We are missionaries living in a Himalayan village. We realized that we needed hiking gear when we go up to the remote villages. It took just a few Shug videos to convince me that a hammock is the way to go for my 57 year old knees. My Dream Hammock Sparrow arrived a few days ago.

After two days of playing with it on our balcony, I was finally ready to give it a go on the first of January. My improvised underquilts were positioned and I was cocooned inside both our sleeping bags. As I called for hubby to turn off the light, I realized that the cap of my water bottle had come off and I was soaked! Yes, I really should have gotten that ridge line organizer.

After an afternoon of fiddling with my DIY underquilt, I was ready to give it another try. I had learnt that attaching the shoulder side tie-outs to the balcony railing, prevents the quilt from slipping out from under my feet.

I can now say that I had a perfectly toasty, comfortable night at temperatures hovering around freezing.

The next challenge is to take it out into the deodar forest.