Help Me Finish Up My Clark Setup

[bernc3]

So I originally got into hammock camping last year around April and now I'm starting to finish out my gear. My goal is to quit my job and thru-hike the AT in a hammock either this coming March or the following one assuming that I can save up enough money by that point. However, before that I want to have my gear finalized and thoroughly used so I know what works for me.

I am currently using a Clark NA with an XL tarp and stock suspension with Hitchcraft rope ties and 6' tree straps. I recently got 6' Whoopie Slings for my ENO Doublenest and love them (thanks Opie ) so I'm going to get another pair for my Clark hammock. Well anyways, down to the things I'm trying to tweak.

• Should I go with a Dutch Clip and toggle or just tree straps and a biner?
• Has anyone used whoopie slings for tarp tieouts? I'm thinking about doing it with my tarp and ditching the mini-figure9's. Anyone have experience with this?
• I currently just tie out the main lines of my tarp to the tree, is there a better/fast way to attached it to the tree?
• Lastly, I currently use a 30* down sleeping bag and a CCF walmart pad. I'm considering turning the sleeping bag into a top quilt and getting a 3/4 pad or getting the Clark Z-Liner UQ set. I would consider getting a down UQ but I'm worried about down as an UQ on a thru-hike.

I'd appreciate any and all input! Thanks in advance!

[bigbamaguy]

bernC3:
I have a CJH NX-200. I have modified the suspension to a strap/buckle set-up. Have you thought about using this. They are very easy to use and can be purchased from Paul at Arrowhead Equipment.
Here is the link for the buckles: http://arrowheadequipment.webs.com/a...s/show/1340611.
Here is the link to the webbing: http://arrowheadequipment.webs.com/a...s/show/1116093
Check out this link for the KAQ Quilts that Paul sells. I have 2 of the New River UQ that I use as a UQ and TQ. http://arrowheadequipment.webs.com/a...ategory/270320 THey are a little bulky but I have been down to the mid 20's and been comfortable with layered sleep clothing.
As far as the tarp tie out I use the small Fig 9's. I don't know about using the Whoopies as a tarp suspension, wouldn't you have to have a strap toggle set-up for that to work?

I hope this helps you in your decision.

[opie]

bern... I have a clark nx200 on the way. I plan to come up with an entire suspension system for it that :

A) Simplifies set-up
B) Reduces weight.

I hope to have it this week....

[bernc3]

bern... I have a clark nx200 on the way. I plan to come up with an entire suspension system for it that :

A) Simplifies set-up
B) Reduces weight.

I hope to have it this week....

Keep me updated I'll definitely look into getting it from you if it's worthwhile. Right now I'm trying to decide whether to go with suspension+ridgeline then the tarp or just leave it as is.

Also, high quality slings you sent me last week

[opie]

Glad to hear you are happy with the slings.

Im looking forward to getting the Clark. It looks like a neat system. My expo buddy would probably be interested in something like the Clark and this may be the nudge he needs to take the leap.

[scooterdogma]

• Should I go with a Dutch Clip and toggle or just tree straps and a biner?
• Has anyone used whoopie slings for tarp tieouts? I'm thinking about doing it with my tarp and ditching the mini-figure9's. Anyone have experience with this?
• I currently just tie out the main lines of my tarp to the tree, is there a better/fast way to attached it to the tree?
• Lastly, I currently use a 30* down sleeping bag and a CCF walmart pad. I'm considering turning the sleeping bag into a top quilt and getting a 3/4 pad or getting the Clark Z-Liner UQ set. I would consider getting a down UQ but I'm worried about down as an UQ on a thru-hike.

I just finished a month section on the AT.

• Dutch Clips and Straps worked for me. The clips were easy to use in the cold and rain. I even hung in the shelters using this setup.
• I used one mini-9 on my tarp ridgeline to tie off, the other end was a big loop. The Speer no tangle line was passed around the tree and through the loop. The remaining line was pulled to the opposite tree and secured with the mini-9. Sliding prussiks and toggles made this a fast and light set-up for me.
• I used a down sleeping bag as a top quilt. I wanted the option to go to the floor in the shelter if I needed to because of space and weather. Worked great. Thankfully, I never needed to go to the floor, the times I hung in the shelter it was not crowded and no one objected to the hammocks.
• I used a JRB down underquilt. The trick to using down on a long hike is to air it out at lunch time. Throw it over some bushes, black side up and the sun will do the trick. We went a couple of days with no sun and all the down insulation worked fine for me.

[TinaLouise]

I am currently using a Clark NA with an XL tarp and stock suspension with Hitchcraft rope ties and 6' tree straps.

• Should I go with a Dutch Clip and toggle or just tree straps and a biner?
• Has anyone used whoopie slings for tarp tieouts? I'm thinking about doing it with my tarp and ditching the mini-figure9's. Anyone have experience with this?
• I currently just tie out the main lines of my tarp to the tree, is there a better/fast way to attached it to the tree?
• Lastly, I currently use a 30* down sleeping bag and a CCF walmart pad. I'm considering turning the sleeping bag into a top quilt and getting a 3/4 pad or getting the Clark Z-Liner UQ set. I would consider getting a down UQ but I'm worried about down as an UQ on a thru-hike.

I'd appreciate any and all input! Thanks in advance!

I'm using my Clark Tropical w/XL Clark tarp.

I love those hitchcraft thingys, they are so easy to use... rain, cold, doesn't matter. I started out with the larger ones on my Clark hammock ropes and the smaller ones on the tarp ropes to the tree. Then I switched my hammock to amsteel and dropped the hitchraft thingys there. I then used 3 half-hitches to secure my hammock amsteel rope to my tree strap. Worked well until I hit winter. Then my fingers just didn't seem to be able to untie the knots. That's when I discovered whoopies. Switched out my hammock amsteel to amsteel whoopies. Love them!! Then I started looking at my clark tarp (remember it's still reg rope w/sm. hitchcraft thingys)... and decided to try whoopies to both sides of the tarp. Something else I did was to get the whoopies in two different colors. I've got red on the head end of the hammock and head end of the tarp. Silver is on the opposite ends. That way I can just look at my ropes as I'm setting up and not worry that I've switched my head end of the tarp with the foot end of the hammock. (yep, I've done that a few times in the dark but not since switching the rope colors).
Right now I'm testing my amsteel whoopies in the rain. I've got my hammock and tarp hung out back and it's been raining for about 2 days. I've got on one side, the clark drip ring. It's on the whoopie, positioned about 3 inches from the end of my hammock. The other end has just the whoopie and I've tied the end of the adjustable tail around near the end of my hammock with the tail pointing down. I'm trying to see if any water runs past the whoopie tail to my hammock. I'm noticing the side with the clark drip ring is totally dry while the side with just the whoopie is not exactly wet but does seem to have a little more dampness to it. I do have both hammock ends covered with a DWR piece of nylon to prevent any rain splash. I'm wanting to really check the rain running down the ropes so I covered the ends of the hammock.

I've put binners on the whoopies from hammock and from tarp, again color coded (red biners with the red whoopies & green on the silver). To set up, I wrap my straps around the tree, connect the tarp binners to that strap end. Tighten up the whoopie. Then I connect the hammock to the same strap ends with their binners. (means I'm carrying 4 binners, 2 on each end). My next thing to do is to tie up the bug-netting. This is my only knot that I have to tie (and I'm seriously trying to figure out some way to put a whoopie here too)!! Carrying the 4 binners is over-kill but sometimes I want to hang just the tarp and sometimes I want the tarp up higher on the tree. The binners are light so for me, they are extreamly convienent, so I'll carry 4.

You said you're worried about a down underquilt. Right now with all the rain we're getting, I've got my climashield UQ on my hammock. I'm getting a LOT of rain splash onto it. This UQ has a DWR nylon outside layer and it's doing it's job of keeping the inside climashield dry. If I had to pack up right now, I'd have to wipe/dry the outside of the UQ. If I had my down UQ on, I'd also need to pull it out of my pack and lay it out in the sun for a little while, like at lunch time. I'm finding that I really like the added protection of the DWR nylon on the outside layer of my under quilts.

ok, that was a bit long-winded

TinaLouise

[sandykayak]

Long winded, but good. I've copied it. Tx

[NickJ]

Tina, when you say you have "'biners from hammock", where is the 'biner? at the channel/gathered end? if so are yo using a chainlink or something else?

I have a clark, and my set up now is strap round tree, through its loop, then 'biner on the end of the strap which I clip to a whoopie. the dead eye of the whoopie is just larks headed through the hammock channel. I had/have a concern that the sharp angles created in the amsteel by it wrapping around the clark drop ring will seriously de-rate the ropes loading capacity, so I haven't used them with it, I've just looped the free end of the whoopie back through the loop nearest the hammock and tie a slippery half hitch to act as the drip string. I haven't yet had it out in serious rain, but when I was using the standard clark rope with drip rings, it never let water in, even in constant heavy rain. I'm less confident about the drip string/whoopie set up so your experiment is really interesting to read.

Also interesting is the back splash you're getting on the climashield. How are you setting up your tarp? I got the clark XL and don't have any issues at all with splash (I use the z-liner), though I pitch the tarp with quite steep sides when it's raining, though I'm working on a new multi-pitch option tarp design which should really guarantee no water, but also act as a really nice living space in either really sunny conditions, or in heavy rain. My first prototype I was really happy with, but have tweaked it a bit and need to make a new template which is a bit of a pain but I think it'll be worth it.

I use a taut line hitch on my tarp lines. Really easy and nothing to lose or break, they're really reliable. A siberian hitch on one end of the ridge line, and a nite-ize figure 9 on the other, and prussics with mini 'biners to tighten.

[TinaLouise]

Tina, when you say you have "'biners from hammock", where is the 'biner? at the channel/gathered end? if so are yo using a chainlink or something else?

I have a clark, and my set up now is strap round tree, through its loop, then 'biner on the end of the strap which I clip to a whoopie. the dead eye of the whoopie is just larks headed through the hammock channel. I had/have a concern that the sharp angles created in the amsteel by it wrapping around the clark drop ring will seriously de-rate the ropes loading capacity, so I haven't used them with it, I've just looped the free end of the whoopie back through the loop nearest the hammock and tie a slippery half hitch to act as the drip string. I haven't yet had it out in serious rain, but when I was using the standard clark rope with drip rings, it never let water in, even in constant heavy rain. I'm less confident about the drip string/whoopie set up so your experiment is really interesting to read.

Also interesting is the back splash you're getting on the climashield. How are you setting up your tarp? I got the clark XL and don't have any issues at all with splash (I use the z-liner), though I pitch the tarp with quite steep sides when it's raining, though I'm working on a new multi-pitch option tarp design which should really guarantee no water, but also act as a really nice living space in either really sunny conditions, or in heavy rain. My first prototype I was really happy with, but have tweaked it a bit and need to make a new template which is a bit of a pain but I think it'll be worth it.

I use a taut line hitch on my tarp lines. Really easy and nothing to lose or break, they're really reliable. A siberian hitch on one end of the ridge line, and a nite-ize figure 9 on the other, and prussics with mini 'biners to tighten.

My set up is similar to your's. I have the dead end larks headed in my hammock channel and the working end of the whoopie has a carbiner that I hook to the tree strap. When I pack up the hammock, the carbiner stays on the whoopie. On my tarp, when I pack it up, that carbiner also stays with the tarp.

From what I've read about ropes and derating their weight carrying capacity, just about anything you do with a rope will derate it. Any knots and bends cut down on its capacity. I figure the Clark drip rings reduce it some but not enough for me to think that it's gonna fail and break. Maybe some of the math genisises will chime in here and let us know how much ??

I too was surprised with the backsplash of rain onto my UQ. Set up is like in the woods, dirt with leaves/pine straw around me (but mostly dirt). I actually had little rain run offs running under the hammock. If I'd had anything under me on the ground, like my backpack, it would have been soaked. Tarp was closed at the foot end but totally spread open at the head end. Tarp was positioned about 1-2 inches above my netting. I tried to get it as close as possible without touching the hammock netting. Hammock was very close to the ground when sitting/laying in it. Backsplash was only on one side of my UQ!!! The high side when compaired with the ground slope. My thinking is that I should have had that side of my tarp positioned down closer to the ground. I actually had it up higher because that was the side I was using to enter my hammock. I should have used the other side. My fault but a learning experience too because I didn't realize this until I went to take down my UQ yesterday afternoon.

Something else I noticed yesterday afternoon... When I took down my hammock, neither end was wet. A bit dampish feeling but not wet. Also both ends seemed to feel about the same. So... so far my thoughts are that the Clark drip ring works maybe a little bit better than just tieing the loose end of the whoopie rope up. I'm gonna keep the drip ring on one side and continue testing until I'm confident that taking it off will be fine.

Have fun testing your tarp design!!!

TinaLouise