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  1. #1
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    White Mountains in mid-November

    Hi Everyone,

    First post here.

    Since I will be moving from NYC to Florida in December I am trying to get one last trip in the Northeast next month. My plan so far is to go to the White Mountains, possibly do the Pemi Loop. Would also be my first time in a hammock, so I am a little concerned about the weather.

    I am considering buying a HH Explorer Ultralite at REI to try it out. Would bring my Noah 12 tarp instead of the original, an Exped Downmat 7 instead of a UQ and a WM 37 degrees bag (or my wife's Cosmic 20 degrees, although it is a little small for me).

    Any tips or suggestions?

    Thanks!

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fam Rider View Post
    My plan so far is to go to the White Mountains, possibly do the Pemi Loop. Would also be my first time in a hammock, so I am a little concerned about the weather.
    I bolded the troubling part of your post.

    My (strong) advice is to not have the Pemi Loop in the Whites in mid-November be the first time you try to sleep in a hammock. You should be concerned about the weather, and also your lack of experience with that particular gear. I predict you'll be much colder than you might expect. Not sleeping all night cold. A 20" wide pad doesn't do a good job covering shoulders and butt in a hammock, no matter its generous R-value on paper and in a tent.

    If you've got some cold nights available at home before the trip and can vet the gear for at least 2-3 nights somewhere you can bail for warmth then you'll be in much better shape. Car camping and day hiking instead of backpacking overnight would also be a way to mitigate some of the risk the weather presents there and then.

  3. #3
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    Thanks. That is exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for. I am not dead set on the white mountains, so I might try to look for a more forgiving place (maybe the adirondacks?).

  4. #4
    Senior Member atrane21's Avatar
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    I complete agree with the above.
    I just did the pemi loop 2 weeks ago and I was lucky to have beautiful and somewhat warm weather. Lowest it got was 30 (low 20s with wind chill).
    It is one heck of a hike that's for sure and not the loop I'd like to do my first hang in.
    The week after I did my hike there was people posting snow pictures from the peaks I had done 1 week prior.
    There are a lot of other great hikes in the whites that aren't quite as crazy. But anywhere in the whites the weather can change on a dime and if you're not prepared it could go south real quick.
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  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fam Rider View Post
    Thanks. That is exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for. I am not dead set on the white mountains, so I might try to look for a more forgiving place (maybe the adirondacks?).
    The advice about testing in advance stands regardless of where you consider going. Using the trail during the cold season as the first place you use a piece of gear is a recipe for discomfort or worse. Overnight testing of your things at or near home allows you to identify and fix 80% of your mistakes or problems before the consequences are more severe. That last 20% of dialing things in doesn't really happen until you've got some time on the trail or in camp. A simple example: The knots you can tie or untie at home may not be the same knots you can tie/untie with gloves on, when your cordage is wet or frozen, or when you are exhausted from hiking all day and your fingers are a little numb.

    Last tip: Choose your hanging site carefully and pitch your tarp as low as you can if there is even a hint of wind out there.

  6. #6
    Senior Member MAD777's Avatar
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    Hiking in the Whites is fantastic, but not a place for new gear testing unless you're car camping in one of the campgrounds. If you can't test this stuff in colder conditions than you anticipate for the trip, don't venture more than a very short hike from your car.

    In my opinion, your setup has a high probability of failure to begin with. With practice and a lot of tweaking, you may get it to work but, the backyard is the best place for that.
    Mike
    "Life is a Project!"

  7. #7
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    Thanks everyone for the advice!

    I know that using a hammock for the first time on a trip like that is not ideal but I was trying to find out how much of a bad idea it was. Apparently it was really bad so I will try to find another place more friendly for my first hang.

    By the way, I live in an apartment in Manhattan, so don't really have the option of trying it out in the backyard.

    Thanks again

  8. #8
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    Pemi was a bad idea under the circumstances.

    Asking for advice was a smart move. Being open to receiving it is an even smarter move. As pointed out, camping next to your car is the next safest way to dial in the gear if hanging near home isn't an option. You can (and should) throw a few extra blankets in the car to stuff around you if the pad isn't entirely up to the task (it won't be). People new to hammocking don't anticipate how cold it can be until they get the right gear and the right experience using it. There are a lot more variables and there is a lot more tweaking with a hammock than with a tent.

  9. #9
    Senior Member atrane21's Avatar
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    If you're interested check out the thread below. It's best of both worlds... car is close but we can get some hiking in to.

    https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ke-gt-Nov-7-11
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