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  1. #1
    New Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Eatonville, WA
    Hammock
    Grand Trunk Double
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    Kelty Noah's 12x12
    Insulation
    Snugpak Underquilt
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    Beginner setup, for a new hanger

    My wife and I are just about to try this hammock camping thing. Here is a list of the gear that I have and or am about to obtain.

    Grand Trunk Ultralight Hammock $16.50
    Kelty Noah's Tarp - 12' x 12' Its big but it is to cover 2 hammocks!? $70
    I do have 2 other small cheap 3m x2m tarps also.
    REI Trekker 1.75 Self-Inflating Pad – R Value is 4.2! $64.50
    Big Agnes Lost Ranger +15 Sleeping Bag $176
    Mad Rock Ultralight Straight Wire Gate Carabiner $6 x 2 =$12

    I have Paracord and shock cord for the tieouts. I have some good webbing and I am thinking about a few of those climbing descender rings.

    We are not doing any winter backpacking yet… We will not be out under 35 f at night. I was figuring if we started going out when it is colder to get some wide closed cell foam and possibly some underquilts.

    Currently the idea is to stay reasonably cheap and light and compact. I am doing most of the carrying.

    1st hang will be a high of aprox 55 f and a low of aprox 35 f on the Washington coast in the rain and ocean breeze.

    We are sparing the expense of new down bags for the packing size and weight – My old synthetic 0 degree bags pack down to 9”x20” and the new Big Agnes bags pack down to 8”x8”…

    Any comments or suggestions? I am completely new to this.

    I have been going through the forum and I have watched all the videos here.

  2. #2
    Senior Member sbmcghee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Outside Indianapolis, IN
    Hammock
    Skeeter Beeter Pro
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    Speer Winter Tarp
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    That's a good start. As we all started out as newbies, we slowly learn what works and what doesn't work for the way we do things. Over time you'll learn your own likes and dislikes. You learn how to be more efficient in things and how to lighten your pack.

    Even at 55 degrees, be aware of how cold your shoulders will potentially get when the hammock curls up around you.

    Do you have the carabiners for a specific reason? If your Ultralight is built the same way my Skeeter Beeter and Skeeter Beeter Pro is built, they will come with S hooks in the end. Granted, carabiners are more secure than S hooks, but I've never been concerned that the S hooks were going to slide out of the suspension.
    "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein

  3. #3
    Senior Member sbmcghee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Outside Indianapolis, IN
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    Look in to the Speer Segment Pad Extender for the cold shoulders. It's very cheap and lightweight. You can even make your own if you can sew a couple of straight lines. That's how I did mine. It works well.
    "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein

  4. #4
    New Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Eatonville, WA
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    28
    So… If I should be using side padding and the best way is to use one of those pad extenders… Should I forgo the idea of using the Big Agnes bags as they have the sleeve for the sleeping pad in them and just get a regular down sleeping bag?

    I was wondering if a piece of closed cell foam that is 72” x 24” x .25” or .33” would be an option. If I use closed cell foam that covers my back and shoulders and hips and all that then I do not need a sleeping pad? I would not have a problem carrying that and it would be cheaper too.

    I would like to have one option – I do not really want to carry a closed cell foam pad and a sleeping pad too.

    If I am going to have to have that much insulation I might cut up the old sleeping bags and make under quilts out of them with shock cord. And if I did this would it be sufficient as a singular option? They are synthetic 0 degree bags.

    I might make the under quilts out of something for the future for colder hangs anyways but I would prefer to wait till I can find a good deal on a used down sleeping bag on Craigslist or something to butcher.

  5. #5
    New Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Eatonville, WA
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    28
    And if I am going to have to go underquilt. and I buy one - For the price why wouldn’t I just get a Speer peapod? It seems that for just a little more money you get allot more?
    Last edited by theerb; 03-08-2010 at 16:19.

  6. #6
    Senior Member jonesy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    central Ks.
    Hammock
    HH , WBBB 1.1 dbl
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    the edge
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    Talking

    Quote Originally Posted by theerb View Post
    And if I am going to have to go underquilt. and I buy one - For the price why wouldn’t I just get a Speer peapod? It seems that for just a little more money you get allot more?
    here might be a cheaper idea for a under quilt.. as i also use this same hammock off and on .. mostly in the house now.. BUT you can build a under quild from a military poncho liner .there was a post not long ago with plans but i can seem to find it.. but also for summer .. in the hammock in question .
    ill still use a sleep pad .its not as comfortable as with out a pad ,for 17 bucks this is a great hammock and still love to sleep in mine ..another way you might save some cash is going with a cheaper tarp .. the guide gear tarp works pretty well . i used it this sat night . with my brother and both hung under .with more than the coverage we both needed.. works very well..and this tarp can be easy to mod for a winter type tarp ...
    http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/c....aspx?a=254694
    hope this helps


    oh and also if anyone happens to find the thread w/ plans and picks to the poncho liner uq ....
    thanks

  7. #7
    Senior Member plowhorse's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    van buren, ar
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    WARBONNET BLACKBIRD
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    wallyworld blue
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    just do a serch for " poncho liner underquilt " It was back in july of last year form one of the guys down in austrailia. I believe it was for a hennesey
    I've always been crazy, but it's kept me from going insane. - Waylon Jennings

  8. #8
    Senior Member Terry_Dodson's Avatar
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    Jul 2009
    Location
    Irmo, SC
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    HammockBliss no see um
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    This one was for a 2/3 UQ made from a poncho liner:
    http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...t=poncho+liner

  9. #9
    Senior Member jonesy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    central Ks.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Terry_Dodson View Post
    This one was for a 2/3 UQ made from a poncho liner:
    http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...t=poncho+liner
    thats the one i was looking for thank you very much!!!

  10. #10
    Senior Member sbmcghee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Outside Indianapolis, IN
    Hammock
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    If you were getting a BA sleeping bag because of the sleve, I'd skip it and find something that is cheaper but accomplishes the same thing. A poncho liner UQ will work but I can't say how warm it will keep you.

    Since I'm not independently wealthy, I prefer to find gear that is fairly cheap since I don't want to invest heavily in to something that I may end up not liking.

    I have two different sleep systems. One system uses the SPE with a CCF or an inflatable air matress (such as the Big Agnes Insulated Air Core...the REI Trekker would work as well) for the main section and pieces of CCF that I cut out of a wally world pad for $5 for the wings. I then use a Ray-way quilt for top cover. You can use anything you want for the top....quilt or sleeping bag.

    The other system I use is a rectangular down sleeping bag like the Campmor 20 Down bag for $130 (http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___40069). You unzip the foot of the bag a small amount, feed the bottom of your hammock suspension through it, and pull the bag up around you like you would normally get in a sleeping bag. But you are pulling it up around you and your hammock while you are laying in your hammock. By doing it this way, this single 20 degree bag gives you top and bottom insulation. Nothing is else needed. I've used my down bag down to 30 degrees easily (I sleep in my clothes which helps on retaining heat).

    I got the idea of the sleeping bag from Just Jeff's site. The link will take you to his site where he has pics of what I'm talking about. http://www.tothewoods.net/HammockCam...m.html#Pull-up

    I really like this style of warmth. It goes along the lines of Keep It Simple Stupid. It takes no sewing skill to make or modify a piece of equipment, is fairly cheap, requires you only to take 1 piece of equipment to provide for both top and bottom insulation, and you can keep using it as a sleeping bag as you normally would.

    Hope that helps.
    "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein

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