More than a few questions

**Ongs-Hat** · 11-07-2008, 19:47

I have a few questions for the professionals here on HF, so instead of starting five new threads I’ll make one big post. I will be starting my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail sometime between March 15th –April 1st of 2009. I have a HHULB with zipper mod and a JRB Nest. My goal is to have a nice balance between comfort, convenience and weight.

Question 1- I am looking to purchase an OES Cat Deluxe tarp what size snake skins should I use?

Question 2- Should I snake skin my hammock and UQ together? What size would I need?

Question 3- I want to modify my HH by cutting the ridgeline so that it reconnects via a carabiner. Should I use a load bearing biner or could I use something like the JRB mini-biner?

Question 4- I would like to update the suspension system. Is there a system for the HH that uses the JRB tri-glides without replacing the stock spectra cord?

Question 5- What size tree huggers? I was thinking 4ft should be fine for the AT, assuming that I adjust the hang at the spectra cord and not the straps.

If this isn’t clear enough let me know.

Thanks

Joe8484

**Mrprez** · 11-07-2008, 20:03

I will be starting in Erwin on May 1st. What I plan to do is to leave my hammock totally setup with my quilt inside and roll it up and throw it in the bottom of my pack. Then the next night take it out of the pack and string it up. Can't see any benefit to using the snakeskins with all that stuff attached to the hammock. I will be using the supershelter system and not an UQ.

**whitefoot_hp** · 11-07-2008, 20:33

Originally Posted by joe8484

Question 1- I am looking to purchase an OES Cat Deluxe tarp what size snake skins should I use?

Question 2- Should I snake skin my hammock and UQ together? What size would I need?

i have never seen the need for snake skins so no comment here.

Originally Posted by joe8484

Question 3- I want to modify my HH by cutting the ridgeline so that it reconnects via a carabiner. Should I use a load bearing biner or could I use something like the JRB mini-biner?

IMO, you might get away with a mini biner, but then you might not. But, you don't really need a load bearing biner either. you are kind of caught between biners here! The weight that ends up being put on ridgelines is not as much as you think, but some on here have calculated this and might tell you.

Originally Posted by joe8484

Question 4- I would like to update the suspension system. Is there a system for the HH that uses the JRB tri-glides without replacing the stock spectra cord?

No. Not unless you tie the spectra cord to some webbing. tri glides won't work on rope. You would have to buy some 10-15 foot pieces of webbing and tie them to the hammock with the spectra cord, then cut off all the excess cord.

**koaloha05** · 11-07-2008, 23:22

Not a pro, 1st season hammock user.

Q#1. I pack the MC Deluxe into a cut down SS #4. Even with the excess length of SS removed it still weighs in over an ounce. Packs relatively soft. Easy to fold, crush or compress into whatever shape you want. SS do allow you to rig, but not deploy your tarp. Nice for clear nights that may turn nasty. Makes setup and packing bit easier/quicker for me in windy/wet conditions. But an ounce here and there start adding up.

Q#2. For one moment I tried packing the HH ULBP, SS undercover and Nest into a SS#4. Too tight for me. Consider a Bishop Style bag of suitable size. Probably will not weigh much more than SS #4 if made of 1.1 silnylon or Spinntex XP. If you have $$s Cuben 0.33 oz/yd2. Could save weight and $$s by just placing the ULBP+Nest unbagged stuffed into the bottom of your pack.

Q#5. 4ft hugger will only give you couple wraps around an 8" tree. May want to carry one additional 4ft length to connect to one of the tree huggers for a larger tree. But then you are adding another few ounces to your load vs. spending more effort looking for suitable trees.

**Nest** · 11-08-2008, 00:51

For a thru hike I would suggest going to a ring buckle or cinch buckle setup. When you are setting up your hammock almost every night for 6 months you don't want to be tying the complicated hennessey knot every time. Especially if it's raining. The two things you will probably dislike most about the day is setting up and taking down camp. It's boring, tedious, and monotonous. It's really nice to just wrap the webbing aorund the tree, and cinch it up. I used a bishop bag with cinch buckles that were always attached to the hammock. I could have camp setup and taken down faster than anyone else in a hammock or tent. I could usually have my hammock and tarp up and staked down in less than 5 minutes from the time I took my pack off.

**elcolombianito** · 11-08-2008, 04:24

Originally Posted by joe8484

Question 1- I am looking to purchase an OES Cat Deluxe tarp what size snake skins should I use?

IMO. A 1 - it's not a need, but it's definetly convenient. I only have a pair of snakeskins, from hennessyhammock's website, which i used for the hammock but now use them for the tarp (made the blackbishop mod on the hennessybag for the hammock and small fly); I carry my HH hex poly tarp (132"x 120") in the #4 skins.

And regarding question 4, i also recommend the ring buckle as a system upgrade requiring no mod to your hammock. My current s. system uses webbing, rings and the stock hh suspension cord. It's my adaption of the garda hitch way suggested by TreeDweller. I use the rope to go through the rings with a garda hitch; but previously the rings are a attached, with a bowline, to one of the ends of long straps of polyster webbing(really long tree huggers, with no sewn loops), the other ends goes around the tree as many times as i need and attach it to the rings also with a bowline, the i do the gardahitch with the rope on the rings.

hope this helps you out.

**bear bag hanger** · 11-08-2008, 08:18

I did a 04 thru hike and have had experience with everything you've asked about.

1 & 2 - I've used snake skins, but grew tired of them. They are a little extra weight and don't seem to make things much easier, but a lot of people like them a lot.

3 - A mini-biner won't work. Several people on HF have broken the ridge line, so while there isn't as much weight as on the support lines, it needs a real biner.

4 - I now use the ring buckle system, makes life so much easier. Use the stock HH lines to attach the rings to the hammock, cut off the excess line and then get about 12 - 15 feet of one inch wide webbing for around the trees and back to the rings. See Just Jeff's website if you need more information.
http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeGe...eSupports.html
The JRB triglides work just as well, but the HH hammocks are hard to attach directly to webbing. I did it with my HH, but the ends of the hammock eventually frayed so much I had to get a new hammock (a Claytor, which I wound up liking a whole lot more than the HH).

5 - if you take the advice of #4, you no longer need tree savers.

**Ramblinrev** · 11-09-2008, 11:00

I like the snake skin on the tarp for a couple of reasons. I like to set my tarp up first and the skins keep it out of the way while I set the hammock up. If it is raining I set up the tarp and work under it. No rain.. I would rather stand than stoop under the tarp. The second reason I like them is so I can leave the tarp skinned on a good night but still have it quickly available if it turns rainy. The bishops bag is great for a hammock but for the tarp I really like the skins. Plus the wind doesn't blow the tarp around as I am trying to string it.

I use ring buckles and love them.

I am rethinking the skins on my hammock. The biggest reason I went to them was ease of packing the hammockm but as has been stated that is not always the case. The second reason was so I could keep the tarp pitched in bad weather but skin the hammock so I could cook under the tarp without fearing that I would melt my bed. But will all the uq and various other stuff I think there are easier ways of managing that feat.

**Doctari** · 11-09-2008, 16:59

Oh such a can of worms you opened

Q 1: the OES comes in a nice stuff sack, that is what I use. Takes a few more seconds to put the tarp away, but teh stuff sack takes up less room.

Q 2: I leave my underquilt on the hammock, Snakeskins would work, but I use (& like better) the Black Bishop bag set up. (a good version of this is at http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...t=Black+Bishop )

Q3: Don't have an hennesy, sorry, no help there.

Q4 & 5: I would go to the ring buckle set up! Like Nest says, setting up your hammock every night, many times in the rain, you don't want to be standing around tieing a complicated knot.
My fastest time with the Hennesy knot was about 1.5 minutes for both ends, with the ring buckles & 2 climbers biners, I'm up & swinging from the trees in under 15 seconds. I leave the straps & biners attached & in the BB bag, so all I have to do is take it all out of my pack, clip to the tree I want to be the foot end, & then walk the few feet to the head tree, clip on then pull the straps tight. Like I said "15 seconds".

BTW: I had a "DUH moment" I like the idea of leaving the upper quilt in the hammock as well as the underquilt. I have no idea why it never occured to me. Down to the sewing machine for me.