As a ground dweller that is going through the metamorphosis of adapting to and discovering the joys of a suspended state of being I thought I would point out two of my favorite cross platform / transition gear:
The Exped Dreamwalker 450 sleeping bag and the Exped Symat 7 pad.
I knew that I would need some sort of under quilt to keep warm, and I was very pleased to find out how well the Symat 7 fit inside my hammock and stayed in place with a bit of adjustment. Its long tubular air baffles conform nicely to one's body.
The 7" version has an R value of 4.9, there is also a down version of it, 9" with an R value of 8. The nice thing about the Synmat is that you can easily control the loft, amount of air with the built in pump. You could even use it with no air in it in a hammock.
The other piece of gear that I have been using is the Exped Dreamwalker sleeping bag. Think of it as a very versatile snuggie blanket. Its design lends itself to a great deal of adaptation for use in a variety of ways, as a blanket, sleeping bag, body hugger on cold days etc...
Watch the video, it will become very clear why I like this bag so much for hammocking and general camping:
there are two versions of the down dreamwalker, the 650 which is rated at 20 degrees and the 450 which is rated at 35, they
both come in regular or long version.
Exped stuff are a bit on the spendy side so the best time to buy them is when REI is having their annual/semi-annual 20% off sales or look for a good deal online.
For now these two pieces have made it possible for me to make a quick transition into the hammocking world and be used as a multi-terrain gear pack for when a tent is the only way to find shelter.
ps: there is also a synthetic version of the dreamwalker: Dreamwalker Syn 133 Bag
An independent review of it by another hammocker: Back Pack Gear Test
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