Dredging up this old thread...
I went with a hammock this season. Down quilt, under-quilt and a tarp. It wasn't bad. Uhhh, at least after the second night, it wasn't bad. I was drenched from sweating out my rain gear (it was snowing and sleeting all the way for 6 hours) and got to spike very late. I crawled into the hammock after 10:00 pm. I think part of the problem was me. I don't think I fluffed up the quilts enough after having been compressed. Also, being wet, I may well have gotten the down wet. Anyway, I had to rub my arms and legs throughout the night for warmth. Second night was better because I returned early that night and pulled off my rain gear and allowed my clothes to dry a bit more. I slept with every bit of clothing I brought. Second night was fair and sleep was good every night after that. I noticed some shoulder pinch on my hammock, which is an average sized thing. Zero hip problems overnight but the shoulders actually did hurt throughout the night, despite my attempts to have a lateral lay. I'm thinking I need to make sure my head is below my feet on the lay of the hammock so I don't slide forward and get out of center. Your butt and torso wants to find center so your feet end up sticking out a'ways beyond where they should be, hence maybe some cold feet.
I ordered a "wide" hammock from Dutchgear. I'm think'in that'll fix the shoulder pinch. Seriously... my shoulders hurt in my econo-hammock as much as my hips hurt in any ground/tent situation. We'll see.
Down packs pretty tight. Hammocks in cold weather, IMO, aren't ultra-lite. They aren't particularly heavy either. They do maybe set-up slow. I'm working on that. It could easily be a "me" thing but, just think about it... it's raining, sleeting, snowing, and you want to set up "down" gear. I gott'a put up my tarp sort'a high, then set up my hammock, then lower my tarp...
Dang... a dude is think'in... just give me a fairly decent tent and I'll pass out from exhaustion. Screw, the "good night's sleep". Heck... I might even sleep well in a tent, on the ground. Well, you may be right and frankly... if cost is a thing, your personal comfort is a thing that rates well in the middle of the spectrum. Sore hips... seriously, shut up you pathetic old woman. Actually, my experience with old women is that they don't put themselves into situations if extreme discomfort, sooooo,.
Anyway... hammocks... they are something a guy should consider. Think zero hip pain... Chances are, your going to have to figure out the hammock thing. Hey... my mules snorted up a storm when I turned on my headlamp, to get up and relieve myself, in the wee hours... they were fine afterwards.
I'm think'in... if you don't know how to hang a hammock for maximum comfort, then that's the same as not knowing how to wipe your butt, so you don't have to deal with diaper rash. That's not a snotty thihg. Seriously... that's a very real thing. You learn by "doing". That's it. A normal person will figure out because they have to. Never, in a million years, replace some common sense with populism.
Hammocks work, just like tents work. Figure it out.