Holistic is a good description.
Hammock/quilts/tarp cover the sleep/shelter requirements but the rest is just as important.
Good websites to check, AdventureAlan (he's a hanger and tenter), Long Distance Hiker (Beardoh), and Mike Clelland's UL series on YT. And many more.
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
Someone once asked a famous rock climber what it took to become "World Class". He answered, "A wife that works". Perhaps its the same with acquiring UL hammock gear. My one move toward lighter hammock camping will be trying an Alcohol Stove. If the hammock bug net is not built in, I've switched over to carrying a HUG style - especially for day hikes/picnics.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
I think it’s important to factor in your experience level. Many of the posters on this site are highly experienced and very knowledgeable, which gives them flexibility. I switched from tent to hammock to prepare for a thruhike, and I’m still on the steep part of the learning curve. After about 7-10 nights out in the hammock I started to be comfortable with lightening up the setup (reduce hardware with knots, using uhmw straps for suspension, 3/4 UQ). If I had tried to start really light ( and particularly without practice) on a thruhike, I would have had some long, cold nights (and I may still). You can also cut costs by doing this gradually, buying and selling lightly used equipment as you go, which is what I have done. Then you just need a wealthy spouse or partner so you can buy the ultimate 950fp yeti UQ with nylon that is practically spiderweb in thickness, and hope they don’t look too closely at credit card receipts and the small, ultralight weight packages that show up frequently on your porch.
This ^^^ is my kit with the following caveats...Originally Posted by blackmagic
Half Wit style net instead of a Half Zip..
Kevlar straps
Lawson HD Ti stakes
This is what works for me, and what I have evolved into.. not with the intent to be UL, but to be uncomplicated and reliable as possible.
Yes, my pack weighs 70lbs, but it's all light weight gear....
Bob's brother-in-law
Really agree with this post. Now in 5th year of hammocking, amazed to realize what I still do not know in terms of hammock skills. The other thing to be learned are MY own personal preferences. For example, setting up and breaking camp became a big deal to me, so adding a few grams for a snakeskin & kevlar 3.3 straps became worth it to me.
Recalc, you’re 4 years ahead of me. I could write the first chapter in ‘How to switch from lightweight tent/tarp backpacking to hammock’:
1. Read the ultimate hang 2; comprehensive, nice writing style, helpful illustrations;
2. Throw a few logs on the fire and watch some Shug videos;
3. Do some reading on this forum and get some practice with a typical GE hammock;
4. Make a bunch of mistakes, gradually lighten your setup, and search her for solutions using the search function;
5. Ask questions here, get helpful advice. It really helps when the experienced posters disagree a bit (see current posts on uqp versus larger tarp, using miniUCRs,etc).
6. Don’t film your early efforts. I could have some great video showing me slowly sliding to the ground when I turned my WB buckles sideways, nearly sitting on my UQ instead of the hammock, and ( multiple episodes) of trying to find my pillow in the dark, then locating it on the wet ground under my hammock.
I think the biggest mistake i’ve made was not attending a group hang, that would have sped up the learning curve, i’d put that in chapter 2.
Plus one, and this is along the lines of what I use. I also recommend the book Backpackin' Light by Mike Cleeland. Lots of good info on how to lighten one's pack, AND be comfortable/safe. I backpack with the Darien 11' DH hammock and use UHMWPE or kevlar straps using the marlin spike hitch, so no carabiners to add weight. I suppose i could stand to shed another 8 oz or so if I used a DCF tarp, but I am mostly a car camper/base camper, not a thruhiker thus I haven't shrunk my tarp yet.
It's interesting to see that even for UL most folks give up the slight weight/volume advantage of UHMWPE webbing (Venom/Spider/Dynaweave/Myerstech etc) in favor of the far more 'well-behaved' Kevlar.
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
Could you comment on this difference? I've noted that my spider straps tend to roll up and behave almost like a cord at times, and they retain that in storage, they're odd to handle. Is it worth it to switch to kevlar?
Yes, that's it exactly... much more like a cord than webbing in actual use. Kevlar doesn't bunch up, at least nothing like UHMWPE.
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
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