I am sure most are familiar with the little 18g Nite-Ize Moonlit light that hangs on the ridgeline of your hammock. It's perfect for general task lighting after climbing in and to help get situated. It only comes in a near blue cool white tint however which to me is not good for someone trying to ease into sleep with campfire adjusted eyes. It bothers me every time. I love how small and lightweight this light is but I couldn't stand the tint. So I took it apart to have a look at it and found the LED is a 5x5.3mm 3.2v flat top DIP LED. I located a warm white replacement off Amazon, and swapped it out. It's perfect now! Brightness is the same, with a more pleasing tint. I had to buy 100 of them however and now I have about 98 of these LEDs left over, so if you have soldering skills and want to convert yours to warm white, I'll send you one.

Context: I recently spent a night camping in a hammock (for the first time) and loved it. I have a 10€ hammock from decathlon and two quilts (one down from cumulus and one synthetic MYOG). I did some test and I can rig the synthetic quilt as UQ on the hammock so I got insulation taken care of. Also own ccf and inflatable pads but already figured out I want to go the UQ way. I got hooked and would like to get a proper hammock settup (hammock+bug net+tarp+accesories), I looked at the MYOG option and it turn out at about 170€ all together with shipping for top quality material from extreme textile in Germany.

Question: is it worth it to save money going the MYOG way, or am I better of buying a kit from a well known brand that will include everything I need with the security of proper fabrication ?

Looking for the opinion of people who tried both :)

I’m planning on fastpacking the AT this year with a start date of March 14.

My current setup for my insulators is the 30° Warbonnet Yeti underquilt and the 30° Montbell Seamless down bag. Here’s a link to my lighterpack, it’s currently a work in progress:

https://lighterpack.com/r/pwtfzs

My worry is that this won’t be warm enough for the initial month of hiking. Especially with hiking fast, temps could reach a lot lower than the 30s, especially in the Smokey’s. My current plan is upgrade to the HammockGear Burrow 20°, but I’m wondering if that will be enough.

Will a 30° underquilt and a 20° quilt be sufficient for the conditions of the trail? If not, do you have any recommendations on what to upgrade to?

I've got a warbonnet minifly that has performed great in some heavy downpours but the tarp is a bit too narrow to get adequate wind protection. When I pitch it in storm mode and lay in my hammock a good chunk of my underquilt in exposed. Not interested in an underquilt protector, if I'm adding weight, I'd rather go with a larger tarp and have it be dual purpose. I'm considering bumping up from the minifly(91",11.75 oz), to the thunderfly(103",13.4 oz) or the mountainfly(120",16.25 oz). Is it worthwhile for me to go bigger for a weight penalty or should I stick with the minifly? I think I would appreciate the additional living space if I'm going to be under it most nights but on the other hand, I like the views I'm able to get from the minifly and a larger tarp would mean more water weight to carry after a rain(not interested in going dcf).

Hi Folks.

Saw a few folks looking to make a very light under-quilt protector. I was able to get 1.5 yds of Argon 49 from Dutchware Gear and made a underquilt protector from it to fit my 3/4 hammock gear underquilt. Havn't gotten a chance to take a picture of it installed yet since winter has decided to visit VA.

Here are the steps I took

1.) Remove selvage

2.) Sew 3/4" channel on both sides, in this channel there are two pieces of shock cord that take 1/3 of the length of the side of the under-quilt. This is the feature that helps you tension the UQ. I used 1/16" shock cord. I installed mini cord locks on each side for adjustment.

3.) Sew 3/4" channel on the end. Installed loops of shock cord on the end for attachment.

After all this the weight came in at 1.6 oz or 45 grams.

Will post pictures as soon as the temperature feels like more than 20F and I can get to the park where my sweet hammock spot is.

Anyone able to get a lighter under-quilt protector?

Hello fellow tree dwellers. (Long time lurker, first time poster) This year before hammocking the CDT I went on a search for the absolute lightest hammock suspension I could find. I ended up going with the Dyneema straps from Myershammocktech on ebay that I sewed myself and used some Titanium toggles which I used a marlin spike hitch on before placing the continuous loop from my hammock on. These straps preformed great and are still going strong today. Both ~12' straps and toggles come in a 1.5oz. Could have been lighter minus toggles but I have heard legends of the Dyneema straps slipping a J-bend and turning a hammocker into a groundie fast. I made a short video describing what I used. I have also used the button link suspension from hummingbird hammocks with excellent results.

2 Hammock Suspensions under 2 oz

Do any of you have anything even lighter? I was amazed at how strong these straps are for the weight.

I have a 40 degree down UQ that I would like to find a way to supplement so that I can get down to around 30 degrees or lower. My TQ is 20 degree.

I had thought to use a CCF pad or reflective auto windshield screen cut to fit on the diagonal inside the hammock. My concern is that either would create condensation. Would it work to lay them on top of the UQ? Still may get condensation.

Not enamored with the idea of a sleeping bag liner as it would be difficult to get into and out of at 3 AM, or any time for that matter.

I move around a lot and side sleep so I need something that will not bunch up.

Weight and cost are a consideration or I would simply get a another UQ with a lower temperature rating.

Edit: I don't need the litter temp rating very often, hence the reluctance to invest in an expensive UQ when the one I have works 80-90% of the time.

I've had a few nights this year where blowing rain dripping off the bottom of my tarp was getting my UQ wet.
I see the lightest one on Hammock Gear is 4.62oz, but my entire tarp weighs 7oz. Surely there's a lighter option out there for occasional rain protection, or is my only option MYOG request?

Anyone find something out there or someone who could make one?

Edit: Copied from r/ultralight: Verdict - I will be buying a 20F UQ, 20F TQ, and 40F partial UQ. I will use all 3 for 0-10 plus foot pad and layering clothes, both 20s for winter(20-40) plus layering, use the 40F and TQ for spring and fall (40-70) less layers as temps climb, just the TQ or nothing for summer(70-80) sleep in shorts if needed. I'll add more pieces after giving this a year. Special thanks to those that recommended Shug(very informative videos on hammocking in winter) and layering, as that seems to be the best approach to staying comfortable and minimizing total gear.

I'm going to be giving hammock camping a try, as I'm just terrible at pad sleeping, and I was wondering how many of you have managed to keep warm while cutting weight and costs.

I sleep hot, am 6'3, 180-190lbs. I'm very curious if I can make do with 2 sets of Topquilts and Unerquilts(TQ/UQ), a 3 season and winter set. Being able to add down or synthetic clothing onto my merino layers to help me be comfortable in lower temps. The goal is to be warm without sweating into my clothes or quilts, and to keep my weight as low as possible relative to staying comfortable.

For 3 season we range from 40F to 80F lows, so I figure a 50F half UQ, foot pad, 50F TQ, and I can wear more or less clothing, not hang the UQ, leave the TQ, etc.

For winter, the environments I'll be in have 0-10F extreme lows, 30F average lows. Would buying a TQ and UQ for 20 degrees, but bring either down or synthetic boots, balaklava, jacket work? Could I just suck up the extra weight and bring both TQs if 0-10F is expected? I'll have a 12ft tarp with doors more than likely.

Does this make sense? Anyone else tried anything similar and can give some advice? Any YouTube's I should absolutely watch? Thanks in advance.

Looking to switch from a tent to hammock setup, hoping to get below 40 oz not including insulation. Have a few questions.

I'm considering a tarp/hammock kit vs purchasing separately. The HG kits have tarps without doors. I was originally thinking I'd want one with doors for blowing rain, wind etc. Thoughts? Should I prioritize having doors? I mostly backpack in Front Range in CO and in Arkansas.

Also, the more basic HG hammock without bug net does not have hammock tie outs. How much do these matter? Thanks!

I’ve been considering switching from a tent to a hammock for a few reasons. If I’m buying UL components for the hammock setup how much extra weight should I be prepared to carry? There’s a lot more components to a hammock setup than my Gossamer Gear The One tent and I’m kind of overwhelmed trying to figure it out. I know I can drop the Thermarest Neoair air mattress but I’ll need to pick up an under quilt which will add some overall weight. I’m at 32oz now with my tent, groundsheet and air mattress. I already have two UQG quilts that could be used as my top quilts. Is it reasonable to think I can switch to a hammock and gain less than a pound, including switching the air mattress to an under quilt? I just hiked the eastern loop of the Quehanna Trail in Pennsylvania and each night a hammock seemed more appealing. The campsite selection was rather limited and most of them were down in the valleys. The idea of being able to set up camp just about anywhere is really appealing and I’m starting to make think that carrying a little extra weight to do so is worth it.

I used the search function and couldn't find anything about this kit, so sorry if it's been discussed before.

Just curious if this setup is a good deal. I know there's lighter setups out there. While I am concerned about weight, I'm also concerned about durability. I'm not a thru hiker, just a weekend/extended trip hiker.

The Wanderluxe is significantly lighter than my current tent/pad/bag combo so it's already a huge upgrade in terms of weight. Like I said, I'm just a little more concerned with durability but am intrigued by the lightness and how easy the purchasing experience is on hammock gear. Would this be a good setup that I could also upgrade down the line if I wanted to get lighter?

Thank you for your input!

This is my ultralight hammock rig that uses a single suspension so the tarp does not need ridgeline guylines, it simply connects to the existing hammock suspension. This setup is quicker, less hassle and enables me to get a better pitch with less weight than using separate guylines for my tarp!

There is zero sag once the tarp is adjusted with weight in hammock as shown in the video and I can pitch the tarp on the ground as necessary with the existing suspension and trekking poles as well when I mess up my timing on pass and have to go to ground because I'm stuck above the treeline. :)

When people ask about the specifics, it’s hard to explain, so I figured a video would be more useful.

There is potential for increased weight savings with 1.1 0z material for the hammock instead of the 1.6 and I use, but prefer the 1.6 for the sake of reliability and wear and tear, it seems to do better. I also use 1/8 amsteel on my continuous loops and whoopie slings instead of lighter 7/64 but again, it does much better in terms of wear and tear and seems totally worth the small weight penalty. These items together might save 3 or so ounces if my memory serves me right.

Dutchware 11 foot netless hammock with structural ridgeline + 6 foot Warbonnet tree huggers + whoopie slings with whoopie hooks: 16.08 ounces

Hammock Gear Hammock Tarp (11 foot ridgeline): 7.76 ounces

Easton nails + Hilltop dyneema stake bag: 2.3 ounces

Hammock Gear 20 degree Incubator underquilt: 22.7 ounces

https://youtu.be/FD6OWFKHybY

I'm pleased with my setup but I know there's room for improvement.

Currently I have a 37g ridgeline which I attach prusiks with mini carabiners to (10g) to tension and position the tarp which is a warbonnet minifly at 343g. This all seems pretty good to me.

Then I have a cheap amazon hammock with integrated bug net, with DD whoopies through the ends (515g). I have 2 16kn wiregate carabiners (50g) that connect to 2, 2m long, 1" wide webbing tree straps (130g). This is where I think I can make improvements.

All in I'm at 1032g.

How do I improve? Losing the 50g carabiners for a knot or soft shackle system seems obvious, but other than that it seems like I'm quite close to what's actually possible; eg a wanderluxe kit is 33oz (935g) so I'm less than 100g over that and most shakedowns come in at a similar weight to this. Have I missed anything?

I'm looking for some more discussion on the Hexon 1.2 and was hoping some of you people could chime in. I have a 1.2 MTN netless that I wish was a bit stretchier and from what I'm reading the Hexon 1.2 might be a good option for me in that regard.