Well I hung for the third time last night, in the back yard. I was cold (cool) last weekend with temps around 60º. I had debated whether I was cool on the bottom with my custom SBSBUQ or on the top with only a light fleece mummy liner. In the end I decided that it may have been both. My objective last night was to prove to myself that my diy SBSBUQ was a viable accessory and that I could sleep in a hammock without being cold. The low was supposed to be just above 50º.
The forecast was for 100% clear skies with low humidity, so I elected to skip the tarp, even though I knew a low hung tarp could keep me a bit warmer. I hung the hammock before dark and almost changed my mind about the tarp when I noticed some small gusts (forecast was 7 mph out of the NNW). I hung between a 5" magnolia and a 30" hickory about 16' apart, where I have hung before and where I will probably hang in the future when I need to test out gear.
You all gave me suggestions on how to better hang my UQ. The most obvious solution was the triangles. I had neither the opportunity to order some of these nor the time to stitch something up. But with my new setup on my ridgeline (see details here), I did have a place to snap the hooks which would give a similar aspect to the triangles, pulling the UQ ends up and making it more snug. I ended up tightening the suspension on the UQ. When I first laid in the hammock, I could immediately tell the difference in the UQ. I could feel exactly where the edge was behind my shoulder, and it easily adjusted from the opposite (zippered) side.
I went back out to the hammock about 10:30, with the temp about 62º. I laid straight down and threw my down mummy bag over me. I did not really make any effort to find my sweet spot, but was comfy with out having to adjust, except that after about 5 minutes, I felt my core temp rising, so I partially vented the mummy bag, which was already only loosly draped over me. In a short time, I drifted off to sleep, and didn't wake up until about 3:30. Though I was not cool like I had been the week before, I decided to do a slighly better job of covering with the SB as TQ. I took a momemt to better adjust, but I only ended up moving a few inches, and I was back asleep. I woke up at 7:00 to temps of about 52º, snug and warm.
I scooched up in the hammock to enjoy the view of the bayou and to see the birds, squirrels, ducks and pelicans I had been hearing. After about 2 mintues I saw a largish dog trot across the yard until it stopped about 20' away from me. It didn't take but a momemt for me to realize it was no "dog" but quite obviously a coyote. It paused and looked directly at the hammock. Though I could see him clearly through the bug net, I doubt he could see me on the inside; the wind was at a right angle, so I don't think he caught my scent. We stared at one another for maybe 5 seconds before he turned tail and ran, and I could see where he went through the underbrush to the neighbor's yard.
I have to admit that my heart was beating a bit after this. It is pretty common knowledge that there are coyotes around here, but to see one in the middle of the city (even in a forested area in town) is unheard of. I had an encounter with a coyote 5 years ago in the Smoky Mountains (Cades Cove), and the animal's gait and stature was exactly the same. It really was exciting! And it was fortuitous that I skipped the tarp last night as well. I may have to do that more often.
Anyway, it looks like I am moving forward with my hanging prowess. I am looking forward to more and exciting hanging experiences.
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Originally Posted by islander
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