Brand new-seeking advice

[iHammock]

Hi there, I have been a long time admirer of hammocks, but not a big user since my last one got wet, dried, got sun burnt and then dumped me on the ground through the middle of it-it was a couple of years old and was only a lounger but niot the most fun I can assure you.

So move ahead a couple of year and I am thinking of getting another one, however not many places sell them in New Zealand.

Somehow I stumble on to this forum and then that led me to see many different brands, so now I am considering giving up my tenting ways and going for a hammock.

Partly for camping/hunting/mountaineering, partly for motorbike/car/bicylce/kayak/etc touring, and partly just for lounging in the sun!

However the options are quite dazzling, I have sort of settled down to a few choices the Clark, the Hennessy and the Mosquito Hammock.
I dumped the HH as I just can not fathom the entrance, seems like a weak point to me - of course I am just going on web images but hey, thats why I am posting!
So that leaves me with the North American Clark and the Jungle Mosquito Hammock, and its these two i am mostly interested in-but i will listen to anything.

Now the Clark is twice the price and then some, so is it twice as good.
I am 5'10'', 154 lbs (178cm and 70 kgs), so it does not have to be a monster, but it must be strong.
Seems to me that the main difference is that the Jungle has one zip, the clark has two, the clark also has the weather shield, and the pockets, the jungle does have space for a pad (which I have several of).
My main query is in regards to the weather shield-does this make a difference in regards to waterproofness and comfort?
is it possible instead to buy a cheaper Jungle hammock and then add my own wathershield (I am fairly handy) there are a few other mods I would probably do to, in regards to the net and the attatchment points, the fly etc.

the other query i have is that the clark seems like you can pull everything out of the way if you just want to sit or longe without worrying about the netting, does the jungle share this too?

please help

Shelley

[te-wa]

the first thing that came to my mind when you listed your height/weight was the Bear Mountain Bridge Hammock or BMBH by Jacks'rBetter.
These guys are a hit in the states, make some **** fine products and a bunch of the guys on here are die hard fans of the Bridge design. I liked the style so much, I made one of my own and about to make another.
As far as comparing the Clark UL to the Claytor JH, I would chose the Claytor any day. This may ruffle some feathers but I think the Clark is overbuilt, and the pockets are "gimmicky".
Do Kiwis have the same type of bugs as in OZ? those little midges? I spent 3 weeks in NZ and had no problems in May with bugs. Maybe you can go for a NO net Claytor. Thats a sure way to save weight, IMO.

[iHammock]

Nah we get nasty biters here, no diseases but very itchy, especially in the South island, but generally anytime and place in Summer so a bug net is essential.

Is overbuilt bad-just wondering about the dtorm shield really, oh and the tarp seems nice on the clark.

[slowhike]

What ever you get, take care of your hammock & it will take care of you.
If you're going to leave it up in the sun, you would probably want to leave it covered w/ a large tarp.

[fin]

Nah we get nasty biters here, no diseases but very itchy, especially in the South island, but generally anytime and place in Summer so a bug net is essential.

Is overbuilt bad-just wondering about the dtorm shield really, oh and the tarp seems nice on the clark.

If you are handy, you could add the weathershield fairly easily. It is just a seperately zippered ripstop piece of fabric. Add another zipper parrellelling the opening/zipper for the bugnet, and a piece of fabric gussetted to hammock which overhangs the zipper, and you have your weathershield. I am a big fan of the Clark Tarp and how the hammock attaches to the tarp to support the bugnet and weathershield. Most other hammocks require a seperate ridgeline to support their bugnet or seperate lines to attach to the trees, which is really no big deal, but I like the simplicity of the Clark stock setup.

I also really like the JRB Bridge, but I would add a zipper to their bugnet.