I am quite new to the world of hammocks and need some tips for packing up my gear. I've been exploring which hammock to invest in and then I started drifting toward all of the other gear that may accompany it: TQ, UQ, etc. I'm trying to keep as much of my old gear as possible from my ground dwelling days. And it got me thinking about my backpack set up.

I have a Granite Gear Virga frameless backpack that is great for trips when I sleep on the ground because I take along an inflatable sleeping pad. I can roll the pad up and spread it out along the perimeter of the pack to create a frame before placing the rest of my gear inside.

If I eventually move toward softer/compact gear like an UQ instead of a pad, I’m left without a “frame” for my frameless backpack (sounds funny, but that’s the best way I could think to put it).

Does anyone out here at HF use a frameless backpack and NOT use a sleeping pad? If so, how do you pack your gear up to give you the most comfort, especially if the bulk of your gear is soft, like down or synthetic TQ/UQs?

I’ve read a couple of older postings that guys use frameless packs (some with pads, some without), but I’m very interested in HOW you actually pack your frameless packs to make it the most comfortable: Tips, tricks, techniques.

(I know this issue only indirectly related to hammocks, but the issue is caused by my moving toward the hammock world. So I'm hoping that's cool.)

Any help is greatly appreciated.

SoCal Mike