The Best Hammock Underquilt On The Market [Review and Buying Guide]

Hammock campers often struggle with maintaining their warmth throughout the night, since the cold air is constantly coming into contact with the hammock’s underside. A regular sleeping bag and sleeping pad combination cannot save you from the cold in this situation, as these products are not designed to perform optimally in a hammock.

A hammock underquilt, on the other hand, will prevent you from waking up to the cold and help you get a full night of sleep. The underquilt drapes underneath your hammock prevent heat loss into the cold nighttime air, so that you can keep sleeping soundly under the stars.

While the winner of this product round-up is the Outdoor Vitals Aeries Down Underquilt thanks to its versatility and high-quality fabrics, there are multiple great underquilts that we will review and compare below. Read on to find the best hammock underquilt to keep you comfortable even on those chilly nights.

Review of Best Hammock Underquit

Outdoor Vitals Aerie Down Underquilt: Best Overall

The Outdoor Vitals Aerie Down Underquilt is the best overall option within this product round-up because of its versatility in many temperature rating options and uses, lightweight body style, compact size, overall warmth, lifetime warranty, and high degree of durability and practicality.

With the Outdoor Vitals Aerie Down Underquilt, you can choose from a 0, 15, or 45 degrees Fahrenheit temperature rating, so the quilt is versatile from mild to even colder evenings. The company advertises that their sleeping quilts have been thoroughly tested at 12,000-foot peaks in Utah to be within 5 degrees Fahrenheit of their stated temperature rating, so you can feel confident that you are purchasing a quilt that will live up to your expectations.

When selecting your Outdoor Vitals quilt, you can also choose the type of insulation filling you would like. 

The StormLoft 800-fill power down is a high-quality down, and, as it is coated with VitalDry DWR (durable water repellent), this down is more water-resistant in practical use than regular down would be. Couple this with the lightweight quality of down itself, and you have a remarkably lightweight, warm underquilt that will last for many years.

The other insulation option is 650+ fill power Hybrid LoftTek insulation, which is an excellent synthetic insulation that is extremely lightweight and compressible just like down, making it warmer than regular synthetic insulation. 

The Hybrid LofTek insulation is even more water-resistant than the StormLoft down, so synthetic insulation is still the best choice if you may meet some showers.

Both insulation types feature a “grid baffle design” that prevents the insulation from compressing too much. Thanks to this design, the Outdoor Vitals quilt is constructed in order to avoid cold spots from forming, making sure that you stay warm all night long. 

No matter which temperature rating and insulation option you choose, the Outdoor Vitals Aerie features a compact size that will fit easily into your hiking pack. With an outer shell made of 20 denier ripstop fabrics, the Outdoor Vitals quilt resists tearing and is built to last. The outer shell is also treated with the VitalDry DWR for even more water repellency. 

The Outdoor Vitals Aerie can also be used as a technical blanket for cold temperatures when hiking or caught in a storm. It also doubles as a sleeping bag, as it has a full-length YKK zipper that can fully enclose you. You can even purchase two quilts and connect them together to make a double sleeping bag.

Lastly, the company backs their quilts with a limited lifetime warranty and donates 1% of its revenue to projects aimed at reducing poverty worldwide.

Hyke & Byke Antero Hiking & Camping Hammock Sleeping Bag: Runner-Up

The Hyke & Byke Antero 800 Fill Power Hammock Sleeping Bag with ClusterLoft Base is our choice for the runner-up, thanks to its quality hydrophobic down, versatility, comfortable design, and durable fabric construction. The Hyke & Byke is truly designed to keep you cozy.

Hyke & Byke advertises to test its products by 60,000 customers before release, so you can rest assured that you are purchasing a product of quality and reliability. 

The company provides three different temperature ratings for this quilt when used as a sleeping bag. The quilt is rated with 15 degrees Fahrenheit as the extreme limit, 30 degrees as the lower limit, and 50 degrees as the comfort limit. 

To explain briefly, the comfort limit is the lowest temperature at which most women will feel comfortable in this sleeping bag, as they sleep colder than men. The lower limit indicates the lowest temperature at which a man (a warmer sleeper) will feel comfortable. The extreme limit indicates the lowest temperature that a person can survive in this sleeping bag.

Incredibly lightweight, the Hyke & Byke Antero quilt is filled with 800 fill power duck down that guarantees to keep you warm. The quilt is technologically advanced, as it features a hydrophobic ClusterLoft base. This ClusterLoft technology is designed to be water-repellent and extra durable when compressed, effectively preventing cold spots.

The Hyke & Byke Antero quilt is built to last, withstanding four seasons of temperatures. The quilt is compatible with any hammock style, and it can also be used as a regular sleeping bag for traditional tent-based camping.

When used as a sleeping bag, the Hyke & Byke is extremely comfortable, thanks to its design with 4 inches of extra width along the sides and an overly sized foot area, allowing for more freedom of movement when you’re asleep.

The outer shell is also water repellent and made of 20 denier ripstop nylon. As a sleeping bag, it features oversized YKK zippers with an anti-snag slider for ease of use as well. The purchase also includes a carrying sack case.

You can buy the Hyke & Byke in a tall (up to 6 foot 6 inches) size as well to accommodate those extra tall sleepers or to fit a very long hammock.

OneTigris Night Protector Hammock Underquilt, Hammock Camping Essentials: Best Budget Option

The OneTigris Night Protector Hammock Underquilt is the best option if you are on a budget. This comfortable quilt costs only $62.98 and can be found with coupons available as well. Even though it is a budget choice, the OneTigris underquilt does not skimp on quality.

You can choose between a classic hunter green or a beautiful shadow grey color. The outer shell of the OneTigris Hammock Underquilt is designed to last, as it is made of 20 denier ripstop nylon with a durable water repellent coating, just like the more expensive options reviewed in this product round-up.

The OneTigris is filled with polyester synthetic insulation, so it is quite waterproof. The comfort rating for this hammock quilt is 40 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore, it is best used in the milder temperatures. The OneTigris is also made to fit nearly any standard hammock, making it a versatile option.

Set-up and take-down of this hammock underquilt is easy, thanks to the included bungee cord and loops that are easily arranged. The OneTigris quilt also comes with an included carrying stuff sack. Altogether, the quilt and carrying sack weigh only 28 ounces for easy transportability in any hiking bag.

Easthills Outdoors 3 Seasons Cocoon 45F Hammock Underquilt, Lightweight Sleeping Quilt for Outdoor Camping: Most Lightweight

The Easthills Outdoors 3 Seasons Cocoon 45F Hammock Underquilt is the most lightweight option, making it the best choice for long backpacking trips. This underquilt is built to pack down small and light at only 27 ounces, preventing back strain when carried long distances so you can enjoy the longer hiking days.

Made with a 20 denier ripstop polyester outer shell, which is also coated with durable water repellent, you can count on the Easthills Outdoors quilt lasting a long time and keeping you dry.

With synthetic insulation, the Easthills quilt is rated down to 45 degrees Fahrenheit, which is useful for fall temperatures. The insulation is stitched with an embroidery style that keeps it from compressing. This helps prevent cold spots from developing and making you shiver through the night.

The Easthills hammock quilt features an easy set-up process with included elastic bungee cords and a carabiner to simply lower and raise the hammock to your desired height. The toe box can also be cinched closer together to keep cold air out. Overall, the bungee cords keep the quilt held tightly to the hammock without sagging.

This quilt is designed to fit nearly any hammock style, as it measures 5.5 x 4.5 feet and has a wide shoulder shape that prevents compression and discomfort. Keep in mind that this is a ¾ length quilt, so it is not the best choice if you need full coverage. 

The Easthills quilt packs down to a very compact size with its included stuff sack. It can also be used as a camping blanket, so this is another versatile choice.

Snugpak Hammock Cocoon with Travelsoft Filling – Olive: Most Unique Design

The Snugpak Hammock Cocoon with Travelsoft Filling is the hammock quilt with the most interesting and unique design. Featuring a full-length enclosing style that is sure to keep you cozy, the Snugpak does just what its name suggests: snuggle you.

Built to truly keep you warm, the Snugpak Hammock Cocoon fully encases you to prevent any sort of draft from interrupting your good night’s sleep. The Snugpak Hammock Cocoon features a full-length zipper for easier entrance and exit from the cocoon. You can also move the zipper’s level to adjust the amount of night air you feel, making this cocoon rather versatile.

The Snugpak utilizes a Travelsoft insulation, which is a synthetic type that is quite lightweight. This insulation promises to retain its heating properties even when coming into contact with moisture.

Overall, the Snugpak measures 34 inches wide and 118 inches long and is designed to fit most standard hammock sizes comfortably. The outer shell is made of ripstop “Micro Diamond” fabric that is coated with water repellent. It is also treated with antibacterial coating which helps to keep odors away. 

An 11 x 9-inch stuff sack is also included for extra traveling convenience.

Wise Owl Outfitters Hammock Underquilt: Most Extra Features

The Wise Owl Outfitters Hammock Underquilt has the most extra features, as it comes with a compression sack as well as a fully equipped suspension kit. This quilt is a fantastic choice for those looking for a stylish option that will last many years.

With a comfortable temperature rating of 40 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit, the Wise Owl quilt is designed for those milder nights. The Wise Owl is full-length and is designed for compatibility with most standard size hammocks. It is rather easy to set up with the included quick bungee system.

Designed with 20 deniers ripstop nylon as the outer shell and a polyester lining, the Wise Owl is quite durable and tear-resistant as well as wind-resistant. Like many other comfortable hammock quilts, the Wise Owl is also more narrow at the foot box to keep drafts out, and wider at the shoulders for an extra comfortable design. 

The Wise Owl quilt also comes with a stuff sack for easy portability.

Pros

• Includes a suspension kit
• Ultra-lightweight (1.15 pounds)
• Wide shoulders and narrow foot area to prevent drafts
• Fits most hammocks
• Easy set-up
• Ripstop fabrics
• Stuff sack included

Cons

• Only one color option
• Only for milder temperatures

ENO, Eagles Nest Outfitters Ember UnderQuilt

The Eagles Nest Outfitters Ember UnderQuilt is another very durable option meant to withstand four seasons of camping. This quilt is designed with a temperature rating of 40 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit when paired with its compatible top quilt, so it is suitable for those colder nights when you still want to hang out in your hammock without the chills.

Measuring 6 ft x 6 ft. x 4 ft, the Ember is designed to fit any standard toggle-style or carabiner-style hammock for campers up to 6 foot 2 inches tall. The quilt has a fully adjustable suspension style, so it is quite versatile in usage.

The Ember quilt features a double layer of 65% recycled Primaloft Synergy synthetic insulation, which is waterproof and has an “offset quilted” design to keep cold spots out. The outer shell is also coated in durable water repellent, so you don’t need to worry if you encounter dew or another water source. It is designed to contour to the body and keep drafts away.

Ultra-lightweight at only 30 ounces, the Ember quilt is another excellent choice for planning a long backpacking trip. A compact, nylon mesh carrying sack is also included to make life easier.

Finally, a purchase of the Ember supports the great outdoors. Not only is the insulation 65% recycled to minimize wastefulness, but Eagles Nest Outfitters also donates to organizations that work towards wilderness preservation.

Pros

• Long length for up to 6′ 2″
• Double layer of insulation with offset quilted design to prevent cold spots
• 65% of the insulation is recycled
• Waterproof 
• Lightweight and includes a stuff sack for convenience
• The company donates to wildlife preservation efforts

Main Benefits of a Hammock Underquilt

If you are camping on a chilly night and want to sleep cozily in your comfy hammock, a hammock underquilt is a valuable treasure to have. A hammock underquilt serves the purpose of keeping the underside of your hammock warm throughout the night by keeping drafts away. 

The under quilt is properly insulated to prevent heat from leaving your body through convection (heat loss into the air).

Underquilt vs Sleeping Pad or Sleeping Bag

While a sleeping pad and an underquilt have similar purposes (keeping warm at night), sleeping pads are not as useful in a hammock. 

When tent camping, a sleeping bag and sleeping pad combo may be the most practical option to keep you warm. However, many hammock under quilts also double as sleeping bags, so they are quite versatile. When hammock camping, though, there is no contest: a hammock underquilt is the best choice. 

Picture this scenario.

You’ve just finished a long day of camping, and you’ve finally set up your hammock and prepared for a night’s sleep. You’re cuddled into your sleeping bag on your hammock, and you fall asleep feeling warm enough. However, in the middle of the night, you wake up to find yourself shivering because your back feels too cold.

Then, thinking that you can solve this problem by placing a sleeping pad underneath your back, you quickly find that the sleeping pad doesn’t fit well and wants to slide out from underneath you. You smash it down some more and finally get it to stay put, but you still wake up feeling cold. This leads to quite a frustrating, restless night.

What went wrong?

The sleeping bag:

The truth is, a sleeping bag alone is unlikely to be warm enough for hammock sleeping. This is because as you lie on the sleeping bag and put your weight on it, the bag loses its ability to trap heat due to the air pockets in the bag being compressed. This exposes you to cold air underneath you. This is the same thing that happens when tent camping with only a sleeping bag, and it is why sleeping pads are so important.

More: The Best Sleeping Bag For Hammock For Hammock Camping

The sleeping pad:

Because sleeping pads are inflated, they won’t lie completely flat underneath your body, especially when you have a U-shaped hammock as a base. The uneven compression leads to cold spots. Also, the sleeping pad is likely to gradually slide out from under you, entirely defeating the purpose of using one.

You can avoid this entire scenario by using a hammock underquilt instead. The underquilt is designed to hang underneath your hammock, rather than between you and the hammock, so it does not get compressed and lose its ability to retain heat.

Because the underquilt will fit better with the hammock itself, you will feel more comfortable and sleep more soundly than you would if you attempted to use a sleeping bag and sleeping pad.

The hammock underquilt is constructed and designed specifically to keep you warm while hammock camping, so it’s the best choice for this scenario. Some underquilts are even made for a specific hammock model, making sure that they fit together perfectly for maximum heat retention.

Buying Guide: What to Look For in a Hammock Underquilt

Outer Materials

Hammock under quilts is usually made with nylon or polyester as the outer material. Often, you’ll see an outer shell made out of ripstop nylon, which is extremely tear-resistant, making the underquilt quite durable and long-lasting. Also, nylon itself is resistant to odor retention, so this makes for a more pleasant experience.

Nylon does retain water, so keep in mind that if it gets wet, it is likely to take a while to dry. This will make the underquilt much heavier to travel with. For waterproofing, look for a fabric called silnylon. This is a silicone-coated nylon that is also very durable but doesn’t retain water the way that regular nylon does.

Another common outer material for hammock underquilts is polyester, which is less strong than nylon but still fairly durable. Polyester does not retain water, so it is a better choice if you may be camping in moist conditions. You can also find polyester fabrics coated in silicone, called silpoly. This fabric is also very lightweight and windproof.

More: The Best Camping Hammock With Mosquito Net On The Market

Fill Material and Loft

When picking out a hammock underquilt, one of the most important features to consider is the type of insulation that it is filled with. 

Down insulation:

Hammock underquilts with down insulation will be more lightweight and compressible, making them easier to travel with, as you can easily stuff them into your hiking backpack. 

Fill power is a measurement that indicates the weight or quality of the down. It measures how many cubic inches of loft (or puffiness, which traps air and warmth) is produced by 1 oz of the down. The higher the loft, the greater the amount of insulation.

In other words, the fill power measures how much warmth the down retains for its weight. Simply put, down with a higher fill power is more efficient at keeping you warm, meaning the quilt can weigh less to meet the temperature rating.

However, the drawback of down insulation is that it becomes heavy when it gets wet and takes a very long time to dry. The main problem, though, is that when wet, down does not retain heat successfully. Although you can find down that is coated to be water-resistant, it is not foolproof and will not keep you warm in soaking conditions.

More: NEMO Riff 15 Review

Synthetic insulation:

Quilts made with synthetic insulation will be heavier in general and won’t compress as much as a quilt made of down, so they are less easily packed away. 

Synthetically-insulated quilts are less efficient at keeping you warm and require more material to do so. For this reason, quilts made with synthetic insulation will probably be more challenging to hike with, due to their higher weight.

On the upside, synthetic insulation retains heat even when wet, so this is a better choice if there is a chance you may meet some rain.

Water Repellency

As we discussed, if you are looking for a hammock underquilt to use in inclement weather, synthetic insulation is your best bet because it will not lose its ability to keep you warm. 

If you are really set on a down quilt, though, look for one that has been treated with a hydrophobic (DWR, or durable water repellent) coating on the outside. This will help to repel some water and keep the down from losing its heat-retaining properties.

More: How to Waterproof a Tent Like A Pro

Conclusion

For the ultimate hammock camping experience, it’s important to make sure that you stay warm all throughout the night. This can be challenging because sleeping in a hammock allows the chilly night air to circulate all around you. A hammock underquilt is the perfect solution to this problem. 

The winner of this product round-up, the Outdoor Vitals Aerie Down Quilt, gains its title thanks to its water-resistant and durable fabrics. Its versatility is either a hammock quilt or sleeping bag, its efficient insulation types, and a lifetime warranty. You can choose synthetic insulation for more waterproofing or down insulation for ultimate efficiency and warmth with this quilt.

A fantastic runner-up option is the Hyke & Byke Antero Hiking & Camping Hammock Sleeping Bag. This hammock underquilt can withstand four seasons and is designed to be waterproof and extra warm with its efficient and lightweight down insulation. This is also a great choice for extra tall campers.

An excellent budget option, the OneTigris Night Protector Hammock Underquilt is also extra durable and waterproof. Its synthetic insulation aims to keep you warm on the milder nights.

Any of the hammock quilts we reviewed would be the perfect addition to your camping arsenal. We hope this product round-up has helped to narrow down the choices for the perfect hammock underquilt to keep you warm and toasty.