New Gear

“So pumped, I just bought a new Hennessy Expedition hammock.”

“got one about 2 months ago meself, danman.....love it.........”

“I tried one last month. It was fun. I'll borrow it again before I buy one.”

“I'm not sure I'll ever go back from my hammock. Way too comfy, and you don't have to worry about waking up in a puddle when it's raining.”

“i am basically a convert. the hammock was so compelling that i think this was the first time i actually accepted adding weight to my pack. it remains to be seen if i can make this work in cold weather but i do have a system and so far it has worked well. congrats on the new hammock danman. you have discovered what i think a LOT of people are figuring out.”

“Jimmy san, the problem with cold and a hammock. What I'm going to try when I get into the Ouachitas in another week is this: I took a fleece blanket (10 bucks) and taped (plastic packing tape) a space blanket to one side. I lay this in the hammock with the silver side down and lay on it, then I have another fleece blanket that I put over me. Of course I have layered fleece clothes and my allweather jacket that I wear to bed too for warmth. Seems to work good for me. And the weight that would be taken by a bag is no more for the blankets I carry to sleep with.”

“chappy and ductape,go to www.speerhammocks.com and check his sale. He has some nice QU's on sale..IMO a lot better product than JRB”

“i owned a jacks 'r better no sniveller quilt (a "summer" quilt). when i bought the hammock i bought a jacks 'r better rocky mountain sniveller quilt (a "winter" quilt). these quilts have loops and straps that allow them to be layered on the underside of the hennesy hammock.

also, i have the over/undercover setup for the hennesey asym.

the reason i bought the second quilt was to expand the versatility of my sleeping system.

warmer weather i just use the hammock with the no sniveller.
cool weather i use the hammock with the rocky mountain sniveller
cold weather i use the no sniveller as an underquilt and the rocky mountain sniveller as a quilt inside the hammock
really cold weather i use the same config but use the over/under cover and perhaps add some more insulation to the underside of the hammock.

but i haven't used the cold/really cold setup in winter conditions yet, only in late fall conditions... but it worked REALLY well so i am hopeful.”

“I have noted with some interest, that a LOT of discussion is made about the reason hammocks are cold in the winter is the Air Flow UNDER the hammock.

Please remember that while there is more airflow underneath, the air is also continuing to flow OVER the hammock (BETWEEN the tarp and hammock).

Point: the pitch of the tarp in warm weather should differ from the pitch in the winter....A largely flat pitch in the summer to add airflow and allow view from the hammock is NOT the pitch for use in winter. Pitch the tarp STEEPLY in cold weather to cut Air Flow both over and UNDER the body of the hammock....I guarantee that this will add warmth.

for those of you who know this already, I apologize...but last weekend, I hiked and camped with a number of seasoned Hammock Hangers who, when I mentioned the way they pitched their tarps, were AMAZED at the difference when they dropped the tarp to near the sides of the hammock body....sometimes the obvious escapes us all.....
last edited: 12/20/07 6:17:28 AM”

“I don't bother with all that quilt stuff. I just stick a 3/4 sleeping pad under my butt, put thick socks on, and work my way into my sleeping bag. I sometimes wake up with cold toes, but for the most part I've always stayed comfortable. I think the lowest I've gone was 15, and like I said, cold toes in the morning. I'm a naturally warm person, and I think I might have been pushing the limits that night. I'm not sure I'd bring the hammock if it was gonna be too much colder than that.

Pulling the tarp down steep makes a big diff.”

“ductape - take a small piece of CCF pad (aka a sit pad) and stick it under your feet - this works well for me for keeping the feet warm”

“for all you dorks starting "new gear" threads

WE'VE ALREADY GOT ABOUT 200 OF THEM!

hint: if you start a "new gear" thread, you dont need to start another "new gear" thread 11 days later!”

“a little pensive huh.”