Hammock Gear Review
The cottage brand that sells you a spec sheet instead of a product. Six choices before anything is sewn, twenty business days before anything ships, and the best down in the category at the end of it.
By Mike M. · Last updated
Knot & Nap is reader-supported. We earn from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate, at no extra cost to you. Commissions never decide what gets recommended — here is how we pick.
Hammock Gear is an Ohio cottage brand that sews every quilt to order in 850 or 950 fill-power down. The Incubator underquilt is the one to buy and the reason the brand has its reputation; the Hearth is the cheaper way into the same down; the Burrow is the top quilt that matches either. Expect roughly 20 business days, not two-day shipping.
Part of our camping hammocks hub. We have not slept under these quilts ourselves — see how we pick — so every figure below is either published by Hammock Gear on its own product pages or a fact about the live retail listing, and each is labeled as such. Note one thing before you read any further: Hammock Gear sells direct from its own store. It is not an Amazon brand, which is why the buy buttons on this page go to a search rather than a product page.
Quick picks
Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. Prices come straight from Amazon and are refreshed daily; where a figure is missing the link takes you to the live one.
| # | Product | Best for | Headline spec | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No image Hammock Gear Incubator Underquilt850-fill down in five temperature ratings and three lengths, which is the closest this category gets to a quilt cut for your body and your season. | Best backpacking underquilt | Temperature ratings 40F, 30F, 20F, 10F and 0F | |
| 2 | No image Hammock Gear Burrow Top QuiltThe Incubator's other half: the same 850-fill down and the same five ratings, cut to go over you instead of under. | Best top quilt overall | Temperature ratings 40F, 30F, 20F, 10F and 0F | |
| 3 | No image Hammock Gear Hearth UnderquiltThe entry point to Hammock Gear's down: the same made-to-order options as the Incubator, starting from a 50F rating you then pay to upgrade. | The cheapest way into their down | Temperature ratings offered in 50F, 40F, 30F, 20F, 10F and 0F steps | |
| 4 | No image Hammock Gear Circadian HammockAn integrated-bug-net hammock whose fabric spec is a menu, so the published capacity runs from 350 lb to 750 lb depending on what you order. | Choosing your own capacity | 11 ft long as standard with a 12 ft option; 58 in fabric width | |
| 5 | No image Hammock Gear Whoopie SlingAn adjustable Amsteel sling that replaces bulky daisy-chain webbing at the hammock end of the suspension. | Adjustable suspension without webbing | Adjustable Amsteel whoopie sling, sold singly |
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1. Best backpacking underquilt
Hammock Gear Incubator Underquilt
850-fill down in five temperature ratings and three lengths, which is the closest this category gets to a quilt cut for your body and your season.
Specifications
- Temperature ratings 40F, 30F, 20F, 10F and 0F
- 850 fill-power ethically sourced down
- 7-denier, 10-denier and 20-denier ripstop shell options with a DWR coating
- Lengths: Short for 5 ft 2 in to 5 ft 7 in, Standard for 5 ft 7 in to 6 ft 2 in, Long for 6 ft 2 in to 6 ft 7 in
- Hammock Gear states a 40F model stuffs to roughly 4.5 liters and a 20F model to about 8.5 liters
Source: hammockgear.com Incubator product page, 2026. We publish specs we can attribute and leave the rest blank rather than assuming a typical value.
What it does well
- Rating, length and shell denier are chosen at order time rather than fixed
- 850 fill is the highest fill power we track, so it is the smallest packed size per degree
- Three lengths means no dead insulation hanging past your calves
Where it falls short
- Made to order from a cottage brand, so it ships in weeks rather than days
- Per-rating weights are not published on the product page
- Down under a hammock sits exactly where condensation collects
No licensed photograph of this product is available to us yet.
2. Best top quilt overall
Hammock Gear Burrow Top Quilt
The Incubator's other half: the same 850-fill down and the same five ratings, cut to go over you instead of under.
Specifications
- Temperature ratings 40F, 30F, 20F, 10F and 0F
- 850 fill-power ethically sourced down
- 10-denier and 20-denier ripstop nylon shell options
- Widths: Slim 50 in (127 cm), Standard 55 in (140 cm), Wide 60 in (152 cm)
- Lengths: Short 5 ft 2 in to 5 ft 7 in, Standard 5 ft 7 in to 6 ft 2 in, Long 6 ft 2 in to 6 ft 7 in
- A 40F model stuffs to roughly 4.5 liters; a 20F to about 8.5 liters
Source: hammockgear.com Burrow product page, 2026. We publish specs we can attribute and leave the rest blank rather than assuming a typical value.
What it does well
- Width is a choice, and width is what decides whether drafts get in at your shoulders
- Buys as a matched pair with the Incubator in the same rating
- No zip, no hood and no dead insulation underneath you
Where it falls short
- Made to order, so it ships in weeks
- Per-configuration weights are not published
- A quilt with no hood needs a hat on a cold night
No licensed photograph of this product is available to us yet.
3. The cheapest way into their down
Hammock Gear Hearth Underquilt
The entry point to Hammock Gear's down: the same made-to-order options as the Incubator, starting from a 50F rating you then pay to upgrade.
Specifications
- Temperature ratings offered in 50F, 40F, 30F, 20F, 10F and 0F steps
- Ethically sourced 850 fill-power down standard, with a 950 fill-power upgrade
- Shell options in 20D (standard), 10D and 7D ripstop, DWR-coated with a down-proof calendared interior
- 40 in wide, with an extra 5 in available as an added baffle
- Lengths: Short for 5 ft 2 in to 5 ft 7 in, Standard for 5 ft 7 in to 6 ft 2 in, Long for 6 ft 2 in to 6 ft 7 in
- Overfill available from 1 to 4 oz
- Hammock Gear states a 40F model packs to roughly 4.5 liters and a 20F to about 8.5 liters
- Made to order; Hammock Gear quotes 20 business days on custom builds
Source: hammockgear.com Hearth product page, 2026. We publish specs we can attribute and leave the rest blank rather than assuming a typical value.
What it does well
- Starts well below the Incubator, so it is the cheapest route into the same down and the same build
- A 50F rating exists at all, which nobody else in the category offers and summer hangers actually want
- Width, length, shell denier and overfill are all chosen at order time
Where it falls short
- The entry configuration is a 50F quilt, and every useful rating is a paid upgrade
- No finished weights published per rating, only packed volumes
- Made to order, so plan weeks ahead of a trip
No licensed photograph of this product is available to us yet.
4. Choosing your own capacity
Hammock Gear Circadian Hammock
An integrated-bug-net hammock whose fabric spec is a menu, so the published capacity runs from 350 lb to 750 lb depending on what you order.
Specifications
- 11 ft long as standard with a 12 ft option; 58 in fabric width
- Functional length 9 ft with the structural ridgeline installed
- Published capacity by fabric: 350 lb in 40D single layer, 500 lb in 70D single layer, and 450 lb to 750 lb across the double-layer combinations
- 23.10 oz single layer; 29.76 oz to 36.94 oz double layer depending on the shell pairing
- Integrated zippered bug net in 0.67 oz per square yard high-visibility mesh, one #5 YKK coil zipper with four double-pull sliders
- Ships with a structural ridgeline, continuous loops and carabiners, a peak mesh stuff sack and a double-ended stuff sack
- Four exterior pack hooks for an underquilt and eight interior D-rings
- Made to order; Hammock Gear quotes 20 business days on custom builds
Source: hammockgear.com Circadian product page, 2026. We publish specs we can attribute and leave the rest blank rather than assuming a typical value.
What it does well
- Pick the capacity you need rather than taking the one the brand chose for you
- The bug net is integrated and zips from either side, so there is no separate net to buy or fit
- Underquilt hooks and interior D-rings are built in, which matters if the rest of your kit is also theirs
Where it falls short
- Tree straps and whoopie slings are extra, so the hammock as listed does not hang
- A double-layer build is close to 2 lb 5 oz, which is heavy for a backpacking hammock
- Made to order with a restocking fee once the build starts, so measure twice
No licensed photograph of this product is available to us yet.
5. Adjustable suspension without webbing
Hammock Gear Whoopie Sling
An adjustable Amsteel sling that replaces bulky daisy-chain webbing at the hammock end of the suspension.
Specifications
- Adjustable Amsteel whoopie sling, sold singly
Source: hammockgear.com product page, 2026. We publish specs we can attribute and leave the rest blank rather than assuming a typical value.
What it does well
- Far less bulk and weight than daisy-chain webbing
- Infinite adjustment within its range
Where it falls short
- Still needs a tree-protection strap — a whoopie sling alone is not tree-friendly
- Published working load is not stated on the listing
No licensed photograph of this product is available to us yet.
What Hammock Gear actually sells
The catalog is smaller than the configurator makes it feel. There are two hammocks, the Circadian and the Circadian Pro, plus a plain Standard hammock and a WanderLust kit. There is one top quilt, the Burrow. There are two down underquilts, the Incubator and the cheaper Hearth. Then there are tarps in two families — Dyneema (Standard with Doors, Tapered Ground, Nomad, Hex and Palace) and SilPoly (Quest, Journey and Trek) — and a short list of accessories: whoopie slings, ridgeline organizers, mesh lofts, guy line, carabiners and a tarp sleeve.
That is the whole brand. What makes it feel enormous is that almost nothing has a single specification. A Hearth is not a product so much as a set of choices: six temperature ratings, two fill powers, three shell deniers, three lengths, two widths and four overfill steps. The same is true of the Circadian, where the fabric you pick is also the capacity you get.
The published numbers, side by side
| Product | What it is | Key published figures | What it omits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incubator | Down underquilt, the flagship | 40F, 30F, 20F, 10F and 0F ratings; 850 fill; 7D, 10D and 20D shells; three lengths; 40F packs to about 4.5 L and 20F to about 8.5 L | Per-rating weights |
| Hearth | Down underquilt, the entry point | 50F through 0F in six steps; 850 fill standard, 950 optional; 40 in wide plus an optional 5 in baffle; overfill 1 to 4 oz | Per-rating weights |
| Burrow | Down top quilt | 40F through 0F in five steps; 850 fill; 10D and 20D shells; widths 50, 55 and 60 in; three lengths | Per-configuration weights |
| Circadian | Hammock with integrated bug net | 11 ft long (12 ft optional), 58 in wide, 9 ft functional with the ridgeline; 350 lb in 40D single to 750 lb in 70D/40D double; 23.10 oz single layer | Tree straps and whoopie slings are extra |
| Whoopie sling | Adjustable Amsteel suspension | Sold singly, infinitely adjustable within its range | No published working load |
Read the last column before the third one. Three of the five rows omit a finished weight, and on a brand this focused on ultralight hangers that is a conspicuous gap — Outdoor Vitals publishes a weight for every rating and length of its StormLoft, and it is not a cottage operation. If your pack weight has a hard ceiling, Hammock Gear will give you packed volume and nothing else until the box arrives.
The Incubator is the product that matters
If you only ever buy one thing from this brand, buy the Incubator. Rating, length and shell denier are all chosen at order time, which solves the single most wasteful thing about hammock insulation: an underquilt cut for a six-foot-two sleeper hanging under a five-foot-four one is inches of dead loft past the calves, adding weight and doing nothing. Three lengths — Short, Standard and Long, mapped to published height ranges — is the fix, and 850 fill is the highest fill power we track anywhere in best hammock underquilts.
The honest caution is the one that applies to all down under a hammock: the underside of a hammock is exactly where condensation collects, and down loses loft when it gets damp. That is a physics problem, not a Hammock Gear problem, and it is why a protector or a shell matters in a wet season. Our best hammock underquilts roundup and how to attach an underquilt walk through both.
The Hearth is the interesting one
The Hearth is new ground for the category because it offers a 50F rating at all. Almost nobody does. Underquilt lines typically start at 40F or 30F on the reasoning that if it is warmer than that you do not need one — which is wrong, and anyone who has woken up with a cold stripe across their back in July knows it. A 50F quilt is the honest answer to summer hanging, and it is the lightest, smallest, cheapest version of this product that can exist.
What you need to understand before you get excited about the entry price is that the entry price buys the 50F. Every colder rating is a paid step, as is 950 fill, as is a lighter shell, as is the extra width, as is overfill. Build a 20F Hearth with a 10D shell in Long and you have spent real money on what is still the brand's budget quilt. That is not a trick — the configurator shows you every increment — but anyone comparing a headline figure against the Incubator is comparing a 50F quilt to a 20F one.
The Circadian, and the menu that is also a capacity chart
The Circadian is an 11 ft hammock with an integrated zippered bug net, a structural ridgeline that holds the mesh off your face, four exterior hooks for an underquilt and eight interior D-rings. The fabric choice is the part worth slowing down for, because it is not a comfort preference — it is the published capacity. A 40D single layer is rated 350 lb. A 70D single layer is rated 500 lb. Double-layer combinations run from 450 lb up to 750 lb, which is the highest published hammock capacity anywhere in our registry.
Weight moves with it, of course: 23.10 oz in a single layer, up to 36.94 oz in a 70D/40D double. That heaviest build is over two pounds of hammock before suspension, which is a lot for a backpacking item — see best backpacking hammocks for what the ultralight end of the category weighs. And the listed hammock does not hang on its own: straps and whoopie slings are separate line items. Budget for them in the same order, because tree straps are the part that touches the bark and the part people most often forget.
Where the brand is genuinely weak
- Lead time. Hammock Gear quotes 20 business days on custom builds. That is a month of calendar time. In-stock items ship in one to two business days, but the in-stock list is short and does not include your configuration.
- Restocking fee. Once a custom order enters production, changes, cancellations and returns carry a 20 percent restocking fee. Measure your height and decide your rating before you click, not after.
- No published weights. Packed volume is offered instead on the quilts. For a brand that sells to ultralight hangers, that is the omission that matters most.
- No retail presence. There is no Amazon listing to check, no store to see one in, and no next-day option if a trip moves up. Every buy link on this page is therefore a search, not a product page.
- Whoopie sling working load is not published. It is a suspension component, so that is the one spec you would most want.
Who should buy Hammock Gear, and who should not
Buy it if you already know your season, your height and your pack ceiling, and you are willing to wait a month to get a quilt cut to all three. That is a real advantage no mass-market brand can match, and it is why the Incubator shows up in more serious hammock setups than anything else in the category.
Do not buy it for a trip in three weeks, and do not buy it as a first underquilt if you are still working out whether you even want one. For that, a stocked, fixed-spec quilt is the better first purchase — best budget underquilts is the page, and underquilt vs top quilt settles which half of the system to buy first. If what you actually want is their hammock rather than their insulation, the honest comparison is against the stocked brands: Hennessy, Warbonnet and DD all sell integrated-net hammocks you can have this week.
Common questions
Is Hammock Gear a good brand?
For insulation, yes — it is one of the strongest in the category. Every quilt is sewn to order in 850 or 950 fill-power down, with the rating, length, shell denier and width chosen by you, which no mass-market brand offers. The trade is a roughly 20-business-day lead time and no retail availability.
What is the difference between the Hammock Gear Hearth and the Incubator?
Both are down underquilts from the same workshop. The Incubator is the flagship and starts at a 40F rating; the Hearth is the cheaper entry point and starts at 50F, with every colder rating priced as an upgrade. The Hearth also offers a 950 fill-power option and an extra 5 in of width as an added baffle.
How long does Hammock Gear take to ship?
Hammock Gear quotes 20 business days on custom-made items and one to two business days on anything from its in-stock list. Once a custom order enters production, changes, cancellations and returns carry a 20 percent restocking fee.
Can you buy Hammock Gear on Amazon?
Not as far as we can verify. A Creators API search for the Hearth and the Circadian returns no Hammock Gear listings at all, so the brand appears to sell through hammockgear.com only. The buy buttons on this page are tagged Amazon searches rather than product pages for that reason.
How much weight can the Hammock Gear Circadian hold?
It depends entirely on the fabric you order. Hammock Gear publishes 350 lb for the 40D single layer and 500 lb for the 70D single layer, with the double-layer combinations running from 450 lb to 750 lb. The capacity is a choice on the order form, not a fixed figure.
Does the Circadian come with straps?
No. It ships with a structural ridgeline, continuous loops, carabiners and two stuff sacks, but tree straps and whoopie slings are separate line items. Order them at the same time or the hammock arrives with nothing to hang it from.
Sources
Every specification on this page traces to one of these — manufacturer data, owner's manuals, published standards and named independent publications, all linked so you can check them yourself.
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