View Full Version : Hammock choice
FanaticFringer
09-21-2006, 23:59
I've got a HH Expedition A-Sym and am looking to upgrade.
Been comparing the HH UL Backpacker and the Tom Claytor Mosquito Hammock www.mosquitohammock.com/mosquitohammock.html
The mosquito is around $60.00. I could probably get the HH on e-bay for close to $100. They both weight about the same with no tarp. I plan on usung my JRB 8X8. I see that the Jacks sell the Mosquito on their site with a slight modification for Just Jeffs gear.
The thing about the Mosquito that is really neat is the double bottom that you can slide a pad or 2 into. No more wrestling with those pads. I even have a Speer SPE and I still wresltle with it.
Would still use my underquilt but it is nice to know I could add a pad and not have to wrestle with it.
Have also been looking at the HH ELR and the Hyperlight but am having a hard time justifying the cost with the shaved ounces.
Any thoughts.............
MedicineMan
09-22-2006, 02:25
with the pad inserted into the double bottom of the MH how do you prevent cold shoulder wrap?
I would choose an HH because of the automatic ridgeline tensioning. It allows you to lay on the diagonal, relatively flat, without fighting the compression of the hammock on the sides.
I have an HH and love it. When the weather cools off, instead of investing extra cash for underquilts and overquilts, I just do this:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1237105816059664855dUbYYu
It probably weighs less than the HH would with underquilt and overquilt combination, and works well when there aren't any bugs.
Of course, it puts you in a bear hug, unlike the HH, but I still sleep better in it than I do on the ground.
alright, I know I will get lots of feed back here..well my winter thru is off..:mad: circumstances just didnt work out as hoped..therefore I will be doing a nobo in early march.and I have been struggling with the purchase of a new tent or breaking down and going to the hammock:-? .I have looked at the hennessy and a few others.. my question is ,exactly what kind of pad is best? can I still use my therma-rest prolite 4 or not? can 1 of you seasoned hangers give me some pro's and con's to the hanging game..thx
alright, I know I will get lots of feed back here..well my winter thru is off..:mad: circumstances just didnt work out as hoped..therefore I will be doing a nobo in early march.and I have been struggling with the purchase of a new tent or breaking down and going to the hammock:-? .I have looked at the hennessy and a few others.. my question is ,exactly what kind of pad is best? can I still use my therma-rest prolite 4 or not? can 1 of you seasoned hangers give me some pro's and con's to the hanging game..thx
A pad in a hammock does not work as well as it does on the ground. First, the hammock compresses your bag's insulation on the sides, against your arms most as well as the rest of your body. To get a pad to work effectively, it has to wrap around your body as much as the hammock does. No one makes a pad that wide (except the one available from Oware tarps, and that one's only 1/8 inch thick by 40x50". Not much insulation vs. a 2+ inch bag. I've had limited success by taping "wings" onto a 1/2" thick closed cell foam pad. The problem is also that pads tend to move around under you as you change positions in your hammock.
I've experimented with a winter bag/hammock setup and posted the pictures on my Webshots site - user tinkerdan. Even though this works relatively well, and is lighter than an HH with under and over quilts, I still would opt for a light tent (Hilleberg Akto is my choice for cold weather) and the usual bag and pad combination for the early part of the hike (that's what I used on my March Georgia section hike this year). I was never cold (with a Feathered Friends Great Auk, overfilled with 2 oz. down, estimated low temp. rating of 15 degrees), and was often too warm. A hammock would have probably been fine, but I was only out for 78 mi. plus the approach trail, then I went home. If you're going into the higher elevations of N.C. and Tenn. I would recommend a tent. Snow is very common in March and April there. It has even snowed heavily in May.
You could switch to a hammock after the weather warms up a bit if you are so inclined, or start later and start with a hammock. Those would be my personal options.
I meant to say that a hammock would probably have been fine, had I known that the temperatures would be unseasonably warm this year in March.
hammock engineer
09-24-2006, 22:11
alright, I know I will get lots of feed back here..well my winter thru is off..:mad: circumstances just didnt work out as hoped..therefore I will be doing a nobo in early march.and I have been struggling with the purchase of a new tent or breaking down and going to the hammock:-? .I have looked at the hennessy and a few others.. my question is ,exactly what kind of pad is best? can I still use my therma-rest prolite 4 or not? can 1 of you seasoned hangers give me some pro's and con's to the hanging game..thx
I am just going to carry a cheap 1/4" or 1/2" cc pad. I have an JRB underquilt and a warm down bag I use as a quilt. That with the proper clothing and the McCat tarp has gotten me down to the low teens. I was warm enought that I could go lower. That gives me a worst case setup as me on the ground, on the pad, with the clothes on, in the bag, with the quilt over me, under the tarp. I think I could get pretty low in this setup.
If you do not get an underquilt any pad should work. I would try it out for yourself first. The pads only purpose is to stop the wind. As long as your pad does this and you are comfortable with the weight, than it should be fine.
On the hammock issue, I have a HH but I kind of like the spear hammock I tried out this weekend. I like the removeable bugnet design. I also thought it was a little more stable and comfortable inside. I am planning my first major DIY project for one soon.
Here's the link to Speer Hammocks.
http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/PRODUCTLINK2.htm
Some very innovative ideas.