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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Apr 2021
    Location
    Bloomington, Illinois
    Hammock
    Superior Hammock / Dutch / Majestic
    Tarp
    Superior Shelter
    Insulation
    Superior Hammock
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    SuperiorSuspension
    Posts
    90

    Time for a change

    Hey Fellow Hangars, so after watching all my favorite youtubers and reading countless posts on here about the Superior Gear Superior Hammock I finally broke down and spent the money to upgrade some of my system. I posted a few weeks ago about the blemish sale and that was the inspiration or fear of missing out that started my purchases. I was able to get a blemished 30 degree hammock and based off of what I saw I can't find the blemish anywhere.

    I was in an ENO doublenest since 2015 and thoroughly enjoyed it. Probably like most of you I found hammock camping kind of on my own out of a want to get off the ground and not to lug around a 20 lb cot. Other than the jungle hammocks, I never saw anyone else try it and was the first one in my area to hammock camp. Through trial and error I figured out my set up and then I started watching everyone else on youtube and then heard about this forum.

    While the new hammock was amazing, it did take a few minutes and I mean minutes to get used to the new system. The suspension on the other hand took seconds to appreciate. Going from the daisy chain suspension to the Superior Suspension was mind blowing. I saw and read how easy it was, but there is just nothing like trying it yourself to appreciate it. If you are still using a daisy chain suspension I implore you to try out either the Superior Suspension or Dutch's Beetle Buckle. I am pretty sure it is lighter weight, I know my straps are much longer and sooo much more flexible. My daughter just kept saying how unfair it was that I didn't buy her new suspension yet.

    So now that I have the hammock it is time to rethink my top quilt or sleeping bag, tarp, and even some of my other camping gear.

    What are some of the items that you've changed over the years and why?

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2020
    Location
    Greensboro, NC
    Hammock
    Warbonnet Ridgerunner
    Tarp
    HG DCF std w/doors
    Insulation
    WM TQ, UGQ UQ
    Suspension
    Whoopie slings
    Posts
    387
    Images
    2
    Glad you are getting so much out of the Superior Gear hammock system. It is a great piece of kit for sure.

    The likely change you'll make that follows the typical pattern of most of us tree dwellers would be the top quilt next. There are a lot of options out there - of course - but you'll likely want to pair it with your temp rating on your underquilt. I would guess the next purchase after that would likely be a tarp. Unless you want to go to the trouble of seam sealing, I'd recommend trying out one of Dutchware Gear's bonded tarps. Happy hanging!
    Iceman857

    "An optimist is a man who plants two acorns and buys a hammock" - Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (French Army General in WWII)

  3. #3
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Location
    Madison, wi
    Hammock
    Chameleon
    Tarp
    DW Wide Rectangle
    Insulation
    Jacks r Better zip
    Suspension
    Beetle buckle
    Posts
    102
    Congrats on the upgrade, always a fun experience.

    As far as next upgrade, I would go tarp because winter is winding down and you can still use your old TQ. Since you had an Eno which is short and now have a superior gear I assume you went from a sub 10' to an 11' hammock. Although you didn't say the size. So your old tarp might not cover you properly anymore. If it does then I revert and agree with Iceman above.

    I've upgraded everything started with an cheap cobbled together Amazon set, then a Kammock mantis, then a Sparrow from Dream Hammock with parts from just about every vendor to get the full set up. Now tomorrow I should be getting my chameleon with zip on UQ.

    But back on the tarps, I now have 2 of the dutchware wide rectangle tarps (one for me and one for my GF). It's my favorite tarp on the market.

  4. #4
    Senior Member Karla "with a k"'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Milwaukee, WI
    Hammock
    11 ft DIY 1.6 HyperD Diamd Ripstop
    Tarp
    UGQ WD 13 End Mods
    Insulation
    Hammock Gear
    Suspension
    Ultimate Straps
    Posts
    1,615
    Quote Originally Posted by Bdh96 View Post
    What are some of the items that you've changed over the years and why?
    If you can wait, I highly encourage you to see what everybody has at a hang (like BACONFEST) and talk to each owner about what they like and don't like about pieces of gear. For me, getting to see, touch, and ask about usage was invaluable to my decision making.

    Also, if there is a particular brand or piece of gear you want to see, there's a good chance someone has it. So, ask on the hang thread if someone could bring it for you see.
    ◘ May 17-19: BACONFEST @ Interstate WI SP ◘ Oct 3-6: miCHILIgan @ Middleville, MI ◘ YouTube: karlawithak216 ◘ Instagram: i.am.karla.with.a.k ◘ 97 months

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Apr 2021
    Location
    Bloomington, Illinois
    Hammock
    Superior Hammock / Dutch / Majestic
    Tarp
    Superior Shelter
    Insulation
    Superior Hammock
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    SuperiorSuspension
    Posts
    90
    Wow, I really love this forum. Within a few hours I have some wonderful suggestions!

    I agreed with everyone's assessment above. My sleeping bag was made in 1992 and was one of the first great mummy bags out there, it has provided about 500 or more nights of camping for me over the years. While it is still pretty warm, it is HUGE!! I used to have a framed pack that worked really well with it since it was strapped on below. Now that I use an internal frame (no I have not tried a frameless pack yet - one decade improvement at a time here) I just don't have the space for it. A few years ago I purchased a real light weight and compact sleeping bag for summer which works really well but could never seem to part ways with the $300 or so ish dollars to get a new nice quilt. Now that I'm backpacking much more than car camping it's time to invest.

    Karla, I agree that seeing in person is important. I'll be asking around when I meet up with everyone over the next few months. However, now that I've got a Superior Hammock I'm kinda leaning that way for the integrated snaps etc..

    Tarps-- Oh lets talk about tarps. Yes my tarp is pretty large. I think it's a 12 ft. tarp, it was a great find on Amazon as I was piecing my gear together 7 years or so ago. I've seen the winter shelter/doors used in the past in person and I would like to go that way along with the pullout so that I can get a little extra room underneath when I'm really hunkered down. Other than those few features and the obvious weight factor, what are other factors that you look for in a great tarp?

    Oooh, here's another great question. What kind of fasteners/tensioners does everyone use for their tarp ridgeline? I once trusted a nylon tensioner for my giant Columbia tent and got burned during a severe thunderstorm in 2008. After that I reverted back to taughtline hitches and the other knots that I learned as a scout. I can tie a taughtline hitch in just a few seconds but after seeing how easy a dutch wasp is to unfasten I have been thinking about going that direction. There are some other great knots that I could use as well (I was a scouting knotmaster), but I was thinking about giving technology another try here.

  6. #6
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2020
    Location
    Greensboro, NC
    Hammock
    Warbonnet Ridgerunner
    Tarp
    HG DCF std w/doors
    Insulation
    WM TQ, UGQ UQ
    Suspension
    Whoopie slings
    Posts
    387
    Images
    2
    Quote Originally Posted by Bdh96 View Post
    Oooh, here's another great question. What kind of fasteners/tensioners does everyone use for their tarp ridgeline?
    If you are going the Dutch bling route and have a continuous (instead of split) ridgeline, I have had great luck with the Wasp, although the Flyz are also easy to use (for either application). If you're a knots person, however, I'm not sure why you would switch. For me, I hate knots and seem to get mental blocks when trying to remember how to tie them, so I don't mind investing in some bling.
    Iceman857

    "An optimist is a man who plants two acorns and buys a hammock" - Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (French Army General in WWII)

  7. #7
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Location
    Madison, wi
    Hammock
    Chameleon
    Tarp
    DW Wide Rectangle
    Insulation
    Jacks r Better zip
    Suspension
    Beetle buckle
    Posts
    102
    If you have a 12 foot tarp with 5 or more tie outs you can make doors. If the tie out points are numbered 1 to 5 left to right, I stake out 2, 3, and 4. Then take shock cord and tie point 1 to point 2 on the other side, and point 5 to pint 4 on the other side. Depending on your pitch you get more or less overlap.

    As I said I love the dutchware tarps, it's largely for the wide part. Most tarps are 9 to 10' 2ide, where dutchware is 11.5'. That extra space is noticable in many ways, if it's windy you can pitch it closer to you can get really close to the ground, in rain I like to pitch it wider to have a larger dry footprint under me, in porch mode you can throw a party with that space.

    You also get the new bonding where you don't need to seam seal, then like all dutchware you get great materials and workmanship.

    A lot of tarps offer external pull outs, dutchware also offers internal pole mods 2hich open up more but there is the weight of the poles. The internal pole mod also comes with an internal ridgeline with prussiks to hold the pole in place.

    You can see the space I'm talking about below, I take the side I get into and pitch it 2ider for space, then the other side I pitch tighter for more protection. I had the point closest to the camera proped up for a view. This is the rectangle tarp.
    20220923_074944.jpg

    Then here is the same tarp with one set of doors closed because it was getting cooler but I wanted one side open to get in and out and keep air flow
    20220924_110338.jpg

    https://youtu.be/jucSAtDXyj4

  8. #8
    cougarmeat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Bend, OR
    Hammock
    WBBB, WBRR, WL LiteOwl
    Tarp
    OES, WL BullFro
    Insulation
    HG UQ, TQ, WB UQ
    Suspension
    Python Straps
    Posts
    3,759
    Bdh96 - For the tarp suspension, I use a Dutch hook on one end. But over time I'll switch to a metal mitten clip with the wire gate removed. Those metal mitten clips are sold in the DIY section of many hammock vendors. I pull the gate out with pliers. The opening on that clip is wider than the Dutch hook so it's easier to fasten/unfasten. But I need to watch its performance more in fierce wind to assure it's strong enough. The tree wrap, and coming off the side, should provide enough friction so the clip/hook doesn't have to work hard.

    I have a Dutch wasp at the other end of the tarp. But it is never in the right place when I set up in different locations and seems fussier than it should be to slide it into place. I completely admit this is because of my lack of practice. But I'm considering a toggle for that job instead. I think the toggle, with larger holes for the line, will slide in place easier; then wrap and done. So that's on the experimental schedule.

    The tarp itself is hung with Nama Claws. I had a small problem at first - with the small split ring and the end of the tarp working its way out of the claw when the tarp was wrapped in the snake skins. The solution there was to add a small loop that creates a knot between the split ring and the claw. The loop cinches down on the claw jaw; It hasn't come out yet.

    I started with "just barely enough" snake skins and had to fight the bulge in the middle. Then I switched to single skins. But these days I'm going back to two-piece skins and making sure they have long enough for a fair overlap. it's much easier for me to manage two 6 ft skins than one long 12 foot skin (as long as I don't have to fight a bulge - I know, wrap tighter before sliding the skin on).

    I use a continuous ridgeline to protect the tarp from any pull on the ends (as could happen with a split ridgeline) and in the winter I might run that ridgeline under the tarp. In winter season there is no fear of rain running down the line, and under the tarp it offers more support in case of heavy snow.

    At this time, my guylines are attached and I have a section of shock-cord with the fixed guyline backup so the shock-cord won't stretch too far. In the future, I want to make a set of "shock-cord inside a LashIt" dogbones and keep them on the tarp. That will reduce bulk and tangles. I'd attach the rest of the guyline to the dogbone loop with "clip-on" linelocs. I have multiple tarps so I'd make a set of those internal tensioners for each tarp but just need one set (or a set for each tarp I take - usually two on a kayak trip) of guylines. I'd move them from tarp to tarp depending on which one I take.

    Once I started using snake skins, I've been successful in setting up in high wind. Before that, the score was High wind 2 - cougarmeat 0.

    Years ago, I started with SilNylon because reliability was a priority. Since then, I've seen that the tarps get very little abuse and after one car camping experience in heavy rain on the Oregon Coast - where I had to wrangle three very wet SilNylon tarps - I've started switching over to SilPoly.

    I used a Hennessy Hex for years but one time, when I needed it, I had either the Monsoon or Typhoon model and the Velcro® on doors made all the difference. Since then all my tarps have doors. I either ordered them with doors or had them added when 2QZ2 was its own company. The WB ThunderFly and MiniFly have doors-ish.

    I know many knots from my mountaineering days and my problem with them is the fuss factor and picturing worst case scenarios - like working with them in freezing rain. So I use "wrap and done" hardware. But I can tie a knot if something fails.

    Note on knots. At Exum Guide School we had to tie them behind our backs. When tying a bowline, an instructor noticed my lips moving. He said, "If you want respect, you'll need to learn how to tie that without reciting a nursery rhyme." (... the rabbit comes out of the hole, goes around the tree, and back down the hole ...).
    Last edited by cougarmeat; 02-28-2023 at 15:39.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  9. #9
    Countrybois's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    East Central IL
    Hammock
    DIY 1.7MTN
    Tarp
    HG Camo DCF Palace
    Insulation
    Incubator/Alsek
    Suspension
    Strap/Cinch Buckle
    Posts
    1,279
    Quote Originally Posted by cougarmeat View Post
    Bdh96 -

    The tarp itself is hung with Nama Claws. I had a small problem at first - with the small split ring and the end of the tarp working its way out of the claw when the tarp was wrapped in the snake skins. The solution there was to add a small loop between the split ring and the claw. The loop cinches down on the claw jaw; It hasn't come out yet.

    I'm kind of partial to NAMA Claws as well. v2 is coming soon and, along with it, a closed-loop version for those of you that like to leave your ridgeline attached.

    Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

    Need Adventure...Make Adventure


  10. #10
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Location
    Madison, wi
    Hammock
    Chameleon
    Tarp
    DW Wide Rectangle
    Insulation
    Jacks r Better zip
    Suspension
    Beetle buckle
    Posts
    102
    Quote Originally Posted by Countrybois View Post
    I'm kind of partial to NAMA Claws as well. v2 is coming soon and, along with it, a closed-loop version for those of you that like to leave your ridgeline attached.

    Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
    Can we get a tease of what's different with them?

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