Organization

**esheato** · 01-27-2015, 15:56

First things first...I'm a car camper (weight/size is of no concern). I've had my Hennessy Explorer Ultralite Asym Zip for about a year. Been on multiple trips with it and can honestly say it provides the best nights in the woods I've ever had.

I've slowly been upgrading as I see necessary and am trying to create some organization with the pieces. The upgrades I've applied are whoopie slings, Dutch buckles, night visible tarp tie outs with figure 9 biners, MSR stakes and a Dutch continuous ridgeline with soft shackles.

When I bought the hammock, it came with one set of snake skins. I applied that to the entire hammock/rain fly. Cool! One nice package! After a couple trips to the woods, I realized that stuffing both into the skins was a tight fit....nevermind the issue of soaking the hammock when the fly is wet. So I decided to separate the fly from the hammock and put the skins on the hammock only to prevent damage whilst setting up. It worked alright, but upon upgrading the suspension to Dutch buckles and whoopie slings, now the skins were in the way of adjusting the whoopies. So no skins on the hammock.....

Then I upgrade the tarp ridgeline to a Dutch continuous version. Pretty cool stuff, but now I see the point in placing the skins on the fly only. Besides, this way I can skin the fly when the weather is nice and sleep under the stars.

So what I'm left with is a tarp (in snake skins) and a loose hammock. How do I organize this to facilitate a quick set up?

What do you suggest? How do you do it?

Possible solutions that I've ran through my head:

1. Re-skin hammock with a second set of snake skins. Both hammock and fly would be snake skinned. It would be tidy and organized and prevent damage to the items. CON: I need a BIG stuff sack for both and we're back to the issue of making whoopie adjustment a PITA.
2. A double ended stuff sack for the hammock only? Not bad. Where do I store the fly?
3. One big stuff sack. Place loose hammock and snake skinned fly in there. Put fly on top and set it up first.
4. Separate stuff sacks...one for fly, one for hammock. Unfortunately, I envision misplacing one sack and then you're screwed. I could biner them together, I suppose.

I've got the form factor for the fly down to the size of a small load of bread when bundled, so a stuff sack for the fly only would be fairly small. The hammock, being loose, is a bit of a pain.

I would love to hear your suggestions. Thank you,

Ed

**Dead Man** · 01-27-2015, 16:31

Not sure if this will hit your spot or not but this is how I handle it.

I put the hammock in my backpack. Disconnect the one end and stuff it in. I generally use a separate sack for the tarp. I fold my tarp as I take it down. Not a right or wrong way to this just how it works for me. I like to store the tarp separate from the hammock for quick deployment when rain is ensuing. So given the presupposed solutions you listed, perhaps a separate stuff sack for the hammock will work. I have my son's in a simple stuff sack with the suspension through the holes at each end. He has a different cold weather set up than I do so this works for him. He only ever car camps. I have quilts and they stay with my hammock so again it all gets stuffed in the backpack. When I set up, I hook one end up and it all pulls out to the other hook up and I'm set. Quilts already set up and everything.

I used snake skins for a while but the pack up got to be a pain to me and I was just never satisfied with the set up. As I'm positioned now I can generally set up my site in about 10 minutes, tarp and all, and I'm moving like molasses in winter doing it. Not that speed is the end all be all. Just one man's method.

**SilvrSurfr** · 01-27-2015, 16:40

I use skins on the tarp. Mostly I use just a regular stuff sack for the hammock, though lately I've been using one of Dutch's SilArgon double-ended stuff sacks and don't see much advantage (though for the absent-minded, you can leave it on the suspension so it doesn't get lost) to either stuff sack.

I've never tried wet tarp and dry hammock in the same stuff sack or snakeskins because it equals wet hammock. No amount of convenience or organization would make me try that.

At group hangs I always like to watch the incredibly anal-retentive/OCD ways that people deploy/store their hammocks/tarps and how they manage their guylines, ridgelines, etc. I've seen people removing the tarp ridgeline and guylines and storing them separately, an obsessive level of organization I can't fathom.

The more I do this hammock thing, the more I question things that add weight but don't improve my experience significantly. I've dumped ridgeline organizers and peak bags because their utility just wasn't something that slapped me upside the head as all that useful. I even dumped tarp snakeskins for a while, but they're just too darned useful in deployment/storage that I had to add them back. I've thought of dumping the hammock stuff sack, but it doesn't weigh enough (9.6 grams) to matter.

While whoopie slings are cool, Dutch Whoopie Hooks are cooler. You can deploy/store your tree straps or whoopie slings separate from the hammock. There are no worries about wet/dirty/tree-sap covered straps being stored with the hammock. One I tried them, I converted all my hammocks to whoopie hooks.

**Demeter** · 01-27-2015, 17:01

Maybe I missed this in the post, but are you planning on breaking into backpacking, or are you staying with car camping?

I skin my tarp in MountainGoat mesh skins (custom made for my custom tarp!), and have a double-end stuff sack for my hammock with the whoopies hanging out of the ends of the stuff sack. The hammock goes under my food and insulating clothes in the pack, but above my quilts and night clothes. The tarp is on top or an outside pocket when wet. This way when I get into camp in a pouring rain, the tarp goes up first, then I have a place to spread out my dry stuff underneath while I set up.

Furthermore, during the day I can set up my tarp to eat or rest under in bad weather and have access to my food and clothes if needed. I won't need my quilts and night clothes until camp, so it makes sense to put them in the bottom of the pack.

The trick with organization is to always put stuff in your pack in the same place so you know exactly where to find something in a hurry. Same thing with packing in general..

**esheato** · 01-27-2015, 17:05

Car camping only. My hammocking adventures include my 7 year old son who has a Hennessy Cub Zip. I've maintained his with the original suspension, ridgeline, etc. I find it interesting comparing the different requirements for set up.

While whoopie slings are cool, Dutch Whoopie Hooks are cooler.

I realize that now, but when I purchased, I made the best decision at the time. There is no point in spending more money to change the configuration now.

Perhaps the best solution is just to buy a big stuff sack and mash the hammock in the bottom, then place the tarp (in skins) on top?

**FLRider** · 01-28-2015, 11:30

I'm a big fan of using an oversized single snakeskin for the hammock, one big enough that my quilts and any sleep clothing can stay in/on the hammock. This simplifies set-up and take-down, even with whoopie slings (simply push the skin over to the side, but scrunch it up so that you can still use your slings--it's okay if a skin this large covers part of the end of the hammock, as it won't prevent the hammock from spreading out). Wilderness Logics makes their Lazy Slug Tube, which is very similar to my DIY version.

I use Velcro cable ties for my tarp on a continuous ridgeline, but snakeskins would work just as well there.

Since I'm either backpacking or bike touring with this, I do one of two things:

If backpacking, the oversized snakeskin (with everything hammock-related inside) gets shoved down into the bottom of my pack inside my pack liner (so as to stay dry)--before anything else goes on top, as this will help fill gaps in the pack where possible. Then everything else gets shoved in on top and the tarp goes into an exterior pocket to dry as much as possible during the day.

If bike touring, the oversized snakeskin gets shoved into my handlebar bag inside of my pack liner. Anything else going in there gets shoved in next, and the bag gets attached to my handlebars and front stem. Then the tarp gets lashed down to the bike either at the seat post rack or on the inside of the frame to dry as much as possible during the day.

I know that neither of these pack methods really apply to your car camping; I included them simply for illustration of the point that organization need not be hard no matter your method of getting to camp. However, you can duplicate the organization fairly easily simply by having a breathable stuff sack that your "camp" goes inside of (note that this can be a backpack, even, if you want to practice for eventual backpacking trips; nothing says you can't have a backpack in your car). Inside of that, have a waterproof pack liner (a 3-mil thick lawn and leaf trash bag works great for this) with the hammock(s) and insulation inside of the oversized snake skins. Close the pack liner (with a lawn bag, twist it up and elephant trunk it down in on the bag; it'll stay closed). Then shove the tarps in on top, so that they dry as much as possible inside of the breathable bag.

Hope it helps!

**Whiskeyjack** · 02-01-2015, 10:13

I can't figure out how your snakeskins are interfering with the whoopie. I have my HH in the skins and have whoopies on it. I've never had an issue with them interfering.