I am a tent person looking to...

[4shot]

convert. With that said, I have a 2 man shires tarptent that goes about 2 lbs. I do require bug protection that I get with my tent. I hate to go backwards in terms of packweight. so, is it possible to get hammock, bug protection, suspension and tarp AND not exceed 2 lbs.? I have casually surfed the various sites and links found here and have information overload. I do know I can't pay the $$$ for cuben and sadly am not a DIY guy when it comes to sewing. So, any ideas/suggestions/input on vendors? Or am I doomed to spend the rest of my nights outdoors wallowing in the dirt with the serpents, varmin and the unenlightened hordes?

I do keep an eye on the For Sale section. Also, y'all have a great site here. Has been very informative (and a lot more friendly) than some other hiker websites out there.

[olddog]

Welcome aboard from Florida. Others will join in but my opinion is that finding a hammock rig under 2#'s will be hard to do. Not much of a gram weenie myself and comfort is more important than weight.

[Redoleary]

Welcome aboard!

I am not ultra light by any means, so to me 2lbs seem pretty optimistic. You'll need something to keep your backside warm, maybe you'll be able to trade the weight of your old pad for that of an underquilt, but the quilt will prolly come out heavier. Sgt. Rock has a pretty light weight system, not sure what it weighs with quilts etc but I'd be willing to be its one of the lightest out there.
Also don't underestimate the power of a good nights sleep. If you have to carry and extra pound or two of gear, but get better rest, your "pounds of gear:quality of sleep" quotient may be far higher with a hammock than with ground tackle.

[rip waverly]

definitely possible, depends somewhat on your preferences and size/weight.

you can get a single layer hammock with suspension and tree straps right near 10-12oz. --- and a "yet to be released" bugnet at right around 5oz. i know of a few fully rigged custom builds with integrated bug net that come in at 1 lb.

a smaller sil tarp, like an oes maccat standard, or wilderness logics tadpole will offer plenty of coverage for around 12 oz. rigged out. - (and even lighter if you go smaller, like a diamond fly from warbonnet)

[jbphilly]

A hammock with no-see-um netting can come in at around 20 ounces or so. A silnylon tarp can weigh as little as 6 oz, plus guylines and stakes, so maybe 9 oz? You can use the same sleeping bag and sleeping pad you had in your tent, so that weight does not count "backwards" against your pack weight. That's easily under 2 pounds.

My setup consists of a Grand Trunk Ultralight Skeeter Beeter with whoopie slings, and a Wilderness Logics tarp that gives a very generous amount of coverage and weighs about 9oz plus lines and stakes. I could definitely cut out some ounces with the bug net, but like you I don't want to.

[zukiguy]

If you're used to living in a shires tarptent then you're already accustomed to kind of taking the minimalist approach. Weight being your biggest issue then maybe a hennessy backpacker ultralite or even the hyperlite. This will be under your 2lb cutoff but are basically the barest of the bare in some ways but these will still meet all your requirements (hammock, bug protection, tarp, suspension).

What you really want to look at is the weight of your entire system, not just the shelter. When I switched from the ground to the air I only came in about a pound lighter. I went from a big agnes seedhouse SL2, a big agnes IAC pad, and my down bag to my hennessy explorer UL, a Te-wa down UQ, and the same down bag. I later swapped out the fly for a larger tarp (MacCat Deluxe) and that was a bit more of a weight penalty so I'm back to about even I believe.

For the increase in the comfort I get in the hammock over the ground I haven't looked at weights in probably 2 years. I'm sure I could shave some extra weight off my system but I'm happy with every part. I doubt I'll change a thing any time in the near future.

Before you break out your credit card maybe you can make it to a local hang or borrow a setup. There are quite a few hangers in the NC/TN area. Ask nicely and maybe LD Cakes or Medicine Man will invite you along.....

Good luck and welcome.

[Brother Jeffrey]

Papasmurf/Randy at dream-hammock.com could work with you on getting a light hammock with integrated bug net. The RoamingGnome 60 I have weighs in at ~20 oz, and I could have gone lighter.

[crashvandicoot]

I think there are exceptions to everything, but your question highlights the everlasting trade off between comfort and weight. Sure, you can trim, but at some point, you max out on either end and have to start making trade offs.

Ask yourself this question: is it worth a pound in pack weight to get EXACTLY the same quality of sleep every night, no matter what the terrain is? (assuming you have two trees)

If so, welcome to the hanger's club, brother. My view is that that alone is worth it. I don't have to worry about rocks, brush, mud, puddles, hills, etc. I just hang and know that the lay is going to be just as comfortable as any other time I go out.

[BrianWillan]

If you are a lightweight person (<200 lbs), you could get the Warbonnet Blackbird (integrated bugnet) in single layer 1.1oz fabric with the line and strap suspension and that comes in at 18oz. That leaves you 14 oz or so to find a decent tarp. The Warbonnet Big Mamajamba weights 13.5 oz (no lines to hang it) and provides great coverage.

There are other combinations to look at. Remember most choose a hammock for the comfort of not having to sleep on the ground. So carrying a few more ounces to make a trip more comfortable and enjoyable is a trade off most here are willing to make.

Cheers

Brian

[4shot]

and, for the record I am not an ultralighter or a gram weenie. My pack weight at Amicalola in March of 2010 was 42 lbs with food and water, which is a far cry from ultralight. I value comfort over weight, especially when it comes to sleeping. I do get a good night's rest in my tent although I do usually wake up and switch positions once or twice during the night. What I do not like is the situation like the one I had on a section hike a couple of weeks ago where I hiked another 4-5 miles past Bly Gap to Muskrat Creek to find a decent tent site. It dawned on me then (an epiphany of sorts) that if I hammocked then everywhere is a good campsite (more or less) and I could stop more on my terms. That's when I started looking around and talking to some hangers.

Thanks again and would welcome more feedback.