Does anybody have any oppinions about the following gear

[Magic City Matt]

• Hennesy Hammocks
• Gregory z55/Jade 50
• Golite Pinacle pack

We are looking into possibly getting one or more of these items and I wanted to get some local oppinion if at all possible.

[/list]

[Cuffs]

For a starter hammock, the HH is the best out-the-door setup by far!  Once you get into hammocking, there are so many variations on setups, it will blow your mind.  Once you hang, you 'll never go back to being a ground dweller!

Gregory packs are ok.  Its a matter of fit on the person.  They dont fit me well, I stick with Osprey (Atmos 50 & 65) and Golite (Galaxy)

[Lostsheep]

Just for the record: I love my Hennessy Hammock! I have the Ultralight Backpacker Asym and thoroughly enjoy it. The only thing I've done to it was to add a piece of closed cell foam (the cheap blue pad) as a liner between my sleeping bag and the hammock bottom. Otherwise, it's great! My suggestion is to wait, and check their websites for their clearance sections. I ordered mine as a clearance (color defect) and couldn't be happier. I saved nearly $75 and personally I can't see the defect.

Gregory z55: I have never used one, but I hiked with a guy that did. He either had very large gear, or that pack was too small for the trip. In a few instances he had to push his gear onto others b/c it wouldn't fit in the pack. Also, I did notice that his pack didn't have any water pouches so he was stuck putting his bottles inside his pack. Not something I'd want to do. My experience comes with their Shasta line a long time ago. I had one for a while and just outgrew it. Good pack and very durable.

I don't have any experience with the Golite brand. Sorry.

Hope that helps though.

[Cuffs]

I used to use CCF, but since I got and underquilt, I dont have to worry about carrying the bulk of that silly pad.  And with the UQ, everything is in the pack, I dont have to hang anything on the outside anymore, no more branches pulling chunks out of my pads!

[Skippy]

Hey Matthew,
I wish that I had bought a Hennesey.I bought a Clark a couple of years ago and paid way to much.The Hennesey works just as good.After I had bought my Clark,my friend bought the Hennesey and he loves it.I do like the 6 large pockets made on the outside of the Clark but you can almost buy 2 hennesey's for the price of the Clark,Needless to say if I had to do it over again I would buy the Hennesey.

I really like hammock camping mainly because the campsites are unlimited,just find 2 tree's and you are good to go!!The only drawback with hanging is when it get's below 30 deg. my shoulders get cold.I have heard the underquilt works well but do not have one yet.The foam pad works OK until I manage to slide off of it during the night and then it's hard to get the thing back under you.

[Magic City Matt]

So, What underquilt are people using these days. I really like the Jacks R Better stuff but man is it expensive. Is there some cheaper solution other than making your own? I really loath the idea of working with down. Apparently keeping high loft down in a contained area is akin to herding cats.

[Cuffs]

JRB, KAQ, Blackbishop, Speer, TH...

[Lostsheep]

Note to self: Begin construction of underquilt with underpad for Hennessey Hammock, before Feb!

[Magic City Matt]

This looks like a good pattern

http://www.thru-hiker.com...p.asp?subcat=5&cid=72

I read somewhere that the best way to work with down is apparently from the inside of a tent so it can't just fly everywhere.

[PastorLarryT]

Just got my HH at Christmas...  Haven't had a chance to try it out yet.  But I have high hopes for it!!!  Lots lighter than a tent.

[Cuffs]

I

Note to self: Begin construction of underquilt with underpad for Hennessey Hammock, before Feb!

If you use an underquilt, you wont need a pad...

[Cuffs]

If anyone is looking to get into hammocking, I highly suggest they look into the Bear Mountain Bridge hammock from JRB!

[Lostsheep]

If you use an underquilt, you wont need a pad...

So I could get away with making my own undercover and supplimenting that w/ an underquilt? I'm assuming the underquilt is closely similar to the underpad. By that statment, then it definitely won't be hard to make the hammock more cold weather.

[Cuffs]

I think you are confusing the terms.  What are you calling and undercover?  An underquilt is basically and open sleeping bag that attaches to the outside of your hammock and hangs underneath.  If you did use a pad, it should have been on the inside, under your sleeping bag.  (with the exception of a Speers hammock, which has a pad pocket).

[ke4uzi]

I have a HH and love it for warm weather camping.Everyone do yourself a favor and hang in your back yard many times at different temp ranges before you do any back country hanging.
For me it just requires too much weight in quilts blankets and ways to stay warm.Yes there are under blankets,over blankets that are really light and pack well but for me it's too much trouble and heavy when I can just pack a solo tent and lite pad and I'm ready to go...I'll keep it for warm times.

[Lostsheep]

Well I was thinking the undercover was simply a liner that covers the bottom. Inside it you would place underpad which is equivalent to a quilt or open cell foam to help with insulation. Guess I may have been wrong.

When I do take the hammock, I put my Prolite3 under the bag on the inside and use as a barrier. It seems to work well at least for me. That alone has taken me into the 40s without any issue. I'll eventually get working on something warmer, but in the meantime, I'll stick with my solo tent for winter weather.

[Cuffs]

LS, what brand/model hammock do you have?  The Speer models do have a "liner" sewn to the bottom to insert a pad or other filling (clothes not worn) Most of us hammockers are finding that an underquilt combined with a good down bag is sufficient to 30's.  Below that, overquilt comes in as does warmer clothing.  But to add a pad to an underquilt is not needed...

[Lostsheep]

I have the Hennessy Hammock Ultralight Backpacker A-sym and it seems to be excellent.

I typically use it for soloing and it hasn't let me down yet. My normal setup is currently the following:
Marmot Never Winter 30* down bag
Thermarest Prolite3 self inflating pad

Both go in the hammock and I usually sleep in a drywick shirt and boxers. This has worked very well into the 40s unless I slide off the pad. A little adjusting and I'm good.

I'm currently working on the winter modifications, but just haven't gotten there yet. There is no problem in me grabbing my tent for winter hiking though. The weight is fine and it packs well too.

Both have their advantages.

[Cuffs]

Just add an underquilt and you can go alot lower in temps!  HH has them specifically for theirs and the JRB's fit most hammocks (Im a Nest owner!) 

[Skippy]

Hey Cuffs,just curious about the lowest temp that you have been with your UQ?
I have looked at the JRB's but have not bought one yet because I'm not sure it would work on the Clark