Hey folks,
Last weekend I went for my first hammock overnighter and I thought I'd just share some of my impressions with you guys.
Temperatures at the beginning of the trip where around 4C/ 39F and it's been raining continuously. The ground was frozen and mostly covered with ice.
At the beginning of dusk I had a look around for some site to hang my hammock. Normally I would have looked for a flat and sheltered spot to pitch my tarp. The hammock offered totally new options. As I had only a rather small tarp I decided to pitch on a slope with the headend of my tarp (and hammock) facing upwards. This way I wanted to use the steep slope as a kind of third wall to my tarp.
The place I finally found wasn't that steep but it was on the lee side of a hill which keeped the wind at bay. The trees where at the right place and distance and there where no widow makers above me. I used a continuos ridge line with two s-biners to create a V at both ends to give the hammock suspension more room. But have a look at my campsite yourself:
The tarp I was using was a tadpole tarp by Wilderness Logics. The hammock was a snipe hammock.
Unfortunately I don't own a proper under quilt yet. I tried several options at home before I went on this hike. Finally I settled on an old army poncho liner. Not really lightweight (31.7oz) but ok for a first test run. On top I used a 30F Revelation quilt by Enlightened Equipment. I covered myself up in rain clothing, an R1 hoody, down sweater, and a blackrockgear hat. This keeped me quite toasty until 3 o'clock.
Temperature has dropped down to -5C/ 23F and the rain switched to light snow. I wasn't cold, but the lightweight snow was blown under my tarp and onto my face. Not that what I prefer while sleeping.
That made me get up and drape my poncho over the headend of my tarp. I used some XS S-Biners to secure the poncho to the tarp. That worked amazingly well and fast. And it closed the complete headend like a door.
After that I had a pleasant sleep.
In the morning I decided to prepare myself a coffee while staying in the hammock. Unfortunately I forgot that I had pitched above a slope (instead on flat ground as usual). My Caldera Keg was rolling down and finally stopped by a tree… Another one of those minor challenges when switching from ground dwelling to hammock hanging.
The tarp and hammock both worked amazingly well for me. I don't think that I need a bigger tarp as my poncho solution worked out quite well. I'll probably get a proper under quilt for my next outing with the hammock. The poncho liner worked quite well for a first test but is just way too heavy for regular use. One thing that really amazed me was how well the Woopie Slings worked. I used a simple toggle to attach them to the tree huggers.
Note that the weight is on the knot, not on the toggle. ;-) The green line is my tarp ridge line which forms a V on the head and foot end.
I carried some XS S-Biners with me which have proven themselves as a reliable tool for quick adjustments and for hanging stuff on the ridge line.
My first hammock overnighter has been an interesting and quite pleasant experience.
I tracked my hike using the online service of Socialhiking where you can find some more pictures and tweets:
http://www.shareyouradventure.com/map/google/Beuteltiere/Hammock-overnighter
