Casual hanger, now trying to become backpacker hanger

[Highwayman]

Four years ago, I made an account here. I got an ENO Onelink set as a gift, I thought it was fun for car camping. I think I have three posts here asking how to upgrade a Doublenest on zero budget. I'm sorry for wasting the bandwidth, I was having fun at least. Years later, I bought my first condo...Owning no furniture, that hammock ironically became my only living room furniture for the first six months or so in a cheap stand off Amazon. It now lives on my deck for working from home and reading.

But in the here and now, I'm looking to start taking this seriously. I'm going in the more ultralight direction with my backpacking, and in replacing my old gear I took another look at my casual car camping hammock. Then, it got me thinking back to all the times I could have thrown up a smaller hammock at a festival or outdoor event and relaxed. A couple weeks of research later, I harassed 'Dutch' over email for a while and got my first cottage industry hammock ordered along with a lighter suspension system he advised. This led to the usual 'Well, if I have a better hammock...'

The transition so far:
-ENO Doublenest to 9.5 Hexon 1.0 from Dutch.
-Atlas straps to 1.5 spider traps, whoopie hooks
-Thermarest Trail Scout to a secondhand Thermarest Neoair Xlite, women's size.

Down the path...
-Currently using a 20 degree down mummy bag, cannot afford a quilt anytime soon.
-Profly tarp to...something much lighter, ideally larger. I am not so ultralight I would get an asym tarp by default, I may feel better getting a hex of some kind.
-Guardian bug net to...Not sure, I genuinely just remembered my bug net weighs a pound a few minutes ago.

While I'm mostly here to ask dumb questions about this new gear I ordered, long-term I'm also looking into how you all have these new materials and methods for making things so light and minimal.

[sidneyhornblower]

So you're averaging about one post a year so far? A man of few words, indeed.

Asking dumb questions gets a lot of us going. If you've ever seen any of my videos, you'll note that I do dumb things all the time and it ain't killed me yet, so ask away.

Cheers.

[ylnfrt]

Welcome to the wonderful world of hanging. But I have to agree with sidneyhornblower- at the rate your going (1 post/ year) I hope you are a young man-
Honestly this is the best place to learn anything about hammocking and to go ultralite is a great goal. I recently met rainman who is a long distance hanger/ hiker and he has gotten his base weight (pack,hammock, suspension,tarp,TQ,UQ) down to @ 34 oz. That to me is amazing and he did admit it was $$$$. I felt good with mine at @15 lb. but like you I am working my way down so ask away as we all like learning not only how to do it better but also lighter (so many options).

[dakotaross]

I'm going to presume you're using a pad in the hammock with that bag? Which is fine. Its not unusual for someone new to the hobby to basically ignore underinsulation as often its assumed that the bag does that, which it doesn't. Pad works ok, its just not optimal. UQ's are da bomb, but they're mostly a little difficult at first to learn how to get just right so that there are no cold spots. Or, save up for a Wooki that is supposed to eliminate that fiddling with its design. I tried a hammock with stitched on insulation recently (Bonefire Whisper) and was amazed at the difference it made with no fiddle factor getting my body directly mapped up with the insulation. Wooki is supposed to simulate that design, though its a modular quilt.

Just missed a Hammock Gear sale, $69 for a silpoly hex tarp. But depending on how much you get out and your exposure to truly poor weather, an asym from SimplyLightDesigns.com is a thought, though might not have better coverage than the profly. Does your Guardian bug net fit on the longer hammock? I'm a netless guy, just never seem to need it in the mountains - and we have plenty of bugs in the south - but it depends on where you're hiking. I do carry a 1oz headnet as a precaution, which is all the coverage I need with a TQ over me, and UQ below. But truth be told, you can get out with what you have and be just fine. Its in the getting out that you'll find what you really need/want to make the experience all that you want it to be.

Looking forward to your 5th post sometime this year perhaps, LOL. Sorry, couldn't resist.

[michigandave]

Go to a group hang....it's a great way to see a wide variety of gear in action.

Welcome again to the madness.

Sent from my LG-H740 using Tapatalk

[TallPaul]

Welcome to the forums.

I suggest buying a scale to weigh items if you really want to get lightweight. I’m not talking crazy-stupid lightweight. Just smart about knowing what each item weighs. When you take say 40-50 items on a trip, the weight of various things can sneak up on you.

[Highwayman]

Morning,

Answering a couple questions:
-I am using a pad in the hammock for now, quickly learned that under insulation with a sleeping bag is a myth. It's currently looking like the lightest and most affordable option.
-I missed a hex tarp sale? That would have been perfect. Going to go scream outside for a while.