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  1. #1
    Senior Member cneill13's Avatar
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    The New AMOK XL In A Massive Thunderstorm

    I took out my new AMOK XL this past week to the Northeast Georgia mountains for an initial trial run.

    I knew rain was coming in, I just had no idea how big the storm was going to be and how early it would arrive. The forecast said rain on Friday, it began raining hard at 2 am.

    I hiked on the AT to a campsite which I thought was fairly secluded. I set up camp, gathered some wood and looked up to see 4 people standing in front of me. They were tent camping and couldn't find a flat spot. Heading down an old logging road they spotted me and came on down. One of the guys told me a storm was coming in that was expected to last about 6 hours. He was off by about 6 because the storm raged for 12 straight hours.

    I set up the AMOK. After testing it at home, it was very easy to set up. I had not tried the tarp before but had no problems getting it up and ready although looking at the picture, I may have set it up backwards.

    amok2.jpg

    I practiced getting in and out. One trick I learned is that if you reach up and grab hold of the ridgeline, it makes getting in and out much easier. But there is definitely a learning curve for new users.

    I went out hunting for animal tracks before it got dark. I couldn't find any bear tracks but did find these prints which I think are raccoon.

    raccoon.jpg

    I had a nice fire rolling and finally went to hammock around 11 pm. I have several hammocks including WB XLC, DH, SLD which are all very comfortable. But the AMOK is obviously different. Once you get in and settled, it is very comfortable in its own way. I was soon out.

    Right on cue at 2 am, the rain started. This wasn't just any rain, it was an absolute deluge. At 3:30, I felt that horrible feeling of wetness on my right side. I shined my light to the right strap and sure enough water was coming in. It was my fault, I assumed the storage sack would stop the water from coming down the suspension line which is flat. The water was trailing over the top of the line and down into the hammock. On the left side, the extension strap had a tab which blocked the water. My left side was entirely dry. One positive about the pad, it kept my body elevated so that very little water got on my clothes. I was mostly dry even though the hammock was not. I got up and wrapped the end of the strap around the suspension to block the water flow. It helped but I think water was still able to get by and in the hammock.

    If I had tied a shoestring to the right strap, no water would have come in. Stupid rookie mistake. This picture shows the side where the water was coming in.

    amok.jpg

    Rain was also blowing in from the right side and that may have caused some wetness. Next time, I will put my rain kilt over the end with blowing rain and that should solve that problem. Overall, the tarp provided very good coverage. That was about as severe a test as a tarp could take.

    It was still raining in the morning hard but I had to pack up and go. One advantage of the new tree straps is that the hammock can be separated. So I was able to take the hammock down under the tarp and pack up. Once I had everything ready to go, I pulled down the tarp and put it in an external bag outside of my pack. Everything, but most importantly me, was able to stay fairly dry.

    The hike back to the car was interesting. The creeks were flowing harder than I have ever seem them flow. This is a picture of the Appalachian Trail that I was hiking on.

    trail.jpg

    On a scale of 1-10, I would give the AMOK a 7 1/2. The design and construction are top-notch. Getting in and out is a bit difficult as was folding up the pad. But I was also trying to keep it clean in a roaring storm. I also wish the pad was not in white. That is not a good color for camping equipment. I also wish the tarp was slightly larger. What keeps me coming back is the comfort and it is actually fun to lay in. I can't see me taking the AMOK XL on a multi-day trip, but for an overnight hike and camping outing, it will definitely be in the arsenal. Hopefully in better weather.

  2. #2
    Great read thanks for the trip report! I have only used my XL once so far in a light all night rain and didn’t think any extra water break would be needed beyond the strap buckles... I’ll be taking it on a 10 day canoe trip in May and will now be very conscious of it thanks to your post.

  3. #3
    Senior Member FJRpilot's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cneill13 View Post
    I took out my new AMOK XL this past week to the Northeast Georgia mountains for an initial trial run.

    I knew rain was coming in, I just had no idea how big the storm was going to be and how early it would arrive. The forecast said rain on Friday, it began raining hard at 2 am.

    I hiked on the AT to a campsite which I thought was fairly secluded. I set up camp, gathered some wood and looked up to see 4 people standing in front of me. They were tent camping and couldn't find a flat spot. Heading down an old logging road they spotted me and came on down. One of the guys told me a storm was coming in that was expected to last about 6 hours. He was off by about 6 because the storm raged for 12 straight hours.

    I set up the AMOK. After testing it at home, it was very easy to set up. I had not tried the tarp before but had no problems getting it up and ready although looking at the picture, I may have set it up backwards.

    amok2.jpg

    I practiced getting in and out. One trick I learned is that if you reach up and grab hold of the ridgeline, it makes getting in and out much easier. But there is definitely a learning curve for new users.

    I went out hunting for animal tracks before it got dark. I couldn't find any bear tracks but did find these prints which I think are raccoon.

    raccoon.jpg

    I had a nice fire rolling and finally went to hammock around 11 pm. I have several hammocks including WB XLC, DH, SLD which are all very comfortable. But the AMOK is obviously different. Once you get in and settled, it is very comfortable in its own way. I was soon out.

    Right on cue at 2 am, the rain started. This wasn't just any rain, it was an absolute deluge. At 3:30, I felt that horrible feeling of wetness on my right side. I shined my light to the right strap and sure enough water was coming in. It was my fault, I assumed the storage sack would stop the water from coming down the suspension line which is flat. The water was trailing over the top of the line and down into the hammock. On the left side, the extension strap had a tab which blocked the water. My left side was entirely dry. One positive about the pad, it kept my body elevated so that very little water got on my clothes. I was mostly dry even though the hammock was not. I got up and wrapped the end of the strap around the suspension to block the water flow. It helped but I think water was still able to get by and in the hammock.

    If I had tied a shoestring to the right strap, no water would have come in. Stupid rookie mistake. This picture shows the side where the water was coming in.

    amok.jpg

    Rain was also blowing in from the right side and that may have caused some wetness. Next time, I will put my rain kilt over the end with blowing rain and that should solve that problem. Overall, the tarp provided very good coverage. That was about as severe a test as a tarp could take.

    It was still raining in the morning hard but I had to pack up and go. One advantage of the new tree straps is that the hammock can be separated. So I was able to take the hammock down under the tarp and pack up. Once I had everything ready to go, I pulled down the tarp and put it in an external bag outside of my pack. Everything, but most importantly me, was able to stay fairly dry.

    The hike back to the car was interesting. The creeks were flowing harder than I have ever seem them flow. This is a picture of the Appalachian Trail that I was hiking on.

    trail.jpg

    On a scale of 1-10, I would give the AMOK a 7 1/2. The design and construction are top-notch. Getting in and out is a bit difficult as was folding up the pad. But I was also trying to keep it clean in a roaring storm. I also wish the pad was not in white. That is not a good color for camping equipment. I also wish the tarp was slightly larger. What keeps me coming back is the comfort and it is actually fun to lay in. I can't see me taking the AMOK XL on a multi-day trip, but for an overnight hike and camping outing, it will definitely be in the arsenal. Hopefully in better weather.
    Great trip report, I’ve been very curious as to how the Draumr would fair in a heavy rain. I would have thought the buckles on the suspension would have been enough of a drip brake.

    Like you, the Draumr is not a hammock that I would choose for anything more the a couple of days back packing trip. It’s a fantastic car camping hammock and I use it religiously on the back of my motorcycle. While I’m happy with the new “Borg Tarp”, I’d prefer a design that included side doors that could be deployed as an option.... The Bat wing design seems to be an attempt to save weight. while saving weight is always a noble pursuit, in this case the material saved (maybe an ounce or two) may have been better used to provide better weather coverage.

    Thanks for the report, I’ll be changing my setup as a result.


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    “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.”

    - Edmund Burke

  4. #4
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    Awesome report.
    I am waiting for mine to arrive and am very curious how my first outing will be.
    It will my first experience in a 90 degree set up.
    I too have a concern of tarp coverage, but am inexperienced to know what other brands / types of tarps would provide the most coverage?
    Weight will not be a factor for me as I will be canoe camping or car camping.
    I just want to make sure i say dry.
    Looking forward to hearing about future hangs from XL hangers.

  5. #5
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    The Warbonnet Superfly does a good job with careful set-up....
    Shug

    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

  6. #6
    Senior Member FJRpilot's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shug View Post
    The Warbonnet Superfly does a good job with careful set-up....
    Agree completely Shug... The New Borg Tarp does do a Stellar job in most circumstances, but I think the design can be improved upon to address the “Heavy weather” scenario.

    I’m still very happy with the setup but a superfly or similar may be in my future...



    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
    “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.”

    - Edmund Burke

  7. #7
    Senior Member sidneyhornblower's Avatar
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    That's a very good report and interesting even for those who don't have an Amok. I especially liked the photo of the tracks.
    "...the height of hammock snobbery!"

  8. #8
    Senior Member cneill13's Avatar
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    As mentioned, I was very unprepared for such a heavy storm. If I had known a 12 hour storm was coming in, I could have pulled down the side flaps for more coverage on the ends of the hammock.

    Nothing is a better teacher than experience. You just hope the lesson isn't too rough.

  9. #9
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cneill13 View Post
    As mentioned, I was very unprepared for such a heavy storm. If I had known a 12 hour storm was coming in, I could have pulled down the side flaps for more coverage on the ends of the hammock.

    Nothing is a better teacher than experience. You just hope the lesson isn't too rough.
    Were the buckles under the tarp? Guess we should just always use the shoe sting drip lines to be sure. I spent all night in an October deluge in the Sipsey once, in a WBBB with cinch buckles, under a JRB 11X10 tarp, and I stayed perfectly dry. I can't remember if I used drip lines or not, but I'm thinking I didn't.

    Another thing that might help is snake skins which cover the entire suspension. I have used those, sometimes on the tarp or hammock or both, and have stayed dry in some serious deluges, but probably also used drip lines.

  10. #10
    Senior Member cneill13's Avatar
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    [QUOTE=BillyBob58;1966149]Were the buckles under the tarp?

    Yes, the buckles were covered. I use Beetle Buckles on my gathered end hammocks and have never had a leakage issue so I assumed.....

    The amount of rain coming down was absolutely amazing. The 3rd worse storm I have ever been through in the woods.

    While not the most fun to go through, it will be one of those nights that sticks in your memory.

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