Another newbie from the UK

**Catavarie** · 10-09-2011, 04:19

Welcome aboard, and be sure to give us a trip report with pictures upon your return.

**koaloha05** · 10-09-2011, 22:37

Originally Posted by spandit

Hello all, been reading these forums for a while which has helped me tune my hammock setup*

First night out tomorrow further than walking distance from home - rain forecast & never slept under a tarp when it's needed before!

* Tenth Wonder hammock
3mm Dyneema D12 whoopies attached to soft shackles (which are in the gathered ends)

Welcome! 1st night in a heavy rain is usually an interesting experience. Remember to look up and around for any branches that are potential windfall hazards. Proper sight selection and tarp deployment can keep you dry in the heaviest hard driving rain. I find the sound of rainfall on the tarp calming. Acorns hitting the tarp & close lightening/thunder hits are "interesting experiences". Enjoy the 1st night out!

**spandit** · 10-10-2011, 06:58

Thanks all for your kind words.

Well, I survived! My new soft-shackles held up well and the MSH on one end of the suspension worked well too (using a small metal tube from an old fibreglass tent pole) - I was using a carabiner at the other end.

Didn't get wet, despite the rain, and stayed pretty warm. Need to tweak the UQ suspension as it was a bit tight at my feet but for a cheap sleeping bag conversion it worked pretty well. Tarp is a bit short and I'd pitched everything too low (which probably helped in the bad weather) but otherwise an enjoyable weekend with BushCraftUK.

Here's a photo of my setup (on the right of the picture):

More details on here: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80561