New to Hammock world, Need Advice

[Campy]

This is my first post, I've been reading the forums for a couple weeks. Lots of great information here. I work for a school in Texas and will be doing my third 8 day camping trip to Pecos, NM with our wilderness program. The last 2 years I slept on the ground with a piece of 6 mil. plastic for a tarp. I've never really gotten a good nights sleep on the 2 trips. I bought a ENO RestNest from Sierra Trader for about $20, then I started researching hammock camping and found this site.

I'll be leading a group of 11 kids and we'll have one of longer routes 40-50 miles with 50-60 lb. packs. Most of our nights we'll be above 10,500 feet with 2 of them at about 12,000 feet. Lows at night at those altitudes can sometimes be in the lower 30's.

I've been using a 20-30 degree synthetic fill sleeping bag with CCF foam folding pad the first year and then I tried a Big Agnes 'air mattress" type last year. I have a new Hardwear Phantom 32 degree down bag coming that weighs a 1.5 pounds, that will cut my bag weight in half.

Would I be okay sleeping in the hammock with CCF pad or a therma rest and the down sleeping bag? For a tarp I was thinking of making something light than 6 mil. plastic tarp, maybe tyvek.

After looking over the forums I'm not sure if the RestNest is the right hammock. It's an 8' hammock and I'm 5' 7". I was thinking about returning hammock and getting something or finding some material and making one.

Any ideas, help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[MAD777]

Welcome from Florida.
Yes, you can use a pad + sleeping bag to stay warm. It's a bit of a trick to stay on top of the pad though. A wider pad will help with that. You can even duct tape two pads together.

A rule of thumb for hammock length is to add 4' to your height. However, some make do with less and some (me for example) like more.

[Shug]

You sure can..........easy way to go especially before investing in the latest hammock goods.
Shug

[jbrianb]

I've gone down as low as 28 degrees with a CCF pad. I added a closed, zipped shut sleeping bag below me so it formed two layers (it compressed the insulation, so it's arguable that it did much or any good) and I pulled a good blanket over the top and tucked it into the CCF pad to seal gaps. I made it fine for a couple of nights.

A tactic some here have recommended -- and that is recommended in the book, "The Ultimate Hang" by Derek Hansen, is warming water at bed time and pouring into a water bottle. Wrap it in a sock or something to insulate it and put it between your legs on your femoral artery. This really warms you up nicely.

Good luck!

[L.D. Cakes]

Pads work just fine as I used one for over a year before I could afford an Under Quilt.

If you're worried about the hammock you have and want to go ahead & make one some folks are making them from tablecloths. Read this thread and you can make a hammock for 13 bucks! They are already hemmed so all you have to do is whip the ends or sew a channel for your suspension.
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=54858

Also here is a vid on how to make a tarp out of 3 mil plastic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqaSY...hannel&list=UL

And one on tying knots:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aPi13Qi-MU

Hope this helps you

[SilvrSurfr]

Sounds like you got it worked out pretty well. However, I think you might have a smoother beginner experience if you get a better tarp. You can get a decent poly tarp for $60 and have better piece of mind. You can skimp on a lot of things, but I think tarps are the critical part of your hanging experience.

[EdD270]

Sounds like you've got it together. You should have nice trees in NM up to the altitudes you're talking about.
I hope it's not a social faux pas to name another forum here, but you might go to BushcraftUSA.com and check out their "Outfitter" store. they haqve very good 10x10 tarps for about $60 and smaller ones for much less.

[crashvandicoot]

If you're going to have 11 kids depending on you, you might want to bring whatever shelter system you're used to using, just in case the hammock doesn't work for you. I think you'll be surprised at just how quickly a hammock can rob you of heat if your insulation isn't dialed in.

[titanium_hiker]

If you're going to have 11 kids depending on you, you might want to bring whatever shelter system you're used to using, just in case the hammock doesn't work for you. I think you'll be surprised at just how quickly a hammock can rob you of heat if your insulation isn't dialed in.

Agreed! If you want to do the hammock thing, this means you need to get used to it at home first.

Also: 50-60lb packs? When I was a kid I used to weigh that much! I think the 'rule' is 1/3 of your body weight for males and 1/4 body weight for females- for a maximum.

TH

[Campy]

Thanks for all the responses to my post. Already checked out the video and some of the links. Figured if the hammock doesn't work out I just go back to the ground do what I've done the last two years. For a tarp I've been using a 8x10 piece of 6 mil. plastic that I tie to some trees to suspend it about 2 feet off the ground on one end and about 1 foot on the other. This is the shelter for me and my assistant leader. I was just thinking about bringing something a little lighter for a tarp this time.

How's the Grand Trunk Ultralight hammock? I was thinking about getting one because it's longer than what I have. I guess I'll hang the hammock I have and try it out to see how it works.

Thanks again for all the help.