Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: PEARL DRUMS on June 28, 2014, 09:12:37 am
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Any backpackers out there? After enough sleepless nights and flat inflatable pads, Ive decided to start hanging. The tarp and hammock, with no see-um mesh, weighs less than #4 together. My BA Air Core pad, 5/8 ground pad and tent weigh #9 together. #5 is ALOT of weight to lose. I can now fit my hammock, tarp and sleeping bag in my packs sleeping bag compartment. I don't like more than #30 (including pole, tackle, tomahawk and stool). Without a few pounds of water in my bottles Im well under #25. That's for a 3-4 day excursion. The whole hammock set up was under $150 to put together. ;)
The hammock is a Hammock Bliss model - 1 1/2# plus (2) figure 9 clips
The trap is an Egret 10 x 12 - 2# plus rope's
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Looks cozy and ultra lite... 8) To warm for me now though...
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Air goes right through it Don. It feels kinda' weird really. It cant wet either. Water cant soak in, it falls right through. Very cool material.
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Nice setup, Pearldrums. Does the netting and hammock come together or do you have to get the mesh separate and design it to fit?
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Nice Pearlie, but you could cut out some more weight if you leave the bird feeders at home.
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FAW the netting and hammock is sewn together along one side and zippered on the other. There is a little 6 x 6 pouch sewn to the zipper side also, you can see it hanging down in the pic. The whole thing stuffs inside itself.
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Nice Pearlie, but you could cut out some more weight if you leave the bird feeders at home.
No bird feeders = no targets for my sling shot Eddie. Gotta have targets to get better! Sling shottin' is a riot around camp.
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:)
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nice set up, sling shots are fun, but you need to try an atlatl
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A buddy of mine has a war bird he swears by it. Nice set up I have spent a fortune on backpacking pads to come to the conclusion I despise them all. Trick I have found is to put in so many miles your ready to drop dead and or push on after dark and make a horrible camp in a haste. That way you just fall out from exhaustion :laugh:
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Chris where did you pick your hammock & tarp up at.
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that's pretty much what I use as well! Just be careful cause mosquitoes can bite through the bottom so don't be sleeping shirtless. lol, made that mistake exactly once.
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Yeah! I use the Henessy Hammock. It's great. The only thing, like Primitive Tim said, was the skeeters can bite through any bare skin laying directly against the fabric or mesh. In the summer, no sleeping pad in neccessary, but just make sure you have a sleeping bag between you and the fabric of the hammock.
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Yep, Hennessy here too. In summer you can get away with just the hammock, but in winter it becomes a different story. There's all sorts of under quilts and things to bring (depending on how bad your winter is)
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Chris where did you pick your hammock & tarp up at.
I bought both on Amazon. Hard to find a better deal.
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As far as cooler weather goes, I have a plan! This hammock is reversible. I can slip a pad or quilt between the mesh and hammock, then zip her up and jump in. Should be good, works on paper...;)
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Used to have a couple of the 'Nam Era screened Jungle hammocks - worked pretty good. Just watch the Skeeters, Ya have a good system going - have fun. Bob
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That is exactly like what I stayed in this weekend- only mine wasn't set up as nicely.
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Pearly
try it out at home first I could not rest in it very well , but others do , just hate to see you find out on a trip it is not what you expect!
Take plenty of rope , trees are not all planted at the proper distance, and how are you at climbing the farther apart the trees the higher you have to get the ropes
fog can be an issue makes for a cold wet night
just a few warnings that come to my forgetful peabrain
Have fun , whish that I was in good enough condition to still do it , would love to go with you!
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Guy I can stay 18" off the ground up to about 18 feet apart. After that it gets higher or I run out of rope. I also bought a big fly. It overlaps the very end of my hammock by at least 2 feet both ways. If it was blowing bad enough, or foggy and wet, I could seal each end up and be totally concealed. I used my brother in laws for a nap and sleeping in it was NO problem! Besides, it cant be any worse than sleeping flat on the ground. See ya' later blow up's!
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With last summers trip, and this weekends, I can say that the best thing is to make sure the hammock won't droop too much, or you end up in kind of a wide 'V' shape, which caused my knees to ache after a night last summer. Remembered that pretty quick this trip and tightened things right up. I love mine, and wish I had trees to set it up on at home. It would be great for the really hot, muggy nights we are going to get this week!
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I read where a guy suggests laying on a 20 degree angle rather than dead center. Its almost like being flat, I tried it and liked it.
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Very cool Chris, I way prefer the hammock when I'm traveling light! So much more comfortable!
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As far as cooler weather goes, I have a plan! This hammock is reversible. I can slip a pad or quilt between the mesh and hammock, then zip her up and jump in. Should be good, works on paper...;)
Just watch the condensation, it won't be where you expect ;) But once you get the setup right you're OK. Also the sleeping on an angle thing is good too.
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Wife and I did a lot of back packing in our younger years but never used the hammock method for sleeping. I would think it would be a great way to lighten up you backpack. I think our pack tent weighs about 3# which isn't too bad. The only problem I would see with using a hammock is having space between you and the ground which allows cold air under you.
One thing that I always carried with me is my poncho liner. Weighs ounces and will help keep you warm. Does take up a little space though but well worth it.
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Good idea Jon. A military poncho liner would be the ticket for an under quilt. Light weight and warm. And affordable.
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Nice looking set up. :)
Pappy
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Sportsman Guide has a military surplus one pretty cheap with the mosquito netting. That, a mummy bag for winter and tarp and you don't need anything else as long as you bring your bird feeder ;).
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Nice upgrade, I started about 9 months ago sleeping a hammock and love it. My back has never felt better. I sleep in it every night and If you keep it stretched tight, you will not have as much issue with the knees being over extended. Its also pretty comfy to just pull your legs up a bit and sleep with knees bent. At home every night I use a old sleeping bag rolled up under my knees and it keeps them from over extending. As for cold weather, I have a military bag that is intermediate cold rated and I spent five nights out this winter at 5 degrees or less and was toasty. Find the wool liner, which can be suffocating, so I opened the seams on the side so I could move my arms a bit more. Then I draped a wool blanket over top of me yet. Better yet is to get the extreme cold surplus bag and no blanket or liner needed. I think once you get it going, you will absolutely love it, never go back to sleeping on a cot or the ground.
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Thanks for posting this. I love camping, but rarely am able to sleep for more than an hour or two since I can't stay comfortable. I'm going to look into the hammock route. I like the slingshot idea too!
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I sleep so comfortable that I will sleep longer than I would in a bed.
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I think you are going to make another convert out of me. I've been thinking about trying the hammock for a while now. Looks like all the cool kids are doing it so I might as well give it a go too!
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I tell ya' my bro in law bought his this spring and has used in thrice. The last time my BA went flat he prodded me yet again to get a sling. After a few sleepless nights on the MRT last weekend I finally pulled the trigger. Im quite certain I wont sleep on the ground again anytime soon.
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I really like the idea of those, simple, light and open, and I know a few people who use them regularly. But when I sleep in a hammock I can barely walk when I get up. Something about the upturned knees.
BTW, is that a small bear in the second pic? :D
edit: didn't see the second page. Good plan.
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There's definitely a bit of an art to hanging them properly. If you're getting sore knees, it's probably hanging down too much, aka the rope is too loose. When I hang mine up and get in, I'm not far off flat. Or maybe you need a better designed hammock, it's hard to say without seeing it I guess. I have a hennessy if that helps.
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Kind of getting to be an old thread but - I am a hanger also. I make my own gear and it only takes a few minutes to make a hammock. It takes longer to cut the fabric than the entire rest of the process. My current hammock is a single layer 1.6 oz Hyper D. The fabric is silky smooth and stronger than regular ripstop.
Underquilts can be made fairly inexpensively, unless you want to hang in real cold weather.
I have a hard time sleeping on the ground these days and hope to never again.
Patrick
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Patrick I love my hammock more now than when I started this. Its amazing rest, best ever. I have a friend or two who have made them as well. But that sewn in bug screen and zipper would stop me dead at the sewing machine! Ive since upgraded my straps and slings to a super strong cord my brother in law found. It was expensive, but stupid strong and tiny.