Hello Gary.
Just out of curiosity, were you a member of The Mountaineers (Tacoma) in the early 1970s?
I've been using a Clark Jungle Hammock instead of a tent since 2013 (before Dutch bought the rights to mfg). It has a unique integrated and non-removable bug net and a breathable outer cocoon-like "weather shield" to keep the wind off me that can each be stowed. The weather shield provides 10° to 15° of warmth on cold nights. Another unique feature of the Clark is the bottom pockets where I stow my clothes. I sleep
over them, rather than
on them so it's not lumpy and it keeps them toasty warm to put on in the morning, and provides a little insulation underneath.
Clark Outdoor created the Clark NX-270 to provide breathable cover, great head-room, a cell-phone pocket, the best no-see-um netting and more. Shop today!
dutchwaregear.com
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I started out with a Thermarest pad and a sleeping bag I used to backpack and climb with. The Clark doesn't have a sleeve to hold the pad and keep it in place. I used "wings" for the pad that helped keep it underneath me but it still slipped around a lot inside the hammock and felt awkward. The wings did keep me warm along the side though.
Sleeping pads tend to slip around in hammocks. This sleeve with wings solves the problem while also adding a bit more insulation to help you sleep comfortably while camping.
www.rei.com
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It does require a separate tarp for rain protection. Here is the tarp in "porch mode" but pitched low in case the wind came up.
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Here the tarp is pitched high in dual porch mode for shade on a hot day.
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As you can see I now use a top quilt and a full length underquilt. The underquilt extends up the side farther than the pad "wings" did. Much better than a pad; it's what sleeping on a cloud must feel like. Also, now the clothes stowed in the bottom pockets but above the underquilt are
real toasty warm in the morning!
Now I keep my tarp in "snakeskins" making it easy to pack away on the outside of my pack like a climbing rope (after it rains) and I can rig it but keep it stowed to enjoy the stars on clear nights. If it starts to rain I can unstow it and connect to pre-driven stakes within a couple of minutes. Here I've stowed the weather shield but used the bug net. In addition to my clothes I treated around the hammock zipper with Permethrin which gave me a little haven sitting in the hammock among swarms of mosquitos that were here as this area at 5600' had only recently melted out in mid-July and was still very boggy.
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Several times I have found myself in the clouds at high lakes with wind and sideways rain so I got a tarp with doors and a "2 internal poles mod" that gives me a ton of room along with much better wind and rain protection.
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