Question for the tarp users.

[ziptrickhead]

What do you guys usually use for sleeping arrangements?

I'm thinking a hammock would be good and lightweight since I'll most likely be only camping during the warmer months. Seems to me that a sleeping bag might be too much.

Also, any fairly priced but well made hammocks out there? I have one that I brought back from Vietnam but its pretty thick and would take up a lot of space in the pack since its woven together.

 

[baldtaco-II]

I use tarp, bivy bag, sleeping bag. The tarp and the sleeping bag change size but the bivy bag is ever present. Even if I use the bivy bag just as a groundsheet I still have security in case I've misjudged the weather. It also gives a welcome sanctuary from things that bite and scratch.

I don't really like sleeping in hammocks. I will when its the most sensible thing but not for pleasure. I've got a little summer micro net thing for casual silliness, and even then I need to cut spreaders for it to make it at all enjoyable. I did come across a hammock forum the other day though...

bunch of hammock related resources

 

[Quirt]

I have three basic systems...Hennessey Hammock I use in the Spring - Fall. The Hennessey is the most comfortable night of rest I get just short of my own bed. It takes less than 2 minutes to set up and tear down, comfortable, accessible, I can see out of it, and I can sleep in just about any terrain.

I then use a 10' x 10' Tarp shelter I got from www.ofagear.com in the Fall - Winter. The tarp allows me the ability to have a reflective warming fire which a tent doesn't provide. It is an extremely flexible system with about 70 different ways to set it up...I have about six or seven basic ways I generally use the tarp depending upon the conditions. I've used it in everything from rain to snow to blizzards to extreme bitter cold temps. It works!

I always have a bivi with me as that is my back up (redundancy) system if I don't have time or can't deploy the tarp and/or hammock. In extreme cold or wet weather I'll use the bivi inside of the tarp. If you have the ability to search...check out the photos I posted showing several different lay outs of my tarp.

 

[Robert H]

Siltarp, Bivy, and jungle bag. Location, location, location.

 

[DiverDn]

Here is a link to a well thought out tarp. They have attachments in all the right places so that you can use it for almost any situation.

http://www.cookecustomsewing.com/

 

[ziptrickhead]

Has anyone ever used the hammock that Bens Backwoods sells? Its pretty cheap and can hold 250lbs so they claim.

 

[zman308]

Bivy bag, light or medium bag, tarp. For north of fire ant and other creepie crawlie territory.

 

[baldtaco-II]

How much do you guys pay for a meter for a ripstop Sil-nylon in a nice woodland friendly colour?

I wouldn't mind paying extra for one of the more radical designs I've seen that are rather like tents without a floor 'cos I don't yet have the confidence at machining up very big complicated patterns. But I have no need for those. I'm currently finishing up a basic rectangle 10'*10', and even with all the webbing bits it's only costing me about £40 [something like $80 USD I think]. The only corners I'm cutting is not buying in lengths of sealing tape. I seal the stitching with a tube of translucent silicon bath sealant.

 

[bearthedog]

ziptrickhead

I use the Byer Travelers Hammock for woods and Jungle. It is small and weighs 11 oz. about $17-$20 Campmor or Sport Chalet.


Tarp-Poncho tarp (ID) pitched right will keep you dry. Bivy bag for added wind and water protection.

Two Person Golite Lair-11 oz.