Bivy vs. Hammock Tent - Bivy Hunting Shelter

[cowboyarcher]

Hi All,

I am looking into doing some 3-4 day bivy type hunts this fall for Elk in SE WY. I'll be out in September and October, so the temps could go below freezing, but I should always be in treed areas.

I've been looking into what type of shelter I should pack, and am having a hard time figuring out whether a traditional Bivy type, pad and sleeping bag would be best, or if hammock tent and sleeping bag would be best.

I guess I'm fairly green, but which system would be lighter weight? What rating would I need in the sleeping bag if it were to get into the teens at night in either of these systems? Is one system going to be significantly smaller than the other?

I see lots of tarps also, is there a reason I should look at them more closely?

Thanks for the help guys and God bless you all,

Adam

 

[cmeier117]

I have never used a hammock style tent although I know of some people that run them. I really have gotten use to using a tarp/bivy combo and really like it. Here is why. I can get 4 season durability out of something that weighs the same as a 3 season lightweight tent. I can also get more room out a tarp for less weight. For one guy I really think you can't beat a Kifaru Supertarp, ti goat bivy and a nice pad and sleeping bag. If you can't afford a Kifaru supertarp there are other tarps out there for less but the Kifaru ones are probably the best. I am using a Mega tarp from Kifaru this year btw, but used a supertarp last year.

One negative (which is actually a positive to me) is you have to buy trekking poles for setting up your tarp. Which is one more thing to buy if you don't have them but can help on pack outs. I would read Aron Snyder's article on shelters here on Rokslide to get an idea of different uses. But they are very versatile and bomb proof.

As for sleeping bag if you are getting in the teens, depending on how you sleep I like the Montbell UL super spiral hugger 15 degree bag and a nice warm pad like a new air all season and team it up with a bivy. depending on bivy that should get you a comfortable night sleep in the low teens as long as you don't sleep really cold.

 

[ScottP]

One negative (which is actually a positive to me) is you have to buy trekking poles for setting up your tarp. Which is one more thing to buy if you don't have them but can help on pack outs. I would read Aron Snyder's article on shelters here on Rokslide to get an idea of different uses. But they are very versatile and bomb proof.

I'll just add that some of the tarps can be pitched with a ridgeline, convenient trees, or sticks - instead of the trekking poles. I run the same tarp as SHTF, and don't own poles yet. I just find a good looking stick and bust it to length. Put it in a nice aspen stand and you won't need a pole at all...

 

[cowboyarcher]

I would read Aron Snyder's article on shelters here on Rokslide to get an idea of different uses.

The article was very helpful, thanks for directing me to it!

Sounds like a tarp/bivy set up will serve me better in the long run and in more varied conditions. I was just too new to this to really know where to start.

Thanks fellas!

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I'm a fan of floorless shelters as well, for most of the reasons mentioned above although I rarely use a bivy inside of the shelter. Never could get used to sleeping in a hammock, always messed my back up. Have had several people tell me I'm doing it wrong, but I guess I'm just not good enough to figure it out.

 

[RockChucker30]

I use both a hammock and tarp setup and a SO tarp. Each has advantages.

The hammock is EXTREMELY comfortable. I'm 6'3" and have a TTT Trail Gear Switchback which is good for tall guys who toss and turn.

The hammock is better for buggy weather, and more comfortable in hot weather. It is also nicer in rain and mud because you're off te ground. The hammock is easier to setup and take down, taking just a minute or two.

The hammock is also better on uneven ground because you can level it between two trees even if the ground is sloped.

The hammocks limitations are cold weather, tree line, and bad storms.

In cold weather it's harder to stay warm in the hammock because you have air space below you. This is combatted with foam pads or under quilts. The insulation weight required is normally higher in a hammock vs a tent.

In a hammock you can't camp above tree line, obviously.

And, personally I'd rather wait out a bad storm in a well staked tent than in a hammock under a tarp.

 

[Rizzy]

Your selling me on the hammock...lol
I might have to try it

 

[WV Dan]

Count me as a hammock fan. I started a thread about them in the elk sub-forum but didn't get very many responses. You could get a tarp that would work for both set-ups. Also, you can definately stay warm in a hammock. Check out hammockforums.com you could literaly spend days reading how to get comfortable\stay warm etc. That being said I haven't used one on a backpack hunt but I have used mine recreationaly. It is vastly superior in regards to comfort IMHO. There is some fiddle factor with a hammock but once you dail it in it's better than a bed. Weight is a wash as you can get as light or heavy as you want with either set-up. The best part is all you need are two trees about 20 feet apart, no worries about level\rough ground. Finnaly, I live in the east and rarely have to worry about not having trees nearby so take that into account.....2 cents

 

[unm1136]

I ran a hammock last year for deer season. Had about a dozen nights in it from July through November. Got rained on twice, snowed on, and woke up one morning at 19 degrees air temp. Hammocking is not cheap, nor lightweight, depending on selection. I a 6'1" and went with a custom dangerbird hammock. It weighs 32 oz, and he now offers a UL version at just over half the weight. My underquilt runs another 20 oz, and my tarp is a heavy Wally World tarp at 2 pounds. My tarp is such a pain to use I just use my hammock's overcover. My goal for this year is to get a Mega Tarp. The Mega with annex will be used over the hammock, but for above the treeline or the daughter's hunt in Dec or hunting on the plains I will be using it on the ground for my daughter's hunt we will be replacing the hammock with Thermarest pads. My hammock has a few tabs to suspend it from a line between the trekking poles for a bivy under the tarp. If I replace my sleeping bag with a quilt next year my sleep system weight (underquilt, topquilt, hammock, reflectrix, Megatarp) will run about six and a half pounds that can be used on the ground or suspended, with the bottom quilt rated at 16-20 degrees F, the topquilt to 5-10 degrees F. Not horrid, but there is room for lightening.

The morning I woke up at 19 degrees I wore my beanie and puffy layer over my long handles. I slept very well. I also make sure I keep Hot hands in my gear, both for the obvious uses of augmenting my setup, warming up without much motion for glassing, and I learned that if I stuck a Hot Hands between my Underquilt protector and my underquilt dried out the down during the day while I was out hunting. We had misting rain that left my down damp to the touch.
pat

 

[Hunt'nFish]

Rockchucker, what tarp is that in the pic?

Interesting read, stumbled across this old thread doing some research on the very same subject.
Mainly I'm looking at the hammock approach for summer scouting when temps are usually pretty temperate. Thought maybe I could nix the bivy & pad in favor of a hammock, fly & quilt. Goals are: drop some sleep system weight, get up off the ground & away from the ants, increase ground slope options, and be able to throw it up anywhere and nap mid day. (Skeeters are usually not a problem for me.)

Not expecting a hammock to be "thee" answer, but rather another option depending on weather forecast & expected temps.
Thoughts?
Hunt'nFish

 

[TheRambler]

I'm on a new computer so don't have any pics to post up of my hammock setup. But I made the switch to a hammock and tarp system several years back and havn't looked back. I LOVE my hammock. I sleep like a baby compared to my old tend and pad setup. Hammocking has a little bit of a learning curve associated with it more so than a ground setup. However, once you get it dialed in its amazing.

As far as weight goes, it really even out and ends up about the same and sometimes even a little heavier. It depends on what all you buy exactly, but to me the level of comfort far out weighs any weight penalty if there is one.

I hammock year round, and have been through many nasty storms and fared perfectly well. Anything from strong thunderstorms to a snow storm that dumped 3-4 feet.

I use a WBBB(warbonnet outdoors blackbird hammock) and a warbonnet Superfly tarp year round. The only thing that I change is which quilts i use. I have a 3/4 length 20F underquilt that I use for 3 season use in combination with a 40F top quilt down to about freezing. Freezing or below I use my full length -10F underquilt, and a -10F top quilt. All of my quilts are made by hammockgear .

Of all of my hammock toys, i think I got the most bag for my buck when I bought a m90 hammock sock from papa smurf over on hammockforums.net. Its basically a fabric bivy, just a piece of fabric cut a bit larger than the hammock with a cinch cord on the head end. If needed I just pull it over me and cinch it down. Comes in great if it starts to drizzle unexpectedly and i didnt rig my tarp, or if its really windy to cut the wind. In the winter I use it often to stop the heat loss from wind. When it use it probably adds easily 10-15F of warmth.

I have yet to find a place I couldnt hang my hammock, other than a barren land scape with no trees.

I am also the opposite of the post above. I much prefer to wait out a bad storm in my hammock/under my tarp than in a tent.

 

[RockChucker30]

Rockchucker, what tarp is that in the pic?

Interesting read, stumbled across this old thread doing some research on the very same subject.
Mainly I'm looking at the hammock approach for summer scouting when temps are usually pretty temperate. Thought maybe I could nix the bivy & pad in favor of a hammock, fly & quilt. Goals are: drop some sleep system weight, get up off the ground & away from the ants, increase ground slope options, and be able to throw it up anywhere and nap mid day. (Skeeters are usually not a problem for me.)

Not expecting a hammock to be "thee" answer, but rather another option depending on weather forecast & expected temps.
Thoughts?
Hunt'nFish

The one in the pic is a WB Mambajamba. That tarp isn't long enough to cover my TTTG hammock.

Hammocks are great for moderate temps IMO, especially if bugs are an issue. Especially ticks. We have lots of ticks here and a floorless tarp in warm weather isn't good.

 

[TheRambler]

I agree hammocks are best and most easily suited for moderate conditions and temps. However with proper tarp setup for the conditions and the correct insulating scheme and they work perfectly well in harsher weather and even full fledge winter conditions. It is a rather steep learning curve to get your system completely dialed in in comparison to a tent though. The worst winter conditions i have experienced in my hammock was in the adirondack high peaks, -27F with a good 30-45mph sustained wind with gusts over 60, and about a foot and a half of snowfall. Everything worked just perfect. I did weat a down jacket and pants in conjunction with my -10f quilts. I just pitched my tarp flush with the ground, closed the doors, and piled snow around the tarp edges to seal it up ti prevent excessive spindrift.

 

[eleaf]

Hammock all the way. Sleeping on the ground is for dogs!

You can control temperature issues, but it's a learning process to get the underquilt just right (not to tight losing loft, and not so loose that you allow drafts and cold spots). I much prefer a hammock in weather because I'm off the ground. It also keeps me away from any bugs on the ground. Camping over uneven ground is no issue at all.

That's a Bear Mountain Bridge hammock by Jacks r Better. It's a suspension design that has a truly flat lay and is comfortable as all get out.

 

[CrzyTrekker]

I have a backpacking buddy (not a hunter) who swears by that Hennessy Hammock. He's spent over two months camping in it on the Colorado Trail, various parts of the Grand Canyon, and elsewhere. He does look comfortable in it, and I've always wanted to try it. We backpacked the Lost Creek Wilderness together in April this year, and I saw one weakness of the hammock system. We found a beautiful campsite close to a great trout stream, but couldn't find two trees at that magic distance from each other. We wandered around for thirty minutes before he found a spot. I had a Kifaru shelter and could have pitched it just about anywhere, and that's why I rely on a SuperTarp when I'm backpacking. Also, you can go anywhere with a tarp/tipi shelter, including above timberline.

 

[TheRambler]

Hammocking doesnt work everywhere, but the places it can't work are few and far between. As CrzyTrekker mentioned, walking for another 30 minutes found a spot. I usually just move until I get tired then decide to set up camp at a random spot. It usually takes me less than 2 minutes to find a suitable spot. Very rarely do i find a location below treeline that doesnt have 2 trees anywhere that are 10-18ft apart or so. Worst comes to worst you can just rig your tarp and use your hammock as a makeshift bivy if need be(many can be used this way). I usually use an underquilt, but if I were going to an area that was more open, or what noy I would strongly consider bringing a sleeping pad instead of the underquilt in case i was forced to go to ground.

 

[Hunt'nFish]

Thank you guys for all the great information.
I think I'll take it in steps..... take the normal Bivy/Pad/Bag/Tarp setup and add a hammock for a few summer scouting trips just to give it a try and enjoy a nap or two. If it sticks, great..... if not, I'm not out very much.
I know hammock camping can be as simple, or complicated, as you wanna to make it.

And I have to admit, some of the DIY Hammock threads online have me thinking about just sewing my first one myself.
Hunt'nFish

 

[eleaf]

Thank you guys for all the great information.
I think I'll take it in steps..... take the normal Bivy/Pad/Bag/Tarp setup and add a hammock for a few summer scouting trips just to give it a try and enjoy a nap or two. If it sticks, great..... if not, I'm not out very much.
I know hammock camping can be as simple, or complicated, as you wanna to make it.

And I have to admit, some of the DIY Hammock threads online have me thinking about just sewing my first one myself.
Hunt'nFish

Don't be fooled by those.

Sewing your own hammock right isn't easy. If you value your time at all, you'll just buy one unless you have exceptional sewing skills. Ditto for a quilt.

 

[TheRambler]

There is very little to no sewing involved in making a basic hammock...a quilt however is another story! A gathered end hammock with a ridgeline is as simple as trimming a piece of fabric and gathering the ends, tieing it and tieing on a ridgeline. For best durability you would want to sew the edges of the fabric so it doesnt fray on you, but thats about as simple as a sewing project you can ask for. Or you could due a rolled edge with glue or seam tape.