putting an under/top quilt or a sleeping bag in a compression/stuff sack takes up more room than just stuffing it in your pack as it is. Then everything else goes on top and smashes it down quite nicely.Originally Posted by MedicineMan
putting an under/top quilt or a sleeping bag in a compression/stuff sack takes up more room than just stuffing it in your pack as it is. Then everything else goes on top and smashes it down quite nicely.
'Classic.' A book which people praise and don't read.” ― Mark Twain
Who cares about showers, gourmet food, using flush toilets. Just keep on walking and being away from it all.
There are times that the only way you can do something is to do it alone.
just did a hike this last weekend with group of 8 hammockers, most used the cheap blue foam rolls but I used my new exped synmat inflating pad. Temps got down to 29 at night and there were a few comments from people about wet pads (condensation) but something about the inflating pad with its tube air chamber shape prevented me from getting any condensation at all. was a very dry weekend for me.
not all pads are equal. one of these days I may save up enough to go the underquilt route.
Yes, and again, don't forget to keep in mind what these items might replace for some of us. Do many folks REALLY sleep on the thinnest possible CCF pad, and just under the tarp without a bivy when the rain and bugs and snakes(Storyteller, are you in LA?) are really bad, and enjoy the trip? Some will, but many won't. So if there is a thicker self-inflating pad and/or bivys, much of the above added weight will be replacing something else, not adding to it.
On the negative side, there must be pretty good assurance of trees, or you will be needing that pad. In which case, forget the UQs and use that pad in the hammock.
alot of people start with just a no-net hammock and a ccf pad, and then decide hammocking is for them. then they are in a better position to decide if they want to upgrade and what "extras" they are willing to carry. those extras are often an underquilt, a netted hammock, an larger tarp, etc, but just getting a decent no-net hammock and using your current insulation and tarp setup will give you an idea of weather or not it's for you and what features you'd like to upgrade to in the future. i will say that if you paln on using a pad, a double layer body of some sort is probably worth starting with. for folks above 160# or so, there's often little weight penalty for going double layer as you can go with lighter fabric than you'd normally use in a single. for instance, there's not a big weight diff between single 1.7 or 1.9 and double 1.1.
some folks are sure hammocking is for them and jump right in with a high end setup, but you definately don't have to go that route if you're on the fence.
i started hanging after nearly a year using a ground tarp set-up. started with a $24 no net and a ccf pad. nothing wrong with that at all, but if i had to do it again.. its like learning to drive. you can go with a Yugo as your first car but if you have the available funds, you'd enjoy that Cadillac much, much more. Had i the guidance of some veteran hangers when i first started, i would have jumped right into top and under quilts in a heartbeat. ymmv!
fwiw, my UQ will fit easily into a stuff sack the size of a half-gallon jug.
also, with every bit of my most luxurious, top end hammock related items, my pack is still sub 10. so it can be done, and you will do it. enjoy the ride, man, its a smooth one.. (and spacious too)
And the Warbonnet stuff is Way high quality stuff ..... certainly worth a looksee ....
Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage
William Shakespeare
"Insert witty and intelligent statement here"
In my experience when people have used just a foam pad on the ground, "sleep" equates to "roll around all night waiting for the sun to rise." I know very few people who really sleep well in the wilderness. Which is probably why they can't imagine anything different, and even when they camp out with me and listen to me snore for hour after hour, it doesn't register that "it's the hammock, silly."The only time I have been comfortable enough to sleep the night through on a pad was in a hammock. I do have a NeoAir and have slept on the ground three or four nights this year (out of a good hundred or so nights out) - I can manage a few hours with it due to the nice 2.5" cushion it provides. But it's not as comfy as sleeping with a hammock.
I to have the Ray Way stuff. The tarp was the Golite version. I ditched it for the HHULBP. The first year I used the pad and a sleeping bag. The second season my wife made me a Ray Way 20* quilt. I got myself the Supershelter and never have looked back.
Much better not sleeping on roots and inclines not to mention the mud. I did carry a floor but still got muddier than normal.
I love some parts of the tarp such as the 2 lb shelter and small size but I'd rathyer sleep all night.
The hammock in snakeskins is about the same size as dinner sack of food for my 10 day hike. I have the Hex fly tarp which is about the same size as my Golite tarp. I stow it in the outside compartment so it can be the first thing I do in the case of a rainy camp set up.
It is considerably easier and better packing than a 1 or 2 person tent. With the right tarp you have a lot of dry space also. I have set up my Golite also but I am sticking with the Hennessey tarp for now.
Beas
Last edited by BEAS; 11-09-2009 at 18:11.
BEAS
From the Great Southern state of
TENNESSEE
Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less. General Robert E. Lee
Thank you SO much for these responses! They have been extremely helpful.
All of you have also been extremely convincing. I've decided to take the plunge, and purchase a hammock. It sounds like my base weight won't be any more than it is now. The 20 pounds I mentioned was with food, btw.
Since I'll be camping in Southern CA this January, I'll try out the hammock fun there. Though, of course, I'll practice set up in my backyard first. I'm going to try the pad option first, for a few nights in my backyard, and if that's not working for me, I'll start researching underquilt sewing instructions.
I may even modify the RJ quilt (I made mine rather wide) as I don't think I'll need quite as much of its width for the hammock.
Thanks again, everyone. You all have been really helpful.Off to research which hammock I'll be getting.
Where are you located Storyteller?
To Boldly Hang Where No One Has Hung Before...
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