For an easy to untie figure eight, I'd probably use a toggle, i.e. a tent stake or a stick. You might also be able to tie the figure eight as a slipped knot.
Depending on what you're trying to...
Type: Posts; User: I Splice
For an easy to untie figure eight, I'd probably use a toggle, i.e. a tent stake or a stick. You might also be able to tie the figure eight as a slipped knot.
Depending on what you're trying to...
I use down. It's lighter for warmth, takes less pack space for warmth and lasts longer.
I saw an Andrew Skurka talk last month. He says that down gets wet and looses loft when you're in high...
What I've been doing seems to be working fairly well.
I consider myself in the 60- set. I'm recovering from an ACL replacement in April of this year. Before that I spent about 10 months hobbling...
We did that at a Scout meeting. We used a come-along and two 8 inch steel columns that our meeting place had handy. We could have used Suburbans in the parking lot too.
Bending the rope at a...
Update the G2SS every decade??? In my dreams! The G2SS is updated perhaps on a quarterly schedule but sometimes more often (only National knows for sure). I think the hardcopy is updated every year...
This knot is usually called an arbor knot because it is often used to tie fishing line to the arbor of a fishing reel.
This is a really useful knot.
For those of you who prefer Grog's Animated...
I haven't hung from something that big but I do have a 15 foot long pair of tree huggers that are occasionally too short. I carry some extra rope to handle those situations.
Not any more. A couple decades ago folks got all stirred up over asbestos in talc. For example, Johnson's Baby Powder is now mostly cornstarch.
http://johnsonsbaby.com/product.do?id=45
I usually use trees at least 21 feet apart.
If you want to go really long, you need a pole in between. That is the span where the hammock hangs is between the pole and one support; that distance...
Sounds like you'll be up by headquarters. I'll be hiking Hunting Hollow->Wilson Camp->Pacheco Falls/Camp->Kelly Lake this weekend with my Scout Troop. We were going to hike from Hunting Hollow to...
Sometimes. You could look for some posts that I've made. Give them a call, I think it's Sparrow that handles the internet orders.
Sometimes they don't have exactly what you ordered on hand.
...
Waxed whipping twine. Available at West Marine
Philmont (and the BSA in general) can be rather authoritarian and strange at times, so I wouldn't read anything into BSA procedures and rules.
Philmont does have some special issues; Philmont has...
I'd say that depends on your anchors. Strong anchors with either preloaded or low stretch tether (I used chain) could make the load on the pole purely compressive (vertical)
For mine, I used a 4x4 with a cement couterweight and a brace on the hammock side. I haven't hung from it much, bit I think a single 4x4 will be undersized
I hang mine in the garage for at least a day or two, depending on the weather
I'd guess that he's talking about a yarn needle
http://www.amazon.com/Colonial-Needle-Plastic-Yarn-Needles/dp/B000V7N5DG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1262494042&sr=8-1
I've used the...
I've looked at places that I've returned to, and that I've just left and I've never seen any damage.
I'm about 20 lbs heavier than you but I wouldn't worry about damaging the tree with a 1" strap. Well, maybe I'd worry if I was hanging from the same trees for weeks or months. I've never noticed...
That's true - no hammocks at Philmont. Only tents are allowed. Tarps are disallowed but your tent does not need a floor. I recommend a floor - the rain can come down pretty hard at times.
That's true but I come but most knots reduce the strength of the rope by 40% to 50%. That part of the sling has two separate strands of rope sharing the load, so even if the untapered bury reduced...
Yes, except I didn't taper the buried hunk of rope. I figure that a taper would make it easier for the fat part of the rope to go inside the bury. Not tapering them shouldn't affect the strength of...
My wife sewed a storage sack for mine. It's about 22 x 60 inches - way big. Something like a king-size pillow case should be fine
I had the same problem with one sling. Now, I bury about a one fid length long piece of rope completely inside the whoopie sling to act as sort of a stopper. The hope is that the extra diameter...
I can't speak to long humid spells because I camp in California where it's relatively dry.
However, I did spend one bad night in my Peapod. About 2 in the morning, we got some amazingly...
As a new Scout leader and hammock camper five years ago, I had similar questions. Why, back then, I even thought that Doug Prosser was a fanatic when he suggested not bringing underwear to save...
Just an update.
I got my line.
When my Scouts made up the bear ropes, we had about 90 feet extra; so Redden threw in some extra rope for all of the hassle and waiting. That's not quite as...
I put up my ropes and tree huggers (and extension cords) with a monkey braid. Fold the line in half then do a monkey braid (AKA chain stitch). It's fast and easy and doesn't tangle. Folding it...
I've been burying my eye splices about 3 inches in 7/64 line then whipping near the loop for 3 or 4 years without a problem. In other words, I've been burying a little more than 1 fid length). ...
I use Whipping Twine. It's a waxed polyester thread. Marlow and Robline are two brands. Some people don't like the Robline as well as the Marlow, I don't have an opinion because I've only used the...
My line arrived today :D
My thanks to you for those generous offers to help my troop out; I had only intended to post a cautionary tale about a vendor who has been mentioned many times on this...
I missed that store when I searched on EBay for Amsteel last night. Thanks for pointing it out to me.
Here's the latest on my customer service issue.
Redden Marine shipped my order yesterday, Monday. From the UPS tracking it looks like it went out late (~8:00 PM) Monday night. For some reason, I...
Thanks for your offer. The worst case is that we have to use Philmont's heavy bear ropes. I'd much rather be carrying 100 feet of 7/64th Amsteel than 100 feet of 3/8th nylon braid. So I'll have to...
FYI -
I ordered 300 feet of 7/64 (2.5mm) line from Redden Marine for bear bagging line way back on June 12th.
On June 16th, they emailed me saying they didn't have a 300' piece
I...
The only times finding place to hang has been a problem is at some campgrounds (like Wildcat Camp at Pt Reyes) that really just assume everyone will be a groundhog. I use Google Earth to see if...
I've had that problem in the past with both a Speer and a Hennessey. Many mornings my butt was touching the ground. I've weighed between about 235 and 245 lbs during that time. The fabric on my...
Thanks. I contacted them via chat. No one was on when I sent the message but about 8:30AM PDT, they got back to me telling me that my order didn't go thru. I reentered it. Interestingly, my...
Thanks Mike!
I do have a question ... I ordered a Shangri-La 1 (I know but I'm going to Philmont and I need a tent). Does GoLite send out an order confirmation? I haven't seen one and I want to...
Thanks for explaining the term belly band.
Trying to run TeeDee's Awk script reminded me why I dropped it for Perl in the early 90's though using Awk provided by someone else is a lot better than...
TeeDee -
Thanks for the design notes.
I've been looking at your Awk script but I can't figure out what a "belly band" is. Google gives me a lot of hits for a pregnancy aid. :scared: Somehow...
Sorry to reply twice but I love the lightweight polypropylene sock liners (A-A-50015C Type II). Very thin and light.
East_Stingray likes his sleeping bag. :confused:
I've not found any military item that I would want to take backpacking, except for a Swedish Army Match and an Esbit stove. The basic Esbit...
I've got two experiences:
In the first one, I was set up in a cathedral ring of a redwood tree. The new trees were probably over 100 feet tall. The fog/rain/mist would condense on the upper...
How many times have you gotten your sleeping bag wet?
Quality for cheap. I look for that a lot too. Campmor has a couple of adequate down bags in th $120 to $140 range.
For some ultra-light...
There was a posting to Scouts-l of someone who teaches LNT Masters Courses at Philmont reporting Mark Anderson's (Program Director at Philmont; the guy in charge) stance on hammocks:...
My troop is going to Philmont this year. I took an Autumn Adventure plus some classes at the training center as preparation two years ago.
Philfood is quite bulky and heavy. It's about 1 pound...
I use a rubber band cut out of a bicycle inner tube. I use MSR Groundhogs.
Thru-Hiker Momentum 3.8 oz for a piece that's 74 in x 57.5 in.
3.8 oz / 3.19 yd*yd = 1.2 oz/yd*yd
Why ripstop? According to Roger Caffin at http://www.bushwalking.org.au/FAQ/FAQ_Fabrics.htm
...
Change clothes?! Get dressed?! With Scouts :confused:
When I'm backpacking with or without my Scouts, I just don't change clothes. I add and subtract outer layers but I've never got less on...