Hammock setup

[phan_TOM]

Seems like I am the odd one out here with my Clark setup...

Its total weight was 1.23kg when it arived but I have added an underquilt and changed the tarp which has made it a bit heavier, somewhere around 2kg all up not including a sleeping bag/top quilt... I'll get around to weighing all my gear one day

Hammock is a Clark Tropical 2 - Too much to list but its made of mozzie proof fabric, has full netting and the optional weathershield, two small pockets inside and four large pockets underneath (which can hold a lot of stuff and as a lucky bonus they really help to seal up the UQ). Can be set up on the ground if necessary with an optional ground sheet.
Tarp - I was using the tarp that came with the hammock to start with, they call it the XL tarp (HA!) but now I've switched to using my old Wilderness Equipment 3x3m overhang tarp which is tough and great size wise but I find it a bit on the heavy side at over 1kg. Looking for something better.
UQ is insultex with an outer shell, the 'shamu' which has been good down to about 0 but I think thats near its limit
TQ my lightest sleeping bag, a WM Sycamore @ 900g - looking to get something a bit lighter.
Suspension is standard and is too easy to setup and adjust I use the drip rings & 3 half hitches on each end.

Pics of last 3 trips & I should add that I'm loving it

with old tarp, WM bag and UQ.

Porch mode with no UQ

UQ sealed nicely by pockets

[mattmacman]

I imagine the WE tarp would give you a nice sitting/ cooking area =)
EDIT*
How do you find the Shamu? Looks good for a cheap UQ and pretty light!

[phan_TOM]

Hi Matt,

Yeah the 3x3m tarp provides a nice bit of space especially on those rainy days. Looking at getting a new tarp in the near future though which will have the same area but half the weight, thanks to terra rosa gear.

The shamu has been pretty good so far, I've had it down to a couple of degrees above zero and had no cold spots, the trick is to seal up the end gaps properly. It sets up easy on my Clark even though its the older version without draw cords on each end (these make it easier to get a good seal on most hammocks) but luckily the built in Clark pockets do the job nicely. It packs nice and small and its light, I think it weighs a bit under 350g.

You'll have to post some pics of your setup when it arrives!

[mattmacman]

I will indeed! I would rather use a UQ then a sleeping mat as it just seems so much more simple.

[photohiker]

Finally got around to seam sealing the new tarp today.

Must say, Joe's standard of construction is very good. I've got a little more to do once this dries (I like to seal the inside of the pull-outs)

Should get a good test next month.

[Macca81]

Speaking of hammock setups, I would just like to say that I am laying in mine at fortescue bay right now. And it's great!

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

[photohiker]

Just moving this into the general Hammock setups thread and adding continuous loops to the skillset:

These are locked Brummel loops on my hardware free guylines. 6x 2 metre guys without prussiks in 2.2 Zing-it = 30g



And here, my experimentation with continuous loops. On the left, and tied as a 4 loop Prussik is a locked continuous loop, and on the right is an unlocked continuous loop:



That 4 loop job has got a lot of grip on the same size Zing-It. It's not as pretty as the unlocked loop, there is an unavoidable bump where the lock is. Not sure if I really need these locked, it's not like there is a lot of pressure on them...

General how-to for loops at HammockForums HERE

I'm using 350mm of line and 45mm buries on the loop. For fids, I'm using a couple of large blunt needles. The larger is a Birch Tapestry #13, not sure about the other one its 5cm long, I use it to drag the bury, and I also use some small craft pliers to pull on the needle as there is not enough available to grip with just fingers. The Locked Brummels at the top have 10cm buries and these needles are fine for that, you can bunch a lot of braid onto that smaller needle.

Edit: creativeKayt's Locked Brummel Guyline how to on youtube:

[Macca81]

The lock is there to keep it from working out when there is no pressure, so i would say it is a good thing to have it. However, if you just want to go with the bury for ease of making it, make sure that the join is in the actual wraps of the prussik and there should be no problem with it working lose...

[Bluegum Mic]

Well I've got to say Im most impressed with my setup. I arrived late yesterday, set up in rainforest in torrential rain and fog. We've had around 100mm in 24 hours and its still raining. The cuben tarp performed flawlessly and is a delight to pitch, considering how wet it is my leighlo down UQ and HG top quilt have stayed pretty darn dry. Tonight Im even trying it with the solid top on my dangerbird as its a cool night and has been blowing since 6am.

[photohiker]

The cuben tarp performed flawlessly and is a delight to pitch, considering how wet it is my leighlo down UQ and HG top quilt have stayed pretty darn dry. Tonight Im even trying it with the solid top on my dangerbird as its a cool night and has been blowing since 6am.

Hang on, Cuben tarp? When did you get that? Looks good, which one is it? Spill!

Are you keeping warm, No CBS? how is the setup on the Leighlo? I still haven't used mine, but the big test is coming pretty soon now. Gotta do some testing this week.

[Bluegum Mic]

The tarp was amazing. It really poured all night and not a drop inside. I had a tiny amount off splash on my UQ but considering it was only a few cm off the ground (the only two trees on the site werent ideal but it all worked extremely well considering).

Overnight temps were about 10 first night and slightly below that last night however there was a strong wind (two very large trees fell in the early hours this morning). Was I warm?? Toasty I had to remove the momentum top around 2am and bring the net top back out. The cuben tarp didn't move a muscle either. I couldn't get over how stable it was in the wind (some very hefty gusts). Its the OES 4 season that Forest sold last week. Thankyou forest Its had a baptism of fire and absolutely shone through.

[forest]

Thankyou forest Its had a baptism of fire and absolutely shone through.

Never a need to doubt using that bad boy. It's a pretty bomber tarp eh !!

Glad you like it, Enjoy

[photohiker]

Thankyou forest Its had a baptism of fire and absolutely shone through.

Never a need to doubt using that bad boy. It's a pretty bomber tarp eh !!

Glad you like it, Enjoy

Hang on, I'm happy with you forest, but I didn't write that!

Tarp looks great anyway!

[forest]

Hang on, I'm happy with you forest, but I didn't write that!

??? No idea how that happened, It was quoted from Bluegum Mic's response.... Damn internet playing games with our heads....

[photohiker]

Hammock update.

Definitely addictive.

Jacks-R-Better has released a 'Light' version of their Bridge Hammock: BMBH Link

Link to a photo on HammockForums (its a bit big to embed here) and Joey's review on HF

Being a side sleeper, and seeing as Jacks have been in the Bridge business for quite a while, I've decided to give it a try. I've been happy with my Blackbird, but I do find myself waking up trying to get on my side in my sleep, so I figure if I can actually sleep on my side I might get a better kip. I should be able to use my existing UQ and tarp, not sure if my small tarp will suit but leaving options open. If that all works out the Blackbird might just hit the for sale section...

The other Bridge to watch will be the upcoming Bridge Hammock from Warbonnet which has been in development for some time.

[Marwood]

Not sure how much this will apply to the JRB BMBH, but I made my own bridge (the "Sydney Arbor Bridge") and have tried it with my Warbonnet Yeti Underquilt and small-ish sized WB Edge tarp (see pic) on one and only overnight outing so far. Because of the width of the spreader bar at the head end, I had to prop up both sides of the tarp at that end to keep them off the hammock, so first conclusion was I need a bigger tarp to use with the bridge than the one I use with the WB Blackbird. I re-rigged the UQ suspension to it connect to each corner of the bridge, but found that the curved shape of this UQ didn't work very well with the bridge and I had "cold butt syndrome" through the night and didn't sleep that great. Second conclusion is I'll need to make or buy a different UQ for this hammock. Since I made the bridge single layer, it's hard to use a pad with it. So I've gone back to the Blackbird at least for the time being until I can address those issues.

Having said that I was definitely able to lie on my side in the bridge better than in the Warbonnet though it does feel like you're going to tip yourself out when you roll over in the bridge.

IMG_2023.JPG (547.92 KiB) Viewed 5603 times

[photohiker]

Hey Marwood, Thanks for the report.

My small tarp is about the same size, it's the WL Tadpole. Great little tarp, but I expect I'll run into the same problems. My larger tarp is the ZPacks one, I think that will be fine as long as I do something to protect the cuben from the spreaders...

I've got the LeighLo 2/3rds, and I've heard that it's ok on a bridge but I guess I'll find out Tippy is a problem, I guess I'll wear a cycle helmet in testing, haha.

Love the name for your bridge

[ULWalkingPhil]

I've found when it rains, it pays to set the tarp close to the ground, helps to eliminate the underside of your under quilt getting wet. With Heavy rain, the rain drop bounces of the ground onto the under quilt. Keeping my Warbonnet Superfly close to the ground, eliminates this problem for me.

[ULWalkingPhil]

Considering this topic is on Hammock Setup. I played about with my GoPro Camera today and tried Time Lapse for the first time. I thought what better subject to try this out on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDByB_CipNQ

[Bluegum Mic]

Nice one phillip. I must admit I had a kip in mine at lunch time.

[ULWalkingPhil]

Nice one phillip. I must admit I had a kip in mine at lunch time.

thanks, you probably noticed I had a bit of a lay in my hammock part of the way through the setup and set down.