How to Hammock Camp

A Guide to Hammock Camping Benefits, Setup, & Staying Warm

Planning a camping trip doesn’t just mean camping in a tent anymore. Hammock camping is rising in popularity as hammock sales climb worldwide.

Why is hammock camping so popular? More and more hikers and campers are discovering the ease in which this can be done with the right camping gear, and the many benefits hammock camping offers vs. camping in a tent.

In this article, we’ll speak to the benefits of hammock camping vs. tent camping, the proper hammock camping set up, and how to stay warm while camping in a hammock.

What Are the Benefits of Hammock Camping vs. Tent Camping?

There are many benefits to hammock camping vs. tent camping, including:

Lighter Hiking Pack
Better Night’s Sleep
Easier Setup
Greater Durability
Multi-Use Gear
Less Creature Contact

Lighter Hiking Pack

Hammocks are lighter and more compact than tents so hiking with them in your backpack is easier on your back.

Better Night’s Sleep

Camping in a tent means you are dealing with a myriad of possible surfaces under your back while you sleep - rocky terrain, grassy surface with stickers or sticks, mud puddles after a rainstorm, etc.

Hammock camping is sleeping suspended in the air with the hammock gently rocking you to sleep. There is nothing underneath your back but air. This has been proven to offer a deeper night’s sleep while camping outdoors.

Easier Setup

There are less laws around hammock camping vs. tent camping, which means you should have an easier time finding a spot to set up camp for the night.

Greater Durability

Camping gear can be expensive. When you buy a hammock or tent, you want it to be something that will last. At Gobi Heat, we care deeply about the luxury quality products we produce because we want them to last.

While there are luxury tent options, the reality is that setting up tents on uneven or rocky terrain will damage them over time, which means you will have less durability with this type of camping gear than you would investing in a good, high-quality, luxury hammock.

Multi-Use Gear

Another great benefit of hammock camping is that there are more uses for a hammock than just using it as your camping tent. You can chill at the beach, at the top of a mountain after a day’s hike, or even in your backyard at home after a long day at work.

Less Creature Contact

Unless you’re someone who really loves feeling spiders, snakes, and other types of creatures crawling underneath you at night, a hammock allows you to stay out of reach of at least some of these creatures when you hammock camp.

While you can still be exposed to ticks, spiders, and mosquitoes in your hammock, they’re easier to shake out and you have the added protection from a bug net. Our heated hammocks come with an integrated bug net.

Benefits of Hammock Camping vs. Tent Camping
Product	Gobi Heat Heated Hammock	Average Camping Tents & Gear
Carrying Weight	3.5 lbs	4.5 lbs (includes tent and sleeping bag)
Sleep Quality	Good	Poor
Set Up	Shorter Set Up Time Less Regulations on Location Less Product to Assemble	Medium - Long Set Up Time Add’l Regulations for Location Set Up More Pieces to Assemble
Durability	More Durable	Less Durable
Uses	Multi-use product	Limited use
Pests (Bugs, snakes, etc.)	Less exposure	Greater exposure

As you can see, there are a lot of great benefits for hammock camping, but we would be remiss to not mention some of the drawbacks of hammock camping so you can make an informed decision about whether this style of camping is right for you:

Single Camper Use - Hammock camping is best for one or two campers only, unless you have multiple hammocks to set up.
No Pets - One of the drawbacks of hammock camping is that there is no space for dogs in your hammock, unless you want to get a double hammock, but even then, dogs aren’t typically fans of being suspended midair.
Must Have Trees - Most hiking and camping destinations have trees so this shouldn’t be an issue, but if the trees are really small, you may not be able to find a proper place to set up your hammock tent.
No Privacy - If you are camping in a populated area, keep in mind that you won’t have a place to get dressed in private in the morning.

If these drawbacks aren’t a problem for your particular camping adventure, keep reading to find out how to properly set up camp using a hammock!

What Is Needed for the Hammock Camping Set Up?

While you definitely need a lot less gear hammock camping vs. tent camping, there are still a few camping basics you need to create a more enjoyable experience outdoors. Before we talk about how hammock camping works, let’s look at the components of a hammock needed to stay warm:

Source: Greenbelly

There are 7 Must Haves for Hammock Camping:

Suspension Straps - used to attach the hammock to trees (or anchor points)
Ridgelines - These lines run above the hammock so you can hang a tarp and/or bug net over the hammock.
Bug Net - This is great for keeping out mosquitoes, spiders, and ticks.
Tarp - Essential to block wind, rain, and snow
Quilts - Suspended underneath the hammock as an external blanket
Hammock - (Not Labeled in Diagram)
Sleeping Bag or Blanket - (Not Labeled in Diagram)

How Can You Hike with Less Gear When Hammock Camping and Still Stay Warm?

While this sounds like a lot of must-haves for hammock camping, Gobi Heat has found a way to trim this down even more with our Eclipse Heated Hammock.

The Eclipse Heated Hammock includes:

Suspension straps
Ridgeline (with pockets for your phone, wallet, keys, etc.)
Integrated bug net
Rain fly
Carrying bag

Also, because our hammock is heated, using an external quilt and/or interior sleeping bag or heated blanket is optional, depending on the outside temperature, as the Gobi Heat Heated Hammock will keep you very warm.

Another benefit of the heated hammock is that you have access to the battery pack within the hammock so you can adjust the temperature of the 3-zone heating system as needed. If you have it set to Low, the Gobi Heat Eclipse Heated Hammock will keep you warm for 8 hours. If you have a multiday hiking or camping trip planned, purchase some extra batteries to take along with you (available as an Add On when you purchase).

What Is the Optimal Hammock Camping Set Up?

The first step of any camping endeavor when you’re ready to set up camp for the night is finding the right spot and getting set up. Hammock camping is no different.

One of the benefits of hammock camping vs. tent camping is that your only stipulations for where you can hammock camp is based on the park rules where you’re camping and the trees you use as anchor points.

Finding the Best Trees for Hammock Camping

The best trees for hammock camping:

Are at least 6 inches in diameter
Have no dead branches hanging over your camping spot that could fall on you
Are about 12 feet apart, or closer depending on your suspension system
Do not have animal nests within view

Make sure you are a good tree steward when you select your trees.

Creating the Optimal Position for Your Hammock

Making sure the straps are attached to your anchor points at the correct angles and hammock height will significantly contribute to how well you sleep in your hammock that night.

Strap angles should be around 30 degrees and you want the lowest point of the hammock to be around 18 inches off the ground. You don’t want the hammock too flat or curved because it will impact both your comfort and your safety.

You’ll also want to take the weather into account. If it’s very windy and breezy, hang the hammock down low to keep it from swaying too much. If it’s a still, calm night, hang it as high as you’d like!

Setting Up a Ridgeline

If you don’t have the Eclipse Heated Hammock, setting a ridgeline is a necessary step in the hammock camping set up process.

This is essentially a rope you tie above the hammock, attached to the same two trees or anchor points as the hammock, that you can use to hang a rain tarp and/or bug net above the hammock, as well as have a convenient spot to hang bags or backpacks.

How to Stay Warm Hammock Camping

With the right setup and the proper camping gear, you should be in a good place to stay warm hammock camping.

If you are camping in cold weather, here are some additional tips we’d recommend following to make sure you stay warm through the night.

1. Use a Heated Hammock or Heated Blanket

There are some great tips and tricks for how to stay warm hammock camping, but the truth is that hammocks are poor insulators. If you are camping in really cold weather, you will need to BYOH (Bring Your Own Heat!).

That could be in the form of our electric, Heated Hammock, which will keep you warm for 8 hours using the Low setting (and can be extended with our replacement battery packs), and/or a Heated Blanket.

2. Add an Underquilt Below Your Hammock

As we mentioned in the basic components of hammock camping, you can add an underquilt below your hammock as an external blanket and means to keep warm. Couple that with additional blankets inside your hammock and you’ll add some extra warmth to your night.

3. Choose a Hammock Camping Spot Out of the Wind

Staying warm while you hammock camp could be as simple as selecting a better location for setting up camp. Ideally, this is finding a place that is out of the wind, or blocked from the elements by additional trees or rocks.

How Cold Is Too Cold for a Hammock?

Most experts agree the ideal temperature for hammock camping is above 65-70 degrees, but there are steps you can take to stay warm hammock camping when the temperature reaches 50 degrees (i.e. add an underquilt, use rainfly to protect against the wind) or even below freezing (i.e. use a heated hammock and blanket).

One Gobi Heat Heated Blanket reviewer shares his experience:

“It is very warm with just the battery but hook it up to power and there is no fear of getting cold! The wind shield tends to condensate in the cold when it is fully zipped up, but the dual zipper system provides sufficient ventilation for whatever condition. I have taken naps in this hammock in 0°F (wind chill -20°F) weather and was warm with the hammock on low and a big Agnes echo park -20° [sleeping] bag!”

— Kyle L.

How to Prepare for Your Cold Weather Hammock Camping Trip?

Our desire for all of our Gobi Heat products, including our heated hammock, is to help our customers experience more! The heated hammock removes a barrier to camping and hiking - cold weather camping - and allows you to get outside more. Shop our heated hammock below and start planning your next camping trip!