First hang tonight.

[mzanier]

Hello everyone,

Getting ready for my first sleep tonight in my Hennessey Asym Expedition Zip.

I live in Northern Ontario, Canada about 3 hours north of Toronto.
It was a beautiful day here and there are clear skies tonight with the low expected to be 13 C (55 F) so warmth shouldn't be an issue.

I have been backpacking and canoeing for decades and have recently decided to try out a hammock for my solo adventures (without my kids). I have slept in tarps, tents and bivy sacks but I think the hammock is just about the best light-weight system I've seen, so I'm excited to see how it goes tonight.

I am using a therma rest for my bottom insulation and a synthetic mummy bag zipped half way open as a top quilt. The stock fly is a little small so I'm planning to buy a silnylon tarp from www.mec.ca
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...34374302702975

I have learned a great deal from the forums and watching the videos here as well as on www.youtube.com. Thanks for all the great posts.
We'll see how it goes tonight.
Cheers

[chickenwing]

Welcome to the insanity. You will be getting your kids hammocks very soon. You will dread the time you take them out and have to go to ground. Much easier to get them in the air and they will LOVE you for it. Both of my kids sleep in hammocks and when #3 gets here, she will sleep in a hammock too.

[NewtonGT]

thats a nice sil tarp your looking to get. but you should be fine with the stock hennessy for now. cant wait to see how your first hang went

[canoebie]

Sweet dreams, there is nothing like paddling and hanging. They are a great fit for one another. Welcome to blissful rest.

[arbot]

Have fun!!!

[Shug]

May you have Coffee Crisp and Tiger Tiger ice cream dreams.......
Shug

[mzanier]

You're videos were key in getting me into a hammock.
They were more than informational they were entertaining and I learned alot.

Thanks again!

Michael

[mzanier]

I had a great first night sleeping in my HH.
I wasn't cold in the least (13 C / 55F) and I was comfortable.

The only issue was that the thermarest had me sliding down into the bottom of the hammock and it took some time to get that somewhat resolved. I will need a better solution in the future.

I had a great sleep - but my wife didn't. The dog kept waking her up (4 time) to go out onto the deck. Then she'd simply sit sniffing the air in the direction of the hammock (100 ft away) - she must have been wondering what I was up to out there.

Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement!
Cheers,

Michael

[Boomer]

mzanier,

couple of questions/comments. Did you have the therm-a-rest only 1/2 full? Did you get a 'cold shoulder' from the bottom?

I used a therm-a-rest a couple of times. Same problems as you, it moved and I got one or the other shoulders cold. If you have a double layer hammock, it helps to keep it from shifting. The pad doesn't move as much if it's only about 1/2 full. I used a pad for the first couple years, then got UQs this year.

[mzanier]

Thanks for the tip on inflating the thermarest only half way - I'll try that next time.