As I mentioned in the Clark forum I recently decided to try an upgrade to my North American hammock. The reason has been that despite my best effort so far finding an underquilt that I can get adjusted to fit on my Black Bird has been a 50/50 proposition. So long as I don't move too much it seems to work *ok* but not really well. I've never been able to sleep well in temps below 40 because either my feet push the quilt away or a gap opens somewhere and I freeze despite the quilt being in place. While I like the comfort of the Black Bird that has really hampered it's use in my favorite camping season or late fall. Now the North American was generally easier to fit with a quilt do to the more center-line lay but it drawbacks were messing with the bugnet and the kind of claustrophobic feel inside it. For comfort the edge went to the Black Bird but I was able to sleep well in the North American too. It still could suffer from gaps opening at the ends or sides of the hammock although it was easier to deal with since you can open both sides of the Clark if you need to adjust.
With that backstory I started looking at the NX-270 really hard this year. I saw several things that I thought addressed previous gripes I had with the North American
1.) Spreader poles - A way to keep the netting up and out from you without a need for another tie out. Although I had adapted a new system for the bugnet suspension on the NA I still didn't care for having to fiddle with it. In use I have to say I really like the poles and how they work. Score one for the upgrade.
2.) A bit longer and wider - The NX-270 is a little longer and a little wider than the NA. Not by a ton mind you but 4 or 6 inches in both directions. This leads to a slightly wider feel to the bed and better keeps my arms away from the netting in various poses. I'm not sure it's way more comfortable than before but I do notice the width increase. Score two for the upgrade.
3.) Interior access to the Pockets - I was really liking this feature in reading about it. Now being able to grab something but keep the netting closed seemed like a big help in my head. Reality is that as implemented that means no outside access. For just as many reasons as I might want to stay in my net getting something out, I also have times I'd much prefer not to bring the items inside to stow them. Had they kept exterior access then I would say this was a score, but as it is I think it's a draw.
4.) Perimeter velcro for underquilt - This is a feature I have been wanting for in the NA. The main issue I have with insulation is that getting it tight at both the gathering end and keeping it up at the sides is a problem for me. Not many quilts are fashioned to take advantage but one is.... the Z Liner. I also ordered one of those to go with the hammock. In practice I LOVE this setup. There is insulation anywhere and everywhere there is bed. It's glorious and it takes very little effort to setup properly. Just fix the velcro and climb in. Finally! Score three, four, and five for me. I really like it.
One modification made to the suspension was the addition of SMC descending rings to setup the 'truckers hitch suspension' from the standard clark ropes. Also new for me is the use of a exterior structural ridge-line made of Amsteel Blue 1.75mm line. This makes setup of the proper angle of the bed material so much easier. I can now attach lower on the tree a bit but still keep my butt up off the ground and enjoy a comfortable lay in the hammock. I just ran the ridge-line from the two descending rings for convenience. It's an easy modification and one I would recommend.
Last night I was actually able to get a good test of the Z Liner in cold-ish conditions. A front moving through the area was going to put overnight lows in the mid to upper 30's and that is a temperature range I have not had a ton of luck with staying warm using my quilts. My neighbors are now used to seeing my strange camping gear erected in the front yard where my two good hanging trees are so they didn't think much of it when I broke out the equipment and got my overnight site setup. There was some possibility of rain that night which meant a certainty of it if I did not put up my tarp.
Equipment for the evening was as follows:
- SuperFly tarp with doors tied back.
- Clark NX-270
- Z Liner Quilt
- Marmot 15 degree down bag.
- A bottle of water.
- 2 small Walmart travel pillows.
Heh, the camo almost works here.... a little hard to make it all out
A little closer angle with the weather-shield put away and Z Liner attached
After a backyard pit-fire with the girls to get into the camping spirit I put on some light fleece pants and just a cotton T shirt for bed. I took a bottle of water out and hit the restroom to empty the 'ol bladder heat-sink before entering the deep dark woods of my front yardI didn't do any extra as I wanted a test of what the Z Liner would feel like without any extra steps taken.
The evening started out at about 50 degrees and after getting in and situated I was sweating between the bag and the quilt. I had to take the bag down to my feet and lay with the weather-shield wide open to cool down some. The 50's are no problem at all for the Z liner. I put on a movie and popped some actifed to help with getting to sleep in the unnatural state of sleeping in the front yard. At the end of the movie my eyes were getting heavy and I had been slowly pulling the sleeping bag further up my body now covering me up to the shoulders. The temperature was now hovering at 44 degrees and my back and legs were still completely warm from the Z-Liner side. Looks like 40's are pretty well covered too. I zipped up the weather-shield except for a small opening to see out from to keep the inside a bit warmer.
I did hear a group of Coyotes get going a bit before midnight and I think I fell off to sleep shortly there after. I recall a couple of momentary wake-ups to shift position. Mostly I slept in a back position with my legs on either side of centerline ridge and just a bit of bend in the knees. I did sleep for a while on my side, quite comfortably actually. Finally I awoke at 5:30AM to the birds chirping and my bladder screaming (should have skipped the water during the movie). The morning temperature was now 35 degrees.
Before running inside to relieve the pressure, I took note of the current feel inside the hammock. The air was of course cold but noticeably warmer than the air falling in through the gap I had left in the weather shield. As per usual, that feature works as advertised! I was starting to notice my back was feeling 'cool'. Certainly not uncomfortable cold yet but not the warmth I felt in the night when changing positions. It appears that the 30's are likely the limit for comfort for me with the Z-Liner alone. Getting beyond that will require something more substantial, some added reflectix between the hammock and Z Liner or perhaps mylar. However I think as general-purpose insulation for Midwest spring/fall weather it will fit the bill nicely. With the addition of those extra counter-measures and clothing worn I think it would be possible to handle a evening or two that snaps into the 20's. Probably beyond that you are putting lipstick on a pig and would be better off with down gear rated to 0 degrees to keep comfortable.
One idea I can confirm works well though. I purchased 6 Walmart travel pillows for about $3.75 each. After getting up and using the restroom I tried stuffing those into the pockets under the hammock. They really worked quite well. I could fell and obvious increase in the warmth under me using those. They really filled the pockets nicely leaving little, if any, gap between each other. For car camping that would be a cheap way to extend the temperature range you could handle in the hammock. Not for backpacking obviously as they can't compress enough to be practical.
So my takeaways are as follows:
Clark NX-270:
Pros:
- Well designed system of gear that thought obviously went into.
- Spreader poles make open feel without needing more tie-outs.
- Lots of pockets for various bits of gear.
- Weather-shield now attached to bug-net makes it easier to enter/exit and easy to deploy from inside the hammock.
- Velcro system to attach insulation - Yes, more please!
Cons:
- Cost, cost, cost.
- Weight - Poles, fabric, velcro, pockets, it all adds up.
- Poles with external shock cord make inserting and removing more difficult.
- Still with the black rope suspension.
- Top heavy with poles and nothing inside. It wants to flip over in even the smallest breeze.
- Fussy to set the angle. Without the ridge-line it seems like every setup feels different.
My Verdict:
I think it was worth the upgrade price as far as I am concerned to go from the NA to this. I wish this had been out there when I bought my NA for sure. This may put Clark back in the mix as my go-to hammock. With a simple mod to add descending rings for the trucker's hitch suspension and a ridge-line I was able to easily address two of the cons at the expense of a few ounces of weight. It's a great hammock with a lot of nice features but it does come at a BMW price point. The features all work well together not feeling like your campsite is a spider-web of cord, bungee, and tie-outs. The pockets are useful both for holding gear or for adding insulation around your torso. The wider bed and more open feel is definitely something I could notice from the NA to the NX.
Would I recommend it to others... Yes, with the proviso that it would be best if they could try it out a few times. This is not an $80 outlay and I'd hate to see someone determine they just don't like the feel of it given the price tag. Does it offer good value for the money? I think it's on the edge for the features but they are selling them and as long as they are selling enough to stay in business then it must be a good enough value in people's eyes. I don't feel buyers remorse after spending a night in it so that's a good sign!
You can see my added ridge-line in this photo (barely)
Inside with my bag and Z Liner below in the morning.
NX Style Z Liner:
Pros:
- It just fits and once it's on it's worry-free.
- Warmth everywhere rather than just some subsection of the bed.
- Pretty decent range of temperature for not terrible weight.
- Only one piece to put on and worry about.
- Not as moisture sensitive as down.
Cons:
- Weight - It just weighs more than down no matter what.
- Bulk - It does not pack away like down would.
- No other versions offered for colder temperatures.
My Verdict:
I really wish Clark made these in down. I understand the reasons behind their use of synthetic, but people looking to handle real cold weather need more insulation than this and synthetic is too bulky when you start talking 0, 10, or 15 degree systems for anyone but car campers. Now, that tantrum out of the way... Yes, I am happy with the purchase. I think this will be an excellent quilt for use in my normal camping conditions in the shoulders of spring and fall. It's design means that it's unlikely to feel different any other night than it did last night because it's not dependent on shock-cord tension and how much I kicked my feet around at night. I won't wake up to one side of my body frozen because the quilt has worked it's way down the side of the hammock. Maybe in a couple of years, before I hit Glacier National Park, someone will have a version of this that is 0 or 10 degree rated and down. Seriously... I mean I'm saying, make this and I'll say "shut up and take my money".
Would I recommend it?.... YES! If your desired temperature range fits it's a darn good option that people who don't surf hammock forums and who have no idea who Shug is will benefit from. I found it very useful and I've been at underquilts for 3 years. Is it a good value for the money?.... I think so. It's not down, but it isn't priced like down either. I think it's a better cost/value proposition than the hammocks themselves. A moot point however because this is custom design and is only of use for Clark NX or TX hammocks.
The Z Liner folded in half showing the properly contoured shape.
Packed up. Z Liner in back, Clark NX-270, and Superfly. (The Hammock AND Z Liner can fit together in the Z Liner bag, so it is not as bad as it appears in bulk!)
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Originally Posted by AdventureMyk
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