Hammock Gear Circadian Professional Assessment

Bottom Line

For a quality hammock that delivers spacious dimensions and a premium feel, the Hammock Gear Circadian Pro is a great choice. With a generous 12 feet of length and double layers of comfortable fabric, we felt spoiled with all the room in the cavernous interior. When testing this hammock under the canopy in Minnesota, we could spread out in this model better than any of the other hammocks in our lineup. 

The premium experience does come at a cost; as specced with a 40D outer and 20D inner fabric, this is not a cheap investment. We do think it offers good value considering the quality materials and excellent construction, but this is not an entry-level product.

We loved the glow-in-the-dark zipper pulls and removable bug net, but were less enthusiastic about a zipper design that ends midway through the hammock side. While this is necessary to achieve a removable net, other hammock designs deal with this more elegantly that doesn’t involve the zipper terminating in the middle. Everything else about the experience was overall wonderful. Considering the feature set, the Circadian Pro is more at home during winter use, and it earns a high recommendation for that purpose.

Comfort

Without a doubt, the Circadian Pro is a luxuriously comfortable hammock. With a spacious 12 feet of length and using a silky smooth 20D nylon for the interior fabric on top of a 40D nylon for the second layer, the Circadian is cavernous in the interior. One of our shorter testers noted it was disconcerting how much height was between them and the fixed ridgeline, but our taller testers definitely noticed the increased comfort. 

When spending the night in the Circadian Pro, it was easy to find a diagonal lying position with all that room to work with, although the lack of interior pockets hurts convenience. Hammock Gear does sell a variety of storage add-ons, but we still like to see this feature as standard.

Features

The Circadian Pro offers a number of useful features, but some are only available as add-ons. Even though it’s a small detail, we absolutely love the glow-in-the-dark zipper pulls on this model. One of our testers noted very specifically they felt perfect to hold, not too large or small, and the glow-in-the-dark feature made them much easier to find when fumbling around in the dark. Because this hammock is a bit more tailored for winter conditions when there is a lot less daylight, we think this thoughtful feature will quickly become a favorite in long-term use.

Our least favorite feature also has to do with the zippers. While their quality is excellent, the ends of the zippers are near the middle of the body. This is frustrating when wanting to fully zip up the hammock; since the zip stops abruptly in the middle, it forces you to slide the other zipper pull to the same fixed position rather than having the flexibility of two floating zipper pulls on one continuous zipper. Other hammock models with fully removable bug nets get around this by having the zipper ends terminate at the head or foot end, so we’re confused why Hammock Gear elected for this particular design choice.

The fully removable bug net offers a lot of flexibility, especially for winter use when it can be exchanged for a partially solid top cover. When combined with the double layer, it makes the Circadian Pro a compelling winter hammock, and the one we’d reach for if we were headed into colder conditions. Double layer hammocks are favored by some for deeper winter camping, and we can report that this feature works well enough.

The insertion hole to fit a sleeping pad is strangely a bit narrow, however, even for a standard 20-inch pad. Since winter backpacking is generally not ultralight, and side coverage for a sleeping pad is especially important in a hammock, we think not being able to fit wide pads through the hole easily is a big miss. On the other hand, the plethora of underquilt attachment hooks on the side is good to see.

Weight

Ultralight is not the priority of the Circadian Pro. With a 12 foot length, double layer fabric, and zippers on both sides, the total weight tips the scale at 30.8 ounces, a hefty amount for a single hammock and almost double the lightest hammock we tested. It can be specced lighter by going to an 11 foot length, and if a removable bug net isn’t a priority, the regular Circadian can get the weight down to 23.1 ounces, which is much more reasonable. Still, the model that we tested is not that, so the Circadian Pro is simply too heavy for a general 3 season recommendation. The 12 foot length is also overkill unless you’re above 6 feet and know the extra length will help.

Ease of Use

Setup is a breeze with the Circadian Pro. With two fixed loops on the end and a ridgeline, setup is easy and simple each time provided the suspension option isn’t a pain. The zippers are smooth and easy to get into, and we’re only taking points off for the hard stop in the middle of the hammock body.

Should You Buy the Hammock Gear Circadian PRo?

For winter use, when weight is far less a priority, the Circadian Pro is definitely the model we’d reach for. It’s spacious, comfortable, and made of quality materials that should shrug off colder conditions with ease. For someone looking to get into winter hammocking, the Circadian Pro is our top option, and the variety of customization options helps make it even more tailored for the experience. That will all come at a cost, as investing in the features specifically for winter will not make this a small investment, and the Circadian Pro is already a more expensive model. Considering all it offers, the value proposition is still reasonable.

What Other Hammocks Should You Consider?

Warbonnet Blackbird Review: If the Circadian Pro seems like overkill, and a lightweight hammock is the priority, the Warbonnet Blackbird is our top pick. While not quite as comfortable, it’s more than enough for most people. The low weight is nearly half the Circadian Pro while coming in at a lower price. It’s not going to be as modular, but for most 3 season camping, it’s going to be an excellent choice.

Dutchware Chameleon Review: For a different take on the modular and versatile hammock concept, we think the Chameleon does it a bit better than the Circadian Pro. Generally lighter, with more available features, and a dizzying array of add-ons, Dutchware went all-in with the design, and it shows. That will come at a similar premium to the Circadian Pro, but for people who want to invest in a feature-rich system, the Chameleon is hard to beat.