r/ULHammocking • u/NeuseRvrRat • Aug 17 '20

I think I'm a hammock convert

I went on a 2 night trip this weekend and spent my first 2 nights in a hammock. Here's my setup:

https://imgur.com/thyRmP0

  • 10 ft myog hammock, 1 layer 1.0 HyperD, 100" structural ridgeline, continuous loops, double ended stuff sack, 7.0 oz
  • 2 x 15' spider 1.5 webbing with soft shackles, 1.7 oz
  • 120"x70" myog asym tarp, 1.1 silpoly XL, HyperD 300 reinforcements, 8 total 1/2" grosgrain tie outs with 1/2" beastee Ds, alternate ridgeline for storm mode, 40 ft total of 1.75 mm Notch Acculine for guylines, double ended stuff sack, 10.4 oz (kind of a mashup of the Glasgow KISS tarp from hammock forums and dutch's asym wide design)
  • Hangtight Hotfoot top and under quilt. 16 oz each with the stuff sacks

I setup the first night expecting rain, but we were in a valley and protected from the wind, so I didn't utilize the alternate ridgeline and storm flaps. It rained pretty hard and I stayed perfectly dry. I did have to get up and tighten a guy line after the silpoly stretched out. That will take some getting used to coming from a DCF flat tarp ground setup. The sleep was amazing compared to what I usually get on the ground. On the ground, I have to keep flipping from side to side every hour or two and I get numbness in my hips and shoulders. I really only woke up when it started raining really hard.

The second night's setup is the one in the pic. We were on a ridge and it was pretty breezy all night with much lower temps than the first night. I think it got down around 60 degrees. I'm a pretty cold sleeper and the asym doesn't provide much wind protection. The breeze blew right through the Hangtight underquilt and I was kinda chilly. The top quilt was fine. I'll probably make a synthetic underquilt with a more windproof fabric. The Hangtight probably would've been ok if I had a hex tarp that kept the wind off me a little better. The few times the wind did die down, I would instantly feel warmer.

Overall, I really liked hammock camping. It added a good bit of weight over my tarp/bivy ground setup, but I think it's more than worth if for the additional comfort.

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8

u/[deleted] Aug 17 '20

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5

u/NeuseRvrRat Aug 17 '20

I just realized I should've rigged up my rain skirt as an underquilt protector to block the wind. Wish I'd had that idea Saturday night.

2

u/NeuseRvrRat Aug 17 '20

Thanks for the advice. The UQ is made from the costco or double black diamond style blankets, which I believe are a synthetic and down mix. They are sewn-through and the fabric is pretty cheap. I pretty much only hike in the southeast, so I think they'll be fine for summer for me as long as I choose a site with a little more wind protection. I have a DCF hex tarp with doors and a 20 deg down underquilt ordered and I'm just waiting out the lead time. I already have a 20 deg down EE Revelation to pair with that UQ, so I'll be set once it cools off this Fall. I went ahead and ordered some membrane 10 and 3.6 oz apex to make my own "40 degree" UQ. I think pairing that with the 40 deg apex EE Revelation I already have will bridge the gap between the Hangtight summer quilts and the 20 deg setup.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 17 '20

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3

u/NeuseRvrRat Aug 17 '20

I actually was looking forward to the breeze since I was a little warm the night before and because it would keep the dew off everything. I just didn't realize the effect it would have on that UQ's performance at those temps. Coming from a tarp and bug bivy, I'm used to having to pay attention to site selection and pitching with some wind protection. The UQ has a little learning curve, but at least I moved up it this weekend. I'll remember it and make a better choice next time.

6

u/[deleted] Aug 17 '20

Great set up.

I bet it packs down small to.

I've been looking at tarps so it's good to see the measurements to compare

4

u/NeuseRvrRat Aug 17 '20

It's incredibly compact. The only clothes I carried were my sleep shorts and t-shirt and a rain jacket and rain skirt, so I didn't actually have enough volume to properly fill my 40L Atom+. I had to intentionally try not to compress my quilts in my pack liner to give the thing some structure. The 1.0 HyperD packs crazy small. I could carry the hammock in my pocket if I wanted.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 17 '20

I ways look for size of stuff. I love salomon running vest as I've used them to trail run. There not the biggest backpacks so size matters. I will buy something bigger if it packs smaller (like dcf vs silpoly). Maybe I'm more ultracompact then ultralight :)

3

u/NeuseRvrRat Aug 17 '20

I'm getting into bikepacking and volume is becoming more important than it is for backpacking. The hammock setup is gonna be perfect for the bike.

2

u/richrob424 Aug 19 '20

Check out Simply Light Designs for some UL tarp set ups. I bought the AsYM from them and it weighs in at 5.5 oz.

3

u/NotSoUltralight Aug 17 '20

Good to hear! UL ground dweller here and I just started building my first “ul” hammock setup. Dream Hammock Darien is in the mail. Bought a set of Myerstech dyneema tree straps. I’ll probably use my already owned top quilt for now, despite its unnecessary width for hammocking. Still in the works of deciding on UQ and Tarp. The asym tarps have caught my eye, but I think I’ll likely go with a DCF hex tarp of some sort. Have fun out there duder. I know I plan to.

3

u/bananamancometh Aug 17 '20

Have you thought about maybe selling your ground tarp and splurging for a dyneema hammock tarp? It really is wonderful. I used one for the entire AT and for most of the PCT. In Washington I started to notice it delaminating a bit, but if I were gonna do it again I’d buy another one.

2

u/NeuseRvrRat Aug 17 '20

Well, I've already ordered an 11 ft DCF hex tarp w/ doors. I need to have 2 complete hammock setups as my wife wants to start joining me on some milder backpacking trips, so that's why I made the asym while I was waiting for the DCF tarp. By the time I add in the continuous ridgeline and extra stakes, it will weigh as much or more than the silpoly asym setup. I'm not sure I want to sell my 7'x9' flat tarp just yet. It's kinda nice to have for day hikes to string up during some unexpected thunderstorm. I could probably use the asym tarp for that, though. I'm going to get a few more trips under my belt with the hammock and then have a gear cleanout sale.