Hammock as one-piece sleep system?

I had an idea for packing the hammock that I haven't seen mentioned, and was wondering if anybody had tried, and if I am missing its major downfall. That is rolling the hammock, pad and sleeping bag into one roll, and putting the whole thing into a single stuffstack/drysack? (This would be for backpacking). So far my test packing reveals that a Claytor Expedition with Thermarest Ridgeline pad and BA down bag will roll up to 10" dia x 21". With the sleeping bag and a blue CCF it will roll to 8.5" dia, and with a CCF only it rolls to 7" diameter.

The 7" CCF roll is about the same size as my Thermarest by itself, and could easily go on my current backpack setup, strapped to the bottom of a internal frame pack. The 10" all-in-one arrangement would still be easily mounted to an external frame. It was the idea of strapping everything to a frame that got me thinking. Also read an article on gearskins packing system where they fold everything into the skin - groundcloth/pad/sleepingbag/tarp, lay food/clothing bags on top, fold up into a bundle and wrap. Accessing items seemed cumbersome in that system. But if 3 components of the sleep system were combined into 1 strap-on piece as above, then you could get away with a youth size main compartment (or home-brew smaller/lighter main compartment) for the rest of your gear. Just a thought. Feedback?

problem with rolling it up and having it on the outside is if you brush up against something you have a chance of ripping the hammock. Even in a sack, the risk is there.

Also, you risk of damaging it each time you put your pack down.

I agree, especially when setting the pack down. That's mainly why I was considering it with an external frame. You'd have the tubes protecting the bottom when you set it down, or you could mount it higher than the other components. For general abrasion/snagging I was thinking maybe a compression type sack, so the end caps would have double fabric.

This appears to be a variant on the bishops bag technique, albeit with a pad instead of quilts, which necessitates rolling instead of stuffing. I would be concerned about the hammock forming the outer layer, but that could be solved by borrowing the gearskin idea and sewing some compression straps to a square of sil-nylon, which would allow you to wrap up the hammock bundle and do double duty as an extra tarp, gear hammock and/or ground sheet.

FWIW, I use a gearskin and haven't found it to be cumbersome. I just loosen a strap or two to get at pretty much anything in the pack. A few small waterproof stuff sacks keep the little things organized. I think "versatile" would be a better word to describe it, since it can be reconfigured to carry all manner of things.

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Originally Posted by sk8rs_dad

FWIW, I use a gearskin and haven't found it to be cumbersome. I just loosen a strap or two to get at pretty much anything in the pack. A few small waterproof stuff sacks keep the little things organized. I think "versatile" would be a better word to describe it, since it can be reconfigured to carry all manner of things.

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Intrigued. Do you pack it like the moonbow powerpac system, or do you just keep everything individually packaged (or loose), wrapped in the skin?

I use it more like a conventional backpack than a powerpac. The caveat is a gearskin offers minimal weather protection to its contents, being open on top and sides.

I keep my hammock and quilts assembled in a water resistant bishop's bag which gets placed in the gearskin for carrying. Extra clothes are in another waterproof stuff sack. Depending on the weather, the tarp either gets tossed in (dry) or stuffed into an exterior mesh pouch or loosely woven through the compression straps(wet). Other bits like camp shoes, rain gear, cooking gear, food bag (or bear canister) get plopped on the stuff sacks so there is plenty of padding between them and my back when it's all cinched up. My camelbak bladder fits in the mesh pouch or strapped in to the pack depending on what ever else I might be carrying. The gearskin is the compression system so I can use oversized stuff sacks and not worry about bulk. With all the extra straps there are plenty of places to hang extra bits or rearrange things for easier access.

I put my hammock, bug netting/hammock sock, UQ, and top quilt all into the same stuff sack. Works great for me. My ccp is torso length and is on the outside of my pack for use as a sit pad.