In the past month, I picked up a Dutch Hammock and a JRB 3 season UQ. I headed out on a 2 nighter in the San Pedro Parks Wilderness near Cuba NM. We had a 10 mi in 2 days planned, but ended up making a few wrong turns and ended up closer to 15 mi. Day 1 was 5 mi hike in a consistent rain. It wasn’t bad, but did slow us down. The rain stopped, and we set up camp near Rio De Las Vacas. It was gorgeous. Day 2 we had much better weather, but a few missed markers later…we more than doubled our day 1 experience.
Lessons learned, I have to reduce my weight. I had 50+ lbs, and that’s just not going to work. Too many times when I loaded my pack, I would say…oh that’s just a little bit more weight…I can handle that. The final mile to the car, was rough. Lesson really learned. Its time to carefully consider each piece now (before the excitement of the next trip) to be thoughtful so I can improve the overall experience. I’m going to sell off my big pack, I do love it…but its an enabler. Less space will result in less stuff to carry.
Ok, what about the hammock? On my initial set up in the back yard, my ridgeline was board tight (83% length). I planned to shorten it some, and try to increase some sag in my 11’ hammock. I did improve the sag. It felt much better and my feet were higher than my head. My ¾ JRB and the hammock, just work out fantastic. I loved them. The night made it to about 30 deg, so it was cold but not bad. Between my quilt, down REI sleeping bag, and long johns I was too hot, and had to shed a few layers to get comfortable. For my feet, I did try and use a small thermarest pad. It did feel like a wrestling match, to try and get it positioned correctly. I actually felt like the pad would cause me to slip around. I may have to get a shorter/lighter pad that will not slip as much. When I was sleeping, it was awesome. Clearly I need more practice. I can’t wait.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks