luxury camp accommodations...
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...Warbonnet Eldorado, Warbonnet Thunderfly, and a OneTigris 40* underquilt. I also brought along one of Michelle's yoga pads for additional insulation as it has an anti-slip backing. For top cover I had a Marmot -15* bag unzipped as a top quilt and a fleece bag liner just in case.

As the wind was whipping and the weather was looking cold and wet the next few days I strung up my old Kelty tarp over the hammock setup in a leanto position. This would block the forthcoming wind and rain and give me a porch to cook and relax under.

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Wednesday night temps dropped down to
32* and I stayed toasty warm and slept comfortably. I kicked of the Marmot and spent part of the night in just the fleece until the morning chill kicked in. So I'm now comfortable taking this down to the freezing point. The rest of the days rest was the same...comfy and warm.

To transport it all I have a large ammo type case that hammock, tarp, underquilt, stakes and cordage fit in nicely. Also a good place for stickers...
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I really like that underquilt. but I just looked it up.. I wouldn't pay 299.95 for it. I got it a couple years ago on sale somewhere for 50 bucks.. didn't realize the deal I got until just now.. wow.
 
Michelle tried out my Warbonnet and got the hammock bug. To keep myself from sleeping on the ground I went out and purchased her a Dutchware Chameleon asym hammock in her favorite color...adventure blue.
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Paired up a Chill Gorilla hex tarp and another OneTigris underquilt to complete her hang. She’ pretty happy with it and the hammocks have become our one night go to shelters whether truck or backpack based.
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Great thread idea. I used a hammock the entire time at Mountain Rendezvous and loved it. I honestly slept better than in my bed at home.

I use an Eagles Nest Outfitters (ENO) Doublenest with their ENO Atlas straps and ENO Ember 2 underquilt. Add my Nemo Forte 20 degree bag and it’s perfect for my needs so far. I don’t have a bug screen or a rain tarp yet, here it is at Mountain Rendezvous 2018.

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Nothing beats laying in a hammock watching and listening as the birds and other critters go about their business while the wind rustles through the trees.

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Did you for get the coyote?
 
Dang my head hurts... I have been researching hammocks, since Ann wound up longing in Joe's during a recent campout at the compound... Seems so complicated. I like the concept of some that have the ability to sleep flatter and or on your side, but dang this can all get so expensive. Besides rehashing the info already on this thread any suggestions/thoughts?
 
Dang my head hurts... I have been researching hammocks, since Ann wound up longing in Joe's during a recent campout at the compound... Seems so complicated. I like the concept of some that have the ability to sleep flatter and or on your side, but dang this can all get so expensive. Besides rehashing the info already on this thread any suggestions/thoughts?

ENO hammocks. Start there ;)

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