No need for a toggle, just use a stick!
I thought that as well but I like the thought of having a extra couple of stakes if I lose one or break one. I understand a person can get by without. I like the minimalist approach I just don't think its my style. But who knows life on the trail could change that!! Thanks Cameron
Your set up sounds good so far. Check with local areas about bear canister requirements. As the AT winds through NC, there are sections where a canister is required and sleeping in the shelter is required; the Smokies is one such area. Both carry a hefty fine if not followed.
Cameron1977, Looks like you are a new poster - Welcome to the forum.
Because you said you were new to hammock camping AND someone mentioned Whoopie slings and MarlinSpike Hitch … If you use that suspension method, remember - The (Amsteel) loop is held by the knot, NOT by the stick (toggle). As such, it hardly matters what the toggle is made of - the loop is positioned behind the knot.
I tried Whoopie Slings but they required too much additional distance between trees. And I figured the bury would be difficult to deal with in freezing rain; or any rain for that matter. So I use webbing or daisy chain - simple, easy to manipulate.
My hammock supports my head with my neck straight, If I try to use a pillow (while on my back) it tilts my head up too much. But I might use a pillow by my head just to push the bug net out a bit. Or, more likely, I’d use a small camp pillow under a knee for various support options. If you are going to buy an inflatable pillow to use around your head, be sure to try it out. I found the most expensive, Hi-Tech, versions sounded like crunching a bag of cornflakes next to my ear. I settled on a less expensive Sea-to-Summit with felt on one side. But it mostly stays in the gear box.
Your SuperFly will serve you well. Remember, you are not only creating a dry space for your hammock footprint; you are also creating a “living room” for when you are out of the hammock. In my young foolish days (as opposed to my old foolish days), I hiked the PCT (Oregon) with just a Gore-Tex bivi bag. it provided full enclosure with a hoop that lifted the bug net off my face. I didn’t know about tarps (my first camping trip was with city street shoes and a canvas duffle bag as a pack). When it rained, I was dry while in the Bivi bag and wet any other time. So you will be spending a lot of time “on the trail”. There might be a times, a day, when you just what to hang out. You’ll be glad you have a tarp that gives you an area, outside your hammock, where you can move around a bit and still keep dry.
The Lore is, you hang your tarp first so if it is raining, you can setup everything else mostly under the tarp. It’s a good theory, but I’ve found, when weather permits, it’s easier to get the hammock set just right, then center the tarp on the hammock. Of course if it were raining, I’d do it the “right” way.
If you have a park/trees nearby, do practice, practice, practice. Your eye will learn the tree distances that will work for you. You’ll see what suspension/hardware works best for you. Remember, what appears super easy on a warm sunny day (those are gone for a while in the PNW), might be … different … during inclement weather.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
Thank you for putting so much thought into this response! I plan on getting in a lot of practice and might look into another suspension option after I've actually used this setup! : ) My top quilt shipped today and I'll be sleeping outdoors soon! I keep learning from everyone on here and youtube! I'm pretty excited. Is it 3/1/21 yet!! Thanks Cameron
If you have a Warbonnet setup and your goal is to keep everything together, have a look at the Big Pig stuffsack, which is made to stuff a Blackbird XLC + Wooki + top quilt in one stuff sack.
It should work just fine with other hammocks + underquilts; it is just made by Warbonnet and known to fit a Blackbird XLC + winter Wooki + winter top quilt.
Last edited by blackmagic; 11-28-2020 at 12:33.
I MUCH prefer a single mesh tarp skin (like SLD’s) over a 2 part silnylon tarp skin (like WB’s)...so much easier to use! Also, I much prefer a double ended stuff sack for my WB SuperFly over the original stuff sack. I hate having to keep track of sacks...the double ended tarp sack allows me to leave the sack on the tree end of the ridgeline and just slide the mesh wrapped tarp back into it as I take my tarp down.
I would NOT set out on a ling hike before first practicing numerous nights sleeping in your yard to get to KNOW your gear well beforehand. Blackbirds and XLCs, in my opinion, especially have a learning curve. They can be finicky set-up-wise to get a comfortable until you get them dialed in and are very familiar with them. Once you get the hang of setting them up correctly they are an amazingly comfortable hammock, but it seems to me that the XLC and Blackbirds are not as forgiving as some other hammocks if you don’t get the strap angle correct, the ridgeline tension correct, and remember to hang the foot end about 14 inches higher than the head end. Once you get it dialed in well the first time, it’s a breeze doing so correctly every time thereafter. I’d do my learning and mistake making at home, sleeping in the yard...not out on the trail where you’re stuck if things don’t go right.
Good choice on the Wooki! It is, in my experience, the easiest UQ out there to use. It’ll likely be perfectly right the first time you set it up.
Personally, I’ve ditched pretty much all of my individual stuff sacks and instead follow a system much like Beardoh from https://www.longdistancehiker.com/ uses. Both quilts and hammock go into a waterproof bag in the bottom of my pack without stuff sacks. This helps save space and weight.
As to your tarp specifically: don’t worry about a stuff sack, your sleeve is the stuff sack. A lot of people simply roll it up, then put into the outside mesh pocket of your Exos. Putting your tarp there allows it to dry when wet (even if just from condensation) and provides a consistent and convenient place to grab it quickly should a sudden rainstorm flare up.
Good luck on your thru.
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