voyageur_12-14-17_IMG_6349 by michigan dave, on Flickr
I’ve always been a strong advocate for Jared’s products at Simply Light Designs. About 8 months ago, I came up with an idea for a variation of his Trail Lair netted hammock. I really liked the lay and comfort of the TL when the bugnet was removed. Well, summer hiking season got in the way of putting any more thought in it, so in mid-September, I got in contact with Jared with my ideas. We went back and forth a bit with various prototypes and that’s how the Voyageur was born, since it kind of looks like a canoe. My 11’ black hexon 1.6 version weighs in at 16 oz., in the double sided stuff sack with attached whoopies.
voyageur_full2 by michigan dave, on Flickr
The Voyageur is geared for cold weather camping, when you don’t need a bugnet. Hexon is my favorite fabric for comfort and durability, so my Voyageur is made out of black 1.6, with contrasting beaks of coyote brown. The beaks are oversized, creating room in the peak for storage. It also pulls up the ends that makes for a very comfortable lay. Jared added storage inside the beaks out of no-seeum netting. One thing about cold weather or winter camping, is that there’s always a lot of extra gear that you have to keep track of or have it easily accessible.
voyageur_12-14-17_IMG_6360 by michigan dave, on Flickr
voyageur_head-beak by michigan dave, on Flickr
Mine has the beak storage at both ends when I can toss a fleece, hat, balaclava, water bottlem, down puffy, and multiple pairs of gloves that I switch in and out of throughout the day. There’s an adjustable toggle that cinches the end of the bag along the ridgeline, plus another toggle to cinch in the size of the netting. The toggles are easy to adjust with gloves on and a lot simpler than using a mitten hook or prussick,
I also had Jared add a zippered rectangular pouch inside the foot end that I use to store extra socks or layers.
voyageur_zipped-storage by michigan dave, on Flickr
When I ordered the Voyageur, I also had Jared make me a matching climashield pillow.
http://www.simplylightdesigns.com/ca...roducts_id/357
voyageur_head-beak-sldpillow by michigan dave, on Flickr
So far I’ve gotten about 10 nights out in my new Voyageur. It’s comfortable and having the beak storage really helps keep me organized when I’m out there fumbling around in the cold weather. Looking forward to getting lots of use out of it as my new go-to hammock for winter camping!
Here’s the link: http://www.simplylightdesigns.com/ca...roducts_id/596
More pictures of the Voyageur: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmbem2vG
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks