Well, I used my hammock setup this last weekend in some pretty nasty conditions, and I love the thing! Slept 12 hours and could have laid there longer, no back pain, no aches. I have become accustom to waking with headaches and sore hips, or stiff back (depending on my position most of the night). That was with a 2" Thermarest LE. I have some more info posted here regarding the
trip, and some
pics here, but here are my observations and some questions:
1) Finding the right trees at 6000 feet in the Cascades can be a challenge! Especially when you are sharing the camp with non-hammock people. What would be the maximum distance between trees (provided you have enough rope) to hang?
2) Keeping my ccf pads in place all night was interesting. I had a single full length one (24" wide, I think) and another 24" one that I had cut in two placed length wise under the uncut one as "wings" for my shoulders and hips. They ended up all over the hammock, especially when I had to get up to pee in the middle of the night. How do you keep things from moving around?
3) My feet got chilled during the night. I was inside a down
back country blanket. I suspect I will take some booties next trip. Temps were pretty cold (around 32F), and I wore polypro underwear, wool socks, stocking cap and a light fleece jacket. My body kept comfortable, except for my feet. Is this because they are slightly elevated (blood flow issue)?
4) We used just a 9x12 chunk of plastic and it seemed to work fine. I think a 10x12 silnylon tarp is in my future. Any recommendations?
5) Is there a height for the hammock that is best? I ended up being limited due to coverage needs for my ground sleeping buddy, with the hammock at about waist level prior to me getting in (which just kept my backside off the ground).
Thanks for any help!
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