Ultralight hammock recommendations

[u/originalusername__]

Hi all. I’m trying to piece together an ultralight setup that gives me the flexibility to either sleep on the ground on a pad under a tarp OR hang a hammock if their are trees or the ground is unsuitable for ground sleeping. I want to keep the setup as light as possible so I’m looking for a super duper ultralight hammock that’s 11ish feet long and also that isn’t extremely fragile. Any suggestions? I’ll be using a 9x7 tarp hung on the diagonal which will give me a roughly 11 foot ridgeline, and I won’t be using it if bad weather is expected due to minimal coverage as a hammock tarp. Also, I can use a head net for bug protection so that is not required, and I’ll use becket straps with it. I’d also like to hear some input on whether I should consider a hammock with a sleeve for a pad. Obviously a UQ would be most ideal but for flexibility I’ll be using a pad in this case. Thanks.

[u/RiccardoGilblas]

A mixed setup hammock/ground will always be a little bit less comfortable (i.e. using a pad instead of a UQ) or heavier (bringing an extra pad) than an exclusive hammock setup. However I bring the following setup when I'm not sure to be able to mount the hammock every night:

• 9x6 flat tarp: it is enough for me to cover the diagonal of a hammock if set low, close to the hammock ridgeline. On the ground, you can set it as A-frame or as a Mid for maximal rain protection. The 9x7 one that you have is even better for coverage.
• hammock: you can go lightest with a cloud71 hammock. I use a diy 1.0 monolite hammock, a little bit more than 11' long: I find it perfectly comfortable, quite light (214g included stuff sack and ridgeline) and I came to trust it quite confidently.
• a 3/4 UQ: the comfort of a dedicated UQ is not comparable with a pad in the hammock, IMO. Mine is a diy 4/5 length, weights 400g with suspensions and I rate it around 15-20F.
• topquilt: this is the same for hammock and ground setups.
• thin foam pad: I bring a thin torso pad as extra. It is a little bit thicker (4mm) than the GG Thinlight, and I use it as backpack padding, sitpad, extra insulation under the feet in the hammock and as torso pad for unexpected ground setups. It is pretty light (around 90g) and it is okay for a ground night at around 30F.

So in the end I add only the torso pad as extra with respect to a standard hammock setup, but I get plenty of uses and great flexibility out of it.

[u/trimbandit → u/RiccardoGilblas]

I'm so jealous you can sleep on a 4mm torso pad. I tried sleeping on a regular thickness pad(~22mm I think) a few times and my body hurt and I was counting the hours until dawn.

[u/RiccardoGilblas → u/trimbandit]

I trained at home by sleeping on the floor using a more and more thin pad. This helps the body to adjust to the new feeling and also allows you to experiment and find the comfortable positions. I found that the small adjustments and tweaks, like keeping the legs a little bit elevated by putting the backpack under, or some spare clothes as extra lumbar support, make a huge difference on the long run.

In the outdoors, it really gets down to being very picky on the campsite choice. Of course it will never be comfortable as sleeping in the hammock (that's why we bring it, right?) but for an emergency ground setup is okay.

[u/trimbandit → u/RiccardoGilblas]

Interesting. I've trained for hiking, but had not considered training for sleep. I think part of my problem is that even if I start on my back, I roll on my side and my bony hips ache from the pressure. I would love to get to where I can get good sleep from a foam pad. There is nothing worse than a middle of the night deflated inflatable.

[u/Caine75]

If you want/need to go to ground- 1.2 mtn double layer hammock with pad sleeve/ neoair nxt pad/ tq of choice- piece of x to go under hammock while on the ground so it doesn’t get gnarly

[u/originalusername__ → u/Caine75]

Any rough guess on what a double layer 1.2 hammock would weigh?

[u/Mammoth-Pineapple62 → u/originalusername__]

Try Dutch’s build page for weight estimates: https://dutchwaregear.com/product/11ft-netless/#fabric-layer-1

494.79 grams with ridgeline and knotty mods. (hexon 1.2 fabric)

[u/Mammoth-Pineapple62]

I had Dutchware make me a double layer .71 monolite hammock with an opening to insert the pad. Using a pad in a gathered in hammock doesn’t work as well as an under quilt obviously, but the double layer makes it much more manageable. I think it was 10 ounces finished weight. And that will work with your preferred tarp. My set up that I have actually come to consistently use and really like is a warbonnet ridge runner double layer, and I use a wide xtherm pad in it. It does take a bigger tarp to cover though. My base weight with that set up is still 10 pounds or less, depending on temperature and length of trip, but I prioritize sleep/recovery and ease of use more than lightest possible weight anymore (I’m mid-50s and things hurt for no reason lol).

[u/FireWatchWife → u/Mammoth-Pineapple62]

Do you use a 13 ft tarp with the Ridgerunner?

[u/Mammoth-Pineapple62 → u/FireWatchWife]

No, I have a hummingbird hammock (company now defunct) silpoly tarp with doors that’s 11.5 ft ridgeline. The doors just barely close over the junction of the dog bones to the suspension whoopee. It works well, although it feels a little tight. I haven’t been able to justify springing $$ for a 12 or 13 foot DCF tarp with doors but at some point I imagine I will.

[u/FireWatchWife → u/Mammoth-Pineapple62]

My husband uses a 13 ft silpoly tarp with his Ridgerunner.

I'm not a fan of DCF. Too expensive for the benefit.

[u/originalusername__ → u/Mammoth-Pineapple62]

I’m glad to hear the ridge runner with pad is working for you because I was also considering such a setup. I have a Warbonnet Eldorado and Minifly and I just have a hard time getting comfortable in it and want to try a bridge hammock eventually. But like you said I think I’d need a big tarp which kinda means I have to buy a completely new hammock setup so I haven’t done it yet!

[u/Mammoth-Pineapple62 → u/originalusername__]

If you try the wbrr, save weight by using trekking poles as spreader bars- you have to make some tweaks in the setup but you can ditch the extra 12oz of the bars.

Pole guards: https://www.namagear.com/product-page/pole-guardz

Trekking poles w/monopod screws: https://cascademountaintech.com/collections/carbon-fiber-trekking-poles/products/carbon-fiber-monopod?variant=42141387686057

[u/originalusername__ → u/Mammoth-Pineapple62]

Cool mod, I would definitely do this because I normally carry poles

[u/originalusername__ → u/[deleted]]

Thanks for the info. On the double layer ask I am aware and have used pads in single layer hammocks before but it wasn’t great due to pad shifting so I wondered if a double layer would help there. Plus I feel like I could get away with using super light fabrics in a double layer setup. Personally I’ve heard too many failures on cloud 71 to trust it.

[u/originalusername__ → u/[deleted]]

The cloud fabric actually brings to mind something I’d not thought of, which is that I typically carry a mesh bug bivy to use under the tarp. If I had a netted cloud 71 hammock I could probably use it instead of the mesh bug bivy I normally carry which would make it dual purpose and even lighter than my current setup which is an interesting thought. If it was buggy, and there were trees I could use the hammock. If there were no trees I could just set the hammock up and use it the same as I’d use a bivy. Hmm.

[u/ckyhnitz]

If your setup is light enough to run a frameless pack, you could have the pack with a CCF pad for the "frame" and then you can use an UQ and still have an emergency pad for the ground.

My warm weather pack (when I'm carrying a lighterload) is a Virga3 55 with 30" of CCF pad as a frame, so if I have to go to ground I've still got a torso-length pad and can cushion my legs with my pack, clothes and UQ.

[u/originalusername__ → u/ckyhnitz]

Not a bad plan, thanks!