First Night Out (2nd attempt)

[GrumpyTom]

Hey all - glad to be part of this forum/obsession

Part of my "survival" obsession led me to hammocks, and instead of plopping down the dough for a Hennessy/Warbonnet i went first with the Moskito from REI ($45).

First time I hung it i found out AFTER dark that it was too unlevel and i kept slipping out the bottom, plus I tried using a yoga mat for insulation, but it sticks too much and it was a LOT of adjusting before I just gave up and went back to the house.

SO, tonight is my 2nd attempt at my first night in a hammock! I turned the hammock upside down and used the mosquito netting to hold a cheap sleeping bad as an underquilt, then I'm planning to use a 20degree bag unzipped as a top quilt. Standard cheap poly tarp over top. It's supposed to get to high 30's or 40.

I have to say, learning the correct knots (esp the Siberian Timber hitch) made set up MUCH nicer

Anywhoo... I'll repost with my experience. Thx for listening to a noob...

[Catavarie]

Good luck on your First Night redux! Hope to hear of warm and comfy dreams in the morning.

As a side note, you have a beautiful town and surrounding area you live in there. My wife has family all around your area.

[Stormstaff]

Good luck. Don't get discouraged. You'll thank yourself once you get it dialed in.

[GrumpyTom]

Catavarie - thx! yes, it's gorgeous up here, but a little challenging trying to get the webbing around the Redwoods! lol

We live on the end of a road up in the Santa Cruz mountains, so 5 mins walk into my "backyard" and I'm basically in the middle of nowhere - may never need to go anywhere except for the hiking part (which I'm NOT a fan of).

[sandykayak]

If you have the Moskito Traveller by Byers of Maine be prepared for a lot of stretching/sag. I have one and its great for size and weight.

[GrumpyTom]

Yes, that's the hammock I have. I'll have to hope it holds up tonight

[eflat7]

There's definitely a learning curve. Don't give up. You'll be glad you didn't.

[SilvrSurfr]

I tried flipping the Byer Moskito Hammock over and putting insulation in the bug net. That part works - I was never cold into the 20s. It's just that it's hard to stay in the Byer without the bugnet. It's a pretty short hammock and I'm 5'11", but it might work better for shorter people.

I just found it doesn't lay right for me flipped over (not that it lays right with bugnet up, but at least it's manageable). It takes me five minutes to find the right lay, and I still wake up with my feet popping out over the side.

As soon as I got my Hammock Gear TQ & UQ, I went back to my Hennessy Hammock and haven't pulled the Byer out in a few months.

[Floridahanger]

Catavarie - thx! yes, it's gorgeous up here, but a little challenging trying to get the webbing around the Redwoods! lol

We live on the end of a road up in the Santa Cruz mountains, so 5 mins walk into my "backyard" and I'm basically in the middle of nowhere - may never need to go anywhere except for the hiking part (which I'm NOT a fan of).

That's great. When you find your sweet spot, then go to the store and get 2 100' tow straps to get around those trees. That's some great tree huggers

[GrumpyTom]

I made it through the night easily - set up was nice and snugly warm

I used a down jacket in the sleeping bag stuff sack for a pillow - think I might upgrade that part, but everything else was great. Woke up about 4am to pee, think it was about 45 degrees. Was wearing thin thermal pants under jeans, tshirt and light fleece, then just a 20degree bag as a top quilt.

No way I want to carry that cheap bag (the underquilt) on a real trip, but worked great this time.

Looking forward to really getting into this!