Hello folks,
I recently decided I wanted to try substituting a hammock for a tent on backpack trips as I sleep terribly on the ground. I checked out outdoorgearlab and settled on the Hennessey ultralight backpacker asym zip. Now, I would like to mention that I'm experienced with backcountry trips/camping/gear, however, now realize that there was quite a bit that I didn't know about hammocks. I got the hammock last Monday, with a 3 day/2 night trip planned in RMNP over the weekend with nighttime lows around 50*f. As I was watching videos on setup, I started to realize that I would need some under-side insulation. Since I didn't want to order any fancy UQ quite yet, I decided to bring along my Thermarest pad as I figured it would stay in position better than my inflatable pad.
As for how it went... I spent a few times re-rigging the hammock until I was happy with the comfort. The rain fly worked well in a light rainstorm. During the nights, the pad slipped around, and repositioning things was a pain in the ***. It also took away from the hammock comfort. However, I want to pursue more hammock camping, so I have a few questions...
- I realized I may have jumped the gun in which hammock I purchased. My goal is backpacking trips, so lightweight stuff is important. Is there anything I should switch out or modify, such as the tree straps or rainfly? Is the HH ultralight a good core hammock?
- How the hell does the rainfly keep an UQ dry if there's even a hint of wind? Are there larger rainflys that cover more as opposed to the one that came with my hammock?
- Do I continue to use my regular mummy bag if I use an UQ, or do people prefer just the top quilt?
- Any other pointers or things I may not know?
Cheers!
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