I was cold: a hammock gear report.

[titanium_hiker]

Well, last night I slept outside again for the first time in about a year. My back loves me again! I had to give up sleeping under my desk, due to damage occuring to the hammock (too long for the desk) and hectic end of school stuff. Now, my back is happy again.

Well, for those of you who don't know my set up (sorry- pictures delayed):

• Hammock: speer type top entry, based on risk's hammocks. blue ripstop -HomeMade
• tarp: large hex tarp (13ft x 10ft) (extremly accurate measuring ) navy coated nylon sealed using thinned silicone -HM
• suspension: webbing strap tied to trees/poles using risk's modified speer knot (1.5 inches) black
• ridgeline and tieouts: yellow "craft" string. thin, light, a bit stretchy but visible.
• hammock tubes: HM offcut of tarp- keeps bugnet closed
• bug net: hat netting. black. ducttaped on pockets for shoes etc. HM
• insulation: beige-brown fleece poncho HM, 3/4 thermarest-type.
• sleeping bag: outerlimits 0 degreeC bag. (red grey and black) synthetic.
• pegs/stakes/steaks : for some reason the tentpegs decided to go AWOL, so used wooden stakes hammered in.

What I was wearing:

• cotton socks. (hindsight- will replace with wool)
• thermal bottoms (real ones, not cotton) will use these again
• cotton tshirt
• pajama bottoms (hindsight- thicker)
• thicker top (hindsight- will use fleece sweater instead)
• wool beany

(sorry- no wieghts yet.)

Ok, ok, so- the cotton isn't the greatest. that will be fixed hopefully tonight. the coldest part was my feet, shoulders and nose. I wasn't freezing, and it would have been worse to get out of the bag and go inside. (Unlike the lucky married people- I don't have a prewarmed bed to share) The thermarest really messed with the hammock dynamic, I don't like it. I didn't stay on it all night anyway. Sadly, the speer pod project isn't going to happen anytime soon (bar a miracle) but since this is home sleeping (theraputic more than anything- fun aswell) I should be able to get an old sleeping bag to zip around the hammock. (speer peapod style) and ditch the thermarest.

It's winter and windy here- temps almost touched freezing. I didn't die, but comfort was compromised slightly. try again!

A note to anyone looking at making a hammock- get the best stuff you can afford and get. My hammock and (esp) tarp are a lot heavier than others I have seen online. You just CAN'T get silnylon here. sigh. I would order some sort of pod/uquilt, but shipping takes a while, I'm checking out soon, and making your own gear is just so much more fun.

second test is tonight!
titanium_hiker