Got the following system:
- Hammock IIIC (hammock, bug net, and stuff sack);
- WinterTarp;
- WinterTarp Accessory Kit (stuff sack and guylines);
- SegmentedPadExtender 4x4;
- SleepPad (80"x24"x0.25");
- Wings for SPE (20"x5"x0.25", 4);
- DripStrips (2, with safety pins); and,
- a free copy of "Hammock Camping."
I'd like to get out and hang it this weekend, but have plenty of work to catch up on so may have to wait until Memorial Day weekend to break it in. Can't wait.
FarStar
Wow, looks like you are all set. Keep us posted on how it goes! Welcome to Hammock Forums, too.
"Civilization is the limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities." - Mark Twain
“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” - John Burroughs
Looks like your all set. Happy hanging.
"Every day above ground is a good day"
Welcome to Hammock Forums. Looks like you've got your inital setup all pimped out already. Enjoy!Originally Posted by FarStar
"If you play a Nicleback song backwards, you'll hear messages from the devil. Even worse, if you play it forward, you'll hear Nickleback." - Dave Grohl
good shopping.
there goes the economic stimulus package check....to an American merchant (who no doubt appreciates the stimulus!)
happy hanging. You know the drill here, we'll be looking for lots of pictures, stories about brushes with death of various kinds, new innovations.
welcome to HF
Grizz
Thanks, all, for the warm welcome. My new hangout will get broken in this weekend. I'll let you know how it goes.
FarStar
So, what is the total weight of this delux set-up?
And welcome! Betsy
Betsy,
The advertized weight (I haven't confirmed it) of the setup is 4.0 lb:
- hammock w/ accessories -- 1.6 lb
- tarp w/ accessories -- 1.4 lb
- pad w/ accessories -- 1.0 lb.
I'm a person of girth so need the heavier hammock. Also, the primary purpose of my hammock is car camping. About 2.5 years ago I shattered a heel. While the bone has repaired, I'm not back to 100%. As much as I'd enjoy being out backpacking with my son's Boy Scout troop, that's just not in the cards for now and the foreseeable future.
I have concluded that a hammocking outfit is heavier than a ground-dwelling tarp outfit -- the net difference is the weight of the hammock itself. I spent the last two nights in it and have to say they were the most comfy nights in the woods I've ever spent. The natural way my feet lay higher than my head is perfect, as my injured foot still swells every day. I normally sleep with my feet on a floor pillow, which due to tossing and turning tends to end off the bed several times a night, but in the hammock there was no tossing and turning.
The big tarp was worth it, as both nights it rained. I was bone dry the entire time, and the tarp didn't sag after getting wet.
The 4 wrap knot worked flawlessly -- I was surprised; so was my daughter who questioned both nights whether it would hold. I let her test it before applying my poundage to the system. The biggest problem was finding suitable trees. The trees out here must be much bigger, on average, than the trees in the southeast.
Both nights the trees used were about 11 feet apart -- just the length of the tarp. The first night one tree was about 6 inches in diameter, but the other tree was about 2 feet in diameter. I had to tie a slippery 2 half hitches in the webbing on the big tree; it held fine, but the first half hitch didn't untie easily.
The second night we stayed in a USFS campground. Surprisingly for a holiday weekend Sunday, only about half the spaces were filled, and of the empty ones we found and got the only one that was hammock friendly.
It got down to about 45 F Saturday night. I was fine at the outset in shorts and t-shirt with the Speer 24-inch wide, 0.25-inch thick closed cell foam pad with an Integral Designs 1-inch thick Primaloft poncho liner on top of me. The only problem was the pad shifted as I got into the hammock, so one shoulder blade ended up with no insulation underneath.
I awoke thoroughly chilled in the middle of the night. Tucking the poncho liner along my sides did nothing to stop the lateral heat loss, but my exposed shoulder blade was the biggest culprit. I went to the car and got my JRB biker quilt and an old WWII wool navy blanket, adjusted the pad over the folded blanket over the torso area, and entered the hammock more carefully, then laid the doubled-over JRB quilt on top of the open poncho liner. I slept comfortably until morning.
Last night I used the same system. When it started raining I awoke and was almost cold, but feel asleep after carefully tucking the poncho liner and quilt around me, fell back asleep, then awoke after the rain passed being quite overheated (must have been a warm front).
I've concluded that I can be comfy down to 50 F with what I have now. With a wider 0.25-inch pad, I think that will easily extend down to 45 F.
My biggest problem was getting out of the hammock. I tried to hang it loosely so as to avoid should squeeze (there was none). But the center of gravity was so low that I felt like a Galapagos tortoise on his back whenever I had to get out. If you hear of a hammock camper in Washington State who was found dead in his hammock, you know I got stuck.
FarStar
On untying the knot, if you work a stick between the knot and the tree before you weight it and leave it there until you get ready to take it down, it will allow you to work it free and untie the knot easier. Your 2 slippery half hitches cinch tight and are hard to release when cinched. The extra space when you work the stick loose will help with that.
Tortoise huh, that sounds about right. You have to moon walk until you get legs under you when the hammock is lower to the ground.
Did you put some clothing in the wings of the SPE to help with your shoulders?
Youngblood AT2000
Dave,
When you say put a stick between the knot and the tree, I assume you really mean in the knot itself? The slippery version of the knot made the second of the 2 half hitches super easy to untie. I can't envision exactly where to put the stick for the first hitch. If you have a link to a picture that would help.
Part of the success in moonwalking to exit the hammock must be to hang the thing at the right height. Too high and my feet couldn't find my shoes or the ground; too low and I couldn't find the leverage to stand up. This morning I just pulled myself up onto the narrow head of the hammock then intentionally rolled off, but not without effort. Would hanging with less sag help?
I didn't use the SPE as I hadn't trimmed my foam pad to fit the 20-inch width. I did use the foam wings tucked partially underneath the pad to help hold the wool blanket in place -- it worked. I didn't use my DripStrips either, but didn't get wet at all.
Congratulations on your tarp design. It was a lovely sight waking up to the pitter patter of rain on a nicely pitched, large tarp above me that was keeping me dry. I had it pitched high both nights as I like being able to stand up beneath it. I look forward to trying a lowered, more enrobed pitch to ward off wind.
Last night I wore a fleece shirt and shorts, which undoubtedly helped over the previous night's t-shirt and shorts. But what most likely made the biggest difference between the two nights was the 10 F difference in low temperature.
FarStar
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