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  1. #1
    New Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
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    Whitefish, MT
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    Clark NX250
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    Cool Recommendations for my perfect hammock

    I live in North West Montana and will be living in the hammock for a year and a lot in the back country. No price boundaries.
    Temps -30 F to 90 F.
    I am 72" tall (6' 0") and weigh between 230 - 260 depending on the time of year and how good I am eating.
    I have a lot of gear to carry.

    Here is what I am looking for:

    1. Comfort in all temps
    2. Weatherproof - water / snow / baking in the sun
    3. Light Weight - I know this will be difficult with the wide temp range.
    4. Compression - Once again... difficult with temp range.
    5. Least amount of parts possible.
    6. If I absolutely had to I could set it up on the ground. Of course I would try my best to never have to do this.

    Here is what I have been thinking:

    1. Clark NX250
    2. Whoopie Sling Suspension
    3. Blizzard Survival Tube (there has got to be something similar but more durable than this thing?)
    4. Underquilt - not sure what to do about this. Seems bulky.
    5. Sleeping Bag - Wish I could use a full jacksrbetter style down body suite instead of lugging around a full sleeping bag.
    6. Storage - I need the entire sleep system to compress down as much as possible. Maybe the size of a large sleeping bag. The backpack I will be using is a Gregory Baltoro 70 which as a volume of 4638 in³ / 76 L.

    Tarp. Do I need one? I was hoping I could just sling something like the blizzard survival tube over the entire thing and be done with it. They are much more compact than a tarp and are still waterproof. If I can go without the tarp I need to think of how I will make it so that I don't collect too much snow. Maybe I could find a way to pitch the blizzard survival tube. I do not need to worry about keeping anything else besides my sleep system waterproof. I have everything else covered.

    What would you go with in my situation?

    Hope to see you guys on the trail!
    Last edited by IndependentJo; 01-22-2013 at 22:26.

  2. #2
    Senior Member dammfast's Avatar
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    Sep 2011
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    Slayton, MN
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    I am going to let some others chime in on this as I don't have enough experience to say for sure. Thing I can say for certain are that you will need some sort of under insulation pad or underquilt. Being a fulltime rig you probably would want to split the difference between light and "robust" not sure where the clark fits in there. I would say a tarp is in the NEED column, besides allowing you to be outside the actual hammock in nasty weather it also keeps the wind from robbing as much heat. Overall I think if you look around the forum you will get a lot better idea of what you will need for your requirements. There are so many great vendors on here that you can build just about any weight and temperature combination that you might imagine. Sorry I wasn't more help. I would suggest you look at each one of the pieces of gear and evaluate exactly what you require it to do and ask yourself it is the best choice.
    Dammfast

    “Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.”

    ― Mark Twain

  3. #3
    Senior Member breyman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Denver, CO
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    No price budget? Lots of options - probably even too many to discuss here. Here's what I would consider.

    Note that for a 20* and up part of the system, great packability is a reasonable request. For getting down to -30* F, you'll need to be okay with taking up some more space. In Montana in the winter you should be already considering a pulk or be okay with more weight/bulk than in the summer.

    I tried to mention some modular stuff here to allow maximum flexibility. Again, this is what I would do.

    Hammock: Dream Hammocks Dangerbird (if you want a gathered end) - it has a weather cover, bug net and is very well made. Or a Warbonnet RidgeRunner (if you want a bridge style) with a Spindrift. Both are a bit heavier/bulkier than some other options but will be best for all seasons.

    Top quilt: two top quilts. 0* and 20*. Layer both in really cold temps and use/vent the 20* in higher temps.

    Under quilt: Again, two quilts as above, for same reason. 0* and 20*. Layer both when really cold or use just one as temps rise. I'd probably go with 2 HammockGear incubators (full length) or an incubator with the 0* and a Phoneix or Warbonnet Yeti for the 20*. If you go bridge style (ala RidgeRunner), replace these suggestions with a winter and 3-season lynx. You'll want to mod the UQ suspension just a bit on a few of the pieces to make sure they layer on top of one another without compression.

    Tarp: Go with a tarp. I've never used a blizzard survival tube but I doubt it's lighter/more pack able for the protection of a HammockGear cuben fiber 4 season (has doors and is under 10 ounces and is very packable).
    Brian
    Denver, CO
    Father. Husband. Scoutmaster.

  4. #4
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Jersey Shore, NJ
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    Dutch PolyD
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    HG Winter Palace
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    Good comments, Breyman. I'd also frown on the sock/tube idea as a truely viable 4S weather protection system. A tarp is gonna be much more versatile. If money is no object, I'd buy the King of Tarps, the HG cuben fiber Winter Palace. Sure it's $395, but it is a true 4S tarp (10'10" x 10'7"") with about the same dimensions as the Warbonnet Superfly.

    And at 8.5 oz, the only thing you'll find lighter is another cuben fiber tarp with smaller dimensions. For example, the HG 4S tarp is 6.5 oz, but has less coverage at 10'10" x 8.5 ft.). It's also $100 cheaper. Still, it's got doors so it can keep out a lot of foul weather.

    Even lighter at 5.2 oz is the HG Hex - no doors, less coverage - only $235.

    HF member Cannibal has some interesting hybrid hammock/tarps. I forget their names, but that idea might appeal to you.

  5. #5
    Senior Member MedicineMan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Roan Mountain,TN
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    Traveler with HNO AirShip
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    blizzard survival tool

    I could only get a quick look before the site collapsed my browser (at work so its not them but the firewall here)....looks like it might be a condensation trap but like I said I couldnt read the description.

  6. #6
    Senior Member old4hats's Avatar
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    Ball Ground, Ga.
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    2,383
    For a day after day hammock the Clark NX250 will be hard to beat, both for comfort and durability, they are bomb proof. I use this hammock every night. Regardless of what claims may be made about the pockets under this hammock, an under quilt will be a necessity for the low temps you will encounter, same for a top quilt. Get a super fly tarp or similar and you should be good to go. Down products are pricey, but they are really warm and nothing will equal their warmth to weight ratio. It sounds like you are about to live the dream, happy hanging.

  7. #7
    New Member
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    Jan 2013
    Location
    Whitefish, MT
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    Clark NX250
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    Great comments guys and thank you for taking the time to provide me with your advice, knowledge and experience. I have a couple of replies to make but just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate it.

    Do you think I will be the first person to live full time in a hammock, outdoors, and with such a major temperature shift? Maybe I won't last long but I like to think I am very resilient and will be able to push through.

    I hope it proves to be quite the adventure. We will begin on the east gate entrance into Glacier National Park and push west through Coeur D'Alene Idaho and into west Washington state to the Okanogan. We will then push north into British Columbia Canada up to Wells Gray and then east to Jasper National Park in Alberta. From there we will head south through Banff National Park and continue further South until we end our journey in Whitefish Montana.

    It is not a terribly long distance journey but that is how we want it. We will be filming our excursion and want to be able to take as much time as needed.
    There are two others going with me and I am trying my best to convince them hammocks will be the way to go. But I need to be able to prove it. We will of course be going on multiple test runs (week long or so ea.) before actually heading out.

  8. #8
    New Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
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    Whitefish, MT
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    Quote Originally Posted by old4hats View Post
    For a day after day hammock the Clark NX250 will be hard to beat, both for comfort and durability, they are bomb proof. I use this hammock every night. Regardless of what claims may be made about the pockets under this hammock, an under quilt will be a necessity for the low temps you will encounter, same for a top quilt. Get a super fly tarp or similar and you should be good to go. Down products are pricey, but they are really warm and nothing will equal their warmth to weight ratio. It sounds like you are about to live the dream, happy hanging.
    Yes it should be quite the experience. We plan on sharing it with everyone on YouTube and hope to encourage more people to put aside some time for a similar trip.

    I am leaning towards the Clark at this point but will that may change as I get more feedback. I really like the fact that the rain tarp that comes with it can be velcroed around the hammock or staked down. It is nice to not rely on steaks in extreme winds. I suppose I could sew in some velcro or light weight flexible magnets into a superfly. I would rather not do any major modifications to any of the equipment I take with me. The reason for this is that we will also be heavily testing and reviewing everything we bring. It is best to review the product as is.

    I was really hoping the under pockets could be stuffed with down and combined with the z-liner attachment to rid the need of the under-quilt. Do you think that will not be possible with the temp range I am looking at? This decision will greatly alter which sleeping back system (if any) I will be using.
    Last edited by IndependentJo; 01-23-2013 at 02:18.

  9. #9
    New Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by dammfast View Post
    I am going to let some others chime in on this as I don't have enough experience to say for sure. Thing I can say for certain are that you will need some sort of under insulation pad or underquilt. Being a fulltime rig you probably would want to split the difference between light and "robust" not sure where the clark fits in there. I would say a tarp is in the NEED column, besides allowing you to be outside the actual hammock in nasty weather it also keeps the wind from robbing as much heat. Overall I think if you look around the forum you will get a lot better idea of what you will need for your requirements. There are so many great vendors on here that you can build just about any weight and temperature combination that you might imagine. Sorry I wasn't more help. I would suggest you look at each one of the pieces of gear and evaluate exactly what you require it to do and ask yourself it is the best choice.
    Quote Originally Posted by breyman View Post
    No price budget? Lots of options - probably even too many to discuss here. Here's what I would consider.

    Note that for a 20* and up part of the system, great packability is a reasonable request. For getting down to -30* F, you'll need to be okay with taking up some more space. In Montana in the winter you should be already considering a pulk or be okay with more weight/bulk than in the summer.

    I tried to mention some modular stuff here to allow maximum flexibility. Again, this is what I would do.

    Hammock: Dream Hammocks Dangerbird (if you want a gathered end) - it has a weather cover, bug net and is very well made. Or a Warbonnet RidgeRunner (if you want a bridge style) with a Spindrift. Both are a bit heavier/bulkier than some other options but will be best for all seasons.

    Top quilt: two top quilts. 0* and 20*. Layer both in really cold temps and use/vent the 20* in higher temps.

    Under quilt: Again, two quilts as above, for same reason. 0* and 20*. Layer both when really cold or use just one as temps rise. I'd probably go with 2 HammockGear incubators (full length) or an incubator with the 0* and a Phoneix or Warbonnet Yeti for the 20*. If you go bridge style (ala RidgeRunner), replace these suggestions with a winter and 3-season lynx. You'll want to mod the UQ suspension just a bit on a few of the pieces to make sure they layer on top of one another without compression.

    Tarp: Go with a tarp. I've never used a blizzard survival tube but I doubt it's lighter/more pack able for the protection of a HammockGear cuben fiber 4 season (has doors and is under 10 ounces and is very packable).

    Thanks for the replies guys!

    The Blizzard Survival Tube weighs in at 19.4 oz. I definatly do not need this however I really like the idea of being completely surrounded by the Reflexcell (http://www.blizzardsurvival.com/page...cell-faqs.html). It would be really nice if this could simply be built into the hammock or even in a double layer all around where I could add it in.
    The reasons I am currently looking to the Clark over the other fully enclosed options were these:
    1. Zipper - the zipper seems very durable and not as long as other models I have seen. This cuts down on weight and the possibility of a zipper failure. A zipper failure could really set me back.
    2. I like that the Clark's mosquito net and top fly simply unzip and flop over the side instead of fully unzipping and tucking these in somewhere.
    3. Rainfly - we talked about it velcroing together. Not a huge fan of velcro but it is easier to repair or replace than zippers.
    4. Pockets - with the exception of pockets on my pack I love them! They do add weight but it seems as though I could stick some down sleeves into these pockets. Maybe something from JacksRBetter. I was hoping by combinding that system with junglehammocks z-liner I wouldn't have to worry about a full under quilt.

    I really do not think I will have room in my pack for four quilts (two top and two bottom) unless that will allow me to dump the sleeping bag. This would be a huge risk.

    It would be nice if I could fit the entire system into a single waterproof compression sack.
    Last edited by IndependentJo; 01-23-2013 at 02:22.

  10. #10
    Senior Member Mikeinajeep's Avatar
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    Vancouver bc
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    Sounds like a great trip! Are you hiking, biking, motorcycle, car or something else?? I have been to most of the places you wrote about a you really really really need a tarp. Cooking, siting, relaxing, washing you gear, drying your socks really sucks in the rain and is not peaches in the blazing sun either. I have done some truly epic adventures and I can't tell you how much the little stuff makes or breaks your day. Read about other people's trips and learn from them. I read Louis and Clark, Cook and others. For me a life saver candy a day really helped with the "this sucks and I want to go home" blues. One last thing make sure you can sit on your hammock, fully sit comfortably. Trust me.
    Carpe noctem!!

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