I have been surfing the forum for a couple of months (off/on) as I have been considering hammock camping. I just recently became a member of this forum. I came across hammock camping while I was looking for a lower weight shelter for my solo gear list. I just can’t get my head around tarping yet and I guess Shug has already been down that road and is now a hammock guru.

One of my friends has a Hennessey Expedition Asym Classic. The trees in my backyard are too far apart, so I tied off to my kid’s swing set, which is just barely big enough for a Hennessey to hang. Temperatures were in the lower 50s that night. For my bottom insulation I used a half inflated NeoAir. On top, I used my MH Lamina 45. One of my shoulders got cold a couple of times during the night and for the 4 AM night call, I wound up waking all the way up trying getting out of the sleeping bag, finding the opening under my NeoAir, and then finding my shoes in the wet grass. Normally, I like to stay half-asleep for a 4 AM night call; impossible with the Hennessy and NeoAir. Getting back in was also a major affair as some of you surely know.

The other problem I had with the Hennessey was with my height. I am 6'2" and weigh 170 pounds. Later, I discovered the Expedition Asym Classic is rated for people up to 6 feet tall. They aren’t kidding about that. My friend is 5'0", so it never bothered her, but I just could not find a happy place in the Hennessey (nothing against Hennessey). Either my feet were up in the gather or my head was. I tried to find a good asym laying position, but I just didn’t fit.

I thought about the Explorer Ultralight Classic, but I didn’t really want all the space that a 7’ person would need, especially after looking at the weight difference from the Hyperlite Asym Classic (7 oz. diff.). I am also trying to get my base pack weight down below 15 lbs.

Enter the WBBB 1.7 SL at 21 oz. and good for someone up to 6’8”. Side zip, foot box, shelf, weight, what’s not to like. Add whoopie slings, Dutch clips and a ZPacks Cuban Hex Tarp and I should be off to a good start.

Now for insulation (3-season): I am going with the WBBB SL as I think I am going to be an UQ kind of guy sooner rather than later, so the double layer provides no advantage… or does it. I carry a Z-Rest sit pad already. If I trade up to something bigger for my sit pad, then I could cut down on my UQ. My concern is, with my height, will I have enough coverage with the WB Yeti at 46” and 12.5 oz? Or should I look to the HG Phoenix at 52” and 16.2 oz. as I don’t want to go with a big sit/lower leg pad? Or should I just make my life easy, carry another few ounces, and go with the HG Incubator 20* at 78” and 22.5 oz.

For my sit/lower leg pad I was thinking GG ThinLight Pad 1/4” cut down to whatever size I need. Do you think my legs will be warm enough if I couple this with the 46” Yeti and 32”pad? Is the GG 1/4” pad warm enough for my legs at 20*? I figure my total weight on this option would be 19.5 oz. With the Incubator, I think I would be warmer all over, not have to fight with the pad, and come in at 24.5 oz. with my Z-Rest sit pad, but that is 5 oz more than the Yeti combo and maybe more if I can cut the GG pad down below 7 oz.

Anything else I should consider?

Thanks for your input!