ultralight hammock camping?

[PR Man]

Is it possible to use a hammock and tarp and keep the weight down
as low as with a traditional tarp and grouncloth (and be comfortable) ?

I really like the idea of hammock camping - but I try to count ounces.

Any help is appreciated !

[Mancat]

possible? yes. expensive? very. You will never be as lite as a tarp and ground sheet. But oh the comfort. With cuben fiber and down it can get pretty lite weight and also pretty expensive. Things you need.
Hammock(GT Nano7 is 7 ounces)
Webbing straps and whoopie slings
Underquilt
Topquilt
Bugnet
Tarp

[Stir Fry]

This is my Hammock set up for 20*

1. Warbonnet Black bird. 24oz 2. Home made Cubin fiber tarp, with 6 Titanium stakes 10.5X8.5 10oz 3. Home made UQ, 70”X48” ( 800 fill down) ½ Cubin ½ Momentum 55, 3” loft, good to 15*-20* 17oz

Total 3lb 04oz 51oz

If you went with the 7oz hammock you would save 17 oz that would put you at 2 lb 3 oz. Still not as light as just a tarp and groung sheet but like it was said. you can't beat the comfort.

[Grinder]

Many comparisons (Just jeff, sgt rock et al. have shown that total weight is about equal for either alternative of ground or hang.
at any level of rigor, there is a corresponding setup for the other method that about equals out.

The hammock supporters say it's more comfortable.

I go back and forth myself. I also stay in shelter quite a bit. The downsides of shelters don't bother me and it's just so easy.

[JaxHiker]

The hammock supporters say it's more comfortable.

Amen! I sleep a lot better in my hammock then I ever did on the ground.

I'm not willing to spend the money to go ultralight so my hammock gear is comparable in weight to most solo tents when you take into account pads and everything else to make it comfortable.

In addition to comfort the flexibility of a hammock make it a winner in my book hands down.

[1azarus]

i'm a committed hammocker and would encourage you to go in that direction... just be careful of that nano hammock if you are taller than, say, 5'-10".

hammocks take time to set up, and sure, the really experienced with great gear can do it very quickly. staying in a shelter takes absolutely no time at all and is more social. personal preference. throw that into your thinking along with the comfort issue as you are making a decision. if you are going to want to stay in the shelter with everyone else, the hammock becomes a liability.

[Country Roads]

My normal set up is WBBlackbird 1.1 single that I have cut the weight down by "customizing" to under 18 ounces. I use a Cuben tarp with doors; fully rigged weight is 10 1/2 ounces. That compares with most tarp tents.
I can use a different hammock (Butt in a sling brand ) and cut the hammock weight to under 11 ounces including suspension and a piece of Tule for a bug net. So, you can go pretty light and still hammock.
The under quilt & short piece of pad and top quilt are pretty much the same weight at a pad and sleeping bag.

[bboettcher]

Sorry to hijack, but anyone know what a good weight for some tree huggers is? I just made my first set out of a motorcycle tie down straps. They weigh in at 2.29 oz total. They are 1" wide red straps. They are 60" total each, with an additional loop sewn in at 48" so I can adjust easily. I am not ultralight by any means. I am not sure what the weight rating is on these, therefore I will try them out on a "low hang" so I don't bust myself if they break. My wife will be getting the straps that I KNOW are strong enough to hold her. I would guess that my sewing would break before the strap itself...

[Raul Perez]

This should help you out:

http://watermonkey.net/2011/09/08/th...ammock-set-up/

[SGT Rock]

Answer is sort of. The only real trade off between being an UL tarper and an UL hammocker is groundcloth vs hammock. You will be slightly up in ounces over whatever your ground set up will be, but if you don't mind doing a little DIY you can build a hammock that is less than 8 ounces. That means an UL hammocker will be about 7 ounces heavier than an UL tarp only guy.

[Wags]

yep. my base weight is under 10 lbs...