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  1. #11
    Senior Member Gideon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    SE Missouri
    Hammock
    Darien UL/Roaming Gnome
    Tarp
    HG Cuben Fiber
    Insulation
    HG UQ/TQ's
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    Dutch speed hooks
    Posts
    1,197
    I think it's great what you and your dad are planning to do. I looked at your one possiblility and all I could think of was HEAVY.

    I would ask how many miles a day do you intend to hike and for how many days? Next I would ask what do you think the night/low temperatures will be each night. Answer those questions and I think some experienced hangers can give you some solid recommendations.

    The next consideration is lead time. You can buy some things that can ship immediately but the gear you'll appreciate will have a lead time of "weeks".

    My recommendation would be:

    -A 10-11 ft hammock from Dream Hammocks with a continuous loop on each end
    -- integrated bug net if it's "other" than winter and you don't like crawling or bitey things
    -- single layer 1.6 fabric
    -A whoopie sling suspension with tree straps and Dutch whoopie hooks from Dutch Gear
    -a top and under quilt from Hammock Gear rated to the lowest temperature you expect to face.
    -A Warbonnet Edge tarp
    -A continous ridgeline with Dutch Gear from Whoopie Slings.com
    -Tarp worms from Dutch Gear, 4 each
    -Z line 1.25 from Zpacks PLUS 4 titanium shepard hook stakes

    Put all of that together and you'll have a truly optimized hammock set up that's a high value proposition. It'll be warm and secure, relatively low weight, and after the hike you can sell it on the forum for 75 to 85% of what you paid for it if you decide not to continue.

    There are alot of good set ups out there but this one would be pretty optimized. Feel free to contact me if you'd like.

    Gideon

  2. #12
    Senior Member Gideon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    SE Missouri
    Hammock
    Darien UL/Roaming Gnome
    Tarp
    HG Cuben Fiber
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    HG UQ/TQ's
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    Dutch speed hooks
    Posts
    1,197
    If you don't want an integrated bug net, you should really consider Dutch hammocks; truly high value for the money.
    Gideon

  3. #13
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    North of Dallas
    Hammock
    Sparrow
    Tarp
    WinterDream
    Insulation
    UGQ
    Suspension
    Various
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    292
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    4
    You are a smart person. You came here to find answers.
    There is a learning curve and a fit curve.
    There are hammocks you will like better than others. If you can find some folks near you that would let you "test hang" you may be able to find what works better for you.
    The only real advice I give is "research" works. Maybe set a budget and ease into it till you get more information and knowledge.
    Do not get me wrong, the vendors connected to HF are very good at what they do. Contact them and they can help guide you.
    Good luck and have a good hike.

  4. #14
    Member Kriswithak's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Atlanta
    Hammock
    WBBB, Bonefish
    Tarp
    WBWP
    Insulation
    Hammock Gear stuff
    Suspension
    Dutch Bling
    Posts
    78
    Quote Originally Posted by Sailor View Post
    LW--If you've no experience camping, then think basics and learn from experience, because you will not get what's right for you from a book or us. Hammoking is a little different than on the ground, but its probably not a make it/break it deal. For hiking, think how to stay or get dry--rain clothes, tarp, tent, a change of clothes, warm--some layers of clothes, sleeping bag or quilts, simple food, how to make hot water, a little safety gear, as in a light, first aid kit, navigation, as in a map and compass, and footwear--shoes, boots and how will you patch up your feet. A couple of books- Colin Fletcher's (older school) and Andrew Skurka (newer) would be fun reading, and then trying things out in your backyard. On the ground or hanging, go overnight in your backyard and figure out your issues, with your home an easy bail out. And take some all day local day hikes to figure out which shoes fit your feet, because hiking the PCT will work your feet. Four issues define happy camping--warm, dry, water and some food. When you don't head back into the house for one of them, you're all set.
    +1 on this!
    So many trails, so little time...

    A Pessimist sees a dark tunnel. An Optimist see the light at the end of the tunnel. The Realist sees the train. But the Engineer just sees 3 idiots standing on the tracks.
    Which one are you?

  5. #15
    Senior Member pgibson's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    SW Idaho
    Hammock
    AHE 1.1 dbl
    Tarp
    AHE Shangi La
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    KAQ Prototype
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    AHE Whoopie Slings
    Posts
    6,955
    LittleWing,

    You will also want to consider a tarp. Take a look at the Journeyman Kit as well as the Apprentice that your considering as it will add the tarp, lines and stakes. As well you might want a little longer tree straps for Oregon, they grow them pretty big so be sure and contact us if you order a kit so we can make the straps the right length for your trip.


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  6. #16
    dakotaross's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Chamblee, GA
    Hammock
    SuperiorGear or Dutch netless
    Tarp
    custom pentagon
    Insulation
    down hammock or UQ
    Suspension
    Dutch Mantis
    Posts
    3,081
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    19
    You can spend more, but I really don't think you can do much better than what AHE has put together. I have a Toxaway tarp and I think the Journeyman is a good value for all the little things you get, including the tarp. If I were new to camping, taking on something like the PCT, this is the way I would do it. I think the double layer hammock is the way to go allowing you to supplement with a pad when needed, or if the Jarbridge is too warm sometimes. And my guess is you'll want to bring a pad just in case despite the heavily wooded Oregon section. I doubt you'll need the net, and the half net is a light option for just in case.

    I hear Gideon's fret on weight, but there's a lot of other things we don't know about your pack and other equipment. Typically, you have to spend more to get lighter. I think for you, I'd rather see you spend your $$ on a bigger pack with a more substantial frame - probably something like a ULA Catalyst - that can carry the bulk of the synthetic AHE quilts, which is more of an issue than the actual individual weight of those, as well as the bear cannister. You're not getting all that much lighter with down quilts, and the hammock setup is very comparable to just about any other setup - sure, lots of us know what we need and don't need and have lighter setups, but not by all that much.

    A couple of preferences that I would recommend are...

    -- I'm not real fond of the suspension with toggles; whoopies are fine, but for me, they make it a little harder to get between closer trees as they add substantial length, even the shorter ones; I prefer a buckle and strap suspension which AHE also sells. The buckles also make great water breaks from rain water dripping down the suspension.

    -- I would add a ridgeline to the hammock pkg; ordinarily, I'd say go with a fixed if you're new to hanging (too much to play with if you're new), but since you'll be out a while, you'll probably learn quickly what kind of sag fits you best, so an adjustable one for you might make sense. Ridgelines are great to hang stuff off of, and they make it easier to see what level is, or what you want level to be - many make their foot end slightly higher.

    -- And while you probably do need extra long straps, don't forget about the tarp suspension lines; I run into that every once in a while in Ga on trees that are probably dwarfed by those in OR. Maybe get some dogbones - what AHE calls suspension extenders - as they can be useful in that regard and in other ways.

    My 2 cents... can't wait for your trip report!
    "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

  7. #17
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    new Orleans, la
    Posts
    71
    Have you slept in a hammock before? I would try it with a cheap hammock first before spending all the money on a system you might not like. And research works. Been hammock camping for nearly a year and I'm slowly building up my pack. I was looking at a lot of AHE products before I came upon a deal in the For Sale section.

  8. #18
    New Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Location
    Helena, MT
    Posts
    3
    Wow! I never expected such support! I REALLY appreciate the advice. Weight was a thing I had thought about for things like my clothes and water. I (foolishly) hadn't considered it with my "home". Clearly I need to do a lot more thinking, researching, and planning. Cost is definitely a thing that I'm trying to keep down, but prior to learning from you guys I never had a base price.


    With regards to my trip, I'd like to provide some more details. My dad and I will be walking 100 miles in the southern area of Oregon for 10 days during May. This means that we expect to hike roughly 10-15 miles a day. We expect to see light snow in some areas and night temperatures around 30°F. We've both been training on smaller scale hills, and I've been working with a personal trainer (for more than this reason).

    Also, just as a side note, once I am done with this trip I do plan on keeping everything in my bugout kit.

    Thanks again guys (and gals)!
    -LittleWing
    Last edited by LittleWing; 11-15-2015 at 00:30. Reason: I have added information.

  9. #19
    cougarmeat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Bend, OR
    Hammock
    WBBB, WBRR, WL LiteOwl
    Tarp
    OES, WL BullFro
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    HG UQ, TQ, WB UQ
    Suspension
    Python Straps
    Posts
    3,758
    LittleWing - note the comment on trees in the NW. My suggestion for suspension is the ENO XL Atlas straps. They will handle larger trees and when you use smaller trees, just wrap the "loops" end around the tree. Not to get technical but the "problem" with the XL is ENO didn't make a longer line with loops all the way up. They just made the part that normally goes around the tree longer - which means for smaller trees the first connection loop is too far away from the tree. The solution is to just warp the loops end around the smaller trees.

    The simplicity of the Atlas straps is you just wrap the tree, then clip a carabiner into the best loop.

    Also read "The Ultimate Hang". It will answer a lot of questions.

    AND be prepared for a situation where you might not have trees. Granted, that probably won't be an issue on the southern part of the Oregon PCT. Once you get to the 6,000 ft and above seconds in the middle/north-ish part, they can get sparse. But you may need to be spend a night on the ground. So that means sharing some tent space with your dad or, if you can carry a therm-a-rest and a light ground sheet, you can sleep on the ground under your tarp.

    Here is a photo of some NW trees and a photo showing how I used poles to string up a tarp and hold the bugnet off my face as I used the hammock as a bivi bag.

    NWTrees.jpg hammocktent.jpg
    Last edited by cougarmeat; 11-19-2015 at 03:40.

  10. #20
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Northern KY
    Hammock
    LSOH Warrior Edge
    Tarp
    OES MacCat
    Insulation
    UGQ UQ, EE TQ
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    Cinch Buckles
    Posts
    169
    You won't go wrong with AHE. I wish I would've started with something like that but instead went "cheap" just to see if I liked it. Thankfully I survived and now have a comfy setup that I love.

    You can check out the Vendors list on the Forums here and from what I've seen every one of them has top notch stuff that will keep you comfy and warm.

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