I received my Claytor Jungle hammock May 29 (13 days shipping).
Spent the next 2 nights in my back yard playing....I have much to learn!
Set-up
Easy and straight forward. I'm amazed at the amount of slack needed verses my HH Exped. I used a Strapworks, biner, decender rings to a short loop of the original Claytor strap (I will replace that ASAP). I created a set of 14"spreaders from a carbon fiber hunting arrow. Worked well but could be 1"-2" wider. I replaced the original diamond fly with the BIG rectangle tarp (about 13'x10'). WOW, is it HUGE! Pad was a GG CCF 1/4" and I just used a fleece blanket on top.
Night 1
Plenty warm (night temp 50), had some shoulder squeeze, but not enough to be uncomfortable. Woke up about 4 AM (nature called) as I wake up frequently sleeping anywhere but my bed. Went inside to take care of business and was invited to stay by my wife :cool:
Night 2
Terrible weather came in!! Had tornadoes hit 10 miles from my house. My wife was mortified that I was sleeping outside but hey, if your going to test the weatherproofness of my set-up, BRING IT ON! We had 2.5" of rain in 1.5 hrs and 50= mph straight line winds. 5000+ lighting strikes in my city overnight. Kinda reminded me of a rock concert!
Hammock was bone dry! 2 of the 4 tarp stakes pulled out of the ground (replaced and hung) and a 3rd was drug 4" IN THE GROUND but hung in. Personally, I put on my mp3 an slept till morning.
Low was 65 and I replaced the fleece blanket with a silk bag liner (3 oz) and was perfectly warm. I did increase my hanging slack and the shoulder squeeze went completely away. I was laying on my back with my arms back over my head completely comfortable (gotta love a 10' hammock)
Conclusion
PROS-Great hammock that is amazingly comfortable. Very weatherproof. BIG rain fly is HUGE providing awesome coverage. The top loading was sooo much easier than the HH bottom entry and the double bottom is pure genius! The spreader bars do an outstanding job of keeping the bug screen away from your face and making the interior feel very roomy.
CONS-Only 1...WEIGHT!
This set-up is not for the ultralight group. My scales (bathroom) had 2.5 lb. for the hammock body (including suspension) and 2.5 lb for the fly alone (ouch).

But hey, comfort and complete weatherproofness for 1 or 2 xtra lbs.
If the weight is that big of an issue, maybe I should go on a diet and lose that xtra 10-15 lbs. I'm carrying anyway!!
Great hammock that I look forward to using more often.

Nice review, the Claytor jungle hammock seems very durable, I've checked the site and seen pics, their gear looks very well made. You put it through the ringer sleeping in tornado weather, glad you didn't wake up in a twisted mess of nylon and guylines 10 miles from your backyard! So you slept with just a ccf pad and a fleece blanket at 50 degrees F? Sounds perfect. It seems many people here advise down underquilts, down over quilts, pad systems, etc at temps around 70F still, I slept around freezing with a half inflated 3/4 thermarest pad thrown in withtemps hovering below freezing in the mountains, a 30F rated bag and moderate clothing and I was very toasty, proper clothing really helped me, so I don't yet see the necessityfor all the accessories. Will the Claytor be replacing your Hennessey from here on out? It seems like people are getting rid of the Hennessey's for other setups, DIY's or Speers.

Will the Claytor be replacing your Hennessey from here on out? It seems like people are getting rid of the Hennessey's for other setups, DIY's or Speers.
Yea, I like the Claytor 10x better. My 11 yr old son will assume ownership of the HH. He likes to go backpacking and has enjoyed lounging in the HH in the backyard. We will have to see what he thinks of it overnight.
I think I would have had serious issues with the weather the other night in my HH. I doubt the minimalist coverage of the stock fly would have kept me dry in such driving rains. Of course, in 13 yrs of backpacking, this would be only the second storm like this I've been out in (and I volunteered for this one). The other one bent the aluminum poles on my tent!
I don't hink you could go wrong with a Claytor JH.

good review on you nights out.

the claytor 3 x 4 meter tarp which is 10 x 13 is great for car camping,kayaking
and short backpacking trips.:cool:neo

the claytor 3 x 4 meter tarp which is 10 x 13 is great for car camping,kayaking
and short backpacking trips.:cool:neo

Neo, did you ever get wet with that stock Claytor diamond tarp?

Neo, did you ever get wet with that stock Claytor diamond tarp?

never have not yet:) other than a little minor wind driven mist the did not really matter:cool:neo

Hi, just for reference my Jungle Hammock & Fly weighs a total of 1.6 kg (3.5 lbs). I have removed the stock straps and tarp lines and replaced them with webbing straps, SMC rings, 'biners and light cordage. I have also added two tent pegs and aluminium spreader bars. The original supplied weight was 1.6 kg, so I was quite pleased that I could make such improvements without increasing the weight. By the way, a NiteIze S-Biner #2 makes an excellent clip to hang a lamp from the tab sewn inside the top of the mosquito netting.

A

the claytor 3 x 4 meter tarp which is 10 x 13 is great for car camping,kayaking
and short backpacking trips.:cool:neo
In the big picture, a 5 lb shelter is way within my backpacking specs...when you factor in the weight reduction vs a tent and sleeping pad.
Can backpackers here get a "lighter" hammock set-up...absolutely. IMHO, they will trade comfort and/or weatherproofness to get it. It is the choice we all make on individual criteria.

I have backpacked 100 miles in a week carrying a tent set-up weighing more than 8 lbs (tent, pad, bag).
Do I want to do that again...hell NO! But my Claytor set-up weighs 6-6.5 lbs max (bag variance). Still better and more comfortable!

And again, I can't repeat enough...I could "lighten up" my load by losing the extra 15-20 lbs I carry everyday! Hell, that weight reduction wouldn't cost a dime!

Ok, that matches my calculations:

Jungle hammock & fly 1600 g
UL SS #2 down bag 824 g
Air pad 150 455 g
Air pillow 90 g

Total weight just under 3 kg (6.5 lbs)

A

Ok, that matches my calculations:

Jungle hammock & fly 1600 g
UL SS #2 down bag 824 g
Air pad 150 455 g
Air pillow 90 g

Total weight just under 3 kg (6.5 lbs)

A

Gram Weenie in the making? :p:D

In the big picture, a 5 lb shelter is way within my backpacking specs...when you factor in the weight reduction vs a tent and sleeping pad.
Can backpackers here get a "lighter" hammock set-up...absolutely. IMHO, they will trade comfort and/or weatherproofness to get it. It is the choice we all make on individual criteria.

I have backpacked 100 miles in a week carrying a tent set-up weighing more than 8 lbs (tent, pad, bag).
Do I want to do that again...hell NO! But my Claytor set-up weighs 6-6.5 lbs max (bag variance). Still better and more comfortable!

And again, I can't repeat enough...I could "lighten up" my load by losing the extra 15-20 lbs I carry everyday! Hell, that weight reduction wouldn't cost a dime!

Welcome to the forums, AnimalControl!

I'm with you, any hammock setup is going to be lighter than my old tent setup in my ground dweller days. Heck, back in the day, I used to pack in a CANVAS :eek: tent into the BWCA that weighed 50 lbs! :eek: And some of these guys talk about 50 Oz setups!

Gram Weenie in the making? :p:D


Perhaps! I like to know how much each thing weighs, so that I know what I can replace later with something lighter. I also know that a 10 kg pack (25lbs) is heavy but not too heavy.

Of course, when I think about the weight I have to anticipate carrying water too. At 1 kg per L it can easily be the most significant weight you are carrying.

A

Welcome to the forums, AnimalControl!

I'm with you, any hammock setup is going to be lighter than my old tent setup in my ground dweller days. Heck, back in the day, I used to pack in a CANVAS :eek: tent into the BWCA that weighed 50 lbs! :eek: And some of these guys talk about 50 Oz setups!

I bet a 50 lb canvas tent would make a 200 rod portage way too much fun!!

I've been to BWCA 3 times and it just might be heaven on earth!

Perhaps! I like to know how much each thing weighs, so that I know what I can replace later with something lighter. I also know that a 10 kg pack (25lbs) is heavy but not too heavy.

Of course, when I think about the weight I have to anticipate carrying water too. At 1 kg per L it can easily be the most significant weight you are carrying.

A

I hate to say it... but this is not "gram weenie in the making". This is gram weenie in the here and now. The rationalizations are starting to kick in. Those of us who are not gram weenies at all do not worry about what something weighs because we already know what can be replaced with something lighter but either don't worry about it or don't want to spend the money. Unfortunately ame there is no cure that I have ever seen. There may be rehab programs but they rarely work without a great deal of white knuckle therapy. You have my sympathy.

Actually, being a gram weenie is the new black. Seriously though, I am weighing all my stuff because I am going on a trip to Australia. I am flying with a *really cheap* airline, and they have draconian luggage rules- if you're even slightly over the weight limit, they charge you lots!

IIRC I can have 10kg as cabin baggage, and 20kg in the hold. It's not much, but I want to use it all efficiently. I might have to wear 5 tshirts and 2 coats so that they don't count as baggage.

A

Yeah, I'm actually going to go buy some scales and start weighing things myself. :rolleyes::eek: