The test is over - my son and I hiked about 2.5 miles Friday night in the dark in a down pour. We were soaked, but as soon as we had changed into dry clothing and crawled into the hammocks we fell fast asleep. We did Phelps the next day - pics can be seen in my gallery.
We tested the hammocks the second night on a much drier and cooler night. Neither night, however, saw the temperature drop below 40 so it was not a true cold weather test. I was not as comfortable in the Clark, mainly because it is a little too short and narrow for me. My son, however, who is 4 inches shorter, decided to keep the Clark for the same reasons I like it - the pockets, the weathershield, the dual sided entry, and the built in stuff sack. He was very comfortable. I left the Clark with him. I'm going to keep the Claytor and return the second Clark. Thus, there is no overall winner - just two very satisfied customers with their preferred hammocks.
One lesson learned - get a bigger tarp or at least a second tarp. In the torrential downpour the XL tarps that came with the Clark and Claytor are simply not large enough to protect gear. The hammocks stayed dry, as did the gear stored on the rocks over which we hung the hammocks, but that was a sever space limitation.
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