Question `Have any of you ever tried hammock camping in the snow?

[Moondog55]

Last weeks trip was really bad on my back and I was thinking about trying out a DIY hammock.
There are a couple of places around Pretty Valley where a hammock could be hung in winter but I'm wondering how many of us have actually tried it in one of our soggy winters.
I see the main problem as being strong enough to survive the inevitable dump of snow on the covering tarp and wondering how best to combat that eventuality.
Hanging under the veranda of the hut would work but that's not a friendly option and unfair to all others so while I'd do it for an emergency nite that is not a long term option.
Goretex bivvy bag and an underquilt would be used I suppose to cope with the wet and cold and wind.

 

[chrisj]

I haven't used my hammock in the snow, but I have camped in some pretty cold, wet conditions. I have a Hennessy Hammock (highly recommended). Their website has quite a bit of discussion on cold weather camping.

Cold Weather - About Cold-Weather Hammock Camping | Hennessy Hammock

Cold weather can make a fun camping trip turn miserable. Unless you have an outdoor camping hammock from Hennessy Hammock, that is. Learn what you need to know before your next trip.

hennessyhammock.com

The Hammock Forum is a wealth of advice and information.

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[GS]

I have no experience with hammocks and was going to suggest that if you're sledding gear out, maybe take an Exped Megamat. We use them car camping and they are unbelievably comfortable

 

[Moondog55]

I am shopping for a new cot but I thought I'd have a go at making a hammock too.
The Exped is good but I have the S2S equivalent and it's quite good.

 

[slotele]

Hi Ya MD, done a lot of hammock sleeping, not in the snow though. Currently use a DIY hammock and tarp made from cloth from purchased from Simon at Tier Gear a while back.
The hexon 1.6 he has should be strong enough for you.

Hexon 1.6 (per metre)

Hexon 1.6 (now made with Nylon 66) is an incredible hammock fabric that is made exclusively for Dutchware. This fabric is rated for 158kg and has one of the best weight rating for this weight of fabri...

www.tiergear.com.au

You may want to try sleeping a night first before embarking on a project, It is not very comfortable under even warm conditions and multiple days compounds it, especially if you are very active during the day. That said my v 4.0 is a simple rectangle with that fancy folding at the ends. Single stitched roll seam all around, spectra loops and 1 inch webbing to protect the tree.
Comes in at 250g for the hammock, 290g for the tarp and another 115g for the webbing. Biggest tweaking was getting the width right, too narrow and your feet stick out and too wide and you feel like you are suffocating. can get some pics if you want.

Most of my use has been jungle, so hot and only needed a silk liner and mosquito veil, issue being too hot not too cold. When I have used it down in Vic, I found that getting the underneath insulation right was the most important to being able to sleep. The loss of heat from the underside is very high compared to being on the ground with a mat under you. Even with no breeze you get cooled significantly. You need insulation outside that is not compressed, the hang is not conducive to having a mat in with you ( even partially inflated ) and any small gap in coverage drains the warmth from you. One easy trick is using two bags, or a bag and a quilt. You open the foot of the bigger bag and pass the hammock through and take the quilt in with you. Noways I use one of those car windscreen reflectors in the hammock and a quilt over the top, it's a compromise.
Like a lot of DIY, you end up with very light, somewhat fragile and finicky stuff that takes a lot of tweaking to set up. If I was going to do this again I would just buy the great kit from Tier Gear and be done with it.

 

[Moondog55]

I've just weighed a 4m piece I cut from the roll and it weighs 550g, that's a lot heavier and I hope stronger than the Hexon, it's also what I have in the stash.
I do buy a lot of stuff from Simon but always for DIY.
Great idea about the Peapod, maybe the XL S2S Traveller1 is big enough to do that.
I also have a Traveller 2 to possibly use as the required underquilt and several army Tropical blankets I could adapt. Weight won't be an issue for winter, I can always make more than one pulk trip to my campsite

 

[Mister Tee on XC Skis]

Swimming /aqua therapy will cure a bad back . I know MD has some issues with water in general so that is not an option for him.
I use an Exped synmat in all conditions including snow. It is very comfortable. I could not even countenance sleeping in a hammock. The computer says no.

 

[skull]

really bad on my back and I was thinking about trying out a DIY hammock.

I used a hammock in the jungle when it was wet, I always found it very uncomfortable and my back would still hurt but it was better than sleeping on the wet ground.

 

[skichic]

The trick with a hammock, is to lie across it, not along it like a banana. I travelled through Central America with a hammock, motel rooms had built in hooks, beaches had poles for hanging your hammock. Mine was a woven, authentic made in Guatemala hammock, comfy as.

 

[Team Weasel]

If you're talking alps - Bogong or Feathertop for instance, I would say you're just better off under a tent. You're not really saving any weight either way, and you'll definitely be colder with all the circulating air.

 

[Moondog55]

Yet there are Americans like "Shug Emery" who regularly camp out in forty degrees of frost [ -40C] and seem to thrive.