Suspension thoughts...

[esheato]

Alright, I'm rocking a HH Explorer Deluxe Asym Zip and my son has the complimentary Cub Zip that was handed out over last Christmas.

This was my second hang, my sons first time. First, he freaking loved it.....especially since we had a massive downpour and he stayed dry as a bone swinging above the ground. Temps were around 90 during the day and right around 70 at night. I slept in cargo shorts and a long sleeve T. My feet were a bit cold in the morning, but nothing to worry about.

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Secondly, the asym fly isn't so bad....I had contemplated upgrading it, but it's more than adequate for straight rain. Blowing rain might be a different story.

I used the stock HH suspension on my first hang.....and became frustrated quickly with re-lashing while trying to get it adjusted. I bought the Dutchware Buckle suspension upgrade with whoopie slings. Totally awesome! My only complaint is that it forces you to separate the fly, but in my reading, that's a better setup anyway. Adjusting the whoopies with the prussic attached and the skins constantly sliding down the whoopies is just a pain in the butt. On a positive note, I didn't get any rain dripping down the whoopies with the skins over them. Now I'm trying to figure out whether to buy another set of snake skins or a bishop bag; and what to bag versus skin. I'm thinking I might skin the fly and bag the hammock with the ends of the whoopie sticking out to quickly attach to the buckles....I already have them color coded (orange = head, silver = foot).

Pros
I can leave the fly skinned so it doesn't obstruct my view of the stars but quickly deploy in case of weather.
Taut rain fly when in use due to the CRL design.
Better relationship between fly and hammock in inclement weather.

Cons
Two separate stuff sacks (one for fly, one for hammock).
Have to buy more stuff.
Possible wear on fly due to abrasion by cord.

I'll probably leave my sons with the stock suspension system. No sense in upgrading it when he's only a foot or two off the ground anyway and sleeps in a ball regardless of head/foot height. Besides, he'll eventually outgrow the Cub hammock and I'll put a real suspension on his adult hammock (he's 6 now), when I buy one.

As for me, I've already ordered the Dutch CRL. If it tears up the fly, I'll order a hex one and try that out. One can never have too much shade anyway, right?

Lastly, for the record, a lit cigarette burns a hole quick as hell in the bug net....in a perfect little circle too. LOL Whoops....

If there are any glaring mistakes I'm making, feel free to chime in. Thanks for listening.

Ed

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[Bubba]

Looks like you're getting things figured out.

I'm a fan of separate tarp and hammock. Having the tarp separately is advantageous many reasons. In rain you can quickly set up your tarp, get under it and then get dray and organized or use it for cover during a lunch break.

In nice weather you can set up porch mode with the fly high above your hammock for head room and if a storm is brewing you can then lower it for better protection. As you mentioned you can have them in skins yet ready to deploy when needed.

A CRL is not mandatory for a taut pitch. You can always just tie off the ends of the tarp to each tree separately.

[esheato]

A CRL is not mandatory for a taut pitch.

Didn't know that. I am interested in it mainly for the ease of setup and was thinking the taut pitch was a bonus.

[Bubba]

You don't have to worry about friction of the CRL on the tarp if you set up the CRL above the tarp.

[esheato]

You don't have to worry about friction of the CRL on the tarp if you set up the CRL above the tarp.

I was under the impression it went underneath to create a nice crease and shed water......shows what little I know. Thanks Bubba.

[Bubba]

I was under the impression it went underneath to create a nice crease and shed water......shows what little I know. Thanks Bubba.

Over or under the tarp CRL is often discussed. Some like the support it can give from under the tarp whereas some tarps like the Warbonnet tarps that have a slight upwards catenary curve benefit from above the tarp set up. I personally just have lines going from the ends of the tarp to the trees. I use prusiks on the tarp D rings so centring the tarp between trees is the same as using a CRL. It's personal preference really.

[Ridefast]

Looking good!!! Ultimate porch mode, one of my favorite modes.

[longwhitecloud]

Its amazing how much protection those stock tarps do give. I had mine in some real downpours some even with a good wind behind them. Never got wet but lost a bit of sleep worrying about it.