hammock for thru hiking (and 100,00 other noob questions)

[congnar]

I was wondering whether a hammock would be a good option for a at thru hike. and if so what kind/size of tarp would be good. I think i'm going to get the blackbird 1.1 double layer hammock, if anyone has any opinions on those and other hammocks I'd love to hear them.

[broken arrow]

Its the ONLY option. get what fits your needs.

[Grits]

+ 1on the Blackbird
Its the ONLY option. get what fits your needs. http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?92235-Soon-to-try-my-first-hammock

[vtrek]

Okay, so I'm not the guy you want to hear from, I'm just a through dreamer and will probably never be an actual through hiker, but... I would choose a larger tarp to insure great coverage in not so great weather. You will see lots of rain and I for one do not like dealing with wet equipment night after night. I know many believe in lighter the better but I believe the line is drawn at the comfort level. Keep gear dry, keep you dry, enjoy more. I don't think doors would be needed but I personally would go with something like the Mamajamba. Just my two cents and probably worth about as much. Enjoy your adventure!

[bigcranky]

I think a slightly larger tarp is a good idea, too. I bought an OES Maccat Deluxe (http://www.outdoorequipmentsupplier.com/maccat_tarps.php) a few years ago, and it works very well.

[burrito]

I think a slightly larger tarp is a good idea, too. I bought an OES Maccat Deluxe (http://www.outdoorequipmentsupplier.com/maccat_tarps.php) a few years ago, and it works very well.

great combo, i use the mac cat standard with my blackbird, which provides ample coverage, but the deluxe gives more coverage at a very small weight penalty

[gunner76]

+1 on the BB, I own 3 of them. Used my 1.7 BB on a AT section hike last summer, worked great. If you can afford it get a Cubin tarp as they as very light weight (6-8 oz depending on size, I have a Hammockgear Winter Palace, 12 footer with doors and it weights 8oz).

Also try and attend a group hang in your area as you can meet alot of hangers and check out different set ups and ask the owners what they like and do not like about the gear.

Look up Shug on youtube and watch his videos on hammock hanging how to.

[O-Boy]

A hammock hanger reported his 2012 thru hike on Youtube. Check out Appalachian Trail Loner especially #28.

[thebrewguy]

You only need double layer 1.1 if you are over 200lbs. And even then you could go single layer 1.9. The WBBB is probably the most popular hammock from what I've seen. Here my setup for my thru next year (I'm about 160lbs):

BIAS (buttinasling.com) Weight Weenie Micro with DIY nano-noseeum attached zippered bugnet. 1"straps with dynaglide whoopie slings and Dutch hooks

16oz exactly

HammockGear.com Cuben fiber tarp with doors (Zpacks ZLine guy lines & ridgeline)

9.3oz

This is by far the most comfortable shelter system I have for about 1.5lbs.

For insulation I use an under quilt and top quilt combo but I will probably bring a torso-length piece of CCF pad in case I need to sleep on the ground/in a shelter (horrifying).

Check out hammockforums.net to learn what all that jargon above means.

[tammons]

+1 on checking out loner2012at on youtube.
Great videos and seems like a really nice guy.

Videos #20 and #56 specifically will give you a good look at his eq.
His entire pack is somewhere around 9-10# less food and water and poles, so very light.
I personally would want a longer hammock and a longer tarp and a SUL down jacket or sleeves.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nVoX6mlmdI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sTft2mLI0k

I would skip buying a hammock for now if you have never slept in one.

Just go to Wally world hit the discount fabric section and buy about 5 yards of some fairly heavy 5' wide nylon or poly fabric. That should cost you about $10. Knot the ends to 10'- 11'-12' long set up a down and dirty suspension from 12' harbor freight 2500# cinch straps and give it a test run, then if you can actually get used to it and sleep in one, then buy or build the real deal.

If you can stand the test run wally world hammock and are around 6' just build a 10'- 11' or 12' long 5' wide hammock of 1.9 oz ripstop or a double 1.1. Its cheap and to me a double is more comfortable than a single. If you are going to use pads you can stuff them between the layers.

You can DIY it pretty easy and cheap.
A gathered end hammock is just a huge hemmed rectangle

Look above for my recent post all DIY.

15 oz 1.1 double hammock. M50 double hammock would be 10 oz.
Suspension 3.8 oz
Long 8' wide cat tarp 12.5 oz with suspension
14 oz Climasheild quilt (summer) 5oz climashield Apex would be around 20-21oz

I think a Down TQ and UQ would be preferable for a thru just for the compressibility, but people have done thru hikes that I know of (not hammock) with the MLD spirit quilt which is 5oz climashield.

An 8x10 tarp pitched diagonal will cover an 11' - 12' long hammock, but you need a full under ridgeline and some mid panel tieouts also a cat cut tarp is better.
If you are going to have a 10-11' hammock then you could just go for a Wilderness logics tadpole that cost $85. Its 11' long.

If you can live with a 10' hammock personally I would build the hammock, straps and whoopies and probably buy everthing else. Use Tree straps to whoopies to dogbones at the hammock end and whoopie hooks as in the post above.

Add a Golite ultra 20 down quilt or similar (21oz), wilderness logics tadpole (11.5oz), and wilderness logics 20dF UQ and maybe a small pad and you should be good to go.

[kayak karl]

i have a 11' by 8'8" cuben tarp from zpack. its more then enough tarp for me any season. carried a WB superfly in winter. it was way too heavy and the doors were not needed. i like my HH Explorer ultra-lite over the Blackbird any day.
no video beats getting out and trying thing for yourself.

[Typingsux]

I'm thinking to go as light as possible. Have a hammock with bug protection, tarp and bug hut for ground sleeping if necessary.

[tammons]

Hammock comfort will depend on your height and weight and how you sleep.
I have tried a nano and a GT ultralight and they are both too small for me.
That said as above you can still do everything pretty light.

You should permethrin everything anyway so that will keep them off the bottom.
Personally I would go the 99% shelter route and not carry so much gear or go full on hammock with an UQ and skip the shelters.

Sleeping on a shelter floor on my 1/8 GG pad or any CCF pad is not in the cards for me unless it was an emergency.
If I had a thermarest Xlite it would be a different story but I dont care for them so much in gathered end hammocks.

In bridge hammocks they are pretty nice though but personally I like the wide long xlile and a CCF pad for my shoulders.

Bridge hammocks are fairly heavy, and I just did one like this without the bugnet shown and it weighs about 15 oz for just the body and 25oz with the poles.
If you can figure out how to rig it with hiking poles then you save 10oz. I am working on that.

Very very flat lay but I am not sure about longevity yet.
Pictures down the page. Mine is almost identical to this, but mine is a bit bigger since I am taller.
My pattern is close to the cad drawing in the post.

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=49386&page=5

So the integral bug net made from Zpacks probably adds 5oz or so, so say 20 oz total for the hammock with integral bug net using hiking poles.
For bottom insulation a Xlite large - 16 oz so you can sleep on the ground.
CCF pad for the shoulders probably 6-8 oz depending.
Similar tarp to what I just built 12.5 oz, IE 12'-6" x 8'
Suspension about 4oz.

With that hammock with integral bug net you could sleep on a shelter floor, it should be no problem if you suspend the bug net.
Only you would need to make sure not to snag the hammock bottom so I would want a fairly substantial ground cloth.

Alternately you could skip the sewn on bug net and get a hammock bug room with a floor if it will fit.
My bridge is about 10' long suspended. My 12' long dbl layer 1.1 is also 10' long suspended.
I think the bug rooms weigh about 24+- oz.
That would work in a shelter also to keep the varmints and insects off.

I am just using a drape bug net for my hammocks. weighs 10 oz.

I dont think loner2012AT even used a bug net on his thru more power to him
Also you could just take a head net which would be my minimum with everything permethrin.

If you are going SUL you have to leave a lot of stuff at home.









.

[Monkeywrench]

I think a slightly larger tarp is a good idea, too. I bought an OES Maccat Deluxe (http://www.outdoorequipmentsupplier.com/maccat_tarps.php) a few years ago, and it works very well.

+1 This is the tarp I used for my thru-hike. Kept me dry and snug through the very wet 2009 season!

[Loneoak]

Love my blackbird 1.1 Dbl. I weigh about 185 also have the super fly for great coverage.

[R1TenderFoot]

Thru hiking gear is about being the most comfortable you can be. If you enjoy sleeping in a hammock more than sleeping on the ground, then sleep in the hammock. Personally I am far better rested sleeping in my Hennessy hammock than on the ground. Even when at a shelter I'll rig my hammock up. My backpacking buddy would rather sleep on the ground, that works for him.

I've got an 8.5' x 11' cuben fiber tarp. The room under the tarp is not truly appreciated until you are in big rain storm.

Enjoy your thru-hike.

[Tinker]

I had a Hennessey, got tired of the "trap door" entry, and bought a basic Byer hammock, cut off the "parachute styled" multiple cords at each end and threaded a 6mm climber's accessory cord through each end. Used it like that for a couple of years with an Eagle's Nest Outfitters bug overnet. Liked the fact that I could leave the net at home and save a pound, and that I didn't have to use an underquilt or pad for warmth underneath me because I could just thread the hammock through my bag, hang it, jump in, pull the bag up to my chin (I wear a jacket with a hood or a hat in warmer weather), and go to sleep. A tarp, of course, completes the setup.

Note: If you decide to try hammocking my style, make sure that the bag doesn't hang below the hammock allowing space between the insulation and your body. You will be cold. The same goes for an underquilt. That's why they have those fancy adjustable cords at each end.

Another plus to the hammock-in-a-bug net instead of hammock and net all in one is that you can swing your legs over the side and get dressed sitting up while protected by the netting (especially if you spray it with permethrin). Having an extra position that you can use to stretch is a wonderful thing when using a hammock.

Btw: the Byer hammock is in the picture. I also have a Traveller hammock, and I have switched from cord and tree hugger straps to straps from hammock to tree (straps pictured).

Oh, one more plus to not using my Hennessey - I used to get miserably hot on truly warm nights because the breezes would flow over me because the nylon hammock was too high on the sides to allow it to get to my body. With the separate bug net I can use a narrower hammock (can't lay diagonally, but I've adjusted to that) which allows much more air to get to my body on hot nights.

[Wags]

i've got a bunch of nights now in the wilderness logic snipe. it's a really comfortable hammock. tulle bugnet from papasmurf when needed (only really bring this in summer), and cuben tarp from hammock gear. this is what my years of hammocking has brought me too (went through 5+ hammocks and 2 other tarps to get to where i am now). if i had to go back and do it all again, i would strongly consider the new warbonnet blackbird xlc. it is really a nice 4 season hammock.

shug has some really informative and fun videos on youtube to educate people about the different parts of hammocking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7NZVqpBUV0&list=PLB8752777861C2AA8

links:

http://www.wildernesslogics.com/Snipe-Snipe.htm

http://www.dream-hammock.com/ (you would want to call him and tell him your hammock's dimensions before ordering)

http://www.hammockgear.com/standard-cuben-fiber-tarp-with-doors/

http://www.warbonnetoutdoors.com/blackbirds.php

[scope]

I'm thinking to go as light as possible. Have a hammock with bug protection, tarp and bug hut for ground sleeping if necessary.

What's the difference in a hammock with bug protection, and a bug hut? Latter has poles? You really don't need both.

[pedestrian2]

Hi, Just wondering how you set up your hammock in a shelter. I have set my HH up on the ground with my treking poles but not sure about in a shelter,need hardware? Thanks, Nancy