Agreed, with endless color and fabric options and also the choice of removable top cover and removeable bug netting, you will be able to configure your rig in whatever manner your looking for, not to mention the craftsmanship and customer service is top of the line.Originally Posted by HangFan
I have quite a few hammocks from most vendors on here and my Thunderbird Dream Hammock is my go to hammock.
Ok, I am a newbie as well - either a little ahead or a little behind where you are. Putting together a rig and testing as I go...
So I will share what I have found but please discount it heavily - there are so many others with more experience.
Tarp: I went with a Noah 12. I too liked the idea of a heavy weather shelter like the others you mentioned. But the Noah 12 is well reviewed, was 20% off on campmor with free shipping. It can be configured with 'doors'. So for about $50 I have a quality full sized heavy weather tarp. With that said, I just bought 2 Yukon Charlie tarps at $20 a piece as fair weather tarps. I had tested the Noah, love it but miss seeing the sky (will have to try to pitch porch mode.) But the two Yukons will be good lightweight options for me and my daughter (hmm, did I just buy two 1lb tarp to replace one 2lb tarp? ;<) )
Hammock: I started with a table cloth, moved to a Dutchware single. Well reviewed, right price point. I thought about the double but wanted to put the extra cash towards a quilt. Very happy with this hammock. I like the Hennessey systems idea of it all working directly but was put off by initial cost, size and single layer bottoms - all three of these can easily be overcome. Hard to put a value on having it all work well together out of the box.
Suspension: 1" straps, 2" straps as well for tree kindliness. Using cinch buckles and Whoopie's. I learned how to make my own Whoopie's and this is enjoyable. Could go with a toggle but the cinch buckles are just so easy if you follow Dutch's recommendation and put a few wraps around them. Super easy to deploy and adjust. Truth be told if starting over I would suggest something like atlas or python straps for their simplicity but enjoy using what I have with what I know now.
Bug protection: I am currently using (misusing?) Dutch's Summer sock. Not because it is the best solution but because it cost as much as a bug net purchase wise and offers what I think is some additional features. I certainly see value in other options and may pursue a DIY one for hot summer nights. For now the sock rocks.
Under Insulation: I have a great insulated Klymit V pad. Really wanted to use this but it seems everyone ends up with a quilt. So I splurged for a Jarbridge. Oh my. What a difference. So simple. So warm. I went with the 3 season model. I think my next purchase will be either a Jarbridge or New River for my daughter before I even decide what hammock to get her. For her use it is important that warmth does not depend on a lot of tweaking.
Top Insulation: Existing sleeping bags.
Can't rave enough about Dutch, AHE and Derek Hansen's book/site/reviews. Not saying these guys are better than all others; just that I am most impressed with their products and service for me. In my book they are rivaled only by the members of this forum with their generous wisdom and help.
Ok, using what i know and with an eye on cost my daughter's rig may be: $20 Yukon Charlie Tarp; $42 Dutch single; $57 summer sock; $100 Jarbridge; $25 python straps - Total <$250. Or $20 Yukon Charlie Tarp; $35 Byers Moskito Kakoon; $100 Jarbridge; $20 Byer Microstrap - Total $175.
Regarding cost watch the sales forum. Sure it is great to see stuff at a lower price but it is also cool to see how fast some of this stuff sells. I thought of renting an under-quilt but figured I could sell a well cared for Jarbridge if need be for 75-80% of what I paid for it. So I won't be ordering the hot pink one for daughter, since if I need to sell it that might hinder the process.
I went through a few setups to find my current go-to...started with a full ENO setup, which did get me off the ground but was less than stellar (especially when the weather wasn't so nice), moved to a Warbonnet setup (double layer 1.7 XLC and Superfly), which worked quite nicely, but there were small quality-of-life things I didn't care for or were missing from it. The pullouts on the XLC, specifically the one on the entry side, made getting into the hammock a serious pain for me, though there are ways around it (like just disconnecting it). I also had issues with the bugnet getting caught in the zipper...nothing that a small patch of netting and 20 mins of my time couldn't fix, but it was still annoying. I had issues with the doors on the Superfly not staying closed as well as I'd like them to (though that may have more to do with my pitching of the tarp than anything else). Currently I'm using an 11ft Dutchware hammock and a Winter Dream tarp from UGQ. What would I do if starting out all over again, but with what I know now? Probably one of these two setups:
11 ft Dutch netless hammock (Hexon 1.6 - price doesn't change between different Hexon weights) w/ dual knotty mod, structural ridgeline, and whoopie hook suspension w/5ft huggers. $102
Fronkey style bugnet (from Dutch's site) $57
Jarbridge 3-season underquilt (from Arrowhead Equipment) $100
Winter Dream 11ft tarp (from Underground Quilts) $135 ($155 if you want the pullouts)
Total cost = $395 ($415 if you get pullouts on the tarp)
OR
Dutch "Halfwit" 10.5 ft hammock with whoopie hook suspension w/5ft huggers. $137
Jarbridge 3-season underquilt (from Arrowhead Equipment) $100
Winter Dream 11ft tarp (from Underground Quilts) $135 ($155 if you want the pullouts)
Total cost = $372 ($392 with pullouts)
Attend a group hang in your area where you can check out a lot of different setups.
I am still 18 but with 52 years of experience !
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