Snow at last. When the first real cover came down, there was no holding Stefan and me back. Packs loaded, out into the forest, a night in the hammock in the middle of winter. Few things are as appealing as a snowy forest: the silence, the crunch underfoot, the way everything settles. We had been waiting for it, and the moment it arrived we set off.
Setting Up Camp in the Snow#
First job was a shared area. A tarp over the seating and fire pit, a sheltered spot for cooking and talking without getting snowed in. After that each of us took care of his own hammock setup.
The interesting part of this overnighter: Stefan and I run completely different hammock systems. I had my double-layer hammock from onewind, combined with the onewind underquilt and blanket for insulation. Over the top hung the hexagon tarp to keep the snow off. For the coldest hours of the night my Carinthia sleeping bag in Multicam Black went into the hammock as well. That combination turned out surprisingly warm, even as temperatures dropped well below zero.
Stefan went with his Warbonnet Ridgerunner, the Lynx underquilt and the distinctive Superfly tarp in Bushwack camo. The Ridgerunner is a bridge hammock with a much flatter lying position than the gathered-end design of the onewind. It was great to have both systems side by side and compare how they handled the same winter conditions.
Bean Stew by the Fire#
With camp standing, the fire went on, and with it the real highlight of any winter overnighter: a proper hot meal. We cooked a hearty bean stew with plenty of vegetables and smoked tofu, simple, filling and exactly right when the cold sets in. It all went into the SilverAnt titanium pot, which heats up fast and weighs next to nothing. The spices traveled in the Nordic Wolf leather spice pouch, and the multifunction leather container handled the prep. Both solid pieces that just fit at the campfire. If you want to browse the Nordic Wolf Shop: the code KAPPE gets you 10% off everything.
The stew was warming and really good. And later, once the camera was off, there was a mulled wine or two. The perfect close to a snowy evening in the woods.
A Cold Night, a Warm Morning#
The big question with hammock camping in winter is always: will it be warm enough? This time the answer was a clear yes for both setups. The onewind underquilt did its job, and the extra sleeping bag gave me a comfortable buffer against the cold. Stefan reported the same from his Warbonnet setup, the Lynx underquilt kept the chill out all night.
Waking up in a snowy forest in the morning light is hard to top. There is a stillness to winter camping you do not get in any other season. The fire was quick to restart, coffee got made, and we took our time packing up. No stress, no plan, just two friends in a snowy forest.
If you are thinking about a night in the hammock in winter: with the right insulation from below and a solid tarp above, a hammock in the snow is just as capable as a tent. What it takes: a reliable underquilt, a good sleeping bag as backup and a tarp pitched low enough to block wind and snow.
