I've been hammock camping for around two years now, but I'm definitely still perfecting my setup.
The Hammock
Right now, I have an ENO Doublenest hammock. I bought it because they had them at REI, they were relatively cheap, and the Doublenest was big enough to fit me. After using it for awhile, I have realized that it may not be the best choice for me. I eventually want to switch to a hammock with a larger footbox and an integrated bug net, so I'm very interested in the Warbonnet Blackbird.
The HH rainfly works for me, but you have to sling it pretty close to the hammock to keep everything dry (we get rain here occasionally) and that means I'm not really able to sit up straight in my hammock, or move around under the fly comfortably.
I just upgraded the suspension on the ENO from slap straps to some polyester webbing, aluminum suspension rings, and chain link from Arrowhead Equipment, which I can't wait to try out.
Staying Warm
I sleep in a Big Agnes sleeping bag with am integrated air mattress, but I feel like I need to switch to something new. The bag is too hot for the summer, and I would like to find something lightweight, but large enough to fit my 6'5" 280 lb frame. Suggestions? I want to switch to a normal bag, or top quilt and a ccf pad. I am currently trying to figure out how thick my pad will need to be to keep me warm down to 40 degrees or so. I also enjoy winter camping, so I want to find a way to stay warm down to around 15 degrees.
I bought the Speer PeaPod, even though I was doubtful that it would fit around me, and my hammock. The guy at Speer assured me it would, but...it doesn't. It's still a lot warmer than not having it, but it doesn't seal around me, so I plan on getting rid of it eventually. Any takers? Feel free to make an offer.
TL;DR
So basically, everything that I have works, but everything is a compromise which I'm not digging too much. I've been lurking for a while now, but I'm still confused by some of the lingo. I'm especially interested in hearing from big guys, as size seems to be the number one factor in choosing gear that works for me. Since I'm huge, my gear runs towards huge sizes, which means increased weight, so I'm interested in finding lightweight gear too.
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