Hello all, just a quick into about myself: Been camping since I was 18 months old - will be 46 next September, served in the US Army Field Artillery, but honestly have never really backpacked and have never been in a hammock. I've been married for almost 23 years now, we raised our two boys tent camping, then a pop-up camper, finally ended in a 20' trailer. In the last few years (since the boys don't go with us anymore) we've been reducing the amount of stuff we take, tent camping again, trying to get smaller and lighter.
Also avid canoeists, last year we took our longest trip of 18 miles in a single day, which has inspired us to try an over night trip, which means getting even lighter and smaller. Last summer we passed some fellas in kayaks setting up hammocks for the night and thought that looked like fun. Also, our local Field and Stream store carries ENO hammocks, so I've been in looking at them.
Finally, the wife and I both got new 15° sleeping bags for Christmas, which I am dying to try in the woods this winter. Shug's videos make it hard to stay in the house too. Slept out back last weekend on a .5" foam mat and realized, even though I was more than warm enough, I can't sleep on the ground like I used to in the Army (we have a big air mattress for the tent).
With all that said, I don't think we're total "lightest possible" people yet. The farthest I would probably hike away from the car would be 2 miles, with an old ALICE pack, and we have a couple hundred pounds of capacity in the canoe, and hammocks wouldn't be our first choice (yet lol who knows once we try it).
So, like I said I've been looking at the ENO's but through this forum have found Dutchware's Hammocks and think that's the route I'm going for my first one. I like his prices, the knotty mod, and choices of materials, but those choices have also confused me also. I think we're looking to get the wife a single layer hammock and a double for me so I can use it in colder temps. Also, right now I'm 250 lbs (don't have a clue what she weighs, in 23 years she's never let me know lol).
Questions:
1.) How do you compute max weight capacity on a double layer Dutchware hammock? Do you use the higher capacity if using two different materials?
2.) Could I use Hexon 1.0 (250 max lbs - with bag and clothes I'm over that) as a second layer if the first layer is rated high enough to hold my weight?
3.) What are your suggestions for a single layer hammock considering wind and damp camping? Here in PA it gets very humid in the summer, and can be very rainy / wet just about any time.
4.) Suggestions for double layer hammock material? Is there one that is better for the bottom / outside layer and a different one for the top / inside? Should they always be the same?
Sorry for the long post, have been wrecking my brain trying to figure this all out for a week or two now.
Thanks,
Brett
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Originally Posted by MomMeck
we do most of our camping out that way.
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