Last weekend I decided to take the kids with me on an overnight hike on the AT. To be clear, this hike wasn’t really about miles, or even gear really, it was about getting the kids outdoors, and spending some time with them. However, I had recently received a Butt in a Sling Weight Weenie Micro Hammock, and I figured this would be as good a time as any to give it a try… So, for this post hike gear talk, I decided to focus on some of my thoughts after using this hammock… and I had a few!
In the trip report video, I made mention that it was a long night… and it was. Likely, one of the longest nights I had experienced… But, to be fair, I have to chalk that experience up to lack of experience with this piece of gear, bad execution of using said gear, and maybe a little bad luck to boot. As well, I didn’t really use all necessary components to making a hammock set-up a success…
First off, I decided to hang the hammock inside the shelter, which resulted in a shorter distance than what is required to properly hang the hammock. As well, while I am not exactly sure, I feel like hanging from the rafters created more of a banana effect than stringing the hammock up between 2 trees would have produced. What I’m getting at is, I didn’t hang the hammock the way it should have been hung.
The second issue is that, even though I was inside a shelter, I wasn’t really blocked from the wind. Instead, the wind blew right through the shelter, and into me, ALL NIGHT LONG. When I said I didn’t use all the necessary components, what I meant by that was I didn’t succeed in blocking the wind… and as anyone that has used a hammock knows, blocking the wind is very important for a warm and cozy night…
Both of these issues were clearly my fault, and I believe that had I hung the hammock outside the shelter, between 2 trees, at least some of the issues would have been lessened to some degree. I could have gotten a better hang, as well as been able to throw the tarp I did have with me over the hammock, which would have blocked some of the wind.
One other issue that I experienced, and may actually be somewhat directed towards the hammock (but not sure yet) is the width. When lying in the hammock with no UQ, or TQ, or pad, I fit fine it seems. But, once I installed the UQ, then added a folded piece of 1/4″ XLPE CCF under my lower legs, and an Enlightened Equipment top quilt to the mix, I didn’t seem to fit quite as good. (But, if the hammock was hung correctly to begin with…)
Even with nothing else on/in the hammock, I don’t feel like I am lying on the diagonal as much as I do when using wider hammocks, but once I added in these other items, I am not sure I fit too well then. The problem was, my legs kept sliding off/out the end of the hammock. Now, other than the width, some other theories I had about this problem is that the sleeping pad in the foot box was lying over/on top of the edge of the hammock, and allowed my legs and feet to actually roll over the edge of the hammock. Another theory is that the shell material of my top quilt was slick and also helped my legs and feet to roll right out of the hammock… Either way, this really made my overall comfort a bit uncomfortable for most of the night.
Then, when I added in the constant wind pounding into me all night long, well, it just made things worse. On this note, the temps were just under 40 F when I laid down, and just over by the time I finally decided to crawl out of the hammock the next morning. As well, I was using an overstuffed 20 F Hammock Gear Phoenix UQ, my Goosefeet Gear down pants, and down socks, and my 35 F Enlightened Equipment Prodigy quilt. Despite the violent winds all night long, I remained warm enough to be comfortable most of the night, however, there were a few moments… As well, because my feet were sticking up like a sore thumb into the wind, my toes did stay cold much of the night…
So, while I didn’t experience a good night in the set-up, at this point, I can’t really say that it is the hammocks fault. I openly admit to creating a poor environment for the hammock to prove itself in, and for this reason, I have all intentions of getting it out again, and going about things a bit more correctly next time. But, at this point, I do question the width of the hammock, as well as using anything but a full length UQ in colder weather…
So, until I get it out to use it more… you can check out this video, which basically says most of the same things I have already typed above…
Thanks for stopping by!
~Stick~
Disclaimer: As I mentioned in my first post about this hammock, it was provided to me free of charge, however, I had no obligation to “review” this item. The statements in this post are of my own opinion, which I have formed after having used the hammock myself.
