Superior Hammock 15°F

Our take The Superior Hammock combines expedition-style warmth with a pitch easy enough that a first-timer can nail it. The key is the 20 ounces of 800-fill hydrophobic down that conserves warmth and eliminates the need for a rigid sleeping pad (awkward to use in a hammock), separate underquilt (finicky to set up), or even a sleeping bag. The long baffles are sewn in from the bottom, so that there are no interior seams through which heat can escape. Snaps on the top of the hammock ($10 extra) allow you to fully wrap yourself. “I didn’t feel cold at all, even in the 20s,” one tester said after a few nights in Maine’s Baxter State Park, during which he eschewed a quilt or bag. (He was not able to test the hammock down to its temp rating, but doesn’t doubt it would be up to the task.)

The details This long (10-foot) but light hammock provides premium sleeping space. “I didn’t experience any back pain, tightness, or taco-ing the way I sometimes do with cheaper hammocks,” one tester says. The Superior Hammock does have some drawbacks, though: A rainfly ($129) and the suspension system ($25) are sold separately, and the snap system sometimes came undone when we rolled over. $280; 2 lbs. 2 oz.; 1-person