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  1. #1
    Senior Member E.A.Y.'s Avatar
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    New toys test hang

    I went for a hang last night in a local state park (developed) campground last night. Since it was getting dark, I randomly picked a campground at the self registration since I didn't want to have to drive around aimlessly more than once.
    I lucked out with my choice and found 2 trees the right distance apart (minimum distance, actually) even though they were on a slope covered with gopher holes. I staggered through holes all evening like the party-hardy group across the way but without the hangover! Saw no gophers. Perhaps they were at the party.

    Items I was testing/playing with: a shiny new Caldera Cone, a version of whoopie sling suspension, my new JRB 11x10 cat tarp, my not-really-new-but-who-is-counting JRB Shenandoah quilt, and finally the over-the-tarp ridgeline idea.
    Even though I drove up to camp, I did load everything on my Molly Mack Pack (all of 17 pounds - I'm getting lighter - the filter and umbrella I did not bring would add just a little bit to that. As would the water I did not carry - so probably 20? Way better than 40!).


    The low was 43 degrees. Discovered that I am (at least last night) a cold sleeper! I was perfectly comfortable in my 30 degree down bag and wool longjohns and a wool hat, but just the 40 degree Shenandoah as an underquilt was not quite enough. So I slid my Oware (very large very thin) insulating pad between the layers of my DIY hammock and was toasty warm all night.
    At the midnight nature call I added my fleece vest under my shoulders since they were feeling just a little cool from the shifting breeze: the wind had picked up a bit and shifted around to blow in over my head. Grrr. So I ran around closing off the ends of my JRB Tarp. Very well designed piece of equipment - lots of possible places to stake to the ground and it is long enough to enclose my excessively long hammocks.


    I slept in an hour later than I normally do: not too warm, not too cold, just right. Difficult to pry myself out of the hammock in time for my rehearsal (trombone/euphonium quartet for Christmas). But bribed myself with tea on my spiffy new Caldera Cone stove (I had made an add-water meal the night before). I like this stove system (I use Esbit tabs), and since I already have a plastic tube as part of my Molly Mac Pack system, I already have a place to carry the cone.

    Love Love Love whoopie slings and toggles. I'm going to bring my own toggles next time - was utterly unable to find appropriate sticks especially in a well-used public campground in the dark, so I rooted around in the car for a ballpoint pen which I disassembled for toggles. Worked fine.


    My tree huggers are on the long side, so even after wrapping 'round the tree an extra time, I had a lot of hugger left, so my whoopie slings were as short as they could be.


    I probably could have raised the foot end of the hammock more (hard to judge on sloped site) but was comfortable enough.

    I like the over the tarp ridgeline: I used Marlow Excel Pro (2mm sheathed polyester sailing line) for both the prusiks and the ridgeline. I discovered that, as I suspected, the line did not hold well to itself, so I took the core out of the two lines prusiked to the tarp and that made the line soft enough that it gripped the intact ridgeline just fine. I did try the reefing line idea that Shug shows in his video, but I prefer net tubes to contain the tarp. I'm going to leave the tarp on the ridgeline between times.

    Now I've just got to get out and backpack!
    -Liz -

  2. #2
    Senior Member angrysparrow's Avatar
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    Apr 2007
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    near Memphis, TN
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    Looks like a nice little overnighter..

    With all your MMP sacks being the same color, do you have problems locating items quickly?
    “I think that when the lies are all told and forgot the truth will be there yet. It dont move about from place to place and it dont change from time to time. You cant corrupt it any more than you can salt salt.” - Cormac McCarthy

  3. #3
    Senior Member HappyCamper's Avatar
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    Aug 2007
    Location
    WV
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    JRB11x10 Z-P cuben
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    webbing, Dutchclip
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    Nice report. Good to know what is working for people. Hope you get out on the trail soon!
    Exercise, eat right, die anyway -- Country Roads bumper sticker
    Fall seven times, standup eight. -- Japanese Proverb

  4. #4
    Senior Member gunn parker's Avatar
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    May 2007
    Location
    Perth, Western Australia
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    Cat cut tarp
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    Quote Originally Posted by eay View Post
    My tree huggers are on the long side, so even after wrapping 'round the tree an extra time, I had a lot of hugger left, so my whoopie slings were as short as they could be.
    Hi
    Mine are long too what I do is stand facing the tree with my back to where the hammock will be. then with a loop in each hand wrap around the tree and back to me so that the middle of the webbing is near me, the loops go around the back and then to the front.

    The put the two loops together and put the toggle in as normal.

    I hope this makes sense

    cheers
    Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.
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    Proud member since May 2007

  5. #5
    Senior Member Rat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Bertram, Texas
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    DIY 126 x 60 Tablecloth
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    Looks like it is all working out nicely for you eay! For future reference you can tie the toggles in with a Marlinspike Hitch and get them closer to the tree in the event you are too close for the whoopie sling adjustment.

    I really really really want a new winter type tarp, but it is going to hafta wait until after the new year. Glad the JRB worked for ya because my hammocks run long as well.
    "I aim to misbehave." - Capt. Mal Reynolds
    Mind of a Rat Youtube Channel

  6. #6
    Senior Member
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    Dec 2007
    Location
    Mountainside, NJ
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    depends on weather
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    Nice report, eay. Thanks for sharing. I am going to try the over the tarp ridgeline soon - it does seem to have some advantages.

  7. #7
    Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Grand Rapids, Michigan
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    big JRB tarp
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    Good report. I used a Caldera Cone this summer here in Colorado and after starting with the alcohol stove ended up preferring the Esbit tabs as they are so light and easy to use. Regardless... the Cones rock! I have one that fits my Titan kettle.

  8. #8
    Senior Member E.A.Y.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gunn parker View Post
    Hi
    Mine [tree huggers] are long too what I do is stand facing the tree with my back to where the hammock will be. then with a loop in each hand wrap around the tree and back to me so that the middle of the webbing is near me, the loops go around the back and then to the front.

    The put the two loops together and put the toggle in as normal.

    I hope this makes sense
    Yes, that makes sense - I was just stuck on the idea of loop through a loop and then the toggle.
    I like having long straps since sometimes trees out here are HUGE.
    -Liz -

  9. #9
    Senior Member E.A.Y.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by angrysparrow View Post
    With all your MMP sacks being the same color, do you have problems locating items quickly?
    Not so far! I pack things pretty much in the same sacks each time and the contents of different sacks feel different, so that's been OK. Some of the sacks are one-of-a-kind so that helps also. I've considered writing on the end of the sacks with a sharpie, but so far have not done so.

    There is a big sack that has a compression strap for my quilts/bags/hammock. Then there is a hard-sided tube that has the Caldera Cone and assorted things that should not get squished or that could poke holes in other things. There is a little flat sack that has my stakes and a potty trowel and other hygiene items. These three sacks are all unique shapes.
    Then there is a lumpy sack with the cook pot and the first aid kit and a rain suit and spare platys and whatever else is left over (the first aid kit is always the last item in). Finally there is a squishy bag (same size as lumpy) with spare clothes.
    For this trip, the Oware pad just went nekkid, but on the trail it gets a sack of its own. The tarp and the tree huggers go straight on the pack, and my Jerry Chair went under a cinch strap (I ended up not building a campfire so used it just as a foot mat under the hammock).
    In rainy weather the rain gear will be where I can get at it more quickly.

    If my brain is turned on when I load the pack up, I put all the openings of the sacks on the same side so if I want/need to, I can just prop the pack up on one side and dig into the sacks.
    -Liz -

  10. #10
    Senior Member E.A.Y.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hogn8r View Post
    Marlinspike Hitch
    doh!

    Quote Originally Posted by Hogn8r View Post
    Glad the JRB worked for ya because my hammocks run long as well.
    If I'd brought the really long hammock (10 foot ridgeline) I still would have been OK!
    -Liz -

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