Unfortunately, no. It's been cold, windy and rainy here. Not ideal hammock weather. I have practiced inflating the pad and discovered that I really did need that tiny little air pump that Facebook has been pitching to me for months.
I'm doing the West Rim Trail (PA) next weekend and debating whether I want to take this and deal with the extra weight (all-in, it's 2-3x the bulk of my hammock and UQ).
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Right now, temps should be above freezing, so hopefully the insulated pad will be warm enough. I'll have to fiddle with components to optimize the weight. The Haven straps are actually pretty light for daisy chain style, but I'll probably bring a set of whoopies in case they're too short.
Popping in to say that I definitely love my Haven. There is a mental switch that I had to make, and it took me a little while. Now I view it as a tent that happens to hang. Just like a tent doesn't usually open up into porch mode, the Haven tarp sticks close to the main body. You're either in or out. In warmer weather I've just left the included tarp at home and brought one of my other tarps. Because the Haven tarp is a little heavier that most, in cooler weather I am thinking about making my own, lighter version to act as a sock while still brining a 'standard' tarp.
I also missed my ridgeline. That was solved by making one out of braided 50 lb. fishing line. To do this I used a couple of buttons as backers, then stitched through the interior fabric near the peak. One end has a fixed loop through the fabric and the button, and the other end is a loop tied off with a Prussik knot to make it adjustable.
So, by ditching the bug net (shouldn't need that with daytime highs in the 50s) and swapping the suspension (which isn't THAT much lighter than the Haven straps, but is far more versatile, being 7' straps and 6' whoopies), I got the whole package down to just under 6 pounds (2651 grams, 93.52 ounces, 5.85 pounds). For comparison, my DW netless and HG econ Incubator - which is what I would normally take for this time of year (1554 grams, 54.78 ounces, 3.43 pounds). That's a penalty of about 2.4 pounds, with the potential payoff of better sleep.
EDIT: I was weighing the incubator with the storage sack. Without that, the total weight of my "usual" setup is 2.97 pounds, so just a hair over half the weight of the Haven.
Last edited by CVKealey; 11-03-2021 at 12:01.
The sun was out and I had no meetings, so I took a long lunch to set the Haven up and give it a go. First, it does work on my turtledog-style stand, but hangs a bit low for my taste. I'll have to fiddle with the ridge pole length a bit (I have shorter center pieces to try...somewhere). Second, maybe I need to more firmly inflate the pad (or lose some weight) because it definitely felt like it was wrapping around me. It reminded me a bit of the Ridgerunner I bought (and sold) last year. I'm super glad I got the XL, because there's no way I'd be comfortable in the standard Haven. On my back, arms at my sides, my elbows are pushing at the sidewalls. It's not UNcomfortable, but not entirely comfortable, either. It'll take some getting used to. I tried side and stomach positions as well. Side felt a lot like my GE hammocks and stomach was OK, but not great. Maybe if I got the pad a bit firmer, that would help. And speaking of the pad, deflating and rolling it in the hammock is kind of a pain. OK, a real pain. The "tinypump" I got to inflate it can also deflate, which might make that process a little easier, but it's still something I wouldn't want to do every day.
All that being said, I've decided to stick with what I know for my upcoming trip and reserve the Haven for car camping. I've got an "outdoor leadership" training next month, so that will be my field test of it.
I'd be using the same tarp, lines and stakes in either case, so I didn't include it in the weights.
Also, if the forecast stays as it is (30s overnight with intermittent rain and wind), I might switch to my Trail Lair, which is about 10 ounces heavier, but has the windshield option.
Last edited by CVKealey; 11-04-2021 at 15:21.
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