Tarp help Please!?

[BlazeAway]

Yeah. Big mistake. Shug is kind of the man, though there is many men here at HF.

[Sambeaux]

I have another question.. Haha! Is there a sleeping bag that is specifically made for hammock camping? I have seen some that have straps to connect to the foot of the hammock to prevent sliding.. If there are what are some good ones?

The Big Agnes Horse Thief sleeping bag.. This bag is more like a top quiilt with the insulation on top and sleeve on the bottom for a pad. This keeps the pad under you if you wriggle about.

[Bubba]

Colbysteed so how is everything working for you so far?

[Big Papi]

I used the ENO dryfly this past weekend, in a steady rain, and it kept me dry. So as far as that goes, I have no issues with it. It feels sturdy, like it would hold up well ina storm. With that being said, I will still probably upgrade to the chinook 12x14 tarp soon. Slo has one and I hung with him and others at the ohio hang this weekend. The chinook is huge. has doors, and would be good for riding out extended foul weather. Being a big guy, I want something I can stand under and get dressed or packed up and the ENO just wasn't big enough. but that is not a knock on the eno, just on the overall size. I am also looking at the kelty noahs tarp 10. My buddy used my noahs 9 this weekend, it looked a bit bigger than my eno, better coverage. The noahs 10 only weighs a few ounces more. Since I am not a gram weenie, it would be no big deal. I look at a mix of weight and comfort, not just weight. I am big and strong, so i can handle a few ounces.

[rjcress]

colbysteed, if I were you, I would look into an IX UQ.
IX (Insultex) is a foam insulation product that is will work even if it gets wet.
I kayak in the summer and would not dream of kayak camping with down anything. If down gets wet, it won't insulate. I'm sure there are others that use it and are comfortable with their means of keeping it dry, but I think it is too big of a risk.

You've mentioned a couple of times that you don't see the need for bottom insulation. I think that it will only take an hour in a hammock at night in 70*F or less to change your mind on that.

I've used a thermarest Z-lite pad in my hammocks and it worked OK. I didn't have sweat/condensation issues, but did have trouble with it bunching up (it folds like an accordian) and getting it positioned right under me.

A few things that you might want to check out:
A good overview of tarps:
http://gear-report.com/camping-hammo...-illustration/

Actually, I've got a bunch of stuff in my hammock section that might interest you:
http://gear-report.com/category/hammock-2/
Much of it is DIY related, but there are a few good overview articles that will help with the learning curve of how to properly set up your hammock system.

[colbysteed]

I have finally Got all my gear in and have had a chance to set it up a couple of times. Everything looks like it is going to work out GREAT! I also got some great deals on Tarps, I went to Hudsons Its kinda like a return salvage store. Found a bunch of huge tents that all they had left were the Tarps to them. I made off with two 15x15 tarps that are light weight, great quality for $11. I'm going to try make some DIY tarps out of them. The whole bag situation.. I think I'm going to buy another one I don't see the one I bought working out very well.