Hello all. Im Chris and 28 years old currently work logistics for the US. I am new to the game and hope that I can learn a lot from all the veterans on the site. I am already trying to plan an AT hike that will start at the starting point of the trail and take me 133 miles into the trail to arrive at the NOC in NC. I will be out of country in 2013 so I am naming OT for a spring/summer 2014 date. If anyone is interested please let me know.
You've come to the right place to learn about hammocking. Tons of info. here. Welcome to the forums.
Keep movin', keep believing and enjoy the journey!
Welcome and I envy you! To be that young again and take on the AT! You'll learn a lot here but the bit of wisdom I'll give you is research a LOT and "then" buy. You need to go light and everything that goes in that pack must have at least two uses. Break your gear into systems, i.e, cook system, sleep system, toilet system and then read alot!
You'll want a light weight hammock, like really light with a lightweight tarp (think cuben fiber) and although many find a bridge hammock like the WB Ridgerunner to be really comfortable, they add bulk and weight to your pack.
There's a lot to learn and figure out before you start buying gear. Your pack, hammock, tarp and quilts constitute the bulf of your weight and they can be expensive so you don't want to buy a set only to learn you bought heavy gear. There's a lot of little details that can make a huge difference on the trail...for example:
-Use baby wipes, not toilet paper; you have to stay super clean down there or you'll be miserable; toilet paper doesn't cut it.
-Esee makes a tiny fixed blade knife called the candiru; it's about the ultimate lightweight backpacking knife; us a tiny SBiner from Nite Ize to hook it to your shoulder strap.
-Buy a pack that has a whisle as part of the sternum strap buckle so you dont' have to carry one
-Skip the pads; sure you can start out that way but you'll end up wanting a top and under quilt so save yourself the learning curve and wasted money; save and get a good quality down under and top quilt that is rated to at least 10 degrees colder than the coldest temperature you expect to see.
- Don't go with a 3/4 quilt to save weight; save your weight elsewhere and get a full length underquilt; it's a pain having to put a pad under your feet and if your feet get cold, no matter how warm the rest of you is, you won't sleep well.
-Consider North Face Hedgehogs as shoes; they're light weight but have a stiff sole that saves your feet from rocky trails; good traction in mud and on rocks; they're water proof which a lot of folks say to avoid but they help you to keep your feet dry and if they do get wet they dry out fast enough.
-Hydration; i'd go with a Sawyer Squeeze right from the start, it's super light, no moving parts to break, then buy a wide mouth halogene soft bottle and mod it (videos on youtube) to fit your Sawer; use that for your dirty water; you'll thank me.
-Cook kit; go with an ultralight alcohol stove, one like Tinney's Elite; it's super light and hot; good for boiling water. You'll want to simply boil water for dehydrated meals or freezer bag cooking. There are a lot of good videos out there on cook kits but most of them are "heavy" sets.
Well there's more but you get the idea; you should shoot for a base pack weight of around 10 pounds; sounds impossible but if you spend the money on the pack, tarp, hammock and quilts, it's very achievable.
I have...
-Darien UL hammock
-Zpack 40 degree sleeping bag made with out the zipper
-Hammock gear 40 degree underquilt
-Gossamer Gear Murmur pack
That's my late spring to early fall setup and with everything my base weight is 6.68 lbs. It's wonderfully light, warm and very comfortable, both the hammock and quilts and the pack!
If you want I can send you my Excel spreadsheet of my equipment and weights.
Good luck on your adventure and welcome again to the forum; most of what I've learned I learned here and by going on Missouri group hangs!
Gideon
Thanks for all the info. What are your views on MRE's I'm military so I'm used to eating cold meals. As for a hammock I was looking at an ENO double nest to start out. I am basically an idiot when it comes to all this but have been reading like crazy to learn some good skills.
DJ84,
Looks like you have plenty of time for your planning. It can easily seem like drinking from a firehose when you first get into this site. The info above is a good list to start from. Take this to add and subtract from to meet your needs. The people around here are very generous with sharing info. When possible, visit a group hang and watch the videos (Shug has a series that beginners should watch, but watch as many as you can).
Welcome to the site.
STinGa
PS ... If you donate to become a donating member, it will give you access to another set of threads that will definitely help your cause.
Last edited by STinGa; 05-06-2013 at 15:46.
Sarcasm is a dying art.
Eagle Scout September '85 Troop 339 Smyrna, TN
I always recommend attendance at a group hang. You get to see so many set ups in action and most people will let you try their hammocks and love to talk about their gear.
Keep movin', keep believing and enjoy the journey!
A group hang would be cool but duty calls. Sucks I am gonna be gone all this summer and winter but it will give me time to pick apart all your brains and get all the info from y'all.
Greetings from NC. A lot of information out here.
Greetings from Marietta. If your ever near here I have a few setups I could show you.
Hey man, I'm here in Fort Valley about ohh 10 min from you if your in WR. If you want to check out some hammock gear sometime, let me know!
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