3 lb savings! NICE!
3 lb savings! NICE!
I know exactly how you feel. Isnt it an awesome feeling.
Ok, so I promised pictures of the set-up. I was sitting at 1326 hrs nursing a hang-over just having eaten scrambled eggs. With the grey overcast, wind, and 0 degrees (c) outside I was going to give it a miss. Somehow the cholesterol entered my system, so at 1327 hrs I decided to pack up, change and head out.
So I pulled my gear out from underneath the bed, shoved it in stuff sacks and down into the backpack. At 1413 hrs I embarked the commuter train that took me three stops out from the city. 1422 hrs I debarked said train and headed for the trail head. About 20 minutes later I found myself a good spot, about 100m from the trail where two trees were just waiting to fulfil their purpose in life: to support a hammock. It looked thus:
Cuben fibre tarp
HammockGear Incubator (20*F)
From a distance
I figured I owed HamMike a pic from the t-shirt group buy, so here goes along with the 2QZQ underquilt protector I brough to tinker with as well
A couple of gear conclusions: the cuben fibre tarp has a real silver glow to it, so it is way less stealthy than I expected. However, in the forest such as it was I don’t think anything other than coyote brown would have been the least bit stealthy. But boy, oh boy is it light!
The underquilt is a wonder of warmth. I lay in the hammock with nothing on top, and I felt I could have certainly fallen asleep – the warmth just came back from underneath me. It was wonderful! And that's with about five minutes of setting things up - I didn't even spend any time making changes or whatnot.
This was also my first outing with whoopie slings. I tried to use a stick for a toggle on the tree straps, but the wood this time of the year seems pretty rotten, so they just disintegrated when I pulled the marlin spike hitch taught. I used a carabiner in the end, but only as a toggle – I didn’t cheat and clip the whoopee sling into it. Conclusion is that they are for certain less bulky, but the gain in anything else is negligible (i.e. ease of set-up or weight – webbing straps with buckles work just as fine for me). Now I have them, and I will enjoy them.
The UQ protector turned out to be real, I mean REAL big. Probably good to have excess fabric rather than winding up to have a too small one, which wouldn’t be a protector.. It doesn’t matter though, since it weights about as much as the air. It seems like it will come in handy during the misty mornings of Viking land!
At 1633 hrs I embarked the train heading back to town, and now I’m lying in my couch typing this (after various internet shenanigans such as uploading photos etc). A split-second decision, and I had me an outing of some 2,5 hrs, tinkering with the hammock in its natural environment. I usually consider where I live to not have too many opportunities for these activities, mostly since actual camping isn’t allowed where I was today (back home you’re allowed to camp for a night basically anywhere that isn’t too close to a house), but I think I have to start giving it a bit more credit.
Wow, this almost turned into a trip report, for just 2,5 hrs in the woods! Well, I guess it's easy to get carried away with new gear.Just to finish off: cats seem to like hammocks too!
Thanks for the photos! I got some 2QZQ goodness too. I like it big, because it does not compress the UQ. As far as the color in the woods, maybe the new camo will help hide us?
My pleasure! I wonder about the camo. It depends how they colour the fabric I suppose. Mine is a rather mellow green, until you strap it up in daylight, then it takes on that silvery tone as seen in the pics. I'm thinking it's something inherent to the cuben fabric, but I could be wrong (again!).Originally Posted by Boomer
Cool. Thanks for the pics. Sounds like you had a nice afternoon (other than the hangover)
If you ain't havin' fun, you're doin' it wrong
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks