Archery Elk Sleep System - Hammock

[MinnesotaAA]

Anyone hunt strictly with a hammock backpack hunting instead of a tent? I am trying to dial in my sleep system and was thinking about using a hammock rather than a tent. I use a hammock with a bug net and tarp in the BWCA so am comfortable sleeping in one. This would save help save weight/room in my pack. Wanted to know if others have tried a hammock and what went well/not so well with them.

 

[WildWill]

I run a Enos eagles nest as long as there are trees to string it from. If you can get a comfortable night's sleep in one they're great some guys can others just can't. Here's a few tips I've learned along the way that might help the hammock learning curve. 1st I highly recommend getting the daisy chain type straps that that attach to the tree then clip in to the hammock. They make setup easier by eliminating knots and making it easier to get the hammock to the proper height and tension. But there main benefit is broadening the area you can setup by extending the reach. You wouldn't think it would be hard to find two trees the right distance apart in the woods but they can be pretty rare especially in good campsites in areas. I have the Eno Atlas straps and they are light and work double duty to hang quarters if successful. 2nd Get a actual tarp made for a hammock. A standard lightweight tarp will work well for a light to moderate rain but in a real storm or steady downpour they don't hold up well. I have a Eno housefly rain tarp and it's great a bit heavier then the tarp but the ability to change standing up and have the extra room to hang my pack and weapon make up for the extra weight especially in a downpour. 3rd Hammocks sleep cold be prepared! If you're a hot sleeper like me not as big a problem but someone who's naturally cold natured would struggle below 50 degrees. When picking a sleeping bag or quilt(I prefer quilt as sleeping bags are a hassle to get in and out of in a hammock) go 20-40 degrees lower then you plan on being out in. If I'm going to be out in below 40 degrees especially with any amount of wind I use a under quilt on the hammock ( I use a Enlightend Equipment). I've comfortably slept down to 15 degrees with the combo of my quilt and under quilt.

 

[Rie Bread]

Iv heard them referred to as bear tacos. I sleep in one in warm summer temps and a higher T value sleeping pad that’s not all the way inflated.
Personally it’s a lot more weight of a sleep system that I reserve for family camp trips

 

[MinnesotaAA]

I run a Enos eagles nest as long as there are trees to string it from. If you can get a comfortable night's sleep in one they're great some guys can others just can't. Here's a few tips I've learned along the way that might help the hammock learning curve. 1st I highly recommend getting the daisy chain type straps that that attach to the tree then clip in to the hammock. They make setup easier by eliminating knots and making it easier to get the hammock to the proper height and tension. But there main benefit is broadening the area you can setup by extending the reach. You wouldn't think it would be hard to find two trees the right distance apart in the woods but they can be pretty rare especially in good campsites in areas. I have the Eno Atlas straps and they are light and work double duty to hang quarters if successful. 2nd Get an actual tarp made for a hammock. A standard lightweight tarp will work well for a light to moderate rain but in a real storm or steady downpour they don't hold up well. I have a Eno housefly rain tarp and it's great a bit heavier then the tarp but the ability to change standing up and have the extra room to hang my pack and weapon make up for the extra weight especially in a downpour. 3rd Hammocks sleep cold be prepared! If you're a hot sleeper like me not as big a problem but someone who's naturally cold natured would struggle below 50 degrees. When picking a sleeping bag or quilt(I prefer quilt as sleeping bags are a hassle to get in and out of in a hammock) go 20-40 degrees lower then you plan on being out in. If I'm going to be out in below 40 degrees especially with any amount of wind I use a under quilt on the hammock ( I use a Enlightend Equipment). I've comfortably slept down to 15 degrees with the combo of my quilt and under quilt.

Thanks for the feedback. Really appreciate it.

 

[PRO MO]

i slept in one for 10 days in new mexico, and it was awesome except the one night we got a full night of monsoon rain. i used it on a 2 night camp in MT, and even with a 4.4 r-value pad and a 15 degree bag, i switched back to a tent after that trip. it was september and i don't remember it being overly cold, but it still was too chilly for me.

 

[BAKPAKR]

I like a hammock for summer camping but, like @WildWill noted, they sleep cold. So, unless the forecast for the hunt was unseasonably warm nights, I would not personally plan on using a hammock while elk hunting.

 

[rogerthat]

Hammocks aren’t for the shoulder seasons in the inter mountain west unless you have an absolutely guaranteed forecast, are tough af, or dumb

 

[utah400elk]

Best night sleep I have ever gotten during an Utah archery elk hunt. I didn’t have any weather.

 

[rjthehunter]

I'm going to test mine out a couple of times this summer/fall during some cold fronts. I sleep better the cooler it is. I think with a 15 degree bag, I could sleep pretty comfortably.

 

[WildWill]

are tough af, or dumb

Why can't it be both?

 

[Forkyfinder]

I have one and dont use it for this. A tents just more comfortable, outside of everything but sleeping in good weather - including and especially carrying it up there.

Its not a terrible thing to bring on a car camp antelope hunt but id never haul one in somewhere.

 

[yakimanoob]

I've been using a Hennessy Hammock Ultralight for something like 15 years. It's light, convenient, shockingly storm proof (seriously, it does not make sense that these things will keep you dry when there's any wind, but I've slept dry through dozens of all-night downpours), and I sleep like a dang baby in it. I've used it on several High Buck Hunts in WA.

No doubt they sleep colder than a tent, so plan accordingly, but the issue is less intense than it might seem. Having spent many nights in both, I would say that the hammock sleeps about as cold as a tarp shelter on a breezy night. Colder than a tent, sure, but not that bad.

 

[MinnesotaAA]

I’ve waited out some pretty nasty storms in a hammock in the BWCA, but as some of you mention not western high country weather. I would likely bring a 0 or 15 degree sleeping bag to offset the coldness and have found using a sleep pad on the bottom of the hammock helps keep heat in/out a fair amount. Lots to think about in the next few months until the season is here!

 

[yakimanoob]

Yeah a warmer-than-you-might-otherwise carry sleeping pad is a must when using a hammock. There are also "underquilts" which I've heard good things about but haven't used personally. I have a Nemo Tensor ultralight insulated pad and a sierra designs quilt/bag hybrid thing that's rated to 35°F, and with some extra layers and some fiddling, I can sleep comfortably in the mid-30s. Below that, and I would need to finally buy the Tensor extreme that I've been eying...

Incidentally, I find the rectangle pads to be better than the mummy-cut pads when using the Hennesseys. As with all sleep systems, YMMV.

 

[Moserkr]

They sleep cold and the math never penciled out for saving weight for me. I sleep well in them, better than on the ground, and have stayed dry weathering storms. But either I lose weight or my pack loses weight...

 

[TheKnigit]

I love my hammock and I tend to sleep better in that than I do almost anywhere else. I have ridden out several storms, and extended weather, in both the Cascades and the Coastal Range here in Oregon. I have had slept wonderfully through both dry 60 degree nights and cold sub freezing ones. I have never used it in the snow however. My first night was awfully cold, but once I figured out that I needed a pad and to layer appropriately I have never looked back.

It doesn't typically save me any weight though. Especially not compared to some of the higher end floorless type shelters out there. I use the same sleeping pad and bag regardless of whether or not I have a tent or my hammock, so I don't really count that weight. Once you add in the weight of the hammock (mine has the bug netting built in as well), straps, and tarp you are about the weight of a single person tent. The tarp that I run though is a off the shelf 8'x10' blue tarp. I could save a decent amount of weight if I quit being cheap and ran a Noah tarp, or something equivalent.

 

[Farz-U-Know]

I used an Eno double hammock on my 2016 AZ elk hunt and loved it. Temps were around 40 with the lowest around 28-30. Below 36 degrees I would need to upgrade my sleeping bag to keep using the hammock. My only fear was the two skunks that came into our camp most nights looking for food. I kept envisioning them biting my ass while I'm sleeping, LOL.

I also had the bug net, didn't need it there and the rain fly. The rain fly worked pretty well but you still get some wind in there on really breezy nights.

Sleeping was awesome but the one thing I missed was getting warm in the morning. My buddy had his tent setup and he could have it warm in 2 minutes with the gas lantern turned on.