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Kinda shelter related I guess - anybody hammock camp? I'm just getting back into backpacking and I'd like to get away from sleeping on the ground. I'm in MN and plan to do most of my outings in state forests or up north, so plenty of trees. Right now I'm planning on DIY'ing a double-layer hammock and using either an inflatable pad (that I already own) or a foam pad for some insulation between the layers, until I can afford quilts of any warmth. Is this a horrible idea? 
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Aug 19, 2014 20:07
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 07:41 |
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Liquid Communism posted:Eagle's Nest Outfitters does a better hammock than you can make for the money. I think I paid $60 for my DoubleNest, and it's huge and comfy. Cold weather I just toss my winter pad (which is a closed-cell foam pad with a space-blanket style reflective mylar sheet adhesived on top) under me and a quilt I manufactured out of a sleeping bag with a bad zipper on top. Been comfy down to high 30's overnight while deer hunting in northern Iowa. Thanks for the ENO review! I'd seen them at REI and they were on my radar - honestly I mostly wanted a project to make. Turned out to be very frustrating on the sewing machine (lubrication is important!), but it's finished for under $50 to the length I wanted. Splicing Amsteel for the whoopie slings and ridgeline is also a lot more fun than I thought it'd be. Still need to make the tarp but that's more of the same type of sewing.
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Sep 16, 2014 14:31
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PRADA SLUT posted:Are the North Face Thermaball jackets any good, or is down just better overall? Watch steepandcheep for a while, they've been having a lot of down/winter jacket type stuff on sale as winter rolls around. Down's going to be your most packable, and they're not all super puffy. Being able to try it on would be good though.
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Oct 14, 2014 15:55
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Heners_UK posted:You're taking an umbrella? Presumably for the sun protection.
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Feb 17, 2015 01:48
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Tashan Dorrsett posted:Yes, they also warranty pretty much everything including wear and tear so while it's a $30 sock it's a $30 sock that will last you a lifetime. I don't use them because I'm into thick socks + runners, but don't get me wrong I'm envious of the thin sock crowd among whom these are The Sock. Their full cushion (or "Extra" for more!) socks are somewhat thick, and has the same thickness throughout the whole sock, compared to lighter cushion versions of their socks, where the cushion is only in certain areas (sides/bottom of the foot, and then thinner and stretchier on the top). They have socks in six different cushion levels - I haven't tried the ultralights but have a pair of full cushion (nice sleepin' socks) and regular cushion for hiking as they're a little lighter weight.
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Apr 15, 2015 19:44
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bunnielab posted:I have tried napping in my hammock at work a few times and I cannot get comfortable. I tried to lay diagonal but I end up sliding back straight as soon as I drift off. I used a tape to get it set up correctly so I can't figure it out. I live on like 500 acres, about half wooded, so I think doing a little "home" overnight might be called for before I try it in actual woods. What's "set up correctly" -- what do you have? How tall are you and how long/wide is the hammock? Does it have a ridgeline and is it about 83% of the hammock length? Do you have the suspension at about 30 degrees, if there's no ridgeline? There's a ton of moving parts in setting up a hammock, and while it seems pretty straightforward, it's easy to get an uncomfortable lay.
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May 12, 2015 03:21
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bunnielab posted:I have an ENO single and I set it up based on a few websites I looked at. I am like 5'10" and ~220. I had it hung in a sea container so both ends were rigged at alike 7'6' off the ground as that is where the d-rings are. So that's... 55" wide and 9' 4" long. That might just be a bit too small for someone 5'10", but it might be doable! Try making a ridgeline with some rope if you have it (it probably doesn't need to be super strong, this will just be to test). For 9' 4" length, make the ridgeline about 7' 9", measuring from suspension to suspension. That'll give you a consistent sag so you don't have to worry as much about the suspension angle. If that helps, you may want to make something a little more permanent... get something like some lash-it or zing-it, and look up tutorials on splicing, it's kinda fun! Also check hammockforums.net for way more information and sperging about hammocks than you'll ever need.
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May 12, 2015 14:06
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bunnielab posted:Next question: I want to mess around with a tarp to go over my hammock, is there an option in between "$100 purpose built one" and "$15 hardware store tarp"? I have been looking at this 16x16 Kelty but I want to mess around with different set ups before I pick a size. The 12' Kelty tarp would probably work, you're going to lose a little coverage since it's a diamond shape (so not as good in heavier/windier weather), but it'll work. I've also heard good things about the Hennessy Hex. Just don't be like me and DIY a sil-nylon hex tarp if you value your time. Sure $40 or so in materials sounds like a great deal, but it's a lot of (slippery) work. dedian fucked around with this message at 14:41 on May 27, 2015 |
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May 27, 2015 14:26
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OSU_Matthew posted:It's ridiculous how over complicated that thing is. It's a great headlamp, but it seriously took me twenty minutes of poking around to figure out how the battery back is supposed to come off (it's not at all intuitive), and that's not counting the time spent studying the manual to figure out red/dim/lock modes. Once you get it, it's not bad, but it's seriously like trying to set the time on a digital watch--hold function for ten seconds, cycle the mode, hit reset to save the settings, same kinda nonsense. Maybe I missed the part about opening the back in the manual... I just use one of the plastic buckle things on the head band to pry it open a little, and then get my fingernails in there and hope I don't break anything
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Jun 1, 2015 02:22
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bunnielab posted:Any way, I found these socks that I might roll the dice with. I am having trouble finding large enough light weight wool knee socks from a decent brand and these are cheap enough to try. I think with a good sock liner and shoes almost anything should be fine. At the very worst I can wear them as house socks in the winter. Darn Tough socks are awesome, but yeah... not as cheap as those. Then again, you get a hole, you send them in and get a new pair. A few over-the-calf styles in lighter weights: http://darntough.com/men/mens-ski-ride?dt_height=176 dedian fucked around with this message at 01:59 on Jul 22, 2015 |
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Jul 22, 2015 01:54
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bunnielab posted:So, I have burned through about 100' in the last few days trying different splices and what not, and today I went out to buy some more. While at the store I bought a spool of 1.75mm Lash-It with the intention of making a tarp suspension kit from that. Splicing is a lot of fun - once you get used to working with zing-it/lash-it (or braided mason line) size, going back to Amsteel is like driving a train through a tunnel. For a splicing tool, I've had pretty good luck stripping some small-ish gague copper wire (leave some un-stripped at the end), folding it in half, and wrapping the ends together in a little loop to use as a sort of handle to pull it back out of your splice/bury. You don't need nearly as much bury length either with the thinner line, so it's a little easier that way too. Eventually your working end will just break from over-bending, but it'll last a good while.
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Aug 5, 2015 00:35
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bunnielab posted:Oh god I can't stop splicing. Honestly I wouldn't bother with mason line. I have two prussics as drip lines (it's pretty absorbent it does a good job for that) but it's really fiddly to work with. It's not too much smaller than lash-it/zing-it, but isn't as nice to work with. I practiced with it while I was waiting for my zing-it to show up. It'd hold better in a prussic on lash-it (smaller diameter on to larger), but has much less strength, stretches, and is absorbent. Just allow more room on your prussic loop of lash-it for an extra wind and you'll be fine Having perfect tapers aren't as important in thinner line either, as long as you're treating them as "non-load bearing" (don't make lash-it whoopie slings, it's just not worth the weight )
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Aug 5, 2015 04:38
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NaDy posted:Any Osprey backpack owners here care to share their thoughts on their packs? Specifically the Exos 58 and/or Atmos AG 50? I'm pretty interested in both of them as packs for wild camping trips and eventually a 3 week trip in Nepal but I can't really decide between them. I know the Atmos is more expensive with slightly less volume but the suspension system is interesting and I like the separated sleeping bag pouch. The Exos on the other hand is slightly cheaper and larger which may be better to hold my DSLR. I've got the Exos and I've found it to be very comfortable. I don't know that I like the simplicity in storage design, but that's a personal choice I guess. Of course like with most of their packs, the hip belt pockets are kinda useless for non-tiny items.
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Aug 25, 2015 15:38
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Using a pad in a hammock is super annoying (at least the one I have, shoulder width old school thermarest). I got a 20 degree Enlightened Equipment 3/4 length underquilt (800FP down), weighs 19.1 oz. It's probably a bit too warm for above 50-55, but you could also vent it a little. (For reference I got a 30deg top quilt at the same time, which is 20oz, this combo is super warm). Of course it wasn't that cheap; you can DIY some solutions from sleeping bags, hammockforums is your best bet for ideas. The general suggestion is to get an underquilt to the minimum temp you want to be out in; you don't change your bed's mattress during the warm months, you just change what's covering you. I guess a pad would be more flexible if you ever had to go to ground... though last time I tried using a pad in the hammock I spent half the night getting back on the thing or adjusting it. If you're moving around much at all you're going to have to get back on the pad. There's other options for fill.. synthetic if you're in really humid/wet areas. With a 3/4 length you save a bit of weight and cost, and just need something for your heels to rest on (reflectix, sit pad) to insulate from cold. I think a lot of the makers are around the same price, but haven't looked lately. If you had nothing under you in a hammock (pad or quilt) in anything under.. 70, you're going to get cold, it's the same reason you don't sleep right on the ground.
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Nov 3, 2015 02:41
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Look Sir Droids posted:Enlightened Equipment quilts are 10% off right now (according to their FB page), so I think I'm going to take the plunge. They're (construction wise) pretty similar - I think the Enigma used to be cheaper since it doesn't have the extra draw channel and snaps/zipper (makes it a bit lighter too). I'd get the Revelation unless you know you'd never ever want to open up / adjust the footbox (though I can't think of when I've wanted to... but it's there if I need to I guess?) I haven't noticed any cold spots from the footbox, it closes up pretty well. They come with a compression sack, but I've just thrown both my quilt and underquilt in a trash compatcor bag and compressed that as much as I could in the bottom of the bag; it fills up the space a little more efficiently than two tubes of compressed sleeping bag. dedian fucked around with this message at 15:59 on Jan 5, 2016 |
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Jan 5, 2016 15:53
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Yep they come with both storage bag and compression sack. Except when the guy putting your order in the box forgets a compression sack and puts the underquilt suspension hardware on completely incorrectly... they were helpful of course and got things taken care of.
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Jan 5, 2016 18:58
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Look Sir Droids posted:Any Enlightened Equipment users, I ordered a quilt 3 weeks ago and haven't heard peep yet. Order status hasn't changed. I know it says 6-8 weeks, just making sure this is normal. I can't remember my shipping estimate either, but it didn't arrive late. They're making what you ordered, not just shipping what they had in stock (unless you order from their in-stock of course!).
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Jan 29, 2016 05:13
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Rodenthar Drothman posted:In slightly related news, I just bought 3 pairs of Darn Tough socks from Backcountry.com - free shipping on orders over $50*, and the socks were $3 cheaper than amazon each. Still though, $20 socks sting, just about as much as Saxx ($20 underwear when on sale) do, but if these are as good as my Saxx are ... a good investment indeed. In case you didn't know, you can get a free replacement or full refund on Darn Tough socks if you get holes or whatever. You just send 'em in and they send you a new pair.
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May 6, 2016 04:08
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Rodenthar Drothman posted:I did - but what i do now know is: do I need to register or anything? I feel like a dummy because I didn't know I got free replacement on my Tilly's hat, but forgot to register and now can't, so I don't believe I get the benefit. As far as I can tell, no. You fill out their form and send them in and you get a new pair back. http://darntough.com/about-us/our-guarantee
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May 6, 2016 06:33
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 07:41 |
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Ihmemies posted:
I used these for an 11' ridgeline hex tarp, with rolled hems all the way around: https://amzn.com/B01A0U145E In the end very happy with how it turned out but that's the last time I'm doing any large project with silnylon hah
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Oct 2, 2016 20:11
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using pins didn't even come into my mind. I considered paper glue and tape but they seemed overly complicated.