Just bought a new sleeping bag

[bulgron]

My kids are dragging me off on a "camping adventure" (we're pitching a tent at a local park with a bunch of other families) and I realized my 30-year-old sleeping bag has bit the dust. So I just picked up an REI Aura (+25 degree, 3 season) bag.

Now I just need a new backpack (something like this?) and some kind of shelter (something like this?) and I'll be able to backpack again after a 20 year hiatus.

If I get my act together, maybe I'll find myself meandering in the Sierra Nevada next summer.

 

[kilua]

enjoy the adventure my friend! the rei aura has some good reviews. the pack your looking at is one i have not seen before but i am impressed at the variety of things you can strap to it. i am an avid hammock camper myself. i have the Eno eagles nest double, but was just looking at the clarcks ultra light the other day. pretty nice!
enjoy the adventurer

 

[bulgron]

enjoy the adventure my friend! the rei aura has some good reviews. the pack your looking at is one i have not seen before but i am impressed at the variety of things you can strap to it. i am an avid hammock camper myself. i have the Eno eagles nest double, but was just looking at the clarcks ultra light the other day. pretty nice!
enjoy the adventurer

Actually, I'm quite curious about those hammocks. The stories people tell about sleeping in them sound really good. What I'm curious about are whatever negatives you might have experienced with a hammock.

Just off the top of my head, it seems like a hammock might not be the best choice for desert or above-the-treeline camping, but in a pinch I suppose you could rig up a ground shelter using the hammock's tarp. Other than that, anything to think about?

And, yes, I am looking to adventure again. I stopped backpacking twenty years ago in favor of motorcycle camping, and then for the last 10 years I've done nothing much at all except take care of infants and then little kids. But lately I've been getting the itch to hit the trail again.

 

[Cpl Punishment]

So long as you use a protective ground sheet, you can just use a mosquito hammock as a mosquito tent.

The other downside is that when it gets cold, you need to insulate the bottom, or you will get real cold.

 

[kilua]

In my opinion there really is only one negative aspect to hammock camping in the desert or above the tree line, this is defiantly related to the changing of temperatures. Mr. Punishment said it best "you need to insulate the bottom". I live in southern California and have experienced waking during the night to a cold backside...during the day resting in a hammock is extremely comfy and relaxing. however when the sun goes down that cold air circulating under you really drops your core temp. that is what i find so fascinating about the Clark's hammocks as compared to most others...they have insulating pockets built into their hammocks as well as mosquito netting and a rain tarp. there is really nothing more negative i have found besides insulating for the drop in temp. hammocks, when strung properly, are extremely comfortable and you don't have to worry about packing all the extra weight a tent would entail (unless you spend a pretty penny to get a high-end ultralight tent).
hope this helps my friend! enjoy
troy