I ended up buying a ENO Junglenest. I got it at got your gear on sale for about ~$70ish. I'll post pictures of it in use once Amazon delivers my atlas straps. But from first look, the netting seems to be really strong and has a very, very large amount of holes per square inch. The hammock itself seems very well crafted, i'm going camping the 14th of march, and i'll make a separate thread of it in action.
All good advice. Just don't be run off by the cost of some of these setups. Price doesn't always equal more comfort. While I have a decent under quilt I get more use out of my home brew poncho liner. Start out simple and soon you will be all consumed.
I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.
-Albert Einstein
Here are the answers to so many of your questions in a nutshell:
Click: Derek Hansen's blog
Since you're already convinced of the benefits of hammock camping, I suggest you skip right over to "Basic Hammock Setup". Derek is a member here (Dejoha) and his writing and illustrations are excellent! If you can, buy his book. Derek makes it all so clear and shows how really simple it is. His book is the best treatise on hammock camping since Ed Speer's book!
Welcome!
"Pips"
Mountains have a dreamy way
Of folding up a noisy day
In quiet covers, cool and gray.
---Leigh Buckner Hanes
Surely, God could have made a better way to sleep.
Surely, God never did.
As others have said, there are many off the shelf inexpensive hammocks as well as easy DIY projects. Tarps can be had for very little cash if weight is not an issue and if you get a separate bug net, your back side is protected and you choice of hammocks goes way up. When I was a newbie, bottom insulation was the most difficult thing to figure out. In Florida, you may very well be able to get by with a sleeping bag (compressed insulation and all) on warm nights. I'd advise not even trying a pad, but that's just me. I've tried and tried to make them work, I even bought a double layer hammock so I could slip the pad in between the layers... all I got was condensation and a fourth hammock (I'm not complaining about that).
I'd recommend a summer down under quilt, maybe 2/3 or 3/4 length. Nothing works as well, PERIOD.
"A bore is a man who deprives you of solitude without providing you with company." Gian Vincenzo Gravina (1664 - 1718)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks