I got extraordinarily lucky and got one of the coveted reservations.

I live in the northeast, and haven't been to the Grand Canyon since I was a pre-teen, and I don't remember us camping out there, so I have no experience to draw from. I'm bringing three non-backpacker friends with me, and I'm hammocking myself in unfamiliar conditions, and I want to make sure we are all prepared. So I was hoping someone here has been there, roughly around the same time, and that I could draw from your experience!

* The average highs in July/August are in the mid-90s, and average lows in the low-60s, with records of 107/48. Based on that, I think that a pair of 50-degree quilts would suffice, but I wanted to check if anyone had gotten by with less -- maybe just a fleece blanket and no underquilt at all?

* From what I've read, flying insects in the canyon are not really an issue, and the primary concern for hanging is caterpillars falling on me from the cottonwood trees. Based on that, I was thinking that I could go netless, and bring a tarp to protect me from the falling crawlies.

* July is also monsoon season, which the guides I've found just interpret as "unpredictable rainstorms." How long to those storms usually last? Coming from the northeast, I'm more familiar with rain that lasts for days, and not with the rainstorms that last for half an hour. Considering the heat, how much rain protection do I really need, other than a tarp?

* How abundant are the hanging options within the campsite? What time did you get into camp, and how difficult was it to find a good hanging spot? If you can find trees somewhat outside of a designated campsite, could you hang there?

* Finally, and this isn't really hammock-related: Since it is going to be so hot, I was thinking of bringing only dry, non-cook food, since hot food is not terribly appealing when it's 90 degrees outside. Is that feasible? Assuming cost is not an issue, how reasonable is it to rely on going into town for ALL of my food, either to the general store or the restaurant?