I am looking for suggestions for my wife. She is really small, 5'2" and weighs 105lbs at the most. Since she is so small, I would like to find the lightest hammock I can, that has an integrated bug net. Please toss me some suggestions. I was excited about the cloud71 material, but I have some concerns after reading the bad press on here. (Our current lightweight hammocks are a Darien in 1.2mtn amd a Chameleon in hexon 1.0.
Thanks in advance
Last edited by Billcole; 05-31-2021 at 07:17.
DWG Half-zipped in Hexon 1.0 is about 14oz, which is about 3oz lighter than the the Chameleon.
That's with 11' hammocks... would a shorter hammock work for her? I ask because I'm 5'9" and use 10'x64" Dariens (MTN 1.7 and 1.2) and am perfectly comfortable with them. Maybe a 9' SLD Trail Lair in Hexon 1.0 with custom width and zipper on one side? I don't know, but maybe (probably?) Jared would do this.
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
10' hammocks would be fine. I have been looking at the Trailheadz Banshee and Poltergeist UL, which are 10.5 and 58" wide. 7.5 Oz with the cloud71 and 11 in hexon 1.2.
Nice option there with the .5 noseeum!
Since you're leaning that way, maybe go with the Banshee in Hexon 1.2 and cut 3.5oz elsewhere.
Not a bad idea to go all-in UL with someone who's very light. I shudder to think what it might be like for a smaller person carrying traditional backpacking kit. BUT, peace of mind for 3.5oz is worth it, and very few people's kits are so meticulously "honed and dialed" that more opportunities for weight-cutting cannot be found in other areas.
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
I was leaning towards the Banshee just to be safe. When looking at pack weights people don't usually consider the size of the person, but I need to for her. She is a trooper and carried over 40lbs at times back when ultralight gear wasn't really as available, and we were a bit younger. Her load out today is 20lbs and under. Always looking for items to help reduce weight, but not sacrifice comfort. Also looking at packs to reduce bulk amd weight from here 58l eja, its overkill for her needs IMO.Originally Posted by cmoulder
When one thinks in terms of % of body weight, it becomes a lot more obvious!
However, even as a fairly longtime UL-er I think it wise not to go with the absolute lightest option with hammock.
Even with a slightly more robust hammock, warmer weather trips of 2-3 nights are quite possible with pack weight of 15lb or less. I've done some 2-3-night trips in nicer weather with TPW of about 13.5lb, which included food and 20oz water.
Getting OT, but yes a much lighter pack (Zpacks, Zimmerbuilt, etc) is in order, and many other pack weight reduction strategies can be discussed in the Ultra Lite Gear forum.Early in my UL journey I looked at tons and tons of gear lists and got some good ideas.
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
As an owner of both the Banshee and the Poltergeist. i'm 6' 200# and the Banshee is hands down the most comfortable hammock I own in the UL area. The Poltergeist is new... as of last thursday but i've been using a cloud netless at the house since February. I personally think she would be fine in either provided that she's aware that the UL fabrics need a bit more attention and care when using. That being said The Banshee has in my testing been hung wrong (on purpose) spun around in, in the middle of the night and other "aggressive use tests" to get a sense of it's strength and durability. After a year of backpacking use i'm very confident in it's longterm use and durability. My Poltergeist is gonna be for those long day high mileage trips where those 118g really make a difference. I hope this helps.
"Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.”
― Norman Maclean
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks