Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 25
  1. #11
    Senior Member Stormstaff's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Bradley, IL
    Hammock
    Dutchware Chameleon
    Tarp
    OMW or Dutch Wide
    Insulation
    Hammock Gear
    Suspension
    Whoopies/ Dutch
    Posts
    1,483
    Personally I normally use my Old Man Winter tarp so I have doors most of the time.

    We as leaders setup as a patrol, so we are normally away from the boys and possibly have a roped off site.

    Dunno how it'll be when we try our first backpack trip this spring

  2. #12
    New Member TooManyProjects's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Willow Grove, PA
    Hammock
    Henennesy Safari Asym Classic
    Insulation
    TBD!
    Suspension
    Hennessy Stock
    Posts
    20
    Quote Originally Posted by bdaabat View Post
    Thanks folks! I appreciate all of the feedback!

    @Dave: Glad you ended up being safe and doing OK. Yes, I'd forgotten the garbage bag as well. Since I was car camping, I had a waterproof bag though. Unfortunately, I didn't have a good system to keep the Scout neckerchief in place... sometime during the night, it fell into a mud puddle. Grrr...

    BTW: Excellent idea, sorting stuff into piles of used vs. not. Agreed that the tweaking of setup will likely become a life long process. In fact, I've been doing major tweaking already... I've dropped the tent and the cot!

    So, what hammock are you going to switch to?
    My personal snapping point was when I was putting 4 people and a dog in my Subaru AND pulling a loaded trailer. Tents, cots, dutch ovens, propane tanks, coolers. It was madness! We still do those kinds of trips, but since my hammock epiphany, I've dialed it way back. I'm still working on getting the wife into a hammock, but she's a much harder sell. Hopefully by next summer we'll both be hanging and can ditch the tent and cots completely.

    As for my next hammock, I just picked up two Grand Trunk Ultralights for $12 each at Green Life Outfitters, so I'm going to rig one up and see how I like it. At that price, it was a total impulse buy. The fabric for a DIY one would cost me more than that!

    Since I doubt I'll be camping again until January, I've got a bit of time to mess around with it before I take it out on a trip. My goal is to change the suspension over whoopies, and a ridge line, and find a lighter silnylon tarp. I might find a bug net too depending on how motivated I am over the winter.

    My goal is to spend around $150-175 and for the whole rig and to be at or less than 3lbs. The Safari clocks in at over 5lbs and takes up way too much pack space for my liking. It's a great hammock, but it's just not for backpacking. I'm debating selling it to fund the new one(s), but it does make a good car camper...plus I'd need another 40+ posts to sell it on here!

    The GTUL's arrive Friday, so I'm going to do a quick basement hang w/ some ratchet straps as suspension and see how it feels. Hopefully it's what I'm looking for.

    -Dave

  3. #13
    New Member cdnrogue's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Niagara Falls, Canada
    Hammock
    HH Explorer Deluxe Zip
    Tarp
    HH Poly Hex
    Insulation
    Leighlo TQ & UQ
    Suspension
    Carabiner & Rings
    Posts
    31
    Wow, I remember watching my scout leader struggle, not with a hammock but a tent in the same way when I was younger.
    For the group, I am asking cause I am new too, I see ENO makes an underbelly Gear Sling. Would this be somewhat useful to keep your stuff off the ground?, especially if you are using a hex tarp or even something that runs lower to the ground. I don't want to call them gimmicky since I have never used one, but I would expect that once you have your hammock set up, in reality there is no room underneath. Is it just easier to use a ridge line and hang the basics and just garbage bag your back pack and hang it from a tree hugger line? I don't want to hijack this experience, but I think I am. sorry
    *********************
    Just started hanging in 2012

  4. #14
    Chard's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Toronto, Canada
    Hammock
    HH Exped w DIY ZipMod & WBBB
    Tarp
    DIY 12' BlackCat
    Insulation
    DIY Down TQ/UQ
    Suspension
    DIY Whoopie Sling
    Posts
    2,184
    Images
    204
    Bdaabat, good job on troop safety!!! Well done!

    Glad you made it through...

    Quote Originally Posted by cdnrogue View Post
    I would expect that once you have your hammock set up, in reality there is no room underneath. Is it just easier to use a ridge line and hang the basics and just garbage bag your back pack and hang it from a tree hugger line? I don't want to hijack this experience, but I think I am. sorry
    I'd say it depends on the type of tarp you have at the size. I use a 12' x 10' BlackCat with DIY grizbeaks and I run a loose ridgeline underneath the tarp to hang light gear from (mostly the stuffsacks and toilet kit). I find that I can tuck my pack up underneath my head or feet (depending on the prevailing wind) and haven't had a problem getting things wet. If the weather's looking bad, I'd pack the bag up with all of the loose gear and put on the rain cover. In dry or slightly moist weather, you can get away with hanging it from a tree and again using the raincover.

    Finally, it's nice to have a small plastic footmat to keep your feet/socks clean of dirt/twigs/pine needles before either going to bed or putting your shoes on. A good trick is to duct tape one corner and peg it to the ground so it doesn't blow away. You'll have a great chance to check out hammock rigs next month.
    Survival is about getting out alive, Bushcraft is about going in to live - Chard (aka Forest-Hobo)

    Upcoming EGL Hangs:
    tbd. For EGL notifications, subscribe to the EGL Hang Notification Thread
    EGL Trip Reports:
    The Collection Follow me on Instagram

  5. #15
    New Member cpc1027's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Hazzard Co., MD
    Hammock
    Dutch Hexon 1.6
    Tarp
    HG CF w/ doors
    Insulation
    HG Quilts
    Suspension
    whoopies n' bling
    Posts
    45
    Glad to hear you survived the storms. Where were you camping?

    I was hunting just a little south of the Mason-Dixon in Baltimore Co. and I'm sitting there in my stand when I start to hear drops on the leaves. I thought to myself, "I don't remember hearing about rain tonight, maybe its the wind blowing drops around from this morning". NOPE! All of a sudden the lightning and thunder starts and it's pouring down rain, and I decided that a metal stand in a tree was not the best place to be, and hunting was done for the evening. My Uncle got a deer before the storm started, so I had to help him drag it out and we both got drenched, and I caught a cold. Sounds like you fared better.

  6. #16
    Senior Member bdaabat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Baltimre area, MD
    Hammock
    Dream Hammocks Sparrow
    Tarp
    WB Superfly
    Insulation
    Hammockgear, KAQ
    Suspension
    Cinch buckles baby
    Posts
    383
    Dave: I hear you with all the junk that goes along camping. I'm at the point of needing to purchase a truck just to haul the troop trailer and carry all of my gear. The troop has something like 70 boys. We generally pack in a lot of materiel for outings...8 - 10 propane tanks, two garages to provide cover for cooking, several large chuck boxes, bins for food, camp stoves, and, my new favorite, a 24" Discada . That Discada can cook a WHOLE bunch of food very quickly. We eat well.

    For Webelos-O-Ree, our troop was responsible for one of the cooking demonstration stations. So, in addition to the usual cobblers that we used for demonstrations of cast iron cooking, we set up a whole hog over the fire pit. It's great marketing for incoming Cubs (and their parents!). Also did chili, mac n cheese (in box ovens), chicken and dumplings in a camp stove on a tripod, trash can turkey, tres leches cake, and deep fried s'mores. The deep fried s'mores and the chicken and dumplings won the camp Cast Iron Chef competition.

    So, yeah, I'm gonna be a car/truck camper for the next several years.

    Stormstaff: I've got a Kelty 12*12 at the moment. I need to figure out how to fold it up so that there are doors... both for the colder weather camping and to prevent scaring young eyes.

    cpc1027: We were at Broad Creek Scout Reservation in Harford County for the big Webelos-O-Ree. BTW: Really glad to hear you made it down safely! That's got to be a pretty scary place to be when the weather rolls in.

    Bruce

  7. #17
    Senior Member JaxHiker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Jacksonville, FL
    Hammock
    Lite Owl; Light Hiker
    Tarp
    Toxaway;MacCat Dlx
    Insulation
    Burrow; Incubator
    Suspension
    Whoopies
    Posts
    2,347
    Quote Originally Posted by bdaabat View Post
    we set up a whole hog over the fire pit. It's great marketing for incoming Cubs (and their parents!). Also did chili, mac n cheese (in box ovens), chicken and dumplings in a camp stove on a tripod, trash can turkey, tres leches cake, and deep fried s'mores. The deep fried s'mores and the chicken and dumplings won the camp Cast Iron Chef competition.
    Shawnee District Cuboree Nov 1-3.
    I'll let them know you're coming.
    JaxHiker aka Kudzu - WFA
    Florida Trail Association: NE FL Trail Coordinator (Gold Head to Stephen Foster)
    Trail Issues? Please let me know.
    Blazing Trails with Kudzu @ www.idratherbehiking.com
    Follow me @idratherbhiking

  8. #18
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Oklahoma
    Posts
    139
    Bruce,

    The first time I used my HH Expedition classic on a scout campout, we had a rain storm and I found out just how exact you need to stretch that little tarp it comes with. I woke to find a stream of water under my back. Yuk.

    Now I have a large Hennessy tarp that well covers the area of the hammock. The tarp has its own ridge line, so I can tension it separately from the hammock. I use a 3 by 3 piece of Tyvek staked to the ground under the hammock in case I need to answer the call of nature in the night and I need to fumble with my boots, I will not get my bare feet dirty.

    As for the privacy issue (which is a concern in the age of youth protection), I have been able to do this: If there is a latrine at the camp, I change for bed there just before I get into bed. I wear a poly T-shirt and gym shorts to bed, and I hang my pants on the ridge line. In the morning, I can reach the pants and put them on if necessary, or just walk back to the latrine and change for the day. I always teach my scouts to wear a separate set of clothes to bed. I am not concerned about boys seeing me in gym shorts and a t-shirt. It is good enough to jog in in the park. I can also pull the tarp down if needed to conceal my body, as others have stated.

    You should also sleep away from the scouts. The adults should have their own corner of the camp site. Your patrol leaders should be able to handle stuff in their patrol site. I actually hang a bit outside the camp site, since I need the trees close together, and I am not bound by needing a flat clear place for a tent. I also snore (I use a CPAP at home) and my ASM strongly requests that I be out of earshot.

    Keep up the good work with the troop. I hear one day it will bring dividends we can not yet imagine.
    / \ /+\
    | ||
    |-|| ___
    | ||
    | | \__|

  9. #19
    Senior Member Stormstaff's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Bradley, IL
    Hammock
    Dutchware Chameleon
    Tarp
    OMW or Dutch Wide
    Insulation
    Hammock Gear
    Suspension
    Whoopies/ Dutch
    Posts
    1,483
    Since I'm still fairly new to this, here's a couple of thoughts.

    One, maybe someone on here can explain or there's an illustration on here showing how to hang/fold your tarp to make "doors"

    Two, take a 24" x 24" piece of cloth and hang it on a string and start folding it until you find "doors" then transfer to your tarp

    Just a thought. Don't know if it'll work or not, hehe
    Last edited by Stormstaff; 10-25-2012 at 12:30.

  10. #20
    fishbait's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Jamesburg, NJ
    Hammock
    DIY by Raiffnuke
    Tarp
    Modified WBMJ
    Insulation
    Phoenix/Mamba
    Suspension
    Tree Straps
    Posts
    2,668
    Images
    8
    Quote Originally Posted by bdaabat View Post
    I believe i also really need to get my gear quantity down. That is going to be challenging! I got used to packing in all sorts of stuff for ground camping (e.g., full size pillow, lots of extra clothes, extra sleeping bag, back ups of back ups )

    Yes, on this hammock only outing, I really did bring along a dustpan and brush...was left in my camping kit.

    Bruce
    Your thinking like a Scout. I still tend to do that myself when I'm not Camping with the Scouts. As far as a ground cloth I used the foot for my bivy 3x7 sheet of Tyvek. Small critters love to run across the stuff in the middle of the night.

    Lose the pillow. I packed an inflatable one for my hike and it never came out of the bag. I wound up using my jacket as a pillow. On your next scout trip, leave the extras in the car then determine what you are not using during the trip and shuffle that to the car as well.

    Is the Kelty 12 x 12 an asym, catcut or rectangular tarp. Asym - not sure you can make doors, the more experience hangers here will know better than I. Catcut - consider making doors from tyvek. Rectangular you should be able to fold the corners in.

    Check this thread http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=52588
    Last edited by fishbait; 10-25-2012 at 12:02.

    "Any night in a hammock, is a good night."

    HF Terms of Service, For Sale Forum Rules, For Trade Forum Rules, Pay it Forward Rules

    My Current Base Pack Weight


    <a href="http://pitapata.com/"><img src="http://pdgf.pitapata.com/TikiPic.php/dV2s2VY.jpg" width="80" height="80" border="0" alt="PitaPata - Personal picture" /><img src="http://pdgf.pitapata.com/dV2sm5.png" width="400" height="80" border="0" alt="PitaPata Dog tickers" /></a>

  • + New Posts
  • Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast

    Similar Threads

    1. The Boy's First Camping Experience <VIDEO>
      By TRAVELER in forum Trip Reports
      Replies: 22
      Last Post: 07-23-2011, 22:31
    2. Real World Experience - How Does Your IX UQ Work?
      By dejoha in forum Under Quilts
      Replies: 41
      Last Post: 11-21-2010, 20:12
    3. first hammock camping experience
      By Dragonfly in forum Trip Reports
      Replies: 34
      Last Post: 07-02-2009, 22:02
    4. First Hammock Camping Experience!
      By GvilleDave in forum General Hammock Talk
      Replies: 10
      Last Post: 02-24-2009, 14:11
    5. Real life experience with rain and hammocks
      By jscalia in forum General Hammock Talk
      Replies: 24
      Last Post: 09-29-2007, 07:55

    Bookmarks

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •