merc-blue
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Any idea on the material these are made from?
The Self Sufficient Bike Camping Thread.
- Thread starter Dreggsy
- Start date
eastie
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Silnylon by the look of it: http://www.tarptent.com/faq.html
Other silly light stuff to search is cuben fibre. Sites like zpacks and tigoat are good starting points or you could waste a couple of days on this site: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/index.html
Other silly light stuff to search is cuben fibre. Sites like zpacks and tigoat are good starting points or you could waste a couple of days on this site: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/index.html
Flyboy01
Likes Bikes
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Another great tent maker is six moon designs - http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/tents.html
I don't own any of their gear, but have a friend with the skyscape - they're designed with thru hiking in mind, but compact down really well and weigh nothing.
I don't own any of their gear, but have a friend with the skyscape - they're designed with thru hiking in mind, but compact down really well and weigh nothing.
mattwilkinson
Likes Dirt
Thanks for the read Flyboy!
Much more interesting than 99% of the books I have to read at school
Flyboy01
Likes Bikes
Remember to read those books at school though! That is what is helping to pay for my bike packing adventures now, rather than being a true hobo on a bike.......:brushteeth:
Comic Book Guy
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Thanks Flyboy01, great to read the concluding chapter of your adventure.
How good are hammocks, find two trees and away you go. I just have a Ebay cheapy but it is so much better to sleep in than on the ground in a tent (there's a photo at the top of page 70 of this thread).
Cheers,
Michael.
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Flyboy01
Likes Bikes
That looks to be a good setup you have Micheal. I am still having insulation problems with mine. I get a cold back unless I use the reflective ground sheet that I made AND my down sleeping bag to sleep on. I have been sleeping in a Sol Escape Bivy which is warm enough for SEQ but probably not good enough down south.
How do you go for back warmth?
Comic Book Guy
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Insulating your underside can be problematic.
Have a read of this info from Sgt Rock's Hiking HQ about reflectors: http://hikinghq.net/hammock/hammock3.html#Tip%204
My hammock is two layered so I can put a sleeping pad in between the two layers. I've tried a few things but the best result I've had is with my Big Agnes Air Core Insulated Pad. I have the long and wide version which wraps around my hips and shoulders avoiding cold spots. Only downside is it's not self-inflating. I pump mine up with a balloon pump I adapted. You can buy them on-line from the states, well worth the money.
Review of the Air Core Insulated (same as I have):
[video=youtube;osk9QK7QH-M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osk9QK7QH-M[/video]
You can use a closed cell foam (CCF) pad but the off-the-shelf ones aren't wide enough and your down bag will get crushed along your sides causing cold spots (I know this is true from first hand experience). You can get CCF cut at places like Clark Rubber so they are wider at the top. Have a look here at a winged CCF pad set up for hammocks: http://hikinghq.net/hammock/wing_pad.html. You can also get a wing kit to fit a standard pad: http://www.rei.com/product/830279/eno-hotspot-hammock-sleeping-pad-wings.
Best place to get info on hammocks is: https://www.hammockforums.net/. Trust me you can spend days on that site looking at all the stuff you can do with a hammock.
Hopes this helps,
Michael.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that I don't sleep inside a sleeping bag. I use my down bag as a quilt and this works really well with a good sleeping pad under me.
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Flyboy01
Likes Bikes
Thanks for the tips Michael.
The thing that gets me with a mat is the weight. 26oz is almost as heavy as the hammock itself. I am trying to find the balance between keeping the weight right down but still having a practical, comfortable sleep system.
Maybe I just have to spring for the undercover that they make for my hammock. It comes in at just under 17oz and is made for an exact fit. I have just been trying to avoid spending any more money on the set up. :mmph:
The thing that gets me with a mat is the weight. 26oz is almost as heavy as the hammock itself. I am trying to find the balance between keeping the weight right down but still having a practical, comfortable sleep system.
Maybe I just have to spring for the undercover that they make for my hammock. It comes in at just under 17oz and is made for an exact fit. I have just been trying to avoid spending any more money on the set up. :mmph:
speshrider
Likes Bikes
Great travel story Flyboy! Looking forward to catching up soon. I like the hammocks, but still prefer my tent, weight difference isn't a lot and in my opinion it is easier when camping....
R
R
Comic Book Guy
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Happy to share.
Completely understandable. Also you are in SE Queensland and I'm in Sydney. Bit of a difference in the weather, it can get f'ing cold down here during winter.
Cheers,
Michael.
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Elbo
pesky scooter kids git off ma lawn
The hammock set ups look good, but to be honest, I've never considered using one for camping. I've always been careful to stay well away from trees. Aren't you guys worried about falling trees or something?
:faint:Those little trees look alright, but they're not always available.
I've already had 2 close calls with falling trees in my short 25 years. Both were in storms, one I was sleeping in a car and a tree fell on the trailer attached to the car. The other, due to the weather and it getting dark, a mate and I were forced to camp on a saddle high up in NE VIC on a 3 day ride, one of those big gum trees fell that night bringing several others down with it, thankfully they all fell down the hill!
:faint:Those little trees look alright, but they're not always available.
I've already had 2 close calls with falling trees in my short 25 years. Both were in storms, one I was sleeping in a car and a tree fell on the trailer attached to the car. The other, due to the weather and it getting dark, a mate and I were forced to camp on a saddle high up in NE VIC on a 3 day ride, one of those big gum trees fell that night bringing several others down with it, thankfully they all fell down the hill!
Comic Book Guy
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Sure am. I also have had the experience of hearing trees go over in the bush, luckily none as close as you have experienced. It can be very scary and I reckon even worse at night when it is really quiet. Like any placement, be it tent or hammock, overhanging branches are a consideration. Just last Saturday we camped out and I had the choice of two spots. One was under a big old Sydney Red Gum and the other was clear of any large trees. Even though the first spot was a better spot I chose the second spot because it was away from the big old gum tree.
Also, one of the significant differences between tents and hammocks is you don't need a flat patch of ground to hang your hammock. This gives you flexibility when locating your camp. I've seen photos of hammocks hanging between trees on really steep slopes, couldn't do that with a tent.:smile:
Most hammocks are the gathered end type and you can put them on the ground and use them as a bivy if you have to. The hammock material is not waterproof so you need to put a groundsheet under the hammock, a $2 painters drop sheet from Bunnings does the job. Have a look at the first minute or two of this video:
[video=youtube;p-MdcH09GiY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-MdcH09GiY[/video]
Cheers,
Michael.
Flyboy01
Likes Bikes
I grew up in the bush so am all too aware of the threat of falling limbs. Just like CBG I am very careful where I set up the hammock, but usually there are plenty of options. As mentioned, you don't need flat ground either. In my Day 4 post on my SEQ ride the hammock is set up between two trees on the embankment of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail. If I were planning a trip to an area with sparse tree population I might need a rethink though. I would like to bikepack the Snowies one day but am not sure about the practicality of a hammock in the Jagungal Wilderness.
Comic Book Guy
Likes Bikes and Dirt
You just need some inspiration.
[video=youtube;HIKfgJFU0xI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIKfgJFU0xI[/video]
SummitFever
Eats Squid
The really nice places to camp are the summits and around the summits and they are not a lot of trees other than really low and gnarly snow gums. You miss out on a lot if you don't camp on the summits when touring the Snowies and Brindies. You can't ride up any of the summits and often there is a considerable bush-bash involved so you need a system that enables you to camp on the ground and a pack so you can take all of your stuff plus plenty of water on the hike up. It can be hard going but the amazing sunsets, sunrises and warm air make it worth it (cold air drainage means that any of the valleys are bitterly cold while you can sit out on a summit for hours after dark and feel the warm air coming up).
Jagungal summit camp in the fog:
View from tent on Mt Morgan at sunset:
Boyle (Mt Namadgi) summit bivvy view at sunrise:
Yaouk Peak rock slab bivvy - foggy morning, view south to main range:
The list goes on... By all means take your hammock, but also take a good sleeping mat and a bivvy bag (like the SOL escape) so you can hit the summits if the weather permits. Nothing comes close to waking up on first light on top of a mountain with the rest of Australia at your feet.
Elbo
pesky scooter kids git off ma lawn
Cheers for the info guys. Looking at the video, they actually look like a very versatile option, and you make a good point about not needed level ground to sleep. I guess if you choose your trees carefully too, then you can minimise a lot of risk there. But, I don't discriminate, I have trust issues with all trees :mmph:
Holy shit, that's amazing. Great photos SummitFever!The really nice places to camp are the summits and around the summits and they are not a lot of trees other than really low and gnarly snow gums. You miss out on a lot if you don't camp on the summits when touring the Snowies and Brindies. You can't ride up any of the summits and often there is a considerable bush-bash involved so you need a system that enables you to camp on the ground and a pack so you can take all of your stuff plus plenty of water on the hike up. It can be hard going but the amazing sunsets, sunrises and warm air make it worth it (cold air drainage means that any of the valleys are bitterly cold while you can sit out on a summit for hours after dark and feel the warm air coming up).
…
View from tent on Mt Morgan at sunset:
Comic Book Guy
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Agree. That is a great shot.View from tent on Mt Morgan at sunset:
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