On our very first night hammocking, my wife Jessi woke up in her Hennessy flipped completely upside down — lying on the bug net, with the bottom entry facing the sky. Every hanger has a first-night story, and almost none of them are the hammock’s fault: they come down to the setup and the insulation underneath you. Get those right and your first night is the one where you wake up rested — no roots, no rocks, no sore hip. This is the hammock camping guide we wish we’d had that night.
What do I need to start hammock camping?
A hammock camping setup has five parts. Get these right and the rest is fine-tuning:
- A hammock — gathered-end or bridge hammock. A bridge hammock uses spreader bars to give you a flatter lay.
- Suspension — tree-friendly straps plus an adjustable link like whoopie slings, so you can set the sag without retying knots.
- An underquilt — insulation that hangs under the hammock. This is the piece most beginners skip, and the reason most first nights go cold.
- A top quilt — the open-back quilt that covers you from above.
- A tarp — your roof against rain and wind.
Our hammock gear checklist goes piece by piece if you’re building a kit from scratch.
How do you hang a hammock for camping?
Pick two healthy trees roughly four to five big steps apart. Wrap the straps around them at about head height, then hang the hammock with a generous sag — aim for the suspension to run at roughly a 30° angle from horizontal. A hammock strung tight like a banana is the most common beginner mistake: it squeezes your shoulders and tips you toward the middle.
Then lie diagonally, head slightly off-center to one side and feet to the other. In a gathered-end hammock that one change turns the curve into a nearly flat bed. In a bridge hammock you lie straight down the middle.
Why am I cold in a hammock?
Because air moves under you. On the ground, the earth is below you; in a hammock, open air is — and a breeze strips heat from your back all night. A sleeping bag doesn’t fix it, because your body weight crushes the insulation underneath you flat, and flat down doesn’t keep you warm.
An underquilt solves this from the outside. It hangs below the hammock, so nothing compresses it and the down stays fully lofted. Jacks R Better built the first commercially available hammock underquilt in 2004 for exactly this reason. For the whole picture, see how to stay warm hammock camping.
The alternative is a sleeping pad inside the hammock, and it comes with problems. It moves around under you all night. And because a pad isn’t breathable, you can end up sweating against it. We compare the two in underquilt vs. sleeping pad.
How should an underquilt fit?
Set it with nobody in the hammock. Adjust the underquilt’s suspension so it gently lifts the center of the hammock when it’s empty — snug against the underside, with the down fully lofted. When you climb in, it settles against you with no gaps. Our step-by-step guide to how to hang a hammock underquilt walks through it, and underquilt fit by hammock covers the popular hammock models.
What temperature rating do I need?
Match the underquilt to the coldest night you expect, and if you’re between two ratings, size up to the warmer one. You can’t overheat from an underquilt: it only warms your back, and the rest of you stays open to the air, so there’s no sealed pocket to trap heat the way a sleeping bag has. The hammock underquilt temperature guide matches each rating to real overnight lows.
Do I need a top quilt too?
Yes — the underquilt warms you from below, and a top quilt covers you from above. Running both together is the warmest hammock setup there is. If you also camp on the ground, a multi-function quilt works as a top quilt, an underquilt or a ground quilt, so one piece of gear covers both.
How big a tarp do I need for hammock camping?
Bigger than you think. A tarp needs to cover the hammock end to end with room to spare, plus enough width to angle down against wind-driven rain. Pitch it low and tight in bad weather and higher for a view when it’s clear. Our best hammock tarps guide covers sizes and pitches, and you can see ours in the hammock tarps collection.
Hammock camping mistakes to avoid
- Hanging it too tight. Give it sag; a 30° suspension angle is the starting point.
- Skipping insulation underneath. Even a mild night feels cold through an uninsulated hammock.
- Lying straight in a gathered-end hammock. Go diagonal.
- A tarp that’s too small. Rain comes in sideways.
- Not practicing at home. Hang the whole setup in the backyard once before the trip.
More field-tested tricks live in our hammock camping tips hub.
Our recommendation
Start with the insulation, not the hammock. A good underquilt and top quilt turn any decent hammock into the best night’s sleep you’ll have outdoors. Hang it with sag, lie diagonal, put a real tarp over it, and you’ll understand what the fuss is about. Every Jacks R Better underquilt is hand-sewn in the USA, as we’ve done since 2004.