My Simple Hammock Hints...

[hotelseven]

Hello all...just thought Id post a couple things that I do with my Hennessy Hammock, to make life in a hammock a tad bit easier....

1. I have placed a wrap of silver duct tape on the "foot" end of the hammock main line. Since I have snakeskins for the hammock, this allows me to determine right away (without unravelling the snakeskins) which end of the hammock is which.

2. I use 2 small carabiners hung inside the hammock on the ridge line. This allows me to hang my flashlight(s), socks, etc and easilly unhook them, or slide them up and down the ridgeline. The hammock comes with 2 clasps but I find they are too small to work properly.

3. I purchased an oversized Hex shaped fly for the hammock. The fly is made by Hennessy and fits on any of the hammocks. It is considerably larger than the standard fly that comes with the hammock (Expedition Asym Model). It allows enough room underneath to sit, stand, cook, change, etc. It also fits inside the snakeskins so I dont have to take the tarp off to wrap up the hammock in the skins.

4. I replaced all of the guy-lines on the fly with reflective guy-lines (bought 50 feet for 5 bucks). I was always walking into the guy-lines and pulling them out of the ground, especially at night.

5. I bought 2 expandable poles (10 bucks each) that allow me to raise one side or the center of each side of the fly. It provides a better view out of the hammock and creates a sort of awning.

6. I measured the exact center of the hammock and marked it with a wrap of silver duct tape. I then placed a line level on that mark so I can determine right away if the hammock is level or not. I leave the level on the hammock, even when I wrap it up in the snakeskins.

7. I have tied a prusic knot on the end of each side of the hammock (main line). This allows me to hang a carabiner or two from each knot, and hang all my gear. I can slide the knot up or down the mainline, and either underneath or outside of the fly.

8. The Hex fly I purchased has a number of tie-out points on it. It makes it difficult to find which loop goes where. I colour coded the 2 main tie-outs with...you guessed it....silver duct tape. This allows me to quickly find the points of the fly that I need to attach to the fly-tensioners.

9. I have pre-tied several knots in the shock-corded anti-sway lines from the hammock. This allows me to quickly adjust the angle at which I stake out the lines (making the hammock fuller, or more swayish- if that is a word...)

10. I use a small piece of an old plastic tarp as a ground cover underneath the hammock. It is about 2 feet by 2 feet and provides just enough room to stand on and get in and out of the hammock.

These are all things that took no more than about 15 minutes total to put together. I personally find that they all make the hammock experience even more enjoyable and easy.

Just thought I'd share....

Enjoy!

[prozac]

Hotelseven, nice tips. Would like to add putting a small piece of line tied to either end of the hammock and hanging down a couple of inches where the fly meets the main line to act as a drip leg when it rains. Where did you buy the reflective line?

[hotelseven]

Hey there....I bought the reflective lines here in Ontario at Europe Bound.....I got about 100 feet of the stuff for around 10 dollars CAN....Works pretty good.

I haven't used the drip line idea but I have heard that it works well. I leave the snakeskins on the line so any water runs off them and not into the hammock....

[Magic City]

Very good ideas. I'll be borrowing some of them, and at some point I might even forget that I didn't think of them myself.

[Hammock Hanger]

Hotelseven: Nice list of tips. Most I had already figured out for myself, but listing them here is good for new hammockers. I hadn't ever thought of the level idea, I may try that one. Glad to hear there is another happy hammocker out there. Sue/Hammock hanger

[attroll]

I would also like to find somewhere that has the reflective lines. Does anyone know where I can get some or order some?

[Clark Fork]

Hotelseven:

Getting back into hiking after a 15-year absence is turning out to be quite an eye opening experience. My last intensive hiking was done in Glacier Park in the summer of 1989. My last extended hike was in 1984 when I hiked from Banff to Lake Louise. On that trip I carried over 50 lbs and slept in a 6 lb tent.

I am amazed at the changes. First, 25 pounds+ has disappeared from the typical back packing load. Second there are three startling changes in gear. Now there are trekking poles, hydration systems and the hammock. Besides weight reduction, there seems to be a shift in attitude toward weight in general. Weight economy is a goal onto it self with even hammock maker Hennessy seeking label economy calling its hammock Backpacker A-sym UltraLite rather than ultra light suggesting that weight economy extends to words themselves. I read in one journal that the hiker used caffeine pills rather than having the weight to brew up coffee. One thread I can’t seem to locate any more listed the weight of the big four. Wow. Most were less than 6 lbs. Fifteen years ago, tents were great if they were 6 pounds and now pack, sleeping bag and tents put you under 4 or 5 lbs.

New manufactures are on the scene. I am not sure however, I would be comfortable telling my friends I am sleeping with Big Agnes. But it has been instructive to learn about Henry Shires and the folks of Hennessy. The Internet is bringing out the entrepreneurship that has made this country great. Links published on forums routinely lead you to individuals working from garages who labor to supply the urgent orders of a new generation of hikers. If you want a P-2, wait until November when the manufacturer is back from the hike. I like that spirit. The daypack I bought recently was made in Korea. I think my next pack is going to be made in some garage in Logan, Utah.

I am anxious to pick up where I left off. My last tent was just shy of 4.5 lbs but now I am thinking of a hammock. Last week, I went into the local REI store in Missoula and the sales person invited me to become a member. I said I was a member but it was a long time ago. In seconds, I was called up from my last address in Marblehead, Massachusetts when I first joined in 1963. I just got my new card. I picked up a hammock at the scratch and dent sale for $89.83. Nothing was wrong with it. The purchaser just did not like it. No snakeskins but I will try it a bit and if it takes, I will get snakeskins so many rave about. Also picked up a pair of Leki Super Makalu Cortex for $40.83 so I join the parade of hikers clicking as they march along the trail. Not quite ready to invest in all this bladder stuff that makes up the “hydration system.” I can’t understand why drinking water has to have a fancy name. I guess for the same reason prunes are now dried plums; names sell. I am not sure I want to look stupid sucking on a hose going down the trail. What a sight all this must be to some alien landing from outer space on the AT in the summer months. They report creatures with two legs with two large antennae stroking the ground in front of them all the time gaining sustenance through an external artery running from a huge dorsal sac. They observe the creatures each evening nesting between trees in a reusable cocoon like structure. I am that alien. It is a different world now than I knew just 15 years ago.

Anyway, thank you for some very good tips and hints. Your tips made very much sense. If you would, I would like to know more about your sleeping system, what pad your use, how you keep warm and what sleeping bag or quilt you are using.


Thanks so much,



Clark Fork in Western

[orangebug]

...I am not sure I want to look stupid sucking on a hose going down the trail....
There's plenty of ways to look stupid. Some of us even re-use old "bottled water" containers to carry our water - much lighter than a Nalgene.

What is good about the bladders is the ability to continuously sip water as you are going along. You don't have to stop, open a container, take a few gulps, close the container and stow it back away. It has its own set of problems - tubing will freeze long before the bladder or a bottle will. I use a Platypus but Camelback appears the most popular.

Bill...

[peter_pan]

Clark Fork
Staying warm in luxury is a matter of eliminating the pad and using an underquilt.

[shades of blue]

www.speerhammocks.com has all sorts of gear for hammocks. He sells a partially stiff guy line that is flouresent orange. It always helps me see it at night.
Does anyone have any ideas about how to hang clothes using a speer type hammock and tarp? If it isn't raining, I can use the guy lines that connect the tarp to the trees...but when it's raining..what to do? I usually end up putting them under my hammock on my pack. In the summer, that's not too big a deal, but in spring and fall, it would be nice to be able to dry my clothes a little over night.

[Kerosene]

Good tips, Hotelseven (is that like Motel Six?); thanks for sharing. I'm printing them out so I can follow-up on them before my next trip.

Any idea what the total weight of your final configuration is?

[orangebug]

...Does anyone have any ideas about how to hang clothes using a speer type hammock and tarp? If it isn't raining, I can use the guy lines that connect the tarp to the trees...but when it's raining..what to do? I usually end up putting them under my hammock on my pack. In the summer, that's not too big a deal, but in spring and fall, it would be nice to be able to dry my clothes a little over night.
Ed told me that I could put it between the Peapod and the hammock, and this would add insulation and warmth. I'm not quite sure how good an idea that will be. I'm accustomed, in my tent, to bring wet clothing into my sleeping bag to dry during cold weather.

Another option would be to line the bottom of the hammock with the wet clothing, place the pad on top of them and then get in with the sleeping bag.

[Rain Man]

Okay... I have a dumb question about hammocking.

What is a "snakeskin" and what does it do?

Gracias.

Rain Man

.

[Youngblood]

www.speerhammocks.com has all sorts of gear for hammocks. He sells a partially stiff guy line that is flouresent orange. It always helps me see it at night.
Does anyone have any ideas about how to hang clothes using a speer type hammock and tarp? If it isn't raining, I can use the guy lines that connect the tarp to the trees...but when it's raining..what to do? I usually end up putting them under my hammock on my pack. In the summer, that's not too big a deal, but in spring and fall, it would be nice to be able to dry my clothes a little over night.

The stuff Ed Spear sells is not reflective, Kelty markets them in a 50 foot packages for about $15 under the name of TripTease. This link should take you to REI and the Kelty reflective line: http://tinyurl.com/72c9u. Even though the stuff that Ed sell's is highly visible and is an excellent guy line (I use it)... it won't light up like the TripTease will when your light hits it at night. The TripTease is also an excellent guyline, but you pay a lot more for the reflective part. What I have found is that the TripTease will help you find or notice where your tarp is from a distance but it doen't help unless it is illuminated by a light source. If you have a light on and are close by, the stuff Ed sells (Yale Cordage, 1/16 inch spectra pulse line) is easy enough to see and there is really no practical advantage to the TripTease.

If you need a clothes line when its raining, you do what any tarp user would do. You rig a clothline under the tarp... just tie some accessory cord under the tarp from the two tieouts on the ridgeline.

Youngblood

[MDSHiker]

Thanks for the tips...I love my hammock !

[Fiddleback]

Rainman -- snakeskins, IMnsHO, are the greatest follow-on addition to the Hennessey Hammocks yet. They are a pair of silnylon tubes which the tree huggers/ropes are run through. One gathers/bunches/rolls up the hammock and fly and then pulls the snakeskin (one from each end) over the roll of hammock. You end up with a 2-3 " diameter 'tube of Hennessey' that never touches the ground. It is so easy and convenient -- I'm still kicking myself for waiting so long to get mine.

FB

[sierraDoug]

Check out this personal webpage for how to use Snakeskins.

http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/hiking/sections/gear/shelter/hhsnakes.htm

[shades of blue]

Youngblood
Would you tie between the two tie outs (like the bug netting) or would you attach from the bug netting d ring to the tarp. If you connect to the tarp, would the weight of the clothes have any affect on it's ability to keep the rain out. If you connect between the d rings as bug netting, do you get dripped on? This summer was my first tarp experience....I loved being in the hammock. I slept in a tent on top of wilburn ridge this past weekend. The views were great...but I missed my hammock. See the sunrise from this past Sat morning. http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/4959

By the way...are you the person I met hiking at Springer Mt. the end of May?

[Youngblood]

Youngblood
Would you tie between the two tie outs (like the bug netting) or would you attach from the bug netting d ring to the tarp. If you connect to the tarp, would the weight of the clothes have any affect on it's ability to keep the rain out. If you connect between the d rings as bug netting, do you get dripped on? This summer was my first tarp experience....I loved being in the hammock. I slept in a tent on top of wilburn ridge this past weekend. The views were great...but I missed my hammock. See the sunrise from this past Sat morning. http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/4959

By the way...are you the person I met hiking at Springer Mt. the end of May?

Yeah, I think we did meet at Springer... your wife was saying goodbe and you were heading north. I was heading south to the summit.

I would rig the clothes line between the tieouts for my tarp. Of course you have to be careful and creative as to what items you place where on the clothes line for the reasons you mentioned. You don't want soaking wet items dripping on you.

[Deerleg]

Hotelseven, I like number 4 I’ve tripped on the cords at night too.
Great post Clark Fork…you had me rolling :jump
Snake Skins :-? I think you sold me. Very good link sierra Doug…looks like I can leave the stuff sack at home

I have not used an under quilt yet, but I did modify a pad, which has worked well so far for me.http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/2956/password/0/sort/1/cat/500/page/1

[hotelseven]

Clark Fork,

I use a Big Anges Lost Ranger sleeping bag. It is rated to -9 celcius. I like it for hammock use because it has a sleeve on the bottom side where you slide your sleeping pad in. There is no insulation on the bottom of the bag (thus cutting weight). The design allows you to move freely in your bag without ever sliding off of it. Its almost as if it were made for hammock sleeping!

In terms of an underquilt, I am in the process of making one. Just working out some problems. Think Im going to have to re-shape the fleece so that it is the same shape as the bottom of the hammock (having a hard time suspending it properly...)

Here's what I've done to this point: http://home.cogeco.ca/~webcamp/

I've yet to be cold in it, however I have not used it in anything under freezing (yet ;) ).

[neo]

hammock camping can be simple,hammock camping can be complicated,personally i keep it simple,thanks to jacks are better and tom hennessey:sun neo