Hammock and tarp (cheap setup)

[Miles]

Here's my new idea for an upcoming wilderness hunt here in Cali.  I figured I'd give it a go and experiment with it.   I've already got a Golite Shangri_la 5, but wanted to try to get a little smaller/lighter if possible for a solo hunt.  AND...get up above the snake territory. 

I'm going with a grand trunk hammock.  Weighs 16oz and sells for around $50 :




Then I'm buying one of these, and making a tarp with it.  About $3-$4 and the last one I bought from lowes (similar to this and for painting) weighed 16 oz.




Then I'll get some mason string to use with the tarp.  Run a string ridge line, then use the pebble/pine cone trick in the corners to tie off the tarp.  I may get fancy and use some tape/grommets...not sure yet.


That's about $60 for a hammock/tarp shelter and it comes in at 2lbs.   The best part is that it fits in a bag that is the same size as my Big Agnes Insulated Air Core bag.   That saves quite a bit of room in my pack and cuts down on my weight a little, plus it gets me up off the ground.



Anyone tried something like this before?

[TheHunt]

My friend and his wife backpack with a hammock.    But it also has a rain cover it as well.  He has packed all over the world with that setup.  He and his wife love it.  I say it would be a great idea

[Miles]

I could get the wallet out and for $80 buy the Nano 7 which weighs in at 7 oz .    Then the total weight for my shelter would be less that 1 1/2 lbs.


http://www.brookstone.com/grand-trunk-nano-7-hammock?bkeid=compare|mercent|googlebaseads|search&mr:trackingCode=B86C628C-5B09-E111-B18D-001B21A69EB0&mr:referralID=NA&mr:adType=pla&mr:ad=6403226004&mr:keyword={keyword}&gclid=CJfeyuDgkLICFad7QgodEB0AMA

[turkeyfeather]

I have the Grand Trunk hammock, and I do not like it. It is small and light, but when you lay in it the thing cocoons around you so bad that it leaves you no place to put your arms comfortably except at your sides.

[Miles]

I have the Grand Trunk hammock, and I do not like it. It is small and light, but when you lay in it the thing cocoons around you so bad that it leaves you no place to put your arms comfortably except at your sides.

Thanks for the feedback!

I have read that it depends on how you set it up?  Have you tried different heights, and tightening/loosening it?


I'm sleeping in a mummy bag and plan on being pretty damn tired by the end of the day, so my arms at my side should be okay.

[Miles]

I made my tarp today.  $12 and about 1 hour from the start to stringing it up in the back yard.    It's windy right now so I figured it would be a good time to try it out.   The grommets seem to be holding just fine.   I used some heavy duty clear packing tape to strengthen the areas where the grommets would be.   Then I put one small square piece of duct tape on each side prior to installing the grommet.   I'm using mason cord cause it's strong, bright colored, and light.

The tarp is 9' x 12' and just over a lb.  Provided I'm careful with sharp branches after setup, I think it will work fine for the wilderness hunt here in CA.

Here's some pics.

[Special T]

I used to use a tarp and hammock for back country hiking all the time. I think your idea is a light as it can get. 

[Miles]

Here are my weights for the basics so far (if I purchase the Nano 7).

Hammock         7 oz
Tarp               17 oz
sleeping bag   30 oz
BA IAC pad     24 oz
Stove/fuel       15 oz

Total ounces = 93

Or 5 lbs 13 oz.


Not too shabby for the shelter, bag, pad, stove and fuel for a 4-5 day hunt.  Hell, that's about 4 pounds less than an EMPTY Mystery Ranch pack that these guys brag about.

[Hunter mike]

I use the GT ultralight as well and love it in nicer weather.  I'm a bit worried about incoming weather for my hunting this year as I will be at higher elevations and further than the car than ever before in my hammock.  I'm even thinking about pulling the trigger on a Cabela's XPG tent.  I think if I stick with the hammock I will have to use a heavier duty tarp so I can "batton down the hatches" if any big weather comes in. 

One of my first nights in the Grand Trunk I had about 4" of snow fall.  I was so cozy that I thought it was just lightly sprinkling rain through the night!  I'm not worried about cold or precipitation in the hammock - just worried about how much shelter it will provide in a heavy wind at 6000'.  I'm thinking about setting up a camp in the wilderness then hunting from there.  I'm not quite as mobile, but I have a more comfy place to come back to in the evening and can travel fast and light all day...

[Special T]

The wind is what really kills you because you get cold ari above and below you. you might be surprise how much heat you lose. Hammocks DO NOT work well in snow/windy weather! For early season bow or high country deer hunt i think you will be fine.

[lagnar]

I have a ridiculous but effective setup. I'll send Picts after the hunt in two weeks involves the truck,couple poles, huge tarp, etc...  Looks like backwoods, hillbilly, meets transient, wanna be engineer. Gross but works with rain and bear. This may be a good thread to start. See what/how others setup.  And pack out?

[Hunter mike]

One more thing about the GT - I would change out the suspension system - it's really only good for absolutely perfect setup conditions as it's not adjustable.  I replaced the s-hook setup with two metal rings on each side (found mine at Home Depot but REI has much lighter ones for climbing.  I slide about a 10ft piece of webbing through the rings (think motorcycle helmet strap) so you can adjust the length on each side as much as you need to.  The other end of the webbing gets a lightweight carabiner to wrap around the tree.  The setup works awesome and will make it possible to use larger trees when needed.  The adjustment makes it much easier to make the hammock comfortable.  Check out hammockforums.com for more ideas -I think there are some sticky videos in the suspension section that show what I'm talking about as well as more options.

[Miles]

One more thing about the GT - I would change out the suspension system - it's really only good for absolutely perfect setup conditions as it's not adjustable.  I replaced the s-hook setup with two metal rings on each side (found mine at Home Depot but REI has much lighter ones for climbing.  I slide about a 10ft piece of webbing through the rings (think motorcycle helmet strap) so you can adjust the length on each side as much as you need to.  The other end of the webbing gets a lightweight carabiner to wrap around the tree.  The setup works awesome and will make it possible to use larger trees when needed.  The adjustment makes it much easier to make the hammock comfortable.  Check out hammockforums.com for more ideas -I think there are some sticky videos in the suspension section that show what I'm talking about as well as more options.

Very cool!  I'm going to give your method a try.  Thanks for the tip!

[boneaddict]

Curious to how it holds up with some wind.   I got pounded on the mountain the other night and I was thinking mine wasn't going to make it.   

[Miles]

Curious to how it holds up with some wind.   I got pounded on the mountain the other night and I was thinking mine wasn't going to make it.   

The tarp?

 I had some pretty good wind (delta breeze here in the bay area), and I thought it was going to shred it before I even got set up.   It's surprisingly strong with the tape and those grommets.   I left it set up for the afternoon in the wind and didn't have any stress marks or tears.   Even if it rips, I've only got $12 invested, and I'm sure I could hunker down someplace if need be...