AMOK & Tarp - one night out @ 25*. FIRST Impression

[sidvicious]

7 mile hike on moderate/difficult mountain trails.

gear used:

AMOK 3.0
Amok tarp
Hammock Gear 20* TQ
Exped UL 5 Down pad

Quick thoughts, after considered impression after one day to think on it.

[i'm 6'1", 180 and fit. 52 years old].

1. setup wasn't too bad. had to do it at twilight/dark.
2. hard to enter and exit. not nearly as easy as a gathered end.
3. warmth. tolerable to good.
4. INSULATION NEEDS. i see a need for insulation on both sides joining the edge of the pad and running upwards, especially where the arms would fall while sleeping. down UQ, or foam. foam could go underneath or on top. condensation wouldn't really be a problem in this application. FOOTBOX. the way the hammock is made, a down footbox cover would be great.
THE LAY. not terrible but not great. takes quite a bit of fiddling. the fine line between not enough air in the pad and too much is hard to find. i'm not sure there is a sweet spot.
5. THE THING THAT BOTHERED ME THE MOST. -----sliding down toward the foot end. this is a constant bug and is more profound than in a gathered end.
6. MY BEST POSITION. in partial chair mode. back raised somewhat, with knees slightly elevated. raising the knees helps with sliding.
7. THE NEATEST THING. having all the accessible space around you. it's really nice.
8. YOU CANNOT access the ground like you'd like, as in a gathered end. that is to say; you can't reach down casually from a laying position or even a raised position and reach the ground. so; you won't be using a ground shelf at all.
9. I DID NOT use the shock cord anchor at the head end. being a cold night i decided to use that flap of material to help hold clothes as my pillow.

with some time this rig can be tricked out as needed.

as of now, i prefer a gathered end. it's warmer and easier.

i'll try and do a video and explain the insulation needs.

oh; TARP SACK - waaay to small. it's sewn in and much to small. CARRY A SEPARATE tarp sack; you'll need it.

that's it for now.

cheers,

sv-

[Shug]

Took me a few tries to learn to scootch back all the way with my head and adjust so I would not slide into footbox. At 6'1" you are on the line for that Amok.
Enter and exit get easier in time. Push back when you exit...that helps.
I find it easy to get to the ground in sitting up position and easily do breakfast from the hammock. True...while laying back not as easy but my water bottle is in the holder and other stuff in the Amok with me so did not feel the need there.
My gathered end hammocks are my favorites as well but I do like my Amok for a change of pace.
At least it IS something different in the way of a newer desighn. In line with the Exped but add the sit up mode and it is better in my opinion.
Thanks for your report.
Shug

[sidvicious]

Took me a few tries to learn to scootch back all the way with my head and adjust so I would not slide into footbox. At 6'1" you are on the line for that Amok.
Enter and exit get easier in time. Push back when you exit...that helps.
I find it easy to get to the ground in sitting up position and easily do breakfast from the hammock. True...while laying back not as easy but my water bottle is in the holder and other stuff in the Amok with me so did not feel the need there.
My gathered end hammocks are my favorites as well but I do like my Amok for a change of pace.
At least it IS something different in the way of a newer desighn. In line with the Exped but add the sit up mode and it is better in my opinion.
Thanks for your report.
Shug

i AM enthused with the design and the different nature of it. and, this is the first real model of something completely different. some dust settling is in order, admittedly. my "first impression" was hopefully to convey a true feel coming from years of gathered-ends.

there'll be more trips. i wish i had had the afternoon to fiddle with it more before dark set in. the hike was a contributing factor. i should have done a shallow venture for the first night in a new ride. i'm a bit stupid like that; it was 5 miles to water and i didn't want to tote a bunch in. i took my dog and more gear, yada yada yada.

here's how i'm kindof sizing this up: if i can get the "lay" to where i like it, then i won't mind toting and messing with a pad. if the lay doesn't top the timber, then i'm probably not going to stick with it in the end, except for a change in pace.

i DO like the cadillac construction and the posh feel when lounging in it. i had my gear all spread around to each side and i definitely dug that.

one thing i noticed; learn to LOVE the ridgeline for moving about. for some reason that didn't click with me at first. also the gear-in-the-hammock mess. whenever i'd move about, it'd fall out of its resting spot into the bed. but, i can remedy that.

this weekend, however, it's back to gathered end. i got time and i'm female free for a few days.

[i watched your vids. i still don't see how you managed working the ground without disturbing the entire hammock. i'll give it some extra thought next time.....]

cheers,

sv-

[Magnum Power]

I used my Amok as much in my yard as I did out in the woods this last summer. With more use I was able to get in and out easier, set my back and knees to a good position and sleep pretty well. For the cost of this setup I feel I have a great hammock and tarp for short to medium trips and something unique that lets me sleep in almost any position. Im 6 feet and I too found my feet all the way into the footbox and having to reposition a lot. But once you get the back and knees adjusted right it is so nice. I am pretty excited to see what this company has coming up. I know this setup isnt for everyone, and some will need to give it more time to really be satisfied. Its different and its not the norm as far as hammocks go. Glad you posted feedback and shared your experience. It helps the rest of us Amok owners to figure out this great product and use it to its full potential.

[hikehunter]

I took my AMOK on the Texas Group hang this Nov. The UGQ guy (Paul) was there we looked the hammock over and he thought an UQ shaped like a top quilt could work with some modifications. I am thinking of some loops and toggles.
Yes it take a little time to find the best way to get in and out. It is a side sleepers best bet for a hammock.
It is a bit on the heavy side. I will use it on short trips and "car camping" at the State Parks.
I give 4 1/4 stars out of 5.

[CanGnu]

1. setup wasn't too bad. had to do it at twilight/dark.
2. hard to enter and exit. not nearly as easy as a gathered end.
3. warmth. tolerable to good.
4. INSULATION NEEDS. i see a need for insulation on both sides joining the edge of the pad and running upwards, especially where the arms would fall while sleeping. down UQ, or foam. foam could go underneath or on top. condensation wouldn't really be a problem in this application. FOOTBOX. the way the hammock is made, a down footbox cover would be great.
THE LAY. not terrible but not great. takes quite a bit of fiddling. the fine line between not enough air in the pad and too much is hard to find. i'm not sure there is a sweet spot.
5. THE THING THAT BOTHERED ME THE MOST. -----sliding down toward the foot end. this is a constant bug and is more profound than in a gathered end.
6. MY BEST POSITION. in partial chair mode. back raised somewhat, with knees slightly elevated. raising the knees helps with sliding.
7. THE NEATEST THING. having all the accessible space around you. it's really nice.
8. YOU CANNOT access the ground like you'd like, as in a gathered end. that is to say; you can't reach down casually from a laying position or even a raised position and reach the ground. so; you won't be using a ground shelf at all.
9. I DID NOT use the shock cord anchor at the head end. being a cold night i decided to use that flap of material to help hold clothes as my pillow.

1. I like the buckles on it. Made it very easy for me to get it level and get the sag right. I like it around 40 degrees.
2. Agreed but after a while it gets easier. I don't even have to think about it any more. It's kind of like sitting down in a swing on a swing set. Push it back a bit and lean into it.
3. My Exped down 9 mat, blown up very stiff works great. I was venting off heat in 19 degrees.
4. A down footbox sounds like an awesome idea to me.
5. Not an issue for me, I'm only 5'11" 220lbs though so maybe that's a thing. And my mat is blown up as high as it can go.
6. Haven't dealt with chair mode other than, yep it's there. Usually when I get up to urinate in the morning I'm up up.
7. Totally agree. I actually bring more stuff to bed with me. Bear mace anyone?
8. I agree but then again (see #6) in the morning I like to get up and stay up. I know some people love to lounge and have coffee or make breakfast while still in their hammock (Shug) but I'm not one of them. However I have noticed the tray that Waw Hiker uses in his youtube videos. Might be a consideration for you.
9. I used it once but not since. I like the motion and the head shroud it provides. We'll see how it goes in the heat of summer 2016.

Points that matter most to me, I move around (a lot) when I sleep. Left side, right side, stomach, stretched out, curled up. Pretty much everything but on my back. I really love the Amok for this. I have started hanging even more stuff from the ridge line. LOL.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it. Always good to hear what others think.

[sidvicious]

my review may sound a bit harsh, but it's actually accurate for the moment experienced. that being; chasing water on a taxing trail.

i did enjoy the trip, for sure. and the hammock wasn't a bad thing at all. if i'd had the afternoon to fiddle i'm sure i would have been more settled by dark.

what i didn't state in my review is that i had to find a mountain with cell phone coverage to watch the razorbacks v. miss-state. and of course the one i'd pre-marked for camping was piss-poor for cell phones. so i backtracked 2 tough miles. not a big deal in the abstract, but it was down one mountain and right up another one at the end of a long day.

then, the hogs blew the game by a blocked field goal in the last 12 seconds. %$^&#!

i'll keep at it. i can see that this rig will be for shorter, easier treks most likely. i did overload on warm gear, not knowing what i would be facing with new equipment. i was worried about wind and the tarp configuration. i always like to find tops when i solo, when i can.

thanks much for the feedback. i'd post some vid of the trip, but looking back i see that i only made a few shots of the hammock. the rest is the dog and i on the hike, so it's pretty dull. about the only folks that like those are the female, my kids [i force them] and some Facebook groupies [who need to get a life].

[JmBoh]

I have a design on paper for an under quilt. I just can't sew worth a darn. what was described above about a top quilt modified about sums it up. i had one chilly night in mine that bothered my shoulders. I had my heavy bag (marmot syn filled. -10F rated) in my truck. I bunched the ends with paracord and strung it under the Amok "wings" from strap to strap. it was ugly but it worked for the most part. it would have ruined the bag if it rained though. i feel your pain on pretty much all the other points. when i first got this thing, it was my first camping hammock and i had similar growing pains. i've had an ENO for yard hangin for a couple years but never even considered camping in it. I got my dream hammock in yesterday and got to fiddle with it a bit. i'm thinking i prefer a gathered end. i'll be out in the yard again today trying things out and if i have some extra time i'll string the Amok up and take a pic of the sleeping bag under the wings.

[Dos]

Thank you very much for this write up as well as others who have this hammock.
It was so very tempting to get on the bandwagon when it came out - you know - the hammock gear addiction thing.
Since I mostly do longer distance hikes this thread answered my question.

Now, if I really settle in somewhere, sometime, I would definitely get this for the back yard.

Thanks so much guys!

~Dos

[bradym77]

From everything I've seen about this hammock the three biggest drawbacks are cold shoulders (as OP mentioned), wind / rain blowing in and the extra weight / space needed for everything.

For some nifty pockets and a more horizontal lie I can't see the advantage of this over gathered end hammocks. I understand it's something different but at the same time it's job is the same as any other gathered end hammock. To give you a good night's sleep while outside.