Hi everyone; I introduced myself in that section. I'm 51 with a bad knee that will be a limiting factor to backpacking. Always wanted to backpack but never did it. Can't explain it to you but I've decided I want to do some backpack camping before I simply can't. I feel like I'm running out of time and this is something I want to do.
I'm retired AF, living in a town I'm not from with a buys job, a wife and six kids. I don't have any friends in this area and normally I'd be solo hiking but I want to introduce my kids' to this. The older ones rolled their idea when I told them about this but a few of the younger ones are willing to give it a go.
here's where I need a reality check. I'm thinking the most I'll do is 2 day, one night trips, 2 - 4 times a year if that. I'm thinking I'll only take one kid with me at a time for a number of reasons. They range from 11 - 14. It would be great if the 3 young ones could come with me but I think it would be hard to carry the right gear and manage it. So I thought I'd take one kid at a time so i could basically invest in two sets of gear.
Like I said, I would expect most trips to be overnighters or three day trips at the most. I'll realistically only be doing this late spring through early spring so night time temperatures around 50 at the lowest unless I camp in a creek bottom and get suprised, then it could get down to 40 but normally it'll be in the 60's or higher when I'm out there.
I started looking at the shelters and have now read a LOT of what you've all written about hammocks. I analyze things alot; I like that part of it. Based on what I've read, if I was a younger man and going to be doing this all solo, I'd go with a hammock and probably a Warbonnet Black Bird. It seems to be one of the best desings/values, etc. But to get 2 of these would be very expensive for my needs.
So I looked at TarpTents Squall 2. It would let me be with my kid, I could use it solo, and cost wise it seems like a good value. http://www.tarptent.com/squall2.html
My third option was to go with bivy tents like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Aqua-Quest-Wat.../dp/B0056SOA48 I liked the idea of how simple this would be. Cost is decent becasue I'd buy two of them for what one WBBB set up would cost me.
I even toyed with the idea of just a tarp, groundcloth and bag but I feel I need bug protection here in Missouri; especially for my kid.
I then considered getting two hennessy hammock set ups. They're lower cost so I can get two of those for just a bit over $300. Seems the Hennessy models are still one of the better units, not quite on par with a WBBB but close and perhaps a better value for a guy like me.
I read a lot on insulating a hammock and figure for a 3 season guy like me I could get by with nothing or just a oversized pad.
So based on all of this, what would you recommend? Should I go with the bivy, tarptent, or two of the Hennessy Hammocks? Can you think of a way to do this with three kids aged 11, 13, and 14 without spending a fortune but without them being miserable?
Can a hammock with only a Pad at most be comfortable for the temperature ranges I mentioned?
Thank you in advance for any and all advise and I'm going to keep reading. I've spent a lot of time watching Shug's videos Have to admit he's one enteraining guy.
Thanks everyone and sorry for such a LONG post!
Gideon
I only planIt'll be me and one kid
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