advice on whether i'm a hanger at heart?

[Mindwalk]

Hey Shybird,

Just saw this post and thought I'd offer anything I could. I'm fairly new to all this too, but have been out a few times. I've never really been much of a camper before because I always hated sleeping on the ground. As soon as a buddy of mine introduced me to hammocks, I became fairly engrossed with the idea.

I have a WBBB and a new 3-Season Incubator UQ that I'd be more than willing to show off for you.

I'm in Bellingham too, so feel free to shoot me a PM and we can compare notes and try out gear if you're interested. Let me know,

~Mindwalk

[shybird]

SHUG! omg- a celebrity is actually talking to my thread!! i've already watched all your videos, they are what got me so excited about hammocking for sure, and i've learned a ton from them. i certainly appreciate all the other videos out there on various aspects of hammocking, buts yours absolutely rock. i need to watch them all a second time through to glean more tidbits. thank you!

guysmiley, you hammocked the whole way, correct? besides going as light as possible, do you have any pct-specific tips? anything you can think of would be a great help...

vestervoid, thank you for the tips and for sharing what you've got... i just got my goss pad, nice and light, to supplement my neoair...

mindwalk, so you're up here in the Ham... sweet! i'm finishing up at Western and then digging into the remaining details and planning till lift off. i'll def let you know if i'm still struggling with the warmth, then i may want to check out your UQ...

i went to the park today and set everything up again... the superfly is looking better... when i bought it, it wasn't clear that it seems required to tie out all four side ties every single time. this isn't ideal, but as i'm getting the hang of it, it's getting easier... i doubt i would've purchased it had i known this.

i also bought a warmer bag that will also be warmer on the ground... with all the encouragement, i'm not giving up yet... but i will also have my home base prepared to send me my tent... hopefully won't be necessary.

thank you all again for the help.

[Pitch]

I'm a bit coffee'd up at the moment and may have missed it but - what are you using for bottom insulation? If you haven't tried any yet, that is why you're cold

I use pads and have no problem with them (2x layer hammock). Get a nice wide foam pad and give it another go!

Don't give up yet... if you could have made it work and didn't try that would be a real shame since hanging is sooo comfortable and niceee.... mmmmm Hammockk......

EDIT: Hey! There it is! Maybe I have ADD?
"and a neo air mattress"

Get a foam pad They can't be under-filled and compress under your butt like some air pads can.

It will cost you ~$15 to try it.

Once you know if you know pads keep you warm but want more warmth, buy a underquilt (ca-ching $ $)


EDIT:EDIT: Wow... Post # 666... scarrry!! (Sorry... more coffee)

[tbctx]

Generally for keeping the tarp off the hammock you can increase the gap between the hammock and the tarp (vertically, which in turn increases it at the sides), make sure they pullouts are going out at a steep angle and that they don't come together too soon if your using a "V" type line to connect both. If its too short of a V they sag if the middle and do virtually nothing.

[shybird]

xexorz, you gave me a great laugh this morning i have a gossamer pad now that i'm going to try with the neoair.

tbctx, yes! with all of the fumbling around, i finally figured that out with the tie outs, and that is why things are going better... i'm learning! and even if it's stressful, we're leaving in about 3 weeks, it's still fun!

when i get home, and hammocking goes great on the trail, i'll have to figure out how to get my dog into a hammock! (ha, yeah, right!)

[guySmiley]

Actually, I used a Tarptent until I reached Cascade Locks. Now that I've been through the whole thing, if I was to do it again, I would use a hammock the entire time.

That's not to say that I'd be hanging the whole time though. There were probably about a handful of nights where the ground was a better option for one reason or another.

One of the reasons that I like the hammock/tarp way of doing things is it just provides more options.

Go at your own pace. Do not let anyone else set your pace. Doing so will get you injured, and can end your hike. It happens all the time. It almost happened to me.

Try and spend as little time in towns as possible, and keep your miles low early on. There's no point in getting into the Sierras early. It'll just make things harder on you.

Don't let people put the fear in you. You're in for a heavy snow year. From what I've read this year is going to be a lot like last year in terms of snow. Last year people were dropping like flies on rumors that it was SOOOOOOO dangerous that you were sure to die if you set one foot in snow. For me, there were 2 obstacles that actually lived up to the hype. Bear Creek, which deserves serious respect, and crossing the log over the Suiattle River. I hear that the bridge is supposed to be up for sure over the Suiattle so you won't have to worry about that.

What's your start date, and are you keeping a journal online? I'd love to follow it if you are.

OH yeah, rodent prevention is important. I had more problems with rodents than I did with bears. That was solved once I was hanging because I just left my food in my pack hanging off my straps at night. Before that, I had several nights where I had to pick turds out of my couscous before I cooked it. Nasty...

SHUG! omg- a celebrity is actually talking to my thread!! i've already watched all your videos, they are what got me so excited about hammocking for sure, and i've learned a ton from them. i certainly appreciate all the other videos out there on various aspects of hammocking, buts yours absolutely rock. i need to watch them all a second time through to glean more tidbits. thank you!

guysmiley, you hammocked the whole way, correct? besides going as light as possible, do you have any pct-specific tips? anything you can think of would be a great help...

vestervoid, thank you for the tips and for sharing what you've got... i just got my goss pad, nice and light, to supplement my neoair...

mindwalk, so you're up here in the Ham... sweet! i'm finishing up at Western and then digging into the remaining details and planning till lift off. i'll def let you know if i'm still struggling with the warmth, then i may want to check out your UQ...

i went to the park today and set everything up again... the superfly is looking better... when i bought it, it wasn't clear that it seems required to tie out all four side ties every single time. this isn't ideal, but as i'm getting the hang of it, it's getting easier... i doubt i would've purchased it had i known this.

i also bought a warmer bag that will also be warmer on the ground... with all the encouragement, i'm not giving up yet... but i will also have my home base prepared to send me my tent... hopefully won't be necessary.

thank you all again for the help.

[shybird]

hi guysmiley!

when you went to ground, were the bugs bad? i'm hearing about ants, too... that's very helpful information though because i was tempted to tent the desert as well... i'm almost determined again at this point, to hammock the whole thing... a few more test nights...

thank you for the rest of that advice, too. i'll need to remind myself of all that. i am hiking with my good friend and so compromise is already in the cards, and we definitely differ in some of our styles and expectations, but we're doing a good job at keeping communication open. C:

our start date is april 15th. i just set up an online journal last night. the direct link is
www.postholer.com/shybird

i'd be honored to have you follow me! and chime in any time with anything! i won't be updating it from the trail, but in towns, and i hope to keep up with it.... i may end up just sending my paper journals from the trail to a friend to type up and post for me... did you keep an online journal?

[guySmiley]

The only times I had any issues with bugs while I was sleeping was when I was cowboy camping. I was fully enclosed and protected from bugs then entire time I was in the desert. I had read too much about giant ants and scorpions to feel comfortable out in the open in SoCal. My first cowboy camping wasn't until the night before going over Pinchot Pass in the Sierras. It was below freezing that night so I didn't have to worry about bugs at all. Frozen sneakers on the other hand...

I did keep a journal: postholer.com/swope

Have fun! I'll definitely be keeping my eye on your journal.