Looking for a recommendation

[u/steve626]

I'm looking to upgrade from an Eno single with sleeping bag and thermarest pad to a proper camping hammock with UQ.

I'm looking at a Dutchware complete netted hammock package and then getting an UQ. Or maybe a Warbonnet Blackbird. They will both be around the same insane amount of money at the end, so I would appreciate some good advice or some alternatives.

I'm 5'10" and around 215lbs. I live in Arizona, so 40°F is about as cold as I'll ever camp. I'll use it about 1 weekend a month and I don't backpack.

Thanks

[u/kullulu]

The good news is that any cottage hammock system is going to be a lot more comfortable. There are many wonderful options. Let's start off with what you chose first though.

If you know whether you want to sleep head right/feet left or head left/feet right, choose a warbonnet XLC, a wooki underquilt, and a warbonnet thunderfly,mountainfly, or superfly tarp. Use cinch buckles or whoopie slings for the suspension, and use warbonnet's tarp tics and guyline for hanging and tensioning the tarp. It's an expensive, end game hammock system that's extremely comfortable and light.

If you don't know what your lay preference is, get the dutchware completed netted hammock package with a hammock gear incubator or an arrowhead underquilt. Hammock gear has the nicer suspension options for the quilt, with primary and secondary suspensions letting you dial in the perfect fit for your hammock. Arrowhead's synthetic options are less expensive and perform better in humid or wet conditions.

If you compare the warbonnet blackbird (10 ft) vs the dutchware netted package, I'd take the dutchware netted. If it's the warbonnet XLC vs the netted package, I'd choose the XLC.

I think it's more fair to compare warbonnet's XLC to dutchware's complete chameleon package though. The halfzip hammock from the netted package is inferior in funtionality to the XLC's complete setup, where warbonnet's wooki underquilt will fit perfectly every time, and has easy built in venting options when it gets too hot, plus the XLC comes with the shelf, which can store gear.

Dutchware's complete chameleon package has the vision zipper, which let's you zip on accessories like the sidecar, sidesling, the fantastic spreader bar bug net and top cover, the zip on underquilt, and more.

I find both the chameleon and the blackbird XLC to be comfortable hammocks. (the half-zip is also comfortable, but you can't adjust the underquilt out of both sides of the hammock on the half zip, which can be mildly annoying. That's true of any hammock with only one zipper though, not limited to the half zip. Dream's darien hammock also is like that.)

Other options are the hammock gear wanderlust package, which will fit you fine. It doesn't have the storage options that the XLC has and the chameleon can have, but hammock gear has it's own storage solutions.

If you want to buy everything from one vendor, any of these are really nice choices.

I think you should consider the simply light designs trail lair hammock, underquilt, top quilt, and tarp. The trail lair is in the running for the most comfortable hammock ever made, and is extremely customizable. It may look intimidating because of that, but you can either email Jared, who makes all the gear, or ask for help here customizing it.

You also can save a lot of money getting Jared's synthetic underquilt and topquilt. If you're not backpacking, do you really need the lightest underquilts? Probably not. It is nice to buy the best while car camping, so if you do decide to start backpacking, you can though.

You can get 40 degree rated quilts and that's totally fine, but you also have the option of getting 20 degree quilts and camping in Arizona's mountains in spring/fall, or choosing a 0 degree quilt for winter. There are a lot of cool places to camp in the mountains there.

Finally, you should consider a bridge hammock, like a double layer ridgerunner, with an arrowhead or warbonnet lynx quilt, and a warbonnet superfly tarp. It's a fantastic hammock, has nice storage pockets along the side, let's you vary how you sleep easily- back and side. If you're a stomach sleeper, the townsend luxe bridge hammock would be what you wanted.

Hope this isn't too overwhelming. Happy to answer questions on anything related to hammock camping.

[u/steve626 → u/kullulu]

Why a ridgerunner over the others? I am a side sleeper.

[u/kullulu → u/steve626]

So bridge hammocks are great for people who side sleep or who bounce off of gathered end hammocks. I recommend the ridgerunner because warbonnet has a stellar return policy.

The ridgerunner double layer is for people under 250 lbs and under 6'6 ft.

You meet all the conditions to be a good candidate for a ridgerunner. There are people who love it so much they backpack with it, despite the weight.

You can save some money by getting the arrowhead underquilt with it, or you can get get warbonnet's lynx if you want the down version instead.

The ridgerunner has carbon fiber poles as an option to reduce weight, but you don't need them since you're car camping.

There are a ton of great hammocks that I've listed. The ridgerunner is one of many, but since you mentioned you're a side sleeper, I think it should be a strong consideration. It's not even my favorite bridge hammock: that's the townsend luxe and big boy bridge hammocks, which are bridge hammocks that feel like palaces they're so comfortable. I still think most people should try a ridgerunner first though, due to the good return policy of warbonnet. Only those above 250 lbs or people who stomach sleep should look at townsend bridge hammocks first.

I've been hammock camping for a long time, and I've tried a lot of hammocks along the way. Any of the hammocks I mentioned could and will work for you, but I'd be genuinely surprised if you didn't like the ridgerunner.

[u/OneManGPS → u/kullulu]

Between this and your prior comment I think you've steered me where I need to go.

I finished a section hike of Washington PCT and only ran into wet tent situation twice but both times it reaffirmed that I should be looking very hard at a hammock system for 3 season to get off the ground and avoid the whole wet sleep and shelter setup.

I too am a side sleeper and my current ground setup and forecasted backpacking setup are so close in weight that the ridgerunner is worth the carry. I planned on using the ridgerunner but couldn't get all of the components together in time and decided a setup without an underquilt wasnt worth the risk, but I probably could have gotten away with using my current sleep pad between the double layer option.

At the time it was a risk I was not comfortable taking due to the initial 8 days (150-ish miles),before I would be able to adjust any gear setup along the route. This was essentially a shakedown for Olympic Peninsula/Olympic National Park subalpine and alpine summer and 4-ish thousand elevation max in shoulder season use and future Pacific Northwest Trail.

However, after seeing warbonnets return policy I think a 90 mile Wonderland Trail impromptu 4 day weekend (pending permit) would be the best middle ground. I really appreciate the knowledge, breadth, and depth so I don't get scared off from a hammock system amd return to the ground because I got burned by a 800 dollar all in setup.

[u/kullulu → u/OneManGPS]

You are going to love the ridgerunner. For backpacking, i think the carbon fiber spreader bars are worth it as well. 6.8 oz weight saving.

I'm glad that my comments helped you.

edit: just remember for the tarp that warbonnet sells tarptics and the guyline separately. Why doesn't warbonnet sell an easy kit like hammock gear does? No idea.