Decided to test my new NA during tropical storm "Andrea" in central MA.
Conditions: 45F, 2.68in of rain, and wind gusts up to 27MPH
Gear: Clark NA w/XL Rain Fly, Siris 40F bag, webbing+biner+rings sus
Headed out around 8:45PM on Friday evening in the woods of a friend who has a couple acres of land to work with. Found a suitable spot for two hammocks and got to work.
Kept with Clark's advice to leave the tarp connected to the hammock for the first hang. This kept the hammock dry throughout the setup process, which overall took about 15 minutes in the dark and pouring rain. My opinion would be to detach the tarp from the hammock even if its the first time, it seemed to add a layer of complication that would have been easier with a traditional setup. (Sliding the bungie around in the rain was a pain). Secondly you are going to want to ditch the poly rope that comes with the hammock. Sure it's strong but it was super slick in the rain, almost unusable.
I wanted to test out the "built in insulation" down to 35F that Clark states the pockets under the hammock act as. Using a summer bag I never felt cold except in the footbox as there are no bags there. I would say if you are a warm sleeper like myself, 40F will feel fine without a UQ. I deployed the weather shield on the hammock itself for a bit of extra warmth and wind protection (it shouldn't be used as waterproofing, because it isn't waterproof). I have to say overall the weather shield definitely keeps the cold out, as opening the shield to check the temp revealed it was really holding in the heat without getting all condensation covered inside.
In the morning I awoke completely dry and the storm was over. The Rain Fly tarp proved to be completely waterproof, and it kept out the wind without coming loose at all.
Overall I was very happy with the purchase, even though its more expensive than other hammock options. This thing will end up being a great harsh weather and winter hammock. Sure it could be lighter for the summer, but it is an all arounder IMO.
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