Camping and Backpacking GEAR thread

I've had these Mammut Mamook boots sitting in the closet for some time and reluctantly should get rid of them. They were discontinued some time ago and I managed to buy a set that a outfit still had in stock, but unfortunately they only had a US10 and I wear a 10.5 or 11. I thought I could squeeze into them and manage with just thin socks, but no joy . They are my favorite boot out of anything else I've used. Looks like Mammut just came out with a similar GTX so I may be in luck? Anyways they are new unworn and have the tags on them. They were originally around $380 and I was gonna try and get $175 for them shipped. Let me know if anyone is interested? Thanks

 

PM'd

 

Just found this thread. Some great stuff in here. Anyone have a suggestion on a hammock? Nothing really serious as far as use. Mostly just for chilling out on camping trips. I'm sure it's been mentioned somewhere in the thread already..

 

Amazon has them cheap. Just plain ones for car camping and backyard use. If you get into backpacking hammocks, that's it's own big can o worms.

 

I Picked one up at the Costco in the North Phoenix at I-17 & the 101.
Probably not as ultra-light as some other options out there, but still very minimal to have in the truck. About $30 if my memory serves me.

 

I have this one. It's a joy in the mountains. I replaced the heavy tree straps with $3 ratchet straps.

$28 Fox Outfitters Neolite Double Camping Hammock - Lightweight Portable Nylon Parachute Hammock for Backpacking, Travel, Beach, Yard. Hammock Straps & Steel Carabiners Included (Orange/Olive Green)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PT11BOO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_f0ajxbKR8C2XR

 

Costco Hammock

 

I have the same one, but the smaller, single person version. Great hammock to have at the ready. Tree straps included- most other brands, you have to purchase separately. I haven't used the straps as every time I've deployed the hammock I tied to my roof rack and found somewhere else for the carabiner to hook on the other side.

 

How is it with just one person in it? Do you sink down?

I picked up this single hammock a while ago and finally was able to use it in Moab a few times.

OuterEQ Portable Parachute Nylon Fabric Travel Camping Hammock Grey & Orange

http://www.amazon.com/OuterEQ-Portable-Parachute-Camping-Hammock/dp/B00G3ZURYU

Its great for hanging out in, but I slept in it once and it squeezes your shoulders together, so the next day my chest was nice and tight so I was looking at other options that would be wider or wouldnt do that. BUT, the material is crazy awesome for blocking wind for the price I paid, it was under $20. The first night the lows were in the low 30s with a little wind, couldn't feel the wind at all. The last night I set it up to hang out in, and tried to sleep in, but winds were 40ish mph so that got old.

As far as tree straps, I would suggest getting the velcro ones so you can adjust them. I picked up some non velcro ones, that just had a loop at both ends. I ended up using a ratchet strap for one side so I could easily adjust it (and re-adjust while the material was stretching out for the first use)

 

Marlin spike hitch and easy peasy adjusting, no heavy biners or ratchets.

As for width, don't lay with your head and feet straight in with the hammock ends. Instead, turn your body to lay slightly on a diagonal. This opens up and flattens out the fabric.

 

I'm looking real hard at a Warbonnet Traveller. $75 for their "heavy duty" hammock (double layer 1.7.)

The thing I like about the Traveller is since it has a ridgeline it's easy to add a bugnet on top of it. So you can pull out just the hammock for whenever you're hanging out around camp, then when you go to sleep you can throw the bugnet on.

Also adjusting with either their cinch buckle or whoopie slings is incredibly easy. Much easier than an Eno from just watching videos.

 

look out on Woot.com for the yukon outfitters hammock. they sell em for dirt cheap. I got a mosquito net one for like $30 bucks. Always remember the straps are usually sold separately too.

https://yukon-outfitters.com/products/mosquito-hammock

 

I've had ENO straps. Hated them. I've had ring buckles. Hated them. Cinch buckles. Don't like them either. Whoopie slings, I love and are great for easy adjustments.

The system in this video is the bomb, IMO. I have it on 2 different hammocks and will not go back to anything else. (this is coming from a person who currently owns at least six hammocks. Maybe more. I've lost count)

https://youtu.be/H0u25ZBcr20

 

I just use two ratchet straps to hang up my ENO hammock.

 

You don't sink any more than in a single. There is extra material, but that makes it easier to lay at an angle. You can wrap the extra up around you if you want, but it doesn't try to crowd up around you either.

As far as the straps go, Velcro might be a good idea for some, but the ratchet straps don't stretch. I didn't notice the hammock stretching either. I replaced the OEM straps before their first use, since many reviews mentioned stretching straps. The straps were really heavy, too. For $3, I went to Harbor Freight and bought a set of 1" ratchet straps. Cut the buckles off, melted the ends then used a figure eight on one end to make a permanent loop. Now I have something like 8' of strap on each side that weighs nothing, won't stretch and is rated for 2x the weight capacity of the hammock.

 

Gotcha. Yeah, there is not enough side to side fabric to lie at an angle in my single one. You sleep in the center and it wraps you up like a cocoon.

It took most of a day for the straps to stretch out, but I think they are done now. When I slept in it, I started out 4 feet off the ground and woke up 6" off the ground.

 

You don't need much angle at all. Unless you're overly tall, this can still be done in any single.

Look up 'the ultimate hang' book online. And hammockforums. Just like Tacoma's, the info goes on forever!

 

Thanks for all the great tips!

 

I still love my Grand Trunk Skeeter Beeter pro. It's heavier than its non-screen counterparts obviously, but sure is nice to have the attached bug netting when you're in places where the bugs are incessant. It's a wide hammock, too, so when I lay diagonal it fits me great. I run whoopie slings in place of the heavier cordage that comes on the ends of the hammock, and I use lightweight tree straps. Gives me many feet of adjustability so I can hang between various spans of trees, and different tree diameters.

 

Got my new bear canister today. Lighter1 Big Daddy. Loving the aluminum lid that doubles as a fry pan. It's a much thicker anodized aluminum lid than I was expecting, and deep like a skillet. Still, this canister weights 5oz less than its competitors of the same size. The pan handle rests in a groove on each side so it locks in place. It acts not only as the handle, but as more structural support AND it has the threaded hole for the thumb screws. Very easy to open and close. It also was a PERFECT fit in the sleeping bag compartment of my Atmos 65 AG pack without putting strain on the zippers either.