New Speer gear arrived!

**gaidal** · 10-15-2009, 17:59

Finally!

I had various stuff sent to a friend of mine in the US, who then apparently decided to bring the stuff on a camping trip and try it out before sending it to me. I've waited forever!

I got the box today and it was like Christmas Eve when I was a kid:
Hammock, PeaPod, TopBlanket, WinterTarp, hammock book!
(and a paradigm cooking system from minibull, space blanket, some titanium stuff and more, it's the wrong thread for that though :P)

It's already too dark to set up today, guess how I'm spending my day tomorrow!

All the Speer pieces are so beautifully made! I love the feel of the materials and especially the bright green color on the inside of the peapod. The down seems a bit compressed after having been packed so tightly for weeks - I requested for them to be sent like this to save space and hope they will recover.

Thanks a lot for making these for me Mr. Speer, and for the extra gift - it's very much appreciated!

Tomorrow I'll enter the Learning Curve (tm).

**Cannibal** · 10-15-2009, 18:11

Congrats!
That's one big box of goodies to get all at once; think I'd probably faint.

No worries on the down; it'll bounce back like nobody's business.

**Wentworth** · 10-15-2009, 18:16

You'll love it. And the peapod will loft like crazy given a couple of hours!

**MacEntyre** · 10-15-2009, 18:22

I just ordered my Peapod. Later this fall, I'll get a top quilt.

Enjoy!

- MacEntyre

**Shug** · 10-15-2009, 22:31

Been eyeballin' that winter tarp ....... gonna have to get one.
Enjoy your new stuff .... and do not get overwhelmed!!!!!!
Shug

**gaidal** · 10-16-2009, 14:03

I had told myself to start early enough, but didn't. It was already getting dark when I left home at 6:10 pm. Ten minutes later I found a spot that seemed ok and had to do it because it's really getting darker!

I had spent 20 minutes figuring out the right knot for my tarp guide lines and making 10 of it, but now I realized that the center lines weren't enough to fit around trees by themselves and would've needed to be extended. Should I go home? I started to set up the hammock while I could still see, and after adding peapod and putting the top blanket in there I found that I could tie the tarp to the knots of the hammock suspension.

Wow it started to rain. Now it stopped. Huh. Pleasant sound when it rains! I also find the fabric of the wintertarp really nice. It's almost transparent and has a great feel, dunno.

Oh yeah when I first entered the hammock before adding peapod or anything, it was like "omg this is so comfortable...?!". My diy hammock didn't feel like this. Don't know what's different.

Speer's orange guidelines are awesome. So easy to see with my weak wind-up headlight and good to use. Definitely helps.

Getting up to pee now for the third time in two hours, what's that all about? Read something about cold feet, I think they are. Peapod is not set up properly and letting cold air in at the ends. Will have to fix that. It's 9 pm and in the mid 30s F I think. I don't doubt that this will keep me warm far below this temperature when I learn to use it. My back is really warm.

Typing on my iPhone inside the hammock is kind of tiring, but I will find better positions.

What else... It seems hard to tip over, I've reached out for stuff on the ground, lifted by backpack on one side while doing so, and some acrobatics to adjust the pod at my feet without getting out.

It doesn't feel claustrophobic at all so far, I'm in my own world of coziness in here and there's lots of air. I'm very slim, maybe it helps.

OK time to do something about the pod.

**KerMegan** · 10-16-2009, 14:22

Originally Posted by gaidal

I'm in my own world of coziness in here

I like this line! can I steal it?
KM

**gaidal** · 10-16-2009, 14:41

Originally Posted by KerMegan

I like this line! can I steal it?
KM

Definitely!

Wow it's so relaxing here. I often have a hard time falling asleep indoors, my mind just won't calm down... But when I got in here I suddenly found it annoying to have to eat the food I brought, brush my teeth etc - just wanted to sleep.

**gaidal** · 10-18-2009, 02:31

Second night: Failure. While just a few *C colder, I was cold all night, couldn't sleep at all and am pretty trashed now. There was a gap between hammock and peapod that I couldn't (or was too lazy to) get rid off, that might be it. Bringing space blanket and more wool clothes tonight.
Setting the hammock up took 30 minutes yesterday too, including doing a few steps twice because of mistakes. No improvement yet.

Will save lots of time by having more hammock webbing and a bishop bag for hammock + peapod later.

Latest thoughts on the Speer design: Included peapod bag is too small and packing too troublesome. Top blanket too actually, although the peapod is worse. Can't wait until I make that bishop bag.
The velcro on the bottom of the top blanket is mostly annoying so far, always in the wrong place somewhere where I can't see it, messing my wool socks up.
Included guidelines for tarp are great except the two for the ridgeline which are way too short.

Still totally love it though!

**deadeye** · 10-18-2009, 08:47

Originally Posted by gaidal

Getting up to pee now for the third time in two hours, what's that all about?

Ok, glad to hear I'm not the only one... seems I have to pee more often in a hammock than on the ground.

My theory on this... There are probably nerves at the top of the bladder, activated by pressure of urine, that tell you you're full and it's time to go. In a hammock, we're often slightly elevated at the foot end, and those nerves are now at the bottom if you're tilted headward, therfore they receive a "full" signal with less than a full bladder.

I have found that I get used to it as I spend more time in the hammock, but the first few times it seemed like I was always getting up.

Is there a doctor in the house?