I just returned from a 2-night trip that was my first experience camping with snow anywhere nearby. It was quite the experience, and was uniquely rewarding. Unfortunately, I didn't have room to pack my cameras so there are no photos.
I headed out to Mt Monadnock (a relatively small mountain here in NH) on Friday and was surprised by the amount of snow that was still on the ground, roughly 1' of crusted-top stuff (indicating that there was a lot of freezing-fluctuation where the top layer would melt during the day then freeze at night).
For gear, I assume I was pretty under-prepared, and wanted to test a few things out:
- Grand Trunk Ultralight
- Egret Equinox tarp
- AHE Jarbridge underquilt
- Enoe ATLAS straps
- Wal-mart blue sleeping pad
- 100' Amsteel
- 50' 550 Paracord
- Cheap woot sleeping bag
- Cheap summer-only mummy sleeping bag
I brought two of the hammock-related stuff, because my father had shown an interest in trying hammock camping. It got down to 5 degrees F (-9 with wind chill) and was pretty windy throughout. We had a little snow and a little freezing rain, but even my basic sleep system worked beautifully. I didn't even end up wearing my wool sweater, wool socks, or thermal underwear!
A few things to mention:
The Grand Trunk is a fine hammock, but I'd really like an integrated bug net (they'll be out very soon) and a slot for a sleeping pad (those things slide all over the place). If you're looking for an inexpensive way to solve the 'how do i stay off the ground' problem, this is a great option. I really love the integrated stuff sack that's stitched into it (makes for a great place to store a flashlight and extra pair of socks).
Amsteel is good for knots you don't intend to untie. I brought the paracord along (despite its 'stretchiness') because it's relatively easy to untie when I'm done for the night.
My sleeping bags are awful. The heavier of the two is very heavy and very bulky, and the small light one is really only good down to around 45F or 50F - virtually useless. I compromised when buying these as they were only ~$40 for the pair, and while I made them work it's a much better idea to just buy a proper bag from the start. I put the thin mummy-bag inside the bigger heavier bag, and the extra air between the two provides me with a bit more 'insulation'. It's warm, but if you've ever had troubles wriggling into a bag and zipping it up, you might only be able to imagine the pre-sleep dance required to wriggle yourself and a mummy bag into another bag then zip the second bag around the first. It was a good budget proof-of-concept as to how much insulation I need, and I'll probably use the lighter bag in the summer, but I definitely don't recommend doing this to anyone.
The AHE underquilt - Absolutely love it, excellent investment, no regrets at all. It doesn't necessarily excel in any one area, as it isn't ultra warm or ultra compact or ultra cheap, but it's a superb balance between the three. If it's good enough for me to be snug in 9F weather, it's good enough for anything I'm going to throw at it. One of my stuff sacks disappeared on me though, so I REALLY wish they'd stitch the stuff sack to the side like Grand Trunk does with their hammocks.
Enoe Atlas straps - I have the standard Atlas Straps, and love them. I suppose they're heavy for ultralight hikers, or too short for some trees, but they're super convenient and I trust them to hold me up every night.
Unfortunately, I bought what I thought were a second set but are actually the Slap Strap Pro. They are absolutely awful. The loops you attach your hammock to are spaced about 1' apart, so forget about adjusting your hammock's hang unless you have a more complex hammock attachment than a standard hook/carabiner. Massive disappointment, don't recommend at all.
The tarp was surprisingly good for the money. I like the size, it covered me pretty well, the price is DEFINITELY right, and they're reasonably rugged. It's all single-stitched so I don't know what kind of longevity to look forward to, but after 2 nights I couldn't see any visible defects presenting themselves. I still need to figure out a stuff sack for these, as they're just shoved into my pack right now and that won't do at all.
Finally, I picked up a Sven saw, and the tomahawk I typically bring didn't get used at all. I don't think that tomahawk ever will be used again. The Sven is nothing short of awesome.
In summary, this was a great couple of nights in the 'cold' and was a great way to prove this system and be sure that it's up to the task before taking my girlfriend out for some hillclimb race events this season (we rent a mountain from a State park and race our cars up the nicely paved mountain roads all weekend).
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