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  1. #1
    Senior Member Festus Hagen's Avatar
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    My Ultralight setup

    This is my ultralight hammock setup. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

    Planning some longer, multi-day hikes and canoe trips with multiple portages this year, I decided I need a lightweight option to complement my DD Traveler hammock and DD tarp (nice kit, but heavy...)

    I started with a Grand Trunk Ultralight hammock which I picked up from Sportsmansguide for $16.17 Link I've slept in it, it's a nice enough hammock. SG says it weighs 7 ounces but according to my scale, it's more like 10.

    I decided this would be a good time to upgrade from Eno Slap-Straps "Pro" and climbing 'biners. I picked up Whoopie Slings, Tree Straps, and anodized aluminum toggles from Arrowhead Equipment.

    I really struggled with what to get for a tarp... long story short I went with an HH Asym 30D Silnylon rain fly. I think it's a good value at $49.95. It is very minimal in terms of coverage... I think it will be challenging to pitch it "just so" for rain and windy conditions. Weighs 8 1/4oz according to HH.

    My ridgeline technique also needed work. I ended up getting some 1/8" poly braided cord both for the ridgeline and stake tie-outs. Cheap to buy, maybe a little heavier than needed but I like having the overhead. I tied a bowline loop in one end, and have a HF Micro-biner on the loop to clip the ridgeline around the tree... simple. I used some of the HH cord that was included with the tarp to make prusiks for tensioning and adjusting the tarp on the full ridgeline. These clip to the tarp with a couple more HF Micro-biners. The other end gets a trucker's hitch, one more knot I've learned as part of this whole project.

    There's bugs... so I grabbed up a Equinox Mantis Mosquito Net which I will hang from the ridgeline with a little shock cord when needed.

    I really like the double adjustability of prusiks on the ridgeline, and whoopies on the hammock. These are the first prusik loops I've tied, I think they could be shorter...

    Including a couple aluminum tri-stakes, and a size small Sea-To-Summit silnylon stuff sack (with room in it to spare), the whole works weighs under 32 ounces. Note that this is less than just a DD Traveler Hammock I think this total carry weight rivals pretty much any ultralight tent you can buy, and leans up on some tarp tent/tarp shelters.

    Pictures? Of course...

    Full rig view


    Underneath (tough to get the stake lines real tight with the stakes in the gravel)


    Ridgeline at bowline end, with micro-biner, also a view of the tree straps, marlin spike hitch, toggle, and whoopie. Also say hi to Jasper.


    Trucker's hitch end (with a couple slippery half-hitches to secure it)


    Ridgeline with prusik and micro-biner. Could use the plastic clip on the HH tarp but I think I will consider this a backup.


    A big huge thank you to all the HF members who have shared the ideas I've used here... Shug and his how-to videos come immediately to mind, but I've learned a lot from so many forum members! What a great forum this is.

  2. #2
    Senior Member hippofeet's Avatar
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    Mar 2010
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    Sweet. what are the advantages of an external vs. internal ridgeline on that? I did a diy with a removable internal ridgeline, and plan on laying the tarp over that (I have bug netting on a zipper all around the hammock). I have layed in it, but it is supposed to storm all week here, and I will be out in it on a kayak trip. Will the tarp leak at the contact point? (ripstop nylon with waterproofing and no seams).
    An emergency of my own making...is still an emergency.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Festus Hagen's Avatar
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    My plan for now is to use the tarp over the ridgeline. At some point before I take it out I'll tie a couple drip loops on to the whoopies and the ridgeline. I know there are other threads on the topic of over vs. under and those folks have given it a lot more thought than I have...



    Quote Originally Posted by hippofeet View Post
    Sweet. what are the advantages of an external vs. internal ridgeline on that? I did a diy with a removable internal ridgeline, and plan on laying the tarp over that (I have bug netting on a zipper all around the hammock). I have layed in it, but it is supposed to storm all week here, and I will be out in it on a kayak trip. Will the tarp leak at the contact point? (ripstop nylon with waterproofing and no seams).

  4. #4
    Senior Member hippofeet's Avatar
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    Ok. I will found out soon...
    An emergency of my own making...is still an emergency.

  5. #5
    Senior Member WV's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Festus Hagen View Post
    Planning some longer, multi-day hikes and canoe trips with multiple portages this year, I decided I need a lightweight option.
    What does your canoe weigh?

  6. #6
    Senior Member Festus Hagen's Avatar
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    My canoe is apparently made of lead (it's a Mad River Adventure 14 which weighs in the neighborhood of 75 lbs) but for the heavily-portaged trip I mentioned I will be borrowing a kevlar canoe that weighs something like 35-40 lbs... not too shabby for two big guys to handle...

    Quote Originally Posted by WV View Post
    What does your canoe weigh?

  7. #7
    Senior Member ikemouser's Avatar
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    ky
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    You can go lighter: ditch the toggles for trail sticks. Also you don't need the red biners on the tarp: on the one that goes around the wood post, just put the line through a bowline loop instead of a biner. On the tarp one, just prussic the black line to the tarp dring. You should lose a few ounces by losing the biners. THAT TARP IS TINY! Please report back after spending a storm in it. My setup:

    warbonnet blackbird double layer 1.1 w/ dynaglide whoppies and ridgeline: 22.1oz
    Maccat deluxe tarp: 11oz
    2x 6foot huggers + tarp ridgeline(1 small metal fig 9 used) + tarp guylines: 3oz

    Total :36.1

    If i had a single layer blackbird instead of a double, i would be at 29.1. Im thinking of switching to a single. Of course the weight of stakes should be included as well, in that regard i have 6 titanium shepherd hooks + 1 extra incase i lose one. I haven't weight them yet, but they couldn't be more than a few ounces.
    Last edited by ikemouser; 04-05-2010 at 06:00.

  8. #8
    Senior Member Festus Hagen's Avatar
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    True, there are ways I can go lighter... I'll have to weigh the toggles to see what they weigh but they are probably wasteful to carry... if there are trees there are deadfall sticks, and I don't think the toggle has to be especially strong. They do save me having to hunt around for the right sticks though.

    The thing about my setup in general... although I do consider this hammock setup "ultra-light" based on carry weight, I'm not really an "ultra-light" guy. More of an "econo-light" guy. I like Heiney can pots and homemade alcohol stoves because they are ultra-light and almost free. I decided that down pants were a good idea for hiking into cold weather, (well, not for hiking, but to put on when the temperature drops in camp) but rather than buy 800 fill Nunatak Kobuks for $318 dollars, I bought Cabelas 550 fill down underwear for around $40 on sale. I'm trying to go light but not trying to shave every gram at the cost of big $$ or convenience on the trail. My pack weighs 5 lbs all by itself!

    The micro 'biners weigh 3.2 grams each, all three of them together only weigh .338 ounce. I added the one to the bowline loop because I don't want to *have* to remove the ridgeline from the tarp every time I pitch it and take it down (I guess I could make a much larger loop and pass the whole works, tarp and all through there but it just seems slow and clumsy, and would probably weigh as much or more?). With the ones I use on the tarp, it just gives me a quick option to remove the tarp from the ridgeline if I want to. For example, I might decide after pitching that I want to run the tarp under, instead of over the ridgeline... pull one stake and the two clips and I can switch it around. Speed and convenience vs. weight <shrugs>

    Another thing I could do is cut the stuff sack off the hammock... but I kind of like having it there to drop stuff into on the side of the hammock, and it can't weigh more than a handful of grams. Similarly, the Mantis bugnet has a stuff sack but this will be dual-use (a rock sack for my bear-bag system)

    Yeah, the tarp is really small.... it will be.... interesting.

    Going to work on a tensioning tarp tie-out today... might add another 6 grams


    Quote Originally Posted by ikemouser View Post
    You can go lighter: ditch the toggles for trail sticks. Also you don't need the red biners on the tarp: on the one that goes around the wood post, just put the line through a bowline loop instead of a biner. On the tarp one, just prussic the black line to the tarp dring. You should lose a few ounces by losing the biners. THAT TARP IS TINY! Please report back after spending a storm in it. My setup:

    warbonnet blackbird double layer 1.1 w/ dynaglide whoppies and ridgeline: 22.1oz
    Maccat deluxe tarp: 11oz
    2x 6foot huggers + tarp ridgeline(1 small metal fig 9 used) + tarp guylines: 3oz

    Total :36.1

    If i had a single layer blackbird instead of a double, i would be at 29.1. Im thinking of switching to a single. Of course the weight of stakes should be included as well, in that regard i have 6 titanium shepherd hooks + 1 extra incase i lose one. I haven't weight them yet, but they couldn't be more than a few ounces.

  9. #9
    Senior Member ikemouser's Avatar
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    yea my tarp is not permanently connected to my ridgeline, probably why i use a bowline only, and a fig 9 on the other side. Im not an ultralight either, or i would be using a bivy and tarp! I just like to get nice luxuries like hammocks, etc, then get them as light as i can, so they are approaching ul. Kinda the best of both worlds.

  10. #10
    Senior Member Hawk-eye's Avatar
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    Well Festus ... I like your trail name. One of the all time great TV character actors ... so you big into Mule Skinning? Ha!

    WARNING: Will discuss Rhurbarb Strawberry Pie and Livermush at random.


    "A democracy is two wolves and a small lamb voting on what to have for dinner.
    Freedom under a constitutional republic is a well armed lamb contesting the vote." ... B.Franklin


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