are there any other Hammock campers on here,
i live in Central Indiana and love Hammock Camping, generally end up down south of Bloomington in the Charles Deam most5 times, very nice area down there.
if there are otheres on hear that enjoy this as well where do yo7u normally go or if you have any questions about Hammock Camping i would be glad to answer if i can.

I'm the self-proclaimed hammock evangelist of Florida.

Been doing it since the early eighties when I was in Boy Scouts; I definitely like my ENO better than the old nylon mesh style.

We've got 3 Hennessy Explorer Deluxe Asym Zip's and LOVE them.

I got mine about 2 years ago, and just got my sons about 8 months ago - I'll never go back to a tent again!

I pretty much use an ENO set up exclusively now for backpacking. At my age I don't want to sleep on the ground anymore..

Been doing it way before it became a fad.

I like it because of it's simplicity. I also use tents, but really enjoy the hammocks. I currently have five different set ups.

My coldest night was last year here. -47*
Warbonnet Blackhawk
Superfly tarp
TNF Tundra -20* bag
Hammock gear 0* underquilt with a 1oz overstuff

I wore a hat, glove, SD down booties and heavy baselayer



Good to go.

Both my wife and I are WB Blackbird lovers and use JRB under-quilts for cooler temps.  Once it gets into the teens consistently or for extended periods (not often here in GA), we pull out the tent.

The hammock is by far the most evolved form of shelter for back-country, trail use

ROCK6

Man, when the temp drops I think it's the best time for a hammock! Wrap yourself in some downy goodness and get a great nights' sleep.

Yep.  I have a Hennessy and a KAQ 4 season underquilt.

I finally got to try out my Kammok with Glider over the summer. I used an ENO bugnet with the setup, but it was just a touch short on each end of the Kammok.

Did you use a ridgeline? I have to use one to get my Buginator to work with my 11' hammocks.

I had plenty of space to set up, so I used a ridgeline on the bugnet, and a separate line on the Glider, with the Glider obviously set higher than the bugnet. It worked well for a week-long trip.

Underquilts for the MF win.

I love my setup, and the underquilt is what makes it so toasty warm.

Oh, I still love the comfort, but the weight and bulk affect backpacking and I can actually go lighter with my Tarptent Notch than a hammock setup...of course, there is no comparison to the comfort of the hammock cold, hot, rain or shine.

It is amazing how warm a good down quilt is in a hammock...it's like sleeping in a roomy, heated cocoon.  The JRB is about as light and compact as I've used...expensive (if not on sale), but worth every dreamy minute of hammock slumber in colder weather.

ROCK6

Down is beyond awesome. I was amazed a couple of years ago when I found myself sleeping in my undies in 20 degree weather. I'd stripped most everything off because I was so toasty.

I run a Grand Trunk double under an Enos Dryfly tarp, year-round. If bugs are an issue, I bring along an old USGI bug net to drape over my ridge line.

Rcam1977, I'm in South Central Indiana. Just a few miles South of you. Charles C Deam is great place to camp. Especially in the winter (fewer Bloomington hippies wondering around). Another favorite of mine is the Knobstone Trail.
Haven't visited Deam in a couple years though. I've been spending most of my time down at Red River Gorge. It's relatively close and nothing local compares.

I did a short hammock overnight last night in a big state park here in central GA.  The temp dropped to about 34F with a slight breeze and clear skies.  I've been fiddling with this setup for a while, trying to find a dirt-cheap hammock setup that's still comfortable and fairly light, but also modular.  For me, part of the fun of backpacking is rigging up DIY systems like this .  

-Hammock: Yukon Outfitters (woot $24 special) bugnet hammock + JRB tri-glide straps + alum carabiners.  Maybe $50 here.
-Outer insulation: Wind block / under-belly made from a Dri-ducks poncho.  $9 + shock cord.
-Inside insulation: 25" wide green foam pad from a big box store (don't remember which) on top of a cut-down mylar-coated windshield cover from Walmart.  $12 + $3.
-Bag: Vaude Cheyenne 500 (~25F down bag).  $100 (on sale)
-No tarp, because the night was clear.  Otherwise it would be an ENO Profly - $80.  

I'm not counting the ENO gear sling, because it's basically useless - I only bought it to hold my rifle when hunting.

I slept in my Kuhl hiking pants, wool socks, a light REI synthetic base layer top, and a light fleece beanie.  I woke up hot after a couple hours and had to open the bag, but I slept comfortably the rest of the night.  

I can sleep on my back or side, and even get a bit diagonal.  The foam pad clings to the bag and the mylar layer, and the mylar slides on the hammock - i.e. everything stays with you as you move, no fighting to stay on the pads.  No condensation issues.  
I'm too lazy to get all the weights off the spreadsheet on my work PC, but I think the whole setup (tarp included) is around 6.5lbs.  With the tarp on and snugged down (and maybe with a down shirt on), I think it would be good down to around 25F.        

It's a very comfortable way to camp with the right gear, downright leisurely really.

I sold all my stuff though, it's kind of a loner thing and with the kid and dog now I went back to the coziness of a tent.

If you really really wanna enjoy hammock camping, put a hammock in your bedroom... Once the hammock becomes your bed, any were you go you it feels like your crawling into your own bed... Nothing beats waking up in you own bed and seeing nothing but woods around you, Or hearing wolves or coyotes crying less then 20 yards from your bed last year I woke up to a bear poking my back side... Made a rookie mistake, wiped bacon grease on my boxers at breakfast .. Longest 10 minutes of my life, I was more worried about shooting through my hammock and underquilt then anything really, that shits expensive...

My one hangup from when I was in the hammock is that I couldn't sleep on my stomach, and I usually do about 90% of the time.

More than once I woke up in my hammock, on my stomach in a reverse banana position, talk about your back locking up on you, that was brutal.

It was totally worth it on damp nights though, zero issues with wet ground or rain splash.

My friend built himself a bridge hammock that you can stomach sleep in, it's a beast though. I bet his hammock and shelter system alone weighs over 5 lbs.

I hammock camp.  There are couple downsides I ran into.  When my 6 year old gets scared at 3am, it gets uncomfortable with both of us in one hammock. The other issue is camping with dogs.  My 70lb weimaraner is not compatible with a hammock.  I alternate been hammock and tent, but I prefer the comfort of the hammock.

I was going to suggest a bridge and then I read your last sentence.

You can go lighter than that. Look into the Warbonnet Ridgerunner or the Jacks R Better Bear Mtn Bridge. I have both but prefer the RR.

He actually did a fantastic job on it, it was as good or better than most of the cottage industry stuff I've seen.

I would commission him to build me one using lighter fabric if I was still in need.

I am on the ground for the foreseeable future though, I don't feel right hammocking with the family, we need to be in a pile, better for defensive positions if zombie bears show up.

I've tried hammock camping once and had my best night of sleep in the out of doors ever, though I did get a bit chilly by morning.

I just use a sleeping bag unzipped and flipped over like a blanket with a foot box.

I used to use a sleeping bag flipped over me but then I saw the light and embraced the downy goodness life. I use down top/underquilts. Occasionally I'll use a synthetic but mostly I stick to down. If I thought there was a chance I'd have to go to ground I'd take a self-inflating pad and use the quilt on top.

I received a kammok for Christmas. I could not wait to take it outside.  I hung it between two doors. The kids had fun in it as well.

I can't really sleep on my back. This last time I went out, I took a couple of pillos and threw them in the bottom of the hammock to even it out a little. I was able to sleep on my side, helped a lot. Problem is that it is defeating the purpose of using a hommock.

I have a 10 degree down sleeping bag that I leave unzipped for a top quilt.  JrB MW4 underquilt.

There is a hammock and a tarp in the back of my truck all the time.

If anyone is interested in attending the largest hammock hang in the country head to Florida this weekend. I think our count right now is around 230 that'll be gathering at Doe Lake in the Ocala Natl Forest.

It gets bigger and better each year. While this is the "Florida" hang, we have friends from MI, OH, KY, VA, TN, LA, NC, SC, and GA coming. It's the place to be.

If anyone wants more details I can post. Sorry I didn't think about this much sooner.