Dave
"Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self."~~~May Sarton
Is the jungle hammock breathable? I'm in Southern Ontario, in Quetico Provincial Park, so it will be very humid.
Alright, thanks oldgringo for the help. Much appreciated.
For living in a hammock while canoeing, I'd recommend you take a really big tarp to get out of the weather, instead of relying on the small canopies some of the hammocks come with. Good place to keep all your gear dry also.
Treating the hammock bottom with permethrin would also be a good idea.
http://www.rei.com/product/751264
I use this stuff on all my canoeing pants and shirts and will treat my hammock with it also for this upcoming June trip to the Boundary Waters.
I've camped for 25 years just south of where you are going, in the Boundary Water's Canoue Area (on the U.S. side) and I've just switched to a hammock this year. It can be hot and humid, but the coldest night that I've spent camping in my hammock up there was 35F and that was in late July. Since the weather up there is always a crap shoot, be able to adapt your system to any last minute weather reports.
DO SOAK EVERYTHING in permetherin. I've been bitten through my double layer before. Soaking the hammock keeps ticks off and also cuts down on bugs swarming, on and around the net, or under the tarp.
About Claytor Jungle Hammocks;
I don't own a Claytor Jungle Hammock but, I do own the Claytor Diamond Fly (CDF) that comes with it. It works very well and Ive taken it throught some pretty bad storms with swirling wind driven rain and stayed very dry. It is small so you do have to choose your spot wisely and pitch your sides down tight in storms but in regular rain you are fine. If I were to do it over again I would have bought a Speer Winter Tarp, for $120+ shipping. It would have given me more coverage at less weight but at $70 more + shipping I balked at the price. but, I have to admit I do like the camo on the CDF .
My cousin is the same size as you and is considering a Claytor Jungle Hammock. I think they are hammocks for guys your size but, he is also considering a Warbonnet Blackbird because he found mine to be so comfy. I'm not certain about the diagnol lay of the hammock. you may want to search some threads from a guy name Neo, he's really into them
"In your face space coyote"-HJS
I have spent more than 100 nights a year for more than 2 years in a Jungle Claytor and a lot of that while paddling in northern Michigan. I like the breatheability and I have been through some really bad weather with the stock diamond tarp and have been fine. One of the keys for me was learning to not hang it too tight. It is somewhat narrow and "shoulder squeeze" can occur if too tight. I am over 6 ft. tall and weight is 250.
I really like the stealthness of it as well. I can hang without feeling like I am visible within a half mile of anyone like some of my brightly covered tents did in my ground dwelling days. All in all, I have really gotten value from the Claytor JH. I am considering a WBBB as my next hammock as I have made some of my own tarps and other DIY stuff. I like the idea of the shelf and the reviews I have seen. I don't think you can go wrong beginning with a Claytor JH though. I have three of them.
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a Zero deg. C bag is not overkill for july in Quetico. A zero deg F. bag would be. If you need any help or tips on specific areas of the park, shoot me a PM. Its a great park.
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I picked up an HH Exped Asym a couple years ago for less that $100 new. You only find those prices from other retailers, not HH direct. I'm just a little under 6' tall and I've slept very comfortably in it on many nights though I feel it's a little too small for me.
Eric K.
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