I have been meaning to post this mod since last winter but have continually forgotten. I see tons of people adding string lights to their Ridgeline. Ive experimented with tons of them and all have left me unhappy....until I discovered the Big Agnes MTN Glow lights. I bought some for my ZPacks Duplex tent and decided to experiment. The below picture is what they look like when they're new. They have a white fabric diffusing cover on the light strip. I stole this picture from REI.com because I dont have any pictures of what they look like from the factory.
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I was on my Ultralight kick so I was trying to reduce weight as much as possible. I cut the white cloth diffuser off of the string lights. I then noticed the wire is extremely tiny and flexible. I wrapped it around the clothesline in my tent and it worked perfectly. I honestly dont even see why they put the diffuser on them as they dont need it. I then decided to buy more and add them to my hammocks. Ive been using these about a year and they have performed flawlessly. I can honestly say im 100% happy with them. I have never experienced a tangle and they always stay in place. I leave them on the Ridgeline full time.
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In the pic above you can see the lights wrapped around the Ridgeline and you can see that they are powered by usb. I run the connector into my hammock gear dyneema Ridgeline organizer. I switch between using the factory supplied battery pack (AAA) or my battery bank depending on my needs for that particular trip. If you look hard enough you can see the lights wrapped around the Ridgeline in the picture below. They're tiny.
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The picture below was taken soon after I discovered the string lights and rigged up a fan. That was also back when I was still a ground dweller and before I bought my first Underquilt. I have since changed the fan that I use and you can see in the picture I was still using the white fabric diffuser on the string lights. I would just use the factory supplied mitten hooks that came with the string lights and hang them on the Ridgeline. I was unhappy with that method because I would experience tangles. Wrapping the unsheathed string lights around the Ridgeline prevents tangles. The 20,000mah battery bank is my multiday trip power source. It is attached to the Ridgeline by shock cord loops and mitten hooks.
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I haven't weighed the string lights in a year so I dont remember their exact weight. If I remember correctly the string lights without a power source only weighs in the 1 oz neighborhood. I do know I've never found a lighter weight string light. Ultimately, your real weight will come from the batteries but that applies to any light. Overall, I have a year of experience with this setup and I have absolutely no desire to find another method of lighting my hammock. In my opinion, the only way it could be more perfect is if the lights were spliced into the Ridgeline. I have plans of trying it in the future.
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