For a first visit, Shortoff up to the Chimneys and back is a good 2 night trip with a good collection of the best views. The trail from Saddle Gap up to the Chimneys is being redone and should be a...
Type: Posts; User: SubaruWx
For a first visit, Shortoff up to the Chimneys and back is a good 2 night trip with a good collection of the best views. The trail from Saddle Gap up to the Chimneys is being redone and should be a...
This 100%.
Thanks all for the ideas. I have another cold(ish) trip in a few weeks, so I’ll experiment a bit and see if I can isolate the issue. I’ll try to keep a comfortable foot end height but also reduce...
Good idea, but I don’t think this was the case. The pillow was warm to touch and my calf’s were warm. It is possible that my underquilt slipped from under my feet.
This is possible . I use a SLD synthetic full length underquilt, and it can slip off my feet sometimes. Thus I might not have had as much insulation under my lower leg and feet. I can’t recall...
Does a high foot end and a stiff pillow under the knees reduce circulation?
2 weeks ago, I took a short backpacking trip where Temps overnight got down to 22F. I usually sleep warm, but I don’t...
I think you are pretty close to set with your current gear. Consider adding extra camp/sleep layers for those cold nights. EE Apex torrid pants add 6oz, but along with your booties and a puffy jacket...
I have 6.0 Apex TrailWinder (symmetrical). I sleep a little warm, and I’ve had this down to 25F comfortably. But early on I got cold at 35F. Here’s what I found with testing:
For initial...
Climashield doesn’t compress as much, but it’s not heavier. Indeed, depending on the comparison quilts with Apex can be lighter as there is no baffling needed. Here’s a thread from a few years ago,...
Long report to tell the whole story. This was the first trip to the East Rim of Linville Gorge for everyone in my group. It was post-tropical storm, pre-first snow, with warm, cold, and wind. Failed...
I did Table Rock to Shortoff and back this weekend. The remnants of TS Nicole dumped 4+ inches of rain on Friday. Gully Pipe was flowing, and the MST on Shortoff was practically a river. Shortoff...
Might see you up there if Veterans Day weekend! But we won’t be doing that many miles.
2 weeks ago, a buddy and I did Rock Jock -> Pinch-In -> LGT -> Conley loop with one night along LGT. It took...
Thanks for sharing these. If I’m sleeping, I’m hanging. Hammocks are what made backpacking enjoyable again.
Y’all have had some nasty heat amd drought in the west. Here’s hoping for some...
Thanks for the ideas. I’ll look more closely at the Sykes Hot Springs trail in Big Sur and Coe SP.
I’d love to hike the Hetch Hetchy Loop. Yosemite is on my bucket list, but I don’t think I’ll...
I’m an east coaster but plan to be in Santa Cruz CA in early November for work, and I’d love to squeeze in a 3 day backpacking trip. I may rent a car, but I’d prefer something close enough to Uber...
Bump on this this thread. I’d love to hear how similar efforts turned out.
I’m a tall guy (6’4”) and I have had general success in 11.5’ and 12’ hammocks with a pillow under my knees. But wouldn’t...
Makes one truly appreciate the talent of some of our cottage vendors who make big tarps from this stuff. To continue your quote “you gotta count your money” and gladly give it to a talented vendor...
I like hand sanitizer for this - the thicker gel stuff seems to help break up the sap. I haven’t observed any damage to the straps so far.
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I wash my hammock about once a year - usually in the early autumn when I start prepping gear for another season of camping (I don’t camp much in the heat and humidity of Southeast US summer). I...
Dutchm used some Kam snaps on his underquilt to convert it into a slug when needed. I have been playing with this idea but haven’t yet tried this.
Combine an Under Quilt Protector and Lazy Slug?...
I hope you had a great trip - would love a trip report. It’s been a couple of weeks and I’m itching to get back there for a breeze and temperatures I can actually hike and sleep in.
Depending on how you are using it, Venom webbing from RSBTR may be the solution at 2.2g/ft
https://ripstopbytheroll.com/collections/webbing/products/venom-uhmwpe-ultralight-webbing
It doesn’t...
+1 for these big tarps from SLD.
I also have a 13ft SilpolyXL winter haven in Robin Egg Blue. I have a 12ft hammock, and I like the extra tarp space for hanging my pack at my head.
This tarp...
I have previously done a loop starting at Elk Garden, following the AT around then picking up Pine Mountain trail or Creat Trail back to Rhododendron Gap when the AT breaks north for Old Orchard....
Just a quick weather report… while central N.C. was under a heat advisory, we had temps in the 70s and 25mph winds at Grayson Highlands at 5400ft. My teen actually got chilly once we made camp and...
For Hammocking, there are more good sites at Rhododendron Gap than Thomas Knob. We had a hard time finding something near the Thomas Knob shelter to handle 2 hammocks. But there were lots of choices...
Have better info…the first big set of camping spots near where the Horse trail and AT come together is just under 2 miles from the Elk Garden parking lot. The trail to the water source was marked and...
The parking lot at Elk Garden has room for ~30 cars. When I arrived at 2pm on Monday, there were 6 cars. When I left at 6pm on Tuesday, there were 5 cars. I suspect that lot gets full early on...
I have an impromptu trip with the 16 yr old to Grayson Highlands Mon-Wed. We are going to probably hike in from Elk Garden, stay near Thomas Knob shelter, and do a loop over 3 days / 2 nights. I’ll...
The water source is there, but it’s not convenient. It’s a walk from the camp along a trail that isn’t highly traveled.
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Very nice! Thanks for sharing. This post had me looking back at your others. I have now added “backpacking Japan” to my bucket list.
There is an Avenza map for Grayson Highlands - it shows the trail to the water source that is about half way up from the Elk Garden labeled as Deep Gap Spring Trail. When I was there last fall, that...
Have you tried a 12ft length? I found that a longer hammock made for a more comfortable sleep. While there are sometimes limits with fabric width, it’s easy to make a longer hammock. Many of the...
Welcome from Durham. I’m a big dude at 6’4” and 260lbs, and I use a symmetrical single layer Hexon 1.6 for my main backpacking hammock. But I like it a bit longer at 12ft.
I tend to camp more...
Indeed! I’ve never done it, but I understand the hike up Mount Mitchell is a challenge. Still, the temperatures up top only occasionally get above 70F in July. That’s my kind of summer!
...
Grayson Highlands is a great choice for cooler temps and great scenery. We parked at Elk Gardens for our trip last fall. There were lots of other cars there, and we didn’t have any issues, but I had...
Most of the campgrounds on the Outer Banks are geared toward RVs and have few trees, especially on the ocean front side. The trees that are there tend to be short and gnarly - great for surviving...
Beautiful! What’s the finished weight?
I’ve worked with Hexon 1.0 and found it very slippery. I haven’t worked with Hexon 1.2, but I have worked with HyperD 1.2 and it was much easier to work and make a rolled hem as compared with Hexon...
Welcome to the adventure! I similarly started using a hammock for camping, and it’s allowed me to get back into backpacking.
I’m 6’4” and 270 lbs. I have a DIY made with a single layer of...
20F quilts should keep you fairly warm at those temperatures, but if you are a “cold sleeper” then you might want to augment with some fleece pants, loose fleece or wool socks, and a fleece top. Have...
Nice report! I’d love to hear your reflection on your shoes….would you bring boots next time or stick with trail runners?
Jellyfish has a nice video series where she documents how she made her zippered bugnet hammock.
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCis_G8K3XHk0hyKBcdsckZw/videos
Hi from Durham! I use 25ft of zing it with Prusiks made with LashIt to attach tarp. I like the ZingIt, but my prusiks don’t always hold and will slip. I switched to using a Klemheist friction...
I used this video to convince my 15 yr old to visit Stone Mountain SP this past June during a few week days. The weather was humid and relatively warm with lots of cloud cover and temperatures...
Thanks for producing and sharing this video. As with your others, I appreciate the extra time it takes when solo to place the camera, get footage of hiking, then retrace your steps. I bet you add...
TLDR: Hexon 1.6 is easy to work with. Nanoseeum mesh is tricky. Hexon 1.0 is slippery and a pain. Unless you already know what you’re doing. I did better after watching JellyFish’s videos.
After...
I got into hammocks last summer - started with an old ENO doublenest. After a chilly night with a small hammock and no underquilt, I found hammockforums.net. I’ve been falling down the rabbit hole...
Very nice! Glad to read the Walmart packable throws kept you warm. I’m always looking for the cheapest option as new Scouts ask to try hammock camping. This also a great, low effort entry point to...
1. The biggest advantage is weight/length ratio. With a whoopie sling, I can get lots of distance for a few grams. This is most useful for folks packbacking.
2. Cost to replace - I can make these...