Looking to build the perfect setup :)

[SuperN1ntend0]

I use 2 stingers (1 on each end, both with 12 ft of zing it, ordered from dutch, $28). I'll get flamed by gram counters but i carry about 10-12 stakes 2 for WBBB XLC tie outs and 8 for SF (4 corners, 2 for pull-outs...see Brandons video on pullouts at warbonnet outdoors..and a couple for doors on SF) There are weight saving ways to deploy the tarp differently but I'm always carrying too much and always bring extra gear, sometimes just to fiddle with set up options. The WBBB XLC has the built in ridgeline so i use the stinger set up for my super quick and easy tarp set up with no continuous ridgeline for the tarp. there are so many great set up options you'll find on this site and as everyone says HYOH (hang your own hang). hope this helped and good luck. PS, I'm currently looking into the pole mod for the SF so mine may change, tinkering and experimenting is half the fun IMO

http://www.dutchwaregear.com/stingers.html

Thank you for the information

[olddog]

Welcome aboard from Florida. Gonna answer before reading the other replies.
1. Yeah, single layer. Never tried a double layer as I felt they were basically to hold a pad which I gave up on after only two nights. May have been nice to have had a double layer last summer at the Summers Last Gasp hang in Ocala NF when the mosquitos bit me thru the single layer without an UQ.
2. Haven't tried sleeping two in a hammock but just imagine it would amount to two people keeping each other awake all night. If you are speaking of just having plenty of room, a 60" is enough to get spread out in.
3. Bugnet. I've never used an intergrated but just don't want to deal with zippers in the early AM when nature calls. This is the reason the shockcord was removed from the Fronkey style Bugnet. Trying to get my feet out of the opening at 3 AM was a PITA. Now just use the Fronkey without the shockcord. Surprisingly the mossies can't get in.
4. Tarp. One word. Tadpole. I spent 2 1/2 months during the '13 summer in Maine 24/7 under a tadpole and never had a leak and it had never been sealed. Still dry and still unsealed.
5. Started out with a PLUQ, good to freezing, the first night of my first hang. Have since gone to a WL Summer Series UQ. Still good to freezing temps with some supplements. In PA you will need more UQ especially during the winter. Tried a sleeping bag as a TQ and gave it up after 2 nights in the back yard. There just wasn't enough room in the hammock for both of us. Now going with a WL SS TQ for most hangs. The exceptions to the UQ and TQ are at the Florida Hang. It's seems we manage to get down into the mid 20°s most years and then I bring everything.
6. Straps. I'm still one of those who accept the possible dangers of hanging from Dutch'es Speedhooks, no longer available, but for the ease, speed and weight savings I will continue to use them.

Please use this information at your own risk and embrace the fun of experimenting. Of the 10 to 12 in our hanging group none of the systems are the same. HYOH.

[SuperN1ntend0]

Welcome aboard from Florida. Gonna answer before reading the other replies.
1. Yeah, single layer. Never tried a double layer as I felt they were basically to hold a pad which I gave up on after only two nights. May have been nice to have had a double layer last summer at the Summers Last Gasp hang in Ocala NF when the mosquitos bit me thru the single layer without an UQ.
2. Haven't tried sleeping two in a hammock but just imagine it would amount to two people keeping each other awake all night. If you are speaking of just having plenty of room, a 60" is enough to get spread out in.
3. Bugnet. I've never used an intergrated but just don't want to deal with zippers in the early AM when nature calls. This is the reason the shockcord was removed from the Fronkey style Bugnet. Trying to get my feet out of the opening at 3 AM was a PITA. Now just use the Fronkey without the shockcord. Surprisingly the mossies can't get in.
4. Tarp. One word. Tadpole. I spent 2 1/2 months during the '13 summer in Maine 24/7 under a tadpole and never had a leak and it had never been sealed. Still dry and still unsealed.
5. Started out with a PLUQ, good to freezing, the first night of my first hang. Have since gone to a WL Summer Series UQ. Still good to freezing temps with some supplements. In PA you will need more UQ especially during the winter. Tried a sleeping bag as a TQ and gave it up after 2 nights in the back yard. There just wasn't enough room in the hammock for both of us. Now going with a WL SS TQ for most hangs. The exceptions to the UQ and TQ are at the Florida Hang. It's seems we manage to get down into the mid 20°s most years and then I bring everything.
6. Straps. I'm still one of those who accept the possible dangers of hanging from Dutch'es Speedhooks, no longer available, but for the ease, speed and weight savings I will continue to use them.

Please use this information at your own risk and embrace the fun of experimenting. Of the 10 to 12 in our hanging group none of the systems are the same. HYOH.

Thanks so much for the valuable information! I'm looking at the superfly at the moment and will check into the tadpole you mentioned.

[hutzelbein]

If you decide to go with the WBBB XLC, you can save a bit by also ordering one of the WB tarps. If you think that the Superfly is overkill for your needs (it's ginormous), the Mamajamba or the Edge are very fine tarps, too. The Mamajamba is the size of the Superfly, but without the doors, and the Edge is a great little tarp when you don't expect super bad weather. I like to use it as my go-to-tarp in summer. All WB tarps are the lightest silnylon tarps of their respective size class. I own the Tadpole as well, and just hung it over the Edge. On paper, both tarps are equal. In reality, the Edge has quite a bit more coverage in the bottom. Not saying that the Tadpole is a bad tarp. WL does custom work, WB doesn't. So if you're looking for a specific fabric, color or add-ons, WL is the way to go.

However, the gear that works best for one person needn't be the best for another one. I second the advice of visiting a group hang and checking out other people's set-ups. You might find some gear you would have never considered otherwise.

[happydensity]

For the same $28, I got Dutch's CRL assembly and highly recommend it. For a high quality tarp short of cuben fiber, Mountain Wilderness Gear has the best prices and great service

[larryschwartz]

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum and can't wait to learn and contribute to this awesome place. I'm a HUGE fan of Shug and I watch all of his videos on camping. I'm a tent camper, but I'm looking to also become a hammock camper. I will bring my hammock on tent camping trips to set up for lounging and relaxation, and there will also be times where I only bring my hammock setup. I know there are many threads with all types of information, and I have checked those out and saved them for future research, but I was hoping you could help me out with some advice and suggestions to get the ball rolling. I learn better by directly interacting with others and getting responses to my questions, so I hope that's ok

Some of my questions pertain to getting the gear I believe to be essential. Could you all give me some pointers and suggestions for the following gear? I would prefer the "bang for your buck" approach because I will spend where necessary but I'd like to get the most for the money. I don't want the most expensive things. Lightweight and long-lasting are probably the go-to products for most.

- Single layer hammock (I'm aware of the "try before you buy" but I'd like suggestions regardless) I am actually a fan of the double layer hammocks. They give you a firmer feel underneath you. They help keep biting insects from lunching on your posterior and shoulders. They also make it easy to put in a pad, which I prefer to use...it helps spread out the hammock so your shoulders and hips are not constricted, the pad saves you from getting frozen butt, and they also come in insulated models for the colder weather.

- One or two person? (I want to be comfy and cozy with room to relax) There are two person hammocks but I think you arer talking about interior room, so go with the advice earlier about getting one long enough to give you the room you want.

- Bug net If you want to build a four season system, which is a good idea in PA, I would include the bug net in whatever you buy. Someone gave good advice when they suggested going to hangs in your area. Check out the ones in the NorthEast subforum for PA, MD, WV, etc. Also check out VA in the SouthEast subforum. There are some in November and at least one in January.

- Weather tarp For the same reason as above, if you want a four season setup you will want a tarp. Look at what others have and use and decide what size you want.

- Underquilt (I'll use my sleeping bag inside the hammock) I also use my sleeping bag as a top quilt, and it works fine for me. I unzip it all of the way so it is shaped just like a quilt on my bed at home, or leave some of it unzipped so I have a footbox at the bottom. Do whatever works well for you. Top quilts made for use in hammocks are going to be smaller than a sleeping bag and you may prefer them. As mentioned before, try out other folks gear at some of the hangs and see if you prefer an actual quilt over unzipping your sleeping bag. I have used an underquilt and I have used an insulating sleeping pad, both successfully. So, try both and see which you prefer. You may find you like the extra space the pad gives you in your hammock and that you don't need an underquilt to keep you warm. If you do need more to keep you warm then definitely look into an underquilt or one of the blankets made from reflective materials (like a space blanket or emergency blankets sold in camping stores, OR even the reflective sunscreens they sell in automotive stores to stop the sunlight from heating up your car. You can put them in the sleeve under your hammock or just lay the more durable versions in your hammock and sleep on them.

- Straps, accessories, line material, etc. So many options and so little space to talk about them. Again, the best bet is to see what others use, find out what they like and dislike about them and then get what you think will work best for you. Also, most hammocks will come with a suspension already so you don't have to pick one at the outset, only if you want to simplify things or cut your weight.

Thank you all so much I'm really excited to get started and be a hammock camper!

[Helium33]

Dutch Half-Wit one side Velcro , cinch bug suspension, Any cat cut tarp 11' long 104" wide 10-14 oz, HQ UQ , LOCOLIBREGEAR Ghost Pepper TQ, and Dutch bling.. Best and easiest setup . Affordable.

[Dublinlin]

How many stingers and stakes are needed with the superfly tarp?

With my SuperFly, I use a continuous ridge line I ordered from Dutch...it has a tiny Dutch hook on one end and a handy wasp on the other...and soft-shackles prussic knotted on near each end to attach the SuperFly's ridge line to. I have a tiny little Dutch hook on each end of the SuperFly's ridge line. I use eight stakes. Planning on getting some titanium hooked stakes from Dutch on my next order, but for now I'm slumming it with WalMart stakes. (Ordered one titanium hooked stake and one titanium nail not long ago to try, so I could decide which I liked better!). In the order before that order, I'd gotten four teensey tarp worms. I didn't expect to like them as much as I do (since tying out my stakes never seemed tiresome or time-consuming BEFORE I tried the tarp worms just out of curiosity), but I like them so much, I couldn't stand NOT putting them on my other SuperFly, too! So, now, all is right in the world since both of my SuperFlys are properly equipped with tarp worms! I love those things!!!

And I love my SuperFlys and my WBBB XLC! I can't pull together the funds yet for a REAL underquilt, but my $45 SnugPak Underblanket and $40 SnugPak TopQuilt takes me comfortably down to 34 degrees by themselves and lower than that when coupled with a closed cell pad. (I was comfy at 30 degrees...coldest it's been since I purchased them a few weeks ago.)

You are smart to ask before you buy! I wish I'd known about HF before I bought my first four hammocks and my first tarp. Sure could've put my money to better use! After one night in my WBBB XLC, all my other hammocks didn't feel suited for anything except casual day time lounging! Sure wouldn't CAMP in them! I feel guilty having not yet provided my kid with a WBBB. At least she gets sheltered under a SuperFly!

[Dublinlin]

I use 2 stingers (1 on each end, both with 12 ft of zing it, ordered from dutch, $28). I'll get flamed by gram counters but i carry about 10-12 stakes 2 for WBBB XLC tie outs and 8 for SF (4 corners, 2 for pull-outs...see Brandons video on pullouts at warbonnet outdoors..and a couple for doors on SF) There are weight saving ways to deploy the tarp differently but I'm always carrying too much and always bring extra gear, sometimes just to fiddle with set up options. The WBBB XLC has the built in ridgeline so i use the stinger set up for my super quick and easy tarp set up with no continuous ridgeline for the tarp. there are so many great set up options you'll find on this site and as everyone says HYOH (hang your own hang). hope this helped and good luck. PS, I'm currently looking into the pole mod for the SF so mine may change, tinkering and experimenting is half the fun IMO

http://www.dutchwaregear.com/stingers.html

Forgot to mention, I have Dutch's pole mod on my SuperFly and plan to outfit my daughter's SuperFly with the pole mod, too. I've used it probably six nights total now and one of those nights was with really high winds and pounding rain. I LOVE the pole mod. It works beautifully with my SuperFly. I don't know how it will do in snow, though. I'll find out this winter. But it sure is awesome in general! Last time I slept out, I forgot the poles and realized just how spoiled I am! I ran back home for them after going to bed for the night!...I was sleeping with the top cover of my WBBB unzipped 1/4th of the way and the tarp, which I'd pitched low because the weather was inclimate, just seemed so CLOSE to my face...leaving me feeling claustrophobic enough that I finally got up and crawled out of my warm hammock and drove home (wasn't far!) to get my poles! I'm no good at going light because I get spoiled by things like poles to make my tarp twice as spacious!

That's the problem with trying new things! You don't know you can't live without it until you experience it! I've got to quit perusing Dutch's site. It is ruining me--LOL!

[Dublinlin]

Welcome aboard from Florida....
6. Straps. I'm still one of those who accept the possible dangers of hanging from Dutch'es Speedhooks, no longer available, but for the ease, speed and weight savings I will continue to use them.

.

Me, too! My WBBB came with Whoopie slings and biners, but I replaced the biners with Dutch whoopie hooks larks headed onto my tree straps. BUT, three of my hammocks have Dutch Speed Hooks. I was so bummed when I found out they weren't available anymore. Mine are still working great and I think they are awesome!