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  1. #1
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    Default Soup to Nuts Hammock Kit for big guy?

    Two things are coming to and end for me: sleeping on the ground, and endless obsessive gear research. After 950 miles of AT section hikes, I'm ready to get off the ground. Approaching 50 years old, I can barely get in/out of the tent, let alone sleep well. On recent section hike (Rt-40 to Hot Springs) I was envious of a couple of hammocks I saw...

    I'm looking for recommendations of a soup-to-nuts hammock setup for a 6'4 220 lb hiker. Money no object. I usually just get the best stuff. I can sell a Zpacks tent to pay for it :-)

    Thanks,

    RM

  2. #2
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    HG Wanderluxe combo. At $800 including 20deg premium topquilt and underquilt, you're not going to beat it.

  3. #3
    Some days, it's not worth chewing through the restraints.
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    On second thought, at 6'4", you'll want the Blackbird XLC - $25 more.

  4. #4
    Some days, it's not worth chewing through the restraints.
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    Warbonnet Blackbird with strap & buckle suspension ($175), mini fly ($110), 20* Yeti underquilt ($175), 20* top quilt ($245). $705 total. You can start with just hammock & tarp, use your current ground pad and sleeping bag/quilt, to get started at $285.

  5. #5

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    Just a few points, in case you don't have some of this.
    Get a copy of The Ultimate Hang 2 ==> https://theultimatehang.com/
    Get on YouTube and check out Shug. TONS of funny, entertaining and very informational youtubes about all things hammock related. ==> https://www.youtube.com/user/shugemery
    There is a companion forum to this one. ==> https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/content.php
    There are several great cottage vendors who you can call up and tell them your size and what you are looking for. Get their input on what might work for you.
    Dream Hammock, Hammock Gear, Dutchearegear all have great products and great reputations because they listen and sell you what you need.
    You might also do like many of us. Piece things together but by talking with the vendor directly, you know it all works. Personally, my current set up (I have several) is Dream Hammock, with Hammock Gear quilts and tarps. Suspension by Dutchwaregear.
    For a couple of bucks, get a weird haircut and waste your life away Bryan Adams....
    Hammock hangs are where you go into the woods to meet men you've only known on the internet so you can sit around a campfire to swap sewing tips and recipes. - sargevining on HF

  6. #6

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    +1 on Derek Hansen's "The Ultimate Hang" as suggested by rhjanes. Buy the book first before you get any hammock stuff. It'll save you an enormous amount of time and get you up to speed quicker than trial and error. In addition to the vendors listed already, I'd add Arrowhead Equipment, who also offer complete setups, though they're best known for their quilts of which I own one and love it.
    https://www.arrowhead-equipment.com/

  7. #7
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    I'll start with the book. Excellent suggestions. Thanks!

  8. #8
    Some days, it's not worth chewing through the restraints.
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    +1 on the book and the Shug! Both very informative and entertaining.

  9. #9

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    Head over to “Hammock Forum” for a lot of good discussion on hammocking.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

  10. #10
    Registered User JNI64's Avatar
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    Another big +1 on the shug!! He's the most informative and entertaining individual out there when it comes to hammocks and everything that comes along with and I mean everything.
    You will not regret checking out his YouTube videos.

  11. #11

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    I should point out on Shug's videos. He's HIGHLY entertaining. That's because early in his career he was a clown for Ringling Brothers. He then made his living as a professional entertainer. Some of his video's are not hammock related. Ever see a guy playing the mandolin while riding a unicycle down stairs at a State Fair while telling jokes to the crowd? Shug probably did it. He's got RC airplane videos, video's of the RC stuff, Music videos. And yeah, probably a few hundred Hammock video's. His latest was a solo Canoe/Hammocking trip into the Boundary Waters.
    But perhaps start with the book and get basics down. Shug also reviews a LOT of gear. Probably every hammock made he's done a review. And he is fair and open about those reviews. He points out why something works or doesn't work for him and why.
    For a couple of bucks, get a weird haircut and waste your life away Bryan Adams....
    Hammock hangs are where you go into the woods to meet men you've only known on the internet so you can sit around a campfire to swap sewing tips and recipes. - sargevining on HF

  12. #12
    Registered User JNI64's Avatar
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    Mr shug Emory also has baking videos and videos where he's smoking ribs and pork butt etc. He's made his own hammocks and quilts and is also one hell of a painter, he does these oil paintings on canvas which you can purchase.
    Yeah that shug has his finger in many pies!

  13. #13
    Registered User JNI64's Avatar
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    Wooooo buddy , I'm currently watching part 2 of his canoe trip around all them lakes. His videos never get old.

  14. #14
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    I just wonder how many people here use the idiom "From soup to nuts" on a regular basis.

  15. #15
    Some days, it's not worth chewing through the restraints.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Odd Man Out View Post
    I just wonder how many people here use the idiom "From soup to nuts" on a regular basis.
    It's an oldie. I get a kick out of the "kids" I work with that are under 40 - they often don't have a clue what I'm talking about when I use old phrases, or quotes from old TV shows or cartoons that they've never heard of.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Deadeye View Post
    It's an oldie. I get a kick out of the "kids" I work with that are under 40 - they often don't have a clue what I'm talking about when I use old phrases, or quotes from old TV shows or cartoons that they've never heard of.
    My thoughts exactly. I'm an old fart so I know the expression and its origin. Didn't expect that from the youngsters.

  17. #17
    Hiker bigcranky's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Deadeye View Post
    It's an oldie. I get a kick out of the "kids" I work with that are under 40 - they often don't have a clue what I'm talking about when I use old phrases, or quotes from old TV shows or cartoons that they've never heard of.
    I had a conversation with a 22 year old this morning, and he used the phrase "trust but verify." And I said, oh, you're channeling Ronald Reagan. Well, he had no idea. Said he'd heard the phrase from various sources but never knew it came from the Gipper.
    Ken B
    'Big Cranky'
    Our Long Trail journal

  18. #18
    Registered User scope's Avatar
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    Been hanging a long time here, not too much older than you, and I've gone through a number of setups. All recommendations here are good. My first thought based on the "soup to nuts" comment (which I had to Google) is that you want order a total package. There are several makers that offer a package, as well as makers where you can order pretty much everything you need from them, even if its not a package deal.

    If not already purchased, I would approach it this way... I believe in the idea of built-in insulation and there's very few makers doing that. Your best bet there is SuperiorGear.com with their bundle of integrated insulation and tarp with various options. No doubt if you even know what Zpacks is, you'll want the elite version. Shug has a recent review video. The insulated hammocks are double layer and have lengths up to 12' if you feel you need it.

    Warbonnet would be my next choice with the not quite built-in wookie UQ. Its designed to fit onto the hammock and be left there even though it is actually a modular piece of gear. So its very much like having built-in bottom insulation with no fiddle factor. They don't have a bundle, but you have a lot more options there to play with fabric, colors and weights. They also have more accessories, including some sock options which I would strongly consider getting.

    If already purchased, would love to hear what you went with. As for me, my latest "tryouts" are a Cloud71 hammock and a hex tarp with mesh doors & "curtains".
    "I wonder if anyone else has an ear so tuned and sharpened as I have, to detect the music, not of the spheres, but of earth, subtleties of major and minor chord that the wind strikes upon the tree branches. Have you ever heard the earth breathe... ?"
    - Kate Chopin

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by scope View Post
    As for me, my latest "tryouts" are a Cloud71 hammock and a hex tarp with mesh doors & "curtains".
    Any pics of this tarp setup? Do the curtains hang below the sides and with the doors you have a bug-free zone under the tarp? I swear that every biting gnat in the Smokies was hanging out under my tarp avoiding the downpour on a recent trip. When I got up to stretch my legs at 2 am it was like an instant feeding frenzy.

  20. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by Deadeye View Post
    It's an oldie. I get a kick out of the "kids" I work with that are under 40 - they often don't have a clue what I'm talking about when I use old phrases, or quotes from old TV shows or cartoons that they've never heard of.
    I'm in my mid-50s and I've never heard of it. It might be a 'North of Roanoke' thing instead of an age thing

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