I received a "The Travel Hammock" for a gift and have several questions.
At 10 oz., as advertised, is this heavy for a topless hammock?
Would this hammock hold up worth a darn on the AT, NOBO April 09?
What is a good way, system to incorporate a top for this hammock?
forgot to add it is a 1 month section hike.
Do you know what model you have?
“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." -Terry Pratchett
The travel hammock is a great brand, however anything can and generally does happen. 2 days out you sit down in it with a sharp object in your pocket and puncture right through it. Or rub it against something and it starts fraying. I could come up with a lot of examples and all of them could happen, and probably have happened to most of us. Then again nothing at all could occur and you'd have a great trip with it, who knows? If our crystal balls were that accurate we'd all be down in front of the lottery office.
I've kept one in the hatch of my kayak for years, and have used it a lot of times and as far as I'm concerned, it's still as good as new. Being a Left-Coaster I would not know about the AT but bugs and a tarp are the items I'd say you want to consider prior to making that hike.
Greg Dunlap
Santa Rosa, CA
38.478156 N
122.754598 W
157 feet above sea level
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Sounds like the Ultra-light. If you change the hooks to something else, it should last fine. Shouldn't need a bug net in April.
Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time. ~Steven Wright
I have an ultralight model like yours. Even if you don't take to sleeping in a hammock at night, it is a great model to have along for breaktime, especially when the ground is rocky or uneven. Just find two trees and relax for a bit.
correctOriginally Posted by Iafte
Ultra light.
How about a tarp of sorts to keep the rain out?
yes... you need one.
Having said that... how much do you want to spend. If you want basic, a poly tarp from a big box store can be used. If you want to invest the bucks... well I'm sure you can get good advice in that direction from here. I use the stock tarp that came with my hammock and I use a DIY tarp that I made.
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
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How much do you weigh?
I have an Ultra Light Travel Hammock, it’s actually my second. I like the hammock, but they have both shown fairly serious wear on the cinched ends. You can see where the needle holes have gotten bigger (stretching). Makes me more than a little nervous sometimes.
I personally don’t think that model would hold up to a thru hike.
Last edited by Cannibal; 09-10-2008 at 16:42. Reason: Can't spell!
Trust nobody!
I second and third the cautions about taking care with the Travel Hammock - and its usefulness if you do treat it well. I also agree about removing the hooks. They are unnecessary; just tie your lines or webbing throught the loops.
You might want to make a few changes/additions: 1.5 inch polypro webbing is easier on the trees. 12 feet per end is more than enough and all you need.
If you run a stout static line connecting each end of the hammock, it will keep the sag the same every time you set up. This is not critical with the TH, but it has other uses (more of which, shortly) and reduces the fiddle factor when setting up. Just fool with the set up until the sag feels comfortable, then tie off the static line more or less permanently.
A mosquito net isn't a bad idea. By the end of your hike the bugs may be out. You can make a quick and dirty net with 6 yards of noseeum. Sew 2 panels 3 yards long along one long edge, put in 4-5 ties to tie it to the static line. Cut the panels 4 feet deep at the middle and 2 feet at the ends. Then sew big pockets of scrap mesh on the bottom edge in the middle of each panel to hold water bottles, shoes, anything with enough weight to keep the edge down. Stitch the ends closed over the hanging lines an inch or two above ends of the hammock body and tie a string around the end to keep it from pulling over the hammock end. Don't bother with hemming the net. The weight in the pockets will keep it from blowing around and it will fit against the edges of the hammock to keep the bugs out. The static line will keep if off your face and the ties will hold it on.
You will also need a tarp. Simple is good. A long poncho or a tarp of 4 mil plastic or Tyvek will do the job. It's only a month, so durability is not a big issue. I get by with a 5x8 tarp on some hammocks and 5x9 on others. Use what you can find at a reasonable price. If you need 9 feet in length you can set up a 6x8 (a common commercial size) sort of diagonally to get the necessary length. Some like the extra coverage of 8x10.
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