Winter snow camping in the Sierra's in a few weeks. Tent or Hammock?

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supertac916

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Sep 6, 2014
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I'm planning my first winter snow camping expedition with a few friends for two nights in three weeks. I'm debating about using a two person three season tent or my Hennessey Ultra light expedition hammock. In either case, I plan to pack in two wool blankets, 20 degree bag, and also bought a Thermal bag liner that's suppose to add 25 degrees to my bag. I'll also bring my Thermorest along with a few Milar emergency blankets. I do have a Mr. Heater propane tent heater as well that I could bring with me should I decide on the tent.

Any of you have any recommendations or suggestions, so I don't freeze to death? I have a decent amount of winter clothing for layering, along with a Silky Big Boy saw, Gransfors Small Forest axe, and of course I'll pack in a few Survive! knives with me to play with. I'm using a sled to pull most of the gear in and will have a 40-60 liter pack with me as well. I'm pretty well versed in backpacking during the Spring, Summer, and Fall, but have yet to do any snow camping. The weather looks like it'll be in the 30's during the day and drop into the 10-20 degree range at night. I know in some parts of the country those are mild temps, but here in California that's pretty cold.
 
if you take a hammock make sure you know you'll be ok in those temps, insulation underneath you is the most important. Hammocks are my preference but I've been doing it a while and trust my gear
 
backpacking or car camping? and what elevation are you planning to be. eastern or western side of the sierra??
The weather can change in less then an hour. WIth the hammock I would worry about cold wind. If you are not insulated on the bottom you will be cold and I mean teeth chattering cold. Check the weather the day before and be ready to change your plans an hour before you leave.
DO plan for cold nights.
 
TheMadIndian said:
if you take a hammock make sure you know you'll be ok in those temps, insulation underneath you is the most important. Hammocks are my preference but I've been doing it a while and trust my gear
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I was planning to use my 20 degree bag, 25 degree bag liner, two wool blankets, and my thermorest in the hammock. I also bring a mylar emergency blanket and have a thick decent quality emergency SOLE tarp that has a reflective side. Unfortunately, I haven't tested my gear during the winter, but my 20 degree bag and thermorest works fine during the summer. Nights could get into the 30's and 40's in that area. We'll end up having a fire as well . This will be my first test. What do you use for insulation? I thought about getting an underquilt for the hammock, but wasn't sure what brand or rating I should get.
 
sasha said:
backpacking or car camping? and what elevation are you planning to be. eastern or western side of the sierra??
The weather can change in less then an hour. WIth the hammock I would worry about cold wind. If you are not insulated on the bottom you will be cold and I mean teeth chattering cold. Check the weather the day before and be ready to change your plans an hour before you leave.
DO plan for cold nights.
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Backpacking but probably only a few miles from the truck because I believe we'll have 3-5 feet of snow by then. It's in the Tahoe National forest and only 6683 feet elevation. I expect it to be pretty cold with the wind chill. We did a two nighter back in early October and it got pretty cold. There was only a light snow at that time and I used my tent with only my sleeping bag and thermorest. It was definitely cold..

Do you think I should just bring my tent and the Mr. Heater to be safe? This is my first real snow camping trip, where I'm actually packing in my stuff. Done plenty of summer ones up in the same area, but that's a completely different environment.
 
Try your sleeping set up in the back yard before you go whether it is hammock or tent. Better to find out you need more insulation when you are able to bail inside.
 
Plan for the worst. I've never used a hammock but can't see it being good in a blizzard. What're your friends bringing?
 
Grubbster said:
Try your sleeping set up in the back yard before you go whether it is hammock or tent. Better to find out you need more insulation when you are able to bail inside.
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I've used both in 30 degree weather because it could get cold up there and windy even during the summer. We also plan to have a fire going and I'm thinking of building my shelter, whether it be the tent or hammock to where the heat would be reflected towards it. I guess the worst case is we pack up and head back to the truck if it gets that bad..lol
 
mewolf1 said:
One thing is for sure; you'll learn a lot this trip.
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We'll definitely learn a lot on this trip. Just hope it's not too miserable, which is why I'm trying to plan as best I can before we go. I'm heading up to South Lake Tahoe this coming week for Christmas, so I plan to bring some of my gear to test. Don't think I want to camp outside the cabin, but maybe spend several hours testing the shelter systems.
 
bore said:
Plan for the worst. I've never used a hammock but can't see it being good in a blizzard. What're your friends bringing?
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They're bringing their two man tents and one has a heater similar to mine. I guess the worst case scenario if my hammock isn't working I go cuddle with one of my buddies like "Without a Paddle"..lol I prefer not too but if it's freeze to death or get a little close to a friend, than I'll have to weigh out my options. :)
 
Be careful when using a heater in a tent - carbon monoxide poisoning is a real life-threatening danger.

As to using a hammock - I'm an enthusiastic beginner in that realm, but i've read a lot and watched a number of vids by folks who are experienced winter "hangers". I believe the secret to winter camping comfort in a hammock is using a dedicated, appropriate-for-temps under quilt (as well as having adequate overhead coverage).

I haven't picked up an under quilt yet, but i know it's the way forward.
 
sounds like weight isn't a concern so i'd say bring both the tent and hammock and experiment...if you decided to go the tent route and left the hammock and tarp for it at home, how much weight are you really saving anyway? i'm guessing that hammock and tarp's total weight is just a drop in the bucket compared to your total gear weight.
 
You might be surprised at how little it takes to be comfy. As a kid I used to camp a lot in winter with just a winter bag, ensolite pad, and a ground sheet of poly(proper clothing of course); now as I get older I want and have a hot tent.;)
supertac916 said:
We'll definitely learn a lot on this trip. Just hope it's not too miserable, which is why I'm trying to plan as best I can before we go. I'm heading up to South Lake Tahoe this coming week for Christmas, so I plan to bring some of my gear to test. Don't think I want to camp outside the cabin, but maybe spend several hours testing the shelter systems.
Click to expand...
 
fmajor007 said:
Be careful when using a heater in a tent - carbon monoxide poisoning is a real life-threatening danger.

As to using a hammock - I'm an enthusiastic beginner in that realm, but i've read a lot and watched a number of vids by folks who are experienced winter "hangers". I believe the secret to winter camping comfort in a hammock is using a dedicated, appropriate-for-temps under quilt (as well as having adequate overhead coverage).

I haven't picked up an under quilt yet, but i know it's the way forward.
Click to expand...

The tent heater carbon monoxide poisoning is definitely a concern. I'd like to wake up from my nice warm sleep..

I really like the Hennessey Hammock for the summer or early Fall because the weather could change pretty quick up in the Sierra's. Could be nice and sunny and a thunder storm rolls in. It's great hanging out and sitting on my hammock under the rainfly and cooking up a snack, while the other guys are sitting in their tents waiting for the storm to stop. Only downside is I can't use it if I bring my dog. She's staying home this trip because I don't want to have to worry about her too much. I've been thinking about getting the under quilt as well, but the ones I'm seeing around a few hundred bucks. Not sure if I want to drop that money if I end up deciding on using a tent the next time.
 
JV3 said:
sounds like weight isn't a concern so i'd say bring both the tent and hammock and experiment...if you decided to go the tent route and left the hammock and tarp for it at home, how much weight are you really saving anyway? i'm guessing that hammock and tarp's total weight is just a drop in the bucket compared to your total gear weight.
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That's an option because the hammock only weighs less than 2lbs. I'm planning on pulling a sled with most of the gear, along with having probably a 40 liter pack or so. Also, we're not planning on a long hike since it's our first time trying it out. The longest we'll have to hike in if the road isn't accessible to the lakes is 8 miles, which could be a trek though if the snow is deep. However, there are 7 lakes in the vicinity and one of them is actually less than a 2 miles from where we'll be parking.
 
mewolf1 said:
You might be surprised at how little it takes to be comfy. As a kid I used to camp a lot in winter with just a winter bag, ensolite pad, and a ground sheet of poly(proper clothing of course); now as I get older I want and have a hot tent.;)
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We aren't young bucks that's for sure at 38 and one of my buddies is 42. I think we're going through a mid-life crisis..haha All of my other friends idea of roughing it is renting a cabin with Wi-Fi, electricity, and a stocked fridge. Either that or their high end RVs camped out in a campsite surrounded by a few hundred other people. I'm looking forward to the solitude because there aren't many other people out here in California that snow camp.
 
I bring mules.:D

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