Thru hike hammock set up suggestions?

[adnone1art]

Planning on a thru hike and would like to hear suggestions on a lightweight not super expensive hammock for my hike...

thanks

[fastfoxengineering]

Any experience with hammocks?

piece it together from Dutch or get a zippered hammock rom warbonnet. Personal prefernce.

a top quilt and underquilt from hammock gear and your good to go.

you can keep it inexpensive but don't "cheap" out on hour shelter and insulation..
better question.. What's your budget

[adnone1art]

I do have 2000 for buying gear, but don't to spend tons of money just for brand names

[bigcranky]

$2000 for gear is plenty and with a little care will buy you top quality gear.

If it were me I would spend the most money on my sleeping bag (or quilt) and my pack. A good tarptent or hammock can be had for a reasonable price. The rest of the gear and clothing doesn't have to be very expensive.

[fastfoxengineering]

What's your experience with hammocks?

I'm selling a like new HH ultralight backpacker. PM me if interested

I think the best solution for going "cheap" with a hammock without sacrificing quality is to piece one together from dutch.

[Dochartaigh]

You can get down to an ultralight sub 10-pound setup for under $2,000. And I'm talking the best of the best as in down everything and multiple items made out of cuben fiber....so you should really say that money is no object

Like Fastfox said, we need to know your experience with hammocks. It isn't something to get into lightly, and can have an extremely steep learning curve, and plain-old just isn't for some people (as seen by the tons of "I'm going back to ground" for-sale posts).

If I were to buy everything from scratch now (i.e. not having to go through the process of buying 7 different hammocks and trying 4 or 5 different under-insulation methods), I would go with:

An 11' long, dual-layer hammock, with integrated bugnet which has zippers on the full length of BOTH sides.
3/4 length down underquilt with foam pad for feet
11' long Cuben fiber tarp with doors
Down quilt of your choice

Also, depending on the time of year and direction you're planning on, you really have to practice your setup – especially in cold weather – or you will be absolutely miserable on the trail. Remember that with a bad/inexperienced setup your backside can freeze all night long even if it's 70º outside.

[Dochartaigh]

You can get down to an ultralight sub 10-pound setup for under $2,000. And I'm talking the best of the best as in down everything and multiple items made out of cuben fiber....so you should really say that money is no object

Like Fastfox said, we need to know your experience with hammocks. It isn't something to get into lightly, and can have an extremely steep learning curve, and plain-old just isn't for some people (as seen by the tons of "I'm going back to ground" for-sale posts).

If I were to buy everything from scratch now (i.e. not having to go through the process of buying 7 different hammocks and trying 4 or 5 different under-insulation methods), I would go with:

An 11' long, dual-layer hammock, with integrated bugnet which has zippers on the full length of BOTH sides.
3/4 length down underquilt with foam pad for feet
11' long Cuben fiber tarp with doors
Down quilt of your choice

Also, depending on the time of year and direction you're planning on, you really have to practice your setup – especially in cold weather – or you will be absolutely miserable on the trail. Remember that with a bad/inexperienced setup your backside can freeze all night long even if it's 70º outside.

[bigcranky]

You're leaving in mid-February, right?

A hammock setup is very possible in the winter, but it's heavier and takes a lot more practice and experience. I would get a Tarptent Notch and a good 10-F rated down bag, and switch to a 40-F rated quilt in the summer.

[scope]

And what kind of pad?

Or, for the same money, get a winter set of quilts to use with the same hammock and tarp. He's got plenty of time to learn how to employ the quilts and tarp effectively. What you don't want to do is get minimal gear and be trying to figure out how to get the most out of it starting in Feb.

[scope]

And what kind of pad?

Or, for the same money, get a winter set of quilts to use with the same hammock and tarp. He's got plenty of time to learn how to employ the quilts and tarp effectively. What you don't want to do is get minimal gear and be trying to figure out how to get the most out of it starting in Feb.

[adnone1art]

I don't have that much experience with hammocks, have done 1 and 1 1/2 week hikes with hammocks

[fastfoxengineering]

What kind of hammock did you use?

Do you want an integrated bug net or a separate one? That's one of the main criteria we need to know to direct you in the right direction.

For a suspension. Tree huggers, whoopie slings, and continuous loops are proven, light, and cheap.

[adnone1art]

I'd like an integrated one since it'll make the set up faster

[TheRoadNotTaken]

Bonefire Gear builds hammocks to order - emphasis on light. It is an integrated net, as well as integrated bottom insulation. Well worth checking out, especially if you don't have either a hammock or bottom insulation.

[gunner76]

Attend a group hammock in your area and check out the different setups being used. Good way to see what others are using and why before you spend the $$$$.

Contact Gumbo and or Timberrr on Hammock Forums as they are Florida Hangers and can help you out.