scope
10-24-2006, 09:58
Went out this weekend with my HH U/L Explorer for the first time - and I mean really, first time... I don't have any where to put it in my yard so this was literally the first time I've hung! :eek:
This was the section north of Neels Gap, and the first thing I noticed is its hard to find small trees where the straps can wrap around like they're supposed to. I was afraid that this would affect how well the thing stayed up, but it was never a problem. Tying it was easy, although I screwed up one side creating a knot that was difficult to get undone the next day. For not having even practiced before, the 'lashing' as described on the Hennessy website (and vaguely so on the bag) was very easy and I did not have to make any adjustments during the night. :)
I realize this was my first time and that I'm low on the learning curve, but I guess I'd have to say I was disappointed in that I did not lay as flat as I had hoped. I'm a stomach/side sleeper and I found a little too much curve to get comfortable on my side, although pulling my legs in to a fetal position helped. Might have been fine on my back except that my closed cell pad was creating a pressure point on my tailbone. Overall, though, I slept OK, and felt good the next day, despite the fact that rain 'blew' in about 3am and didn't stop until 8am. Plus, I was using a pad and sleeping bag. It was 40 (+/- 2 degrees) out and I felt it would be better to be wrapped up in the sleeping bag instead of using it as a blanket. Probably was best for warmth, but this just made rolling around and staying on the pad more difficult, leading to further sleep loss. :(
Was quite windy in our gap site during the night, but it didn't bother me or the HH. I saw a scout had one setup on Wolf Laurel which was a bit more exposed, and heard he had problems keeping his tarp on, although based on what I see with mine, that must have been a user setup issue. Breakdown was a breeze the next day, both in terms of time and not having to deal with dirt from the ground which might have been nasty with all the rain we had.
While I'm somewhat disappointed I didn't have the experience that I had hoped for, I can't say it was totally unexpected. I knew I was getting into an unknown that had many variables and I'm satisfied with how it turned out. It just made me want to get out again with another setup to see how it performs. If I had the money, I'd certainly get an underquilt - and no, I'm not even going to attempt to sew! - but I think I will try the Speer Extender first with my 3/4 Thermarest. I found it difficult to handle the full length closed cell pad in the hammock so I'm hoping the 3/4 will work better for me - with a small ccell pad as stop-gap for my calves if nec. My hope is that if I'm less constricted with trying to stay on the full pad, I'll be able to adjust enough to lie more flat than I was able to this time. :-?
This was the section north of Neels Gap, and the first thing I noticed is its hard to find small trees where the straps can wrap around like they're supposed to. I was afraid that this would affect how well the thing stayed up, but it was never a problem. Tying it was easy, although I screwed up one side creating a knot that was difficult to get undone the next day. For not having even practiced before, the 'lashing' as described on the Hennessy website (and vaguely so on the bag) was very easy and I did not have to make any adjustments during the night. :)
I realize this was my first time and that I'm low on the learning curve, but I guess I'd have to say I was disappointed in that I did not lay as flat as I had hoped. I'm a stomach/side sleeper and I found a little too much curve to get comfortable on my side, although pulling my legs in to a fetal position helped. Might have been fine on my back except that my closed cell pad was creating a pressure point on my tailbone. Overall, though, I slept OK, and felt good the next day, despite the fact that rain 'blew' in about 3am and didn't stop until 8am. Plus, I was using a pad and sleeping bag. It was 40 (+/- 2 degrees) out and I felt it would be better to be wrapped up in the sleeping bag instead of using it as a blanket. Probably was best for warmth, but this just made rolling around and staying on the pad more difficult, leading to further sleep loss. :(
Was quite windy in our gap site during the night, but it didn't bother me or the HH. I saw a scout had one setup on Wolf Laurel which was a bit more exposed, and heard he had problems keeping his tarp on, although based on what I see with mine, that must have been a user setup issue. Breakdown was a breeze the next day, both in terms of time and not having to deal with dirt from the ground which might have been nasty with all the rain we had.
While I'm somewhat disappointed I didn't have the experience that I had hoped for, I can't say it was totally unexpected. I knew I was getting into an unknown that had many variables and I'm satisfied with how it turned out. It just made me want to get out again with another setup to see how it performs. If I had the money, I'd certainly get an underquilt - and no, I'm not even going to attempt to sew! - but I think I will try the Speer Extender first with my 3/4 Thermarest. I found it difficult to handle the full length closed cell pad in the hammock so I'm hoping the 3/4 will work better for me - with a small ccell pad as stop-gap for my calves if nec. My hope is that if I'm less constricted with trying to stay on the full pad, I'll be able to adjust enough to lie more flat than I was able to this time. :-?