tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437728056755394515.post5440125344207030778..comments2023-11-07T15:44:03.771-07:00Comments on Rambling Hemlock: Hammock Gear on the PCT: SoCal & the SierraJoan Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16396313531820725640noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437728056755394515.post-27639836162039629922015-02-12T17:24:19.366-07:002015-02-12T17:24:19.366-07:00Fantastic that you are getting to finish WA this y...Fantastic that you are getting to finish WA this year! Randy at Dream Hammocks is awesome-- he helped me so much doing a repair to my hammock super fast and was really nice. Wonderful people and the quality is superb. I hope you are happy with your new hammock!<br /><br />It's not official yet, but I am trying my hardest to make things happen so that I can get back on the PCT this year. Sure hope I run into you in Washington.Joan Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16396313531820725640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437728056755394515.post-51235855381629107942015-02-12T17:14:06.583-07:002015-02-12T17:14:06.583-07:00Yes, I'm going to finish Washington this year ...Yes, I'm going to finish Washington this year and in 2016 try to do the rest of California and Oregon. I'm hoping to switch from my ground setup to hammock and I think Washington should be relatively easy for that. I've been in contact with the Dream Hammock folks and it appears they have discontinued the UL Darian. The replacement sounds good though and I'm gonna go with that one. So thanks for all your musings! Will you be back out there this year?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00492565480596857081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437728056755394515.post-27317100058760433022015-02-10T09:20:58.081-07:002015-02-10T09:20:58.081-07:00Hi Shelly,
Great to hear from you! Wonderful that...Hi Shelly,<br /><br />Great to hear from you! Wonderful that you got back on the trail and did part of Washington, despite your illness delays. Are you going to be back on the PCT this year?<br /><br />My first hammock was a WB hammock too- super comfortable and the shelf was so handy. The Darian hammock was much lighter though and it ended up feeling just as comfortable, just took a bit to adjust to it. <br /><br />I did switch out my whoopies right before I started- Stu of Whoopie Slings made me some custom 8' ones. But turned out that I never actually needed that extra length. Whenever I had really big trees, I often could use the tree straps around a side branch, and then use the extra length of the tree strap for the total suspension length. Most of the time, I went for short hangs- that was more of an issue and often wished my hammock setup was shorter.Joan Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16396313531820725640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437728056755394515.post-90710354959244591412015-02-09T16:48:21.828-07:002015-02-09T16:48:21.828-07:00Hi there. I was a fellow 2014 PCT hiker and I am s...Hi there. I was a fellow 2014 PCT hiker and I am sure we crossed paths at some point or another. I lasted till KM south but had to get off due to illness. I went back out later in the summer and hiked half of Washington. Beautiful state. I thank you for writing so much about your trek and have been particularly interested in your use of a hammock in So Cal. I have a WB which is wonderful but am looking into a lighter option...one thing I noticed is that in one place you said your whoopies were 6' and in another 8'. Did you switch out one length or another along the way? Thanks again for sharing such good information with those of us in cyberspace.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00492565480596857081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437728056755394515.post-78574010980067449392014-11-16T18:33:04.965-07:002014-11-16T18:33:04.965-07:00I didn't have problems with bugs in SoCal. No...I didn't have problems with bugs in SoCal. Noticed them a couple times, like near Agua Calente Creek, but nothing terrible. But then again, they tend not to bother me too much. One option would be to just bring your headnet for SoCal. If you find bugs are a problem for you, do you have a person you could leave your gear at home with so they could send you your bugnet if you change your mind and decide you want it?<br /><br />Definitely good to have a bugnet sent to KM. Joan Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16396313531820725640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437728056755394515.post-79025759835280926222014-11-12T05:04:12.540-07:002014-11-12T05:04:12.540-07:00thank you so much for this!!!
hey, will i be unha...thank you so much for this!!!<br /><br />hey, will i be unhappy if i don't bring a bugnet through SoCal? i was thinking i'd send mine to KM, that i wouldn't need it in the desert. is that too optimistic?<br /><br />--steveflinnsteve flinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07722713476408447742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437728056755394515.post-6661372212035604992014-06-24T22:08:10.673-06:002014-06-24T22:08:10.673-06:00Really nice to hear you've found this useful. ...Really nice to hear you've found this useful. Definitely give hammock hanging a try. I've heard the hanging is great up in Oregon. And if you haven't seen it already, hammockforums.net is an excellent place to start.Joan Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16396313531820725640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437728056755394515.post-89918643074774421392014-06-24T22:04:17.900-06:002014-06-24T22:04:17.900-06:00Great to hear from you, SlowBro! The foot is gett...Great to hear from you, SlowBro! The foot is getting much better these last few days, but I'm going to let it heal completely before getting back to the trail. Hope you are having a good time in Sacramento! And hope to see you on down the trail (if I end up skipping ahead or something...)Joan Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16396313531820725640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437728056755394515.post-9877679529075212552014-06-24T18:48:56.092-06:002014-06-24T18:48:56.092-06:00Thanks SO much for the reviews! This is one reaso...Thanks SO much for the reviews! This is one reason I follow you. I've never hammock-ed but because of you and SlowBro, I intend to look into it once I return to Oregon. :-) I hope your foot is getting better and wish you well!!!Bon vivanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17331793017236964459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437728056755394515.post-5382289325979627292014-06-24T17:11:58.692-06:002014-06-24T17:11:58.692-06:00Thanks for your perspective on hammock hanging. Th...Thanks for your perspective on hammock hanging. This is valuable info. My experiences been the same on the PCT. Hope your foot is getting better. Take care. – SlowBroSlowBrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04335247312054545193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437728056755394515.post-37629968403715606762014-06-24T13:58:06.452-06:002014-06-24T13:58:06.452-06:00Thanks for this information on how to deal with th...Thanks for this information on how to deal with the wind, Andrew. Much appreciated and hope it helps other people out there looking to hammock the PCT.Joan Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16396313531820725640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437728056755394515.post-79940626468010195792014-06-24T10:52:59.619-06:002014-06-24T10:52:59.619-06:00You mentioned in your previous post how difficult ...You mentioned in your previous post how difficult it was to find hang spots out of the wind. Just wanted to post for other people looking to hammock the entire PCT like you.<br /><br />A larger rectangular tarp with doors can be invaluable in keeping out the wind if no gullies/hills/thickets present themselves. By lowering the tarp so that the edges meet the ground and aligning it so the doors are parallel to the wind, you can block out 80% of the wind. With snow, you can even bury the edges for even better protection. <br /><br />If you have a hex tarp use the tarp with the corners folded in to create a tarp "envelope" to block 98% of the wind. (see Shug's version, but with 1 center tie-out instead of 2 and go more extreme with folding in the corners and lowered so the edges just brush the ground: https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?25678-Tarp-selection-Few-questions-regarding-tie-out-s-and-door-s-etc&p=368150&viewfull=1#post368150). You end up with slightly more volume than your hammock, in the same shape as your hammock, leaving very little places for the wind to sneak in.<br /><br />Found out the hard way that you have 2 choices in Hawaii. Hang on the coast = warm (55-65 degrees) but VERY breezy (constant 15-20 MPH) or sleep half way up the mountains = cold (45-55) and little breeze. We didn't think to bring insulation, just our tarps. We have DIY 12' Cat Cut Hex tarps, and they saved us lots of shivering!Unwise Bardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06603455084545858685noreply@blogger.com