View Full Version : NX-250: Further Explorations
Heck, that sounds like a Star Trek series!
The weather in southern WV has turned more temperate, with cooler nights and lower humidity days, so I had a chance today to explore the features and comfort of my new NX-250 without feeling that I was in a sweat lodge.
1. I complained earlier about the pockets being difficult to retrieve wire-rimmed glasses from. Well, it turns out that the right side pocket is tighter and more readily sealed than the left - that one lacks hook & loop and is open toward the head end of the hammock. Just slide your glasses in from teh end and they are secure and easily retrieved.
2. Big Guys with bad backs who do not bend at the waist well are gonna have a difficult time reaching the farthest zipper pull to close the net. Today I added a zipper pulls on those sliders made from the CJH guy line that are about 12" long and have a single line and no finishing knot on the end. They hang towards the center of the hammock body, and are still easy to grip betwen two fingers. Problem solved!
3. A non-structural ridge line makes it nice to hold the net or weather cover up off you when partially unzipped. I heartily endorse it.
4. OK, I give up. Whoopie slings ARE way easy to adjust.
5. I never sleep on my back in bed. Atomic snoring. But there is a comfy position in the Clark on my back that does not seem to cause my (whatever that thing in the back of the throat is - glottis?) to sink down and cause a snort.
6. I am impressed with the sewing of the CJH. And darn, there is a lot of it! It would be interesting to find out how many hours go into a CJH versus a HH or other gathered end hammock.
7. For some unknown reason, Bald-Faced Hornets find the CJH interesting. Maybe at this time of year when they are looking for sugars the hammock appears to them as a large flower.
I am becoming more and more pleased with this hammock!
Jim
Heck, that sounds like a Star Trek series!
The weather in southern WV has turned more temperate, with cooler nights and lower humidity days, so I had a chance today to explore the features and comfort of my new NX-250 without feeling that I was in a sweat lodge.
1. I complained earlier about the pockets being difficult to retrieve wire-rimmed glasses from. Well, it turns out that the right side pocket is tighter and more readily sealed than the left - that one lacks hook & loop and is open toward the head end of the hammock. Just slide your glasses in from teh end and they are secure and easily retrieved.
2. Big Guys with bad backs who do not bend at the waist well are gonna have a difficult time reaching the farthest zipper pull to close the net. Today I added a zipper pulls on those sliders made from the CJH guy line that are about 12" long and have a single line and no finishing knot on the end. They hang towards the center of the hammock body, and are still easy to grip betwen two fingers. Problem solved!
3. A non-structural ridge line makes it nice to hold the net or weather cover up off you when partially unzipped. I heartily endorse it.
4. OK, I give up. Whoopie slings ARE way easy to adjust.
5. I never sleep on my back in bed. Atomic snoring. But there is a comfy position in the Clark on my back that does not seem to cause my (whatever that thing in the back of the throat is - glottis?) to sink down and cause a snort.
6. I am impressed with the sewing of the CJH. And darn, there is a lot of it! It would be interesting to find out how many hours go into a CJH versus a HH or other gathered end hammock.
7. For some unknown reason, Bald-Faced Hornets find the CJH interesting. Maybe at this time of year when they are looking for sugars the hammock appears to them as a large flower.
I am becoming more and more pleased with this hammock!
Jim
Wait until winter rolls around. You're really going to :boggle: it!
Miguel
Makes my heart happy when a feller continues to be smitten with his hammock of choice.
Really terrific.
Shug of the Misty Eyes
bigbamaguy
08-29-2010, 22:54
Jsualts:
Glad you are starting to find the likes of the CJH. It will serve you well and like others have said: wait til winter time, that weather shield is a great piece of kit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TinaLouise
08-30-2010, 06:24
#1, Just incase, for someone reading this, the pockets you're talking about are the "inside" pockets. Your glasses pocket is where I put my headlamp and my neck knife at night to have them handy.
#2, I like your idea of adding that zipper pull on the inside. I normally just move the zippers to a position that I can reach them but sometimes it's a streach.
TinaLouise
photomankc
08-30-2010, 14:37
Hopefully I find the NX-250 to be a worthy upgrade from my current NA. I'm commisted to getting it before next spring as I have prommised my little girl she can have mine! I think I will really like not having the tarp needing to be connected to the hammock.
I have also found that wasps here in MO find my hammock increadably interesting for some reason.
TinaLouise
08-31-2010, 07:49
Hopefully I find the NX-250 to be a worthy upgrade from my current NA. I'm commisted to getting it before next spring as I have prommised my little girl she can have mine! I think I will really like not having the tarp needing to be connected to the hammock.
I have also found that wasps here in MO find my hammock increadably interesting for some reason.
HUH???:mellow:
As soon as I figured out how my tarp was connected and how to set it up, I disconnected the tarp from my hammock. I've got whoopies on the ends of my tarp and I set it up seperate from my hammock... or not at all... or just the tarp... or I set it up first if it's raining.
I can't help you with the wasp situation:laugh: Maybe they just like being near to you:)
TinaLouise
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald-faced_hornet
Many insects eyes are attuned to the UV end of the visible light spectrum, so the Clark irredescent green may reflect sunlight in an attractive way. Of course, one or more hornets literally flew into me - bumped into my chest and back - and I was wearing a white tee shirt. Go figure.
And yes, I was referring to the interior pockets. The "secure" one will be great for holding my plastic vial with my earplugs, and the other is ingeniously designed for secure glasses stowage.
Jim
photomankc
09-01-2010, 22:49
HUH???:mellow:
As soon as I figured out how my tarp was connected and how to set it up, I disconnected the tarp from my hammock. I've got whoopies on the ends of my tarp and I set it up seperate from my hammock... or not at all... or just the tarp... or I set it up first if it's raining.
I can't help you with the wasp situation:laugh: Maybe they just like being near to you:)
TinaLouise
I did for a while too, not the whoopies or anything, but just separate lines for the netting to the trees. I never could get the netting right in the field though so in the end I still end up connecting the hammock up to the tarp and then setting up the suspension so that the netting is held at that perfect angle which then seemed to be about the right sag angle for me too. That ended up being faster for me than trying to get it setup with seperate lines to hold the netting. If I got it wrong then the netting would get too tight or so floppy it was closing up over my face.
I just like that the NX-#50 series will have the netting all nice and wide based on the spreaders not the suspension angle. At least it seems like that's the case.
An impromptu excursion to Ohiopyle PA to visit with an extended family of friends gave me an opportunity to finally sleep in my new Clark. Up to this point I had only had time to do test set-ups and hour-long hangs.
Located in the Laurel Highlands of western PA, Phiopyle is known for the Youghiogheny River and it's white water. I was staying near the top of a ridge (Tharp Knob area) several hundred feet in elevation above the river, so breezes through the forrested area are common.
My Crow's Nest was only ordered last week, so with the temps getting down to the low 50s at night I was looking for insulation alternatives.
Saturday night: After setting the hammock, and attempting to set the foot 3-4 inches above the head (difficult to do on a slope with one tree lower that the other!) I packed the six under-pockets with what I had on hand. Fleece vest. Lightweight fleece hoodie. Wadded up cotton shirt. Sleeping bag drysack partially inflated. The cotton shorts I had been wearing during the warm day. Etc. I had a synthetic SS shirt, underwear, and wool socks to sleep in. As a top quilt I used my old Marmot Grouse down bag partially unzipped.
Was not warm. My set did not have enough foot elevation, so I slid down past the pockets and experienced CBS. Shoulders wer OK though. And the sleeping position(s) were just fine - back, semi-side, or side. I had removed about half the foam filling from a TheermaRest pillow, which turned out to be a bit too flat. Easily correted.
Sunday night: The temperatures dropped off quickly, and by sacktime I could see my breath. I had re-set the hammock, and was confident that I would not slide down as I did the previous evening. And I used a LL Bean fleece bag as an interior pad - zipped shut and folded in half it insulated from shoulder to hip. I also wore the hoodie with the hood up, and donned a fleece jacket as well. Much more comfortable! The fleece bag was a hassle to deal with getting into the hammock, and after a 0200 bladder break. I am really looking forward to the Crow's Nest!
As for the NX-250, it functioned well and was a pleasure to use. The weather cover was great, allowing me to zip it closed with just about a foot of vent open above my head. No condensation noted anywhere, but the RH was probably quite low both nights. The tarp pitches very nicely - a fine catenary cut.
Jim
An impromptu excursion to Ohiopyle PA to visit with an extended family of friends gave me an opportunity to finally sleep in my new Clark. Up to this point I had only had time to do test set-ups and hour-long hangs.
Located in the Laurel Highlands of western PA, Phiopyle is known for the Youghiogheny River and it's white water. I was staying near the top of a ridge (Tharp Knob area) several hundred feet in elevation above the river, so breezes through the forrested area are common.
My Crow's Nest was only ordered last week, so with the temps getting down to the low 50s at night I was looking for insulation alternatives.
Saturday night: After setting the hammock, and attempting to set the foot 3-4 inches above the head (difficult to do on a slope with one tree lower that the other!) I packed the six under-pockets with what I had on hand. Fleece vest. Lightweight fleece hoodie. Wadded up cotton shirt. Sleeping bag drysack partially inflated. The cotton shorts I had been wearing during the warm day. Etc. I had a synthetic SS shirt, underwear, and wool socks to sleep in. As a top quilt I used my old Marmot Grouse down bag partially unzipped.
Was not warm. My set did not have enough foot elevation, so I slid down past the pockets and experienced CBS. Shoulders wer OK though. And the sleeping position(s) were just fine - back, semi-side, or side. I had removed about half the foam filling from a TheermaRest pillow, which turned out to be a bit too flat. Easily correted.
Sunday night: The temperatures dropped off quickly, and by sacktime I could see my breath. I had re-set the hammock, and was confident that I would not slide down as I did the previous evening. And I used a LL Bean fleece bag as an interior pad - zipped shut and folded in half it insulated from shoulder to hip. I also wore the hoodie with the hood up, and donned a fleece jacket as well. Much more comfortable! The fleece bag was a hassle to deal with getting into the hammock, and after a 0200 bladder break. I am really looking forward to the Crow's Nest!
As for the NX-250, it functioned well and was a pleasure to use. The weather cover was great, allowing me to zip it closed with just about a foot of vent open above my head. No condensation noted anywhere, but the RH was probably quite low both nights. The tarp pitches very nicely - a fine catenary cut.
Jim
Glad you're liking your NX 250. I have over twenty days this summer hanging in my 250 in the Ohiopyle area. We're into whitewater kayaking....started paddling there over twenty years ago....great area for anything outdoors.
I'm still having great success with Mac's IX UQ. I'm looking forward to testing the limits soon here in upstate NY. I'll be bringing my wife's IX as a backup. I run the attachment points up and over the end tabs that hold the spreader bars. It makes for a real tight fit on the ends.
Miguel
I have been involved in various activities in and around OP since.......1968. Rafted, guided, paddled a C-1, paddled open boats, managed a retail store, biked the trail. This past weekend I got to see my godson and "neice" run the falls. Sunday we headed for Wisp Resort to let them paddle the man-made WW course. Great weather, biut the Yough was very bony at 1.3 feet.
Jim
We were down there all last week....1.3 the entire time...still a lot of fun. We usually stay at Paddler's Lane CG over in Confluence...the old Riversport Camp. I started when John Lichter owned it. Odds are we've passed each other on the river. Small world eh. :)
Miguel
I first camped there about 15-20 years ago, also when John owned it. I was there with my HH last summer with a group from Paddling.net. Yep. Small world.
Jim
cooldays
09-07-2010, 19:47
I think you will like NOT having the ridgeline in the winter.
when it snows...if you let your face be outside the partly unzipped weather guard and bug net, then when you breathe the condensation will freeze on your undersurface of your tarp and snow on your outside of your weatherguard and you will we be dry and warm Also when it is closer to your body, the air in the hammock is another warmth barrier and I think it gives you another 10 degrees or so of comfort. If you keep it up, it will snow inside the hammock when your breath condenses.
ditch the ridgeline below freezing is my advice.
cooldays
The non-structural ridgeline I installed uses small S-biners and can be unhooked. Your suggestion of allowing the weathershield/net system to drape down on your chest to keep exhalation vapor out of the hammock makes all the sense in the world. Thanks!
Jim
I just got up and have not had enough coffee yet, am I missing something :confused: Tell me more please.
1. Barking dogs throughout the night (a problem at Ohiopyle).
2. CSX mainline about 100ft from Paddler's Rest campground. And on a turn no less (screeching wheels).
3. Adjacent campsite reinacting a Jerry Springer show at Trap Pond in DE.
4. Gale winds at Assateague Island wilderness sites.
5. Fishermen coming and going at all hours of the night at Pymatuning Lake PA' Linesville Campground.
Apparently I am a light sleeper so any help I can get is worth it!
Jim
Well I never thought about it that that way. I am going to try some and see what I don't hear.
adkmcmahon
09-15-2010, 20:26
Just got myself a new NX-250 and I love it!!!!!! Had an NA that I thought I'd always be true to but now I find myself dedicated only to my 250.
Just got myself a new NX-250 and I love it!!!!!! Had an NA that I thought I'd always be true to but now I find myself dedicated only to my 250.
:laugh:
Welcome to the "NA-to-NX250 upgrade club"! We'll teach you the secret handshake shortly!:shades:
It's one beauty of a hammock, no?:boggle:
Law Dawg (ret)
09-19-2010, 23:52
Just a small tip from the moto side of things. Your local Audiologist can make custom fitted ones and they are the best way to ride/sleep (if made right). They will not cause your ear canals to hurt because they are poured into your ear and thus are formed perfectly for that 8 to 10 hour night. Mine ran aboput $50, worth every penny.
Kankujoe
09-20-2010, 00:49
Just a small tip from the moto side of things. Your local Audiologist can make custom fitted ones and they are the best way to ride/sleep (if made right). They will not cause your ear canals to hurt because they are poured into your ear and thus are formed perfectly for that 8 to 10 hour night. Mine ran aboput $50, worth every penny.
How do these compare to the disposable foam ones... comfort wise?
Law Dawg (ret)
09-20-2010, 10:59
The foam plugs always caused my ears to hurt. The trade off being fit with sound reduction. My take is comfort levels are much better than foam and sound reduction is about the same maybe a bit better (compared to proper foam plugs). Best hearing protection out IMO...some do not like the custom plugs FYI. At the rifle range they have no comparison when coupled with ear muffs. They cover a portion of your outer ear as well.
One very nice thing is wash your hands and your plugs at the same time. They last a long time as in years. Hijack ends...;)
I love the E.A.R. TaperFits (the yellow ones). Very soft, and come in two sizes. So far I have not experienced any discomfort from the plugs. Rite-Ais sells a tan plug, name escapes me, that is almost as soft.
I have never tried the custom fit ones, or the self-mouldable silicone ones. I like the idea of chucking them after a couple of uses (cannot be washed as they absorb water and swell up).
Now those plugs that are rigid - the ones that sort of look like a pine tree - are horribly uncomfortable to me. Hate 'em.
Jim
Just remembered: Rite Aid sells Hear-Ohs or something like that. They are OK if you cannot get E.A.R. plugs.