My interest in using a hammock rather than a tent has grown the last two years. I am thinking about giving it a try this year. I can borrow a Harmony Bliss and/or a Moskito Hammock from Beyer. I also have a Grand Trunk hanging kit

Would either one of these be good enough to try in the BWCA? What else do I need? Rain tarp, sleeping bag and pad?

Any help or opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Mike

This year I made the switch to a hammock, a grand trunk solo. Its very similar to the harmony bliss.
I didnt have a pad the first trip(8 nights.) Mosquitos could bite right through the hammock and my sleeping bag.
Also without a pad there were nights it got to low 40's and the extra insulation would have made the lower temps more comfortable.
I'm very pleased with the overall use of hammocks, probably will not use a tent again. They take very little time to set up/take down, they pack small and light, and are comfortable.
Look into CCS tarps. Durable and pack well.
If it rains water can drip down the lines to your hammock, so be prepared to tie drip lines.
There was never a problem finding good trees to tie up to.



!$/a

drip line

gear needed:
rain fly-when you tie it of also tie string on both ends to the suspension string. this causes the rain to just drip down the rope and not onto you.
Hammock with bug netting- again tie a string to the suspension.
Sleeping bag and pad: something warm enough, remember your heat is lost below you as air circulates.
those are the basics.
Another good suggestion go on you-tube and look up SHUG EMERY, he has 100plus videos on hammock how-to's and other great tips. He lives in Northern MN, and he is a lot of fun to watch. But really great information.

I tried hammocking this past year and I am hooked now. The way I started was just with a eno doublenest and a basic suspension system using whoopie slings and dutch clips. I didn't spend a lot of money at first.

We had a tent with plenty of room for me and I slept in the hammock when the forecast was clear for the night. I used my exped in the tent and in the hammock for insulation. It wasn't perfect but it was good enough for me to know I didn't want to sleep on the ground anymore.

I second the Shug recommendation, I learned a lot from watching him.

I say go for it Wannabeoutthere! You can learn a lot from asking questions and reading on www.hammockforums.com. I highly recommend it.

If you're going in the summer what I wood do is sleep on a pad and use your sleeping bag as a top quilt. It's much easier to slip yourself in the hammock with the bag resting on top of you IMO. Also, since your weight would compress the down underneath you it wouldn't work as insulation anyway.

I used the Byers mosquito last year and it worked great. Definitely need insulation, a tarp and plenty of know-how (eg., hanging tarp). Fortunately there's a ton of info out there. And practice ahead of time. Welcome to the club!

Definitely support reading more. I have been very happy with the Harmony Bliss system and rigging suspension from old tie down straps. Do not use rope as it girdles the trees. Each has his/her own way but reading to get ideas then experimenting will lead you to what works best. I cannot imagine sleeping on the ground unless there are no trees.

Thanks for all of the info. After watching the Shug videos last night, it looks like I am only missing the underquilt, has anyone ever made one out of an old sleeping bag? Is this worth looking into? I also have some sleeping pads that do not stay inflated through the night, would that be an option or do they not provide enough insulation when not inflated?

Lots of folks have made uq from old sleeping bag. Even this teenage hanger did it.

Also, make sure to do 3-5 test hangs in the backyard or local state park before you go into the backcountry. It makes a big difference!

I have mentioned it here before, but the biggest thing that held me back was not being able to try a hammock out before purchasing one.

I would read through the hammock forums and after three years I made the jump into the Warbonnet Blackbird 1.7 double layer. While I had originally purchased a 10 X 10 CCS tarp, I also purchased a Superfly from Brandon. Both my hammock and tarp are 2nd’s and the only thing that I have found is on the inside of the hammock, there is about a two or three inch run in the material and I cannot find anything on the Superfly. Brandon saved me some $$ buy purchasing these.

I have also bout several books but in my onion the best one is “The Ultimate Hang”. Most all of this information is available for free in the Hammockforums.com, but he also has a wealth of information available in his web/blog site.

Here is link to the ultimate hang.com/blog/ again.

So as a newbie I would say make the jump, and try as many “back yard” setups that you can and don’t be afraid to ask questions, and watch Shugs videos.