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  1. #21
    Senior Member blackbishop351's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Miguel View Post
    Let's keep in mind "denial" is a river in Egypt.

    Seriously though...if you have a pad and who knows what else lying in the bottom of your hammock, don't you have to move it aside to enter your hammock? With the Claytor your pad isn't even in your hammock. All you do is slip under your underquilt/sleeping bag. It just seems like there would have to be quite a bit of rearranging resulting from entering from the bottom of your hammock.

    Regarding your poll....Claytor hammocks haven't been around that long and he doesn't seem to advertise his products even within the backpacking/hammocking community. The exact opposite could be said about Hennesy. Bottom line....use what pleases you. Until recently I'll bet very few people on this forum or Whiteblaze have ever seen Claytor.

    It's only a matter of tome before Neo will convert you all!

    Have a great day, Miguel
    I get the same utility out of my homemade for a lot less weight....
    "Physics is the only true science. All else is stamp collecting." - J. J. Thompson

  2. #22
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    I like my HH. It has its strengths. I think for a simple all in one hammock it is pretty good. It is hard to beat the bug protection. I have switched to a homemade. But mainly because I like the top loader and sleeping under the stars. If the bugs are out in force, I will definitly take the HH.
    Is that too much to ask? Girls with frikkin' lasers on their heads?
    The hanger formly known as "hammock engineer".

  3. #23
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Miguel:
    Let's keep in mind "denial" is a river in Egypt.

    Seriously though...if you have a pad and who knows what else lying in the bottom of your hammock, don't you have to move it aside to enter your hammock? With the Claytor your pad isn't even in your hammock. All you do is slip under your underquilt/sleeping bag. It just seems like there would have to be quite a bit of rearranging resulting from entering from the bottom of your hammock.
    Not really. Remember, the sleeper and pad lie at a diagonal to the entrance. True, the left edge of a 20" wide pad is over a small part of the sit down part of the opening. But I don't find it to be a significant problem. I just sit down on that edge of the pad and lie back in the normal fashion, and I'm all done. And if I already got mostly in my bag before sitting down, that's all done also. If not, a few minutes extra getting in the bag once inside the hammock ( there were some tricks to learn for this maneuver, but once you figure it out, that's no longer a problem). I guess there are a few seconds of additional fiddling around at sit down time, to make sure you don't displace the pad from where you want it to be. And that makes it a little bit quicker to just sit down on the pad from the top as with the Speer. But I just don't find it to be a big deal, at most a minor inconvenience compared to my top entry. For me, the biggest attraction to my Speer is being able to reach out of the Hammock, maybe even to objects on the ground, and the webbing instead of rope. Now, keep in mind anything I just wrote is based upon using the SPE with the required 20" wide pad. The HH used with a wider pad or without the SPE, particularly with multiple pads for extra warmth, is probably a totally different story! I'm thinking that would be quite inconvenient.

    Regarding your poll....Claytor hammocks haven't been around that long and he doesn't seem to advertise his products even within the backpacking/hammocking community. The exact opposite could be said about Hennesy. Bottom line....use what pleases you. Until recently I'll bet very few people on this forum or Whiteblaze have ever seen Claytor.

    It's only a matter of tome before Neo will convert you all!

    Have a great day, Miguel
    Hey, Neo may indeed convert us all, because this jungle hammock sounds great in several ways. The way I see it, the more good hammock designs and research going on re: hammocks and hamm. accessories, the better. If I didn't already have a Speer and HH, I would probably be looking real hard at the Claytor! But regarding the HH bottom entry vs. the Speer top entry, I have both and can't make up my mind which I like best. They both have distinct pros and cons, and I find both very comfortable. I love being able to just quickly "drop out" of the HH, and I may even find entry quicker and easier if not complicated ( just a little) by pads and SuperShelter. And one of my original preferences of the Speer, ease of sitting and lounging, are no longer as strong of a preference since I figured out how to use the HH as a chair and/or lounger, thanks to Shane Steinkemps (SP?) great video. Now, chair use couldn't be easier.

    On the other hand, for extreme cold conditions, there is something very attractive to the simple as dirt approach of just putting the required thickness of pads in the Speer and lying down! While at the same time, being all set for unexpected ground duty ( ) sense you have plenty of pads with you. And saving the few ounces by leaving the bug net and/or ridgeline behind. Of course, some hate pads in hammocks, which would be the fly in that ointment! But I find them pretty usable. But I also wonder about what kind of development Tom Hennessy might be up to now regarding cold weather hammocking? I bet he is up to something, an advance or improvement on the SS!

    But either way is good, and the Claytor sounds like it might be just as good and maybe better than either. Have you used the Claytor and one of these others? I'm sure Neo has. The reason I ask is, forgetting about the pads for the moment, do y'all claim that it is easier to get inside a sleping bag with the Claytor? I don't know why it would be, but if it is that could be a major selling point.
    Last edited by BillyBob58; 02-26-2007 at 13:26.

  4. #24
    Senior Member
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    The only other "high quality" hammock I've used is a Clark, which is a top entry. The things I like about the Claytor are, the top entry, the double bottom, and the spreader loops for the netting. You must also keep in mind that I'm not into real cold weather camping so I'll probably never invest in an underquilt. A cc foam pad will be fine for my needs. The double bottom was a big selling point for me. Once the pad is inserted it stays in place regardless if it's CC or a Thermarest type pad. Any size/thickness pad can be used and just about any shape including extenders etc. I like the idea that the only things in the hammock itself are me and my bag/topquilt. Nothing moves or bunches up under me regardless off how much I move around. The netting spreader bars really open it up....it's not claustrophobic at all. Regarding weight.....compared to the tent I'm used to, the Claytor hammock feels like I'm carrying a marshmallow! Well...maybe two. I also like the idea of being able to set things on the ground such as a drink etc and still be able to reach it while in the hammock. I'll take a zippered hammock any day. That's about it in a nutshell. The only thing I might change on the Claytor is to continue the zipper up to the top so the netting could be flipped up and out of the way on one side, similar to a Clark. Having said all that, I'll try to keep an open mind and look forward to trying my first HH. Oh yeah....I also like the extra length of the Jungle hammock.

    Can't wait until Spring. I'm retiring in June and plan on hammocking my way all the way to California and back. Prolly have to pick up some longer straps for those California trees!

    Miguel
    Last edited by Miguel; 02-26-2007 at 14:54. Reason: Spelling!

  5. #25
    Senior Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by TeeDee View Post
    Miguel:

    Just reviewed Tom Claytor's Mosquito Hammock site. Raised a few questions:

    1. This picture:

    http://www.mosquitohammock.com/image...HammockZip.jpg

    shows the zippers. Now I'm know that the zippers can be pulled closer together, but they can be made only so close and there will still be a gap between them. In my experience, at least one mosquito will always find that gap. Trying to swat a mosquito in a hammock is not easy.

    The zippers seal up pretty tight. Remember....they don't call it a "Jungle" hammock for nothing! The double bottom prevents any skeeters from biting you butt!

    2. Do you always have to use a spreader bar as shown here:

    http://www.mosquitohammock.com/image...HammockNet.JPG

    on the bug netting? The arrangement for the bug netting using a second ridgeline cord and spreader bars is really getting complicated and is going to take more time. That makes 3 things to hang between the trees: 1. the hammock, 2. the bug net ridgeline and 3. possibly a tarp. If it's raining, a lot of people, including myself, hang the tarp with the tie outs below the hammock tieouts on the trees. It looks like the bug net ridgeline is going to preclude this. Rain doesn't stop the insects, at least in my experience. How do you handle a tarp and the bug netting when it rains?

    You don't need to use a spreader bar but it opens it up quite nicely. You can make one out of a dowel or just grab a stick as in the picture...it literally only takes about a minute. Sometimes I only spread the head end.

    I've hung the tarp very low and the line from the netting has never interfered. If you search his site a bit more there is a pic of the netting being suspended from a sewn loop which is attached to the underside of the tarp. This way you don't need to tie it to a tree and eliminates any chance of pripping in the rain. My tarp doesn't have the loop but I may add one myself.

    3. I like the way Claytor has attached the suspension to the hammock:

    http://www.mosquitohammock.com/image...HammockEnd.JPG

    Good method. Maybe a little heavier than whipping, but easier for a beginner to accomplish maybe??

    4. How do you lay diagonally?? All of the pictures show the occupant laying along the suspension line. Now Blackbishop here likes that, but he seems to be in a minority. Everybody else seems to heavily favor laying on a diagonal, if not even perpendicular to the suspension line. The bug netting as constructed by Claytor would seem to prevent laying on a diagonal. Is this true in your experience??

    I suspect you can't lie as diagonally in a Jungle hammock as you can in a HH. I can sleep very comfortably on my side or my back. I do believe I do achieve some diagonal angle. It seem quite a bit more roomy than say Clark. I really can't compare since I have no experience with a HH.

    5. This picture:

    http://www.mosquitohammock.com/images/picKnotHitch4.JPG

    seems to indicate that Claytor uses all webbing in hanging the hammock. Webbing for the suspension and around the trees. What kind of webbing does he supply? Does he supply enough to go around the trees also??

    I believe the webbing is either 12 or 15' long which has been plenty so far.

    I like the double bottom. Similar to Risks zhammock I believe. I use the HH Supershelter. and just insert extra pads under the hammock and on top of the open cell foam that comes with the Supershelter. I don't have to be concerned with pad placement beyond making sure that it is placed on top of the Supershelter open cell foam pad so that it lies under me. In getting into the HH, I just nudge the pads to one side and enter. The cords on the SS pad move the pads back into position once I'm fully inside. To exit I just put my foot through the bottom entrance/exit, nudge them aside and exit normally. No problem. I don't hassle with moving the pads while moving in the HH. They stay in place just like they would under the Claytor.

    All in all, I like the weight of the HH better than the Claytor and the laying diagonally which seems to be more difficult in the Claytor or impossible.

    The Claytor looks to be good hammock and I'm glad that you are pleased
    with it.
    Good observations and questions....I look forward to trying a HH in the future but in the meantime I'll continue enjoying my Claytor.

    A handshake in thought, Miguel

  6. #26
    Senior Member
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    Postscript to the above post!

    If you look closely my answers are within the quote. I didn't think it would come out looking like that. Apparently I'm just not that computer literate. I thought your print and mine would appear differently.

    How do you repeatedly take short quotes from one post and have them appear seperately from your answer?

    Miguel

  7. #27
    slowhike's Avatar
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    teedee... i'm another one that lays pretty much strait w/ the hammock supports.
    but i also hang w/ less sag... tighter hammock... more horizontal.
    and i use an insulated air mat that's only about half inflated, so i'm laying pretty close to flat. ...tim
    I too will something make and joy in it's making

  8. #28
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    The package from Jacks' came today!!!! The package from Jacks' came today!!!! The package from Jacks' came today!!!!

    OK, I feel calmer now. My Nest and Jeff's design pack cover/hammock storage/water carrier/washbasin have arrived.

    It's kind of misty yucky out so I'll be setting everything up inside (can't get in the hammock in the house) for a trial fitting and look see. On first inspection though everything just looks top notch, and GREEEEEEN.

    Does anyone use a Nest with the Hennessy supersystem? Any benefits/detriments warmth-wise? Again, I just don't want to re-invent the wheel or revisit old topics...

    Best,
    Jeff

  9. #29
    Peter_pan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by skeenut View Post
    The package from Jacks' came today!!!! The package from Jacks' came today!!!! The package from Jacks' came today!!!!

    OK, I feel calmer now. My Nest and Jeff's design pack cover/hammock storage/water carrier/washbasin have arrived.

    It's kind of misty yucky out so I'll be setting everything up inside (can't get in the hammock in the house) for a trial fitting and look see. On first inspection though everything just looks top notch, and GREEEEEEN.

    Does anyone use a Nest with the Hennessy supersystem? Any benefits/detriments warmth-wise? Again, I just don't want to re-invent the wheel or revisit old topics...

    Best,
    Jeff
    Skeenut,

    Glad you got your JRB gear..... BTW, that is green.... we looked into red but the manufacturer wanted twice as much for red... something about long way from China... color options are shrinking in US made 1.1....

    FWIW, please do not put a Nest inside the HH SS, as it is too close fitting.... Thus the Nest will not fully loft and the trapped condensation will exaccerbate the contrained loft problem, thus greatly reducing the value of the Nest.

    Back yard testing in yukky weather is good practice for the AT....be a real hanger and go outside...

    pan
    Ounces to Grams.

    www.jacksrbetter.com ... Largest supplier of camping quilts and under quilts...Home of the Original Nest Under Quilt, and Bear Mountain Bridge Hammock. 800 595 0413

  10. #30
    Senior Member Bird Dog's Avatar
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    I know its been said before, but it should be reiterated....The Jacks make a high quality product and are very knowledgeable about quilts in general. I learned alot from them at the Hammock Forums Winter Hangout. BD
    Just Jeff made me do it

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