View Full Version : Just got a Lazy Slug Tube today...
... and I might be in love. :boggle:
Haven't had a TON of time to play with it yet, but man... I can see this speeding up setup pretty considerably, and teardown as well. And it's a nice little extra bit of water protection, given that it's silny, for setting up (under an already-pitched tarp) during a storm, or extra tear protection if it drops to the ground where it might snag something.
I can see it now... hiking with ground dwellers and having my camp set up, Ursack tied to a tree, and laying with my feet up and de-booted, OFF THE GROUND, with dinner in the pot while everyone else is still trying to throw lines into trees and pitching their tents... ahhhhhh. :laugh:
Oh yeah... remarkable craftsmanship (seriously impressed my seamstress mother-in-law), and crazy fast service.
Well done, Wilderness Logics! I'll be back for more, no doubt.
lubbockhammockguy
04-04-2013, 02:11
Any pics yet?
I know these things are awesome for car camping applications (I've seen it first hand) but I'm curious how they would work with backpacking? Can you just cram the whole slug in your pack?
Any pics yet?
Not yet, unfortunately.
I know these things are awesome for car camping applications (I've seen it first hand) but I'm curious how they would work with backpacking? Can you just cram the whole slug in your pack?
Definitely. It adds a tiny bit of bulk, but if you think about the fact that it replaces sacks for everything that's going into it, that shaves a bit of the bulk. It's just a tube of silny, the stuff doesn't take much room. And it looks mighty bulky hanging there, but you can cram that thing WAY down in the pack. It helps to leave the end openings a smidge open to provide an easier route for air to escape, but it's really not that difficult. Still takes less time than breaking everything down separately and cramming each thing into its own sack, then cramming those into the pack.
Slowanderer
04-04-2013, 15:37
Kyle,
Just so you know, as the saying goes, pics or it didn't happen. Looking forward to seeing them. You have any trip reports yet? Good to see you on the Forum.
Kyle,
Just so you know, as the saying goes, pics or it didn't happen. Looking forward to seeing them. You have any trip reports yet? Good to see you on the Forum.
No reports yet, except my very succinct report on the CO Fall Hang, if that counts. XD I am finally geared up for backpacking, just waiting on some slightly nicer weather and finding someone to go with. So this'll be my first year backpacking, and I am WAY excited.
Now, as for the pictures... I should have known better.
I also got some tarp skins from MountainGoat (http://www.outdoortrailgear.com/cottage-industries/mountaingoatgear/mesh-tarp-storage-sleeves/) today, so I did a double photo shoot.
We'll start with everything packed away: a Warbonnet Superfly, Warbonnet Blackbird 1.1DL, Warbonnet 20° Yeti, and Warbonnet 20° Mamba. Obviously, the Superfly is in the skins above the tube, which has far more than enough room for the hammock and quilts.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rfvpMll1Gcw/UV4jwKfMn9I/AAAAAAAAAis/cKxFTW7rGDI/s1061/%5BUNSET%5D
One half of each pulled back:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-d7TEUy0arOg/UV4jy1SV5NI/AAAAAAAAAi0/0VNlRquM7AA/s1062/%5BUNSET%5D
Everything pulled back:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-l_GqbpvDzSc/UV4j11Am6NI/AAAAAAAAAi8/Dj0isHs-J1E/s1166/%5BUNSET%5D
The beauty is that, in that last pic, I did zero fiddling with anything after the slug was pulled back. The hammock and quilts come out of there ready to go.
hawghangar
04-04-2013, 20:22
...so are you putting the entire slug into a massive dry bag? I assume the slug doesn't replicate a dry bag since the ends can be left open.
Thanks for posting the pics.
It doesn't replace a dry bag, no. There are 4 openings for water to get into. It DOES add an extra layer of protection, though. I'm stuffing it, along with everything else I want to keep dry, into a garbage disposal bag I'm using as a pack liner.
hawghangar
04-04-2013, 20:26
I think I like it... good job.
tnvarmint
04-05-2013, 15:03
Does it make it a lot bigger in your pack? I have thought about getting one of these but thought it would make everything a lot bigger in my pack.
I've seen a lot of concern around the forums about the tube adding a bunch of bulk to your pack, but I'm not sure I understand why. It's just a tiny bit of silny. The tube itself doesn't afford hardly any bulk. I understand in pictures, it looks gigantic. But understand that it's full of a hammock, and usually a ton of down or synthetic insulation and, more importantly, a ton of air - the tube is quite roomy. As the description on the website says, it's not a compression sack; compression comes when you jam it into your pack. It's meant to be an organizational tool and, perhaps moreso, a lazy man's way of setting up. It replaces any stuff sacks you're using for your hammock, your underquilt, your topquilt, and anything else you might stick in there that might otherwise be in its own sack (like sleepwear).
ONE SACK TO RULE THEM ALL!
I might take a few more pictures later on, specifically to show how much "extra" room it (doesn't) occupy.
tnvarmint
04-05-2013, 20:12
I understand what you are saying but my concern comes from I guess that my TQ, UQ and hammock are all individually small packages that I can move into "holes" between other gear inside my pack. Also I remember seeing in a Shug video where someone was using one in one of their northern hangs and when they went to pack it up it was massive but then they were using large overstuffed quilts.
fartintone
04-05-2013, 20:46
Does it make it a lot bigger in your pack? I have thought about getting one of these but thought it would make everything a lot bigger in my pack.
A loaded (TQ, UQ, and BMBH) Slug will stuff into the sleeping bag compartment of my old The Works @ Mystery Ranch Groove. The Slug material is very slick.
Roadrunnr72
04-05-2013, 21:50
I have thought about making one. How hard is it to get everything stuffed back into the tube? I know that with my tarp skins, I always have a lot of air trying to get out of the tarp, and it tends to push the middle apart. I do know that the tube is one piece, so I am guessing that as you slide it along, the air will be pushed out.
BTW, nice pics.......RR
I have thought about making one. How hard is it to get everything stuffed back into the tube? I know that with my tarp skins, I always have a lot of air trying to get out of the tarp, and it tends to push the middle apart. I do know that the tube is one piece, so I am guessing that as you slide it along, the air will be pushed out.
BTW, nice pics.......RR
It is NOT a single piece, actually. It's two pieces that meet in the middle, like snake skins. I find it easier, personally, to get the slug together than the snake skins because with the tarp, as you said, the trapped air tends to push the two pieces apart. I don't find the same to be true with the slug.
Roadrunnr72
04-05-2013, 22:32
Thanks, as you can tell from my other post, I didn't know that the slug was 2 tubes, like the tarp skins. I wonder if the extra size of the tube allows it to slide over the "works" better. I wonder if 1 long tube would be better?......RR
I keep reading Lazy Shug Tube:laugh:
They are a very interesting piece of kit for sure.
Lazy Shug
steveflinn
04-05-2013, 22:52
Last week I tubed up both the tarp (mesh tube) and the hammock (LST) and hiked up a cliff...frkn rain came down in dixie-cup sized droplets and it took me 20 minutes before I could negotiate the slickened sand wall to get back down to my camp...UQ was dry as a bone!
I am definitely in love with a Slug.
At first I thought it should be smaller but, naw, it's perfect. If it were tight it wouldn't be so easy to slide on. And it goes right down in the bottom of my pack, so as I add in the objects that do have a shape, it magically fills up the unused space and I wind up with a cohesive load.
When I take the zPacks Zero I pull an end of the Slug up against my back so I don't need to carry the sit pad in there - and never notice any corners poking me in the back. When I carried the sit pad, that felt like more weight and bulk.
I still want to make myself a brownish-yellowish one and put big black polka dots on it so it looks like the UC Santa Cruz mascot Banana Slug.
hawghangar
04-06-2013, 07:32
OK... after reading this thread, I pulled the trigger on ordering one. I've been using seperate STS e-vent compression dry bags for my hammock and quilts. While this allows you to compress them very small, it also makes them fairly "rigid" - so that the volleyball size compression sacks don't conform very well to the available space in your pack.
I HOPE that the LS Tube will not only make the hammock/quilt setup easier, but allow me to hand stuff the entire assembly, via trash compactor bag, to completely fill the nooks and crannies of the bottom of the pack.
...we shall see...
thanks for sharing info.
oldgringo
04-06-2013, 08:11
Big fan of the LST, here.
Since it is sil, it's no big deal if it hits the ground during set up/takedown. Sometimes, that's helpful.
Also, the tubes, when retracted, function as end caps to protect the hammock and quilts from wind driven moisture.
My Papa Smurf sock ended up being a bit shorter than it needed to be, but used in conjunction with the LST at the head end, it works great, and is actually easier to close up, since I don't have so far to reach.
They also have the benefit of acting as storage pockets at each end of the hammock. ;p
@hawghangar: can't imagine you won't be pleased. The biggest benefit, I think, of not using individual sacks is just that: that every nook and cranny gets filled. The LST just makes it easy.
dirtwheels
04-06-2013, 19:52
I'm envisioning a video opening with the Lazy Shug emerging from the Lazy Slug Tube. :eek:
I keep reading Lazy Shug Tube:laugh:
They are a very interesting piece of kit for sure.
Lazy Shug
Roadrunnr72
04-06-2013, 20:23
Well after reading this thread, I decided to make one. I guess since it's a two piece, I made two:rolleyes:. I think I made them too long, but I can shorten them later. I didn't like how big I made the outer opening, so I closed them up, just enough so the suspension will fit, and not the hammock end. They slide over the hammock and quilts alot easier than my skins go over my tarp. Now I can just stuff it into my pack. I didn't have any sil, so mine was made with some camo 1.1 ripstop. Just by the way they seem to be working and the look of them, I think I'm going to really like using them.......RR
flatline
04-06-2013, 21:11
Lazy Slug Tubes are cool!
FF to 1:42 to see the LST pack up.
9NFPjxIMYFU
Okay, I got some pictures to show bulk and weight. I put both pieces into a piece of organza (think: noseeum) and compressed them as much as I could.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d759wwQ4Nq8/UWDUmo9y5KI/AAAAAAAAAjU/5hySoCvvwsQ/s655/20130406_195920.jpg
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-OM8kDVkiQNs/UWDUoYpPy_I/AAAAAAAAAjc/23QR6LSMKmA/s655/20130406_195953.jpg
What's that, the size of a baseball? Maybe a little bit bigger? At any rate, that's the most the tube itself can contribute to the "bulk" in your pack. Everything else is up to you. If you ask me, that's not a lot of bulk to contribute for a lot (A LOT) of convenience.
And, just for the sake of thoroughness and comparison, here's my top quilt, underquilt, and hammock stuff sacks all given the same treatment (cat not included):
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-OzTpq6Q6sHA/UWDV6sS0a8I/AAAAAAAAAjs/JoaEls7s3cw/s873/20130406_201100.jpg
So you can pretty safely subtract that volume from the volume of the slug tubes since they replace all those sacks.
Oh and.. because, y'know... you just have to 'round here...
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GQXWH4UiZ_M/UWDUqWIvyPI/AAAAAAAAAjk/TV_MlzEXSg4/s655/20130406_200235.jpg
184 grams = 6.49 ounces = 0.40 pounds.
Anywho, hope this helps some people get a better sense of the volume the tube adds to your pack.
bob2guns
04-06-2013, 21:20
use the slugs every day...for maybe a couple years now, or more..cant do better than slugs for quick deployment and quick load out...
got some different colors, head end one color, and foot end another...no problem to set up in the dark.
the crew at WL should get a medal......or at least a couple of attaboys...
Okay, one more. Starting from the left: ULA Circuit, Grand Trunk Ultralight, soda can, and finally the LST with my WBBB 1.1DL, WB 20° Yeti, and WB 20° Mamba.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-u_1Ibv7fPqU/UWDcjAHUrsI/AAAAAAAAAj0/xU7_PW2aiKg/s873/20130406_203838_20130406203929417.jpg
And that's just rolled up, not really compressed per se. Allowing it to fill the pack on its own and compressing from there makes it seem even smaller.
Slowanderer
04-06-2013, 22:53
EXCELLENT review of the slug tube. I am going to have to check this out. Appears to be quite a lot like the old black bishop bag. I am going to pack my WBRR and quilts in one soon, I think.
Kyle, If you are ever in the southern parts, give a shout and we will make a hang some where.
See you on the trail.
oldgringo
04-07-2013, 07:27
I have posted this before, but will repeat it here...put an extra cordlock on the tree end of each tube. Coil suspension, insert, tighten, done.
Kyle, If you are ever in the southern parts, give a shout and we will make a hang some where.
See you on the trail.
I just may take you up on that. Colorado Springs is a beautiful area, I imagine there are some awesome spots down there. Thanks!
I have posted this before, but will repeat it here...put an extra cordlock on the tree end of each tube. Coil suspension, insert, tighten, done.
Lol... I had added a whole extra loop of shock cord. Now I feel dumb. KISS! Thanks.
I love my tubes, and if there's a bulk penalty it's so negligible the convenience makes me not even think about that.
I just bought an Exped waterproof compression bag size L to stuff it in. I know it's not necessary, but to just shove the whole slug into the backpack leaves a fair amount of air in it. I actually managed to get it into a size M as well - 19 litres - with the uq and tq, but it was a bit of work. I thought to myself that in the field you'd be fighting a lot with it, so I bought a L since the whole idea of them is to compress.
Does anyone roll their slugs instead of stuffing them? Several recent threads about these slugs have peaked my interest.
For the first time this weekend, I rolled my whole setup inside my Fronkey style tulle bugnet. I wrapped it with the suspension cords, then stuffed the bundle into the dry bag that I had brought only the top & under quilts.
All in all, it worked reasonably well considering I didn't have the right equipment.
When I got that picture of it rolled up, I proceeded to try stuffing it into my pack. It didn't like that so much. It's, surprisingly, more unruly rolled up. Goes in and packs easier when it's just... a slug, not a snail. XD
flatline
04-07-2013, 20:43
you gotta stuff a slug.
I use Dutchbiners to attach my hammock to my whopies, so I keep the drawstring (small end) clipped through the Dutchbiners.
Clipping the drawstring helps keep the ends of my hammock from slipping into the LST.
I leave the drawstrings fairly loose to allow the air to evacuate.
I usually keep my tree straps and whopies in a separate mesh bag stuck into a mesh side pocket of my pack.
I also larks head a couple of 4" continuous loops around the head end drawstring for quick id.
LSTs are always a part of my hammocks.
__bob__
Guitarman
04-13-2013, 00:49
I ordered a pair based on the comments in this thread. They came in yesterday. I'm very impressed. They really do make set up and pack up so quick. It stuffs into the bottom of my pack very easily and takes up surprisingly little space.
So far, I'm loving them.
Benton Wahl
12-29-2014, 23:50
First time doing a Google search lead me directly to the tread I needed to read:shades:I am a lazy man at heart and after a long hike the thought of setting up using slugs seems great. I've gotten a UQ protector from 2QZQ and wonder how it will fit into the mix.
flatline
12-31-2014, 20:09
UQP is no problem at all, everything that you would normally use with your hammock setup will fit fine. Minus the tarp of course.
99739
Mystery Oneal
12-31-2014, 20:17
...so are you putting the entire slug into a massive dry bag? I assume the slug doesn't replicate a dry bag since the ends can be left open.
Thanks for posting the pics.
yeah that is what I was thinking...slug+compression dry sack=lazy, easy, dry, compact
Are you guys setting your hammocks up at home with quilt etc, then throwing the slug on so its all ready for the trail? I can't imagine you can leave the whole setup together for long periods between trips as stuff would need to air out.
hawghangar
01-01-2015, 12:52
Are you guys setting your hammocks up at home with quilt etc, then throwing the slug on so its all ready for the trail? I can't imagine you can leave the whole setup together for long periods between trips as stuff would need to air out.
I don't always use my LST, but when I do, this is how I use it.
flatline
01-01-2015, 14:47
I have a "hanging" area in my shed that I can keep a hammock rigged for testing or taking an impromptu hang. that's where I air out gear also.
After a trip, I hook my complete rig (less my tarp) there, open the LST and remove quilts, UQP etc. flip my hammock upside down and hang the quilts over the SRL of the hammock.
When I'm sure the quilts are dry and fluffy, I rig everything back together but I leave the LST open and fan folded on both ends of the hammock. Then I'm all set for action. Just close the LST, cram it in my pack and take off.
My suspension attaches to my hammock via dog bones and Dutch biners. I clip the drawstring of the LST (small end) into the DB so that I can retrieve the end of the hammock end, if it should get sucked inside of the LST. I also keep both of my drip stop strings tied to the LST drawstring on the head end of the hammock to speed up the orientation during deployment.
Are you guys setting your hammocks up at home with quilt etc, then throwing the slug on so its all ready for the trail? I can't imagine you can leave the whole setup together for long periods between trips as stuff would need to air out.
Yes. With my DIY oversized snakeskin, this is how I do it. On the last day of my trip, I take everything off of the hammock before packing; this helps me out when I get home on putting gear away and doing laundry.