I've got a camping trip scheduled for mid-october along the north shore. Thought I'd try hammock camping for a change. Never done it before. Not sure if I have the right gear for the weather. Here's what I've got: Eno doublenest, 20 degree mummy bag, 1" full length thermorest, and heavyweight long johns. This seems to be enough to keep me warm on crisp fall nights when in a tent. Just not sure if this will be adequate for sleeping in a hammock. Any advice?

Sounds good. My only concern would be the narrow width of your thermorest may leave your shoulders and sides chilly. May want to invest in a wider pad, ...or add "wings" of some type to the sides of your current thermorest.

What Mort said, and you could augment the pad with some extra clothes if you're not sleeping in your jacket or something. Plus wear a hat.

I'd add that a full coverage tarp that time of year might be a good idea.

Tarp will definitely be coming with. Is it best to pitch it high above the hammock or lower closer to the hammock?

Another question, how do you keep rain water from traveling down the straps and into the hammock?

I pitch my tarp high enough that the sides can come down to less than a foot off the ground. If its nice ill put one side up in porch mode. When the weather comes, it's pretty quick to button it up.

The carabiner on your eno should stop the water but if you want to stop it a little higher up, just to be safe, you can tie a piece of shoelace or other cord to the strap. That should stop any running water coming down your straps.

I should also add, if you haven't hammock camped before, definitely try it before you head out on your trip. At the least, you have an idea on what works and what doesn't.

The last one is easy. Use a drip string/loop/ring. Essentially, anything to break the flow of water down the suspension, attached CLOSE to the hammock body, will divert the water away. How do you know when it works?
Practice.
Pitch the tarp low in inclement weather. How low?
Practice.
Warm stocking cap will be a huge help, as will a wide(r) pad or adding wings. How wide?
Yup. Practice.

The only downside hammocks have for most folks (but it's one reason why I love them) is the "fiddle factor". You really want to dial it in before you go.

Thanks for all the advice. I hung up the hammock this afternoon and found that with no pad or insulation 60 degrees can get a little chilly on the backside. I went in the house and grabbed a synthetic fill rectangular sleeping bag and threw that in the hammock, then got in on top of the bag. Wow, that made a huge difference. Not only much warmer, but incredibly comfortable too.

Trial and error. Good job testing your hang and good luck trying not to sleep in it every night now.

Here's a link to Shug's "Hammock How-to" videos from HammockForums.net . Part II addresses under-quilts:
Shug's hammock how-to's

Wear a wool hat, polypro long johns,gloves and wool socks to sleep in. Also before bed boil some water and put it in a nalgene bottle to use as a hot water bottle wrapped up in a shirt. I like to set it under my knees and the bottle stays warn most of the night. Buy some cotton tennis shoe laces and drape them at the outer ends of you suspension straps to divert the rain. Tighten the tarp close to you and you might want to try to make doors out of the flaps to keep the wind out. I would also try to add some wings to the pad like hammocker said with some tape or something so you do not get CBS, "cold butt syndrome". It is no fun to be hanging at 4:30 AM and cold but with good planing you will be fine. I know people that hang in the coldest time of winter. Have fun.

This guys information is very good as well in all aspects of the hammock world. The Ultimate Hang.

Most of his book is located within the pages and in the archives. I had the book but loaned it to Rookie in 03. Sure hope that he got to use his hammock before he past.

All I can really tell you is to get out and practice different setups and make sure that your feet are a little higher than your head. Getting the angle of the setup is important in my Blackbird so that you don't pressure on the calves.

The under quilt was one of my best purchases. Many of the cottage industries have a Black Friday sale every year and that is how I got my under quilt one year, and then up graded to a top quilt last year.

I did the hot water bottle trick last May when I had a night that had rained all day and got down to the mid 20's that night. I put the bottle inside of a heavy wool sock. Worked good but it collapsed my bottle. Just filled it up with hot water again and it popped back out. I think that it is important to not only eat something before you go to bed when its cold but also drink something that is warm as well. Get the furnace inside of you a going. I always keep a stocking cap inside the hammock with me. I have been know to use it in July and August as well.

Don't know how much you have looked at the Hammock forums, but here is a very long list of DYI projects as well.

Ultimate DYI Hammock Stuff

You can find everything from poncho liners to patterns for making just about anything.

That hot water bottle can serve a second purpose later in the night, saves getting out in the cold.

quote bhouse46: "That hot water bottle can serve a second purpose later in the night, saves getting out in the cold. "

I always use a "pee bottle" on my trips. I have to hydrate a lot or risk ungodly headaches and it's just no fun getting out of the sack in the night.

quote KevinL: "This guys information is very good as well in all aspects of the hammock world. The Ultimate Hang.


Most of his book is located within the pages and in the archives. I had the book but loaned it to Rookie in 03. Sure hope that he got to use his hammock before he past.


All I can really tell you is to get out and practice different setups and make sure that your feet are a little higher than your head. Getting the angle of the setup is important in my Blackbird so that you don't pressure on the calves.


The under quilt was one of my best purchases. Many of the cottage industries have a Black Friday sale every year and that is how I got my under quilt one year, and then up graded to a top quilt last year.


I did the hot water bottle trick last May when I had a night that had rained all day and got down to the mid 20's that night. I put the bottle inside of a heavy wool sock. Worked good but it collapsed my bottle. Just filled it up with hot water again and it popped back out. I think that it is important to not only eat something before you go to bed when its cold but also drink something that is warm as well. Get the furnace inside of you a going. I always keep a stocking cap inside the hammock with me. I have been know to use it in July and August as well.


Don't know how much you have looked at the Hammock forums, but here is a very long list of DYI projects as well.


Ultimate DYI Hammock Stuff


You can find everything from poncho liners to patterns for making just about anything. "

That's a great list of DIY projects. Thanks for the info.

It's about mid-October and thought I would bump to see how practice has perfected your hang, Woodtick.
And to add another tip. Nylon stretches and keeping a good taut hammock can make a world of difference in your sleep. And getting up to tighten straps is a hassle, unless you are up anyway to pee.

quote bhouse46: "It's about mid-October and thought I would bump to see how practice has perfected your hang, Woodtick.
And to add another tip. Nylon stretches and keeping a good taut hammock can make a world of difference in your sleep. And getting up to tighten straps is a hassle, unless you are up anyway to pee. "

Thanks for checking in again. I actually leave for my trip this upcoming Saturday. Just a short overnighter, but still fun to get away.

In the rain this past weekend, I had the hammock and tarp both up. I left them up most of the day to see how well it would stay dry. I was pleasantly surprised. The hammock stayed bone dry. I have high hopes that I too will also stay dry!

I didn't notice a whole lot of stretching on my suspension system from all the rain, but that probably is because my entire suspension system consists of a long piece of one inch nylon webbing - the same webbing I use to tie down my canoe.

I'm really looking forward to the trip and feel pretty confident in the prep work I've done leading up to it. I'll post again after the trip to let you how it went. Thanks for yours and everyone else's advice.

Watch getting pine sap on your straps. Not such a problem with birch and cedar, but pine sap sucks. Your weight will stretch the nylon straps. Have a good trip and enjoy the colors.

Have a great trip and let us know how it goes ... with plenty of pics, please.

Got back from my first camping trip with the hammock. Went into Crosby Manitou State Park for a simple over-nighter. Got a nice site down by the river. I stayed plenty warm last night - actually sweating for much of the night. It did mist and drizzle a little. I noticed the wet nylon straps were stretching since I woke up in the middle of the night with my butt resting on the ground. So I raised the straps higher on the trees and got back into my hammock. I had some trouble falling asleep for the first half of the night. I think it was because this was a new experience for me. I'm so used to camping in a tent instead. Once I fell asleep, I did not want to get up. It was so comfortable. I'll definitely be doing it again. Next time, I'll be switching out my canoe straps for a real suspension system. The knots on the canoe straps get pretty tight when wet.

Looks like you had a great trip!

Look for polyester straps, at least 1" wide. They are easy to find and will not stretch anywhere near as much as nylon.

Oh, wow! A vicarious trip to the Boundary Waters.

Great pic's. Thanks.

More tips: If you have a detachable hood from a parka, it works great to sleep in. And maybe some earplugs for those windy noisy nights.

I should have brought ear plugs on my trip as the river was LOUD. I usually like falling asleep to the sound of the river, but there is a point for me where it gets distracting.

Woodtick - Now that some time has passed, are you still hammock camping?

You betcha. Was just out again last weekend. When I can drive up to my campsite, I like to spread out two large, rectangular sleeping bags inside the hammock and crawl in on top with my down mummy bag fully unzipped and used as a blanket. Very warm and cozy. It was down to 28 last weekend and I stayed very toasty, almost roasting until it cooled down enough outside.

I've been back to Crosby Manitou several more times since this was first posted. With the backpacking involved, I obviously have to cut back on gear and usually just grab an air mattress for insulation. It works fine. Maybe some day I'll break down and get an actual underquilt; but just can't justify the cost right now when there are more important things to spend the money on.

The only downside I see is that it's not a comfortable sleep for two. I still break out the tent when my wife and I head out camping together.

Thanks for asking by the way...

If you are careful you can get your wife hooked on hammocking, too!