[at-l] Newcomer...tent vs hammock

[shane at theplacewithnoname.com (Shane Steinkamp)]

> I want to thruhike in 02 (NOBO) and I'm not sure what kind of
> shelter to take.

I'll play here.  Allow me to come in on the hammock side.

Before I do, though, please know that shelter selection is extremely
personal.  Make your own choice after you weigh all your options.

In my Tarptent Virga report for www.backpackgeartest.org I wrote: "To a
wanderer, a tent is more than a simple shelter.  It is a feeling. Often, at
the end of the day, when it was late and I was tired, cold, hungry, and
lonely, I would set up my tent in the firelight.  Suddenly a feeling of
comfort would come over me - not just because I had a dry place to sleep, or
thought that my tent was cool - but because I was home.  - Shane Steinkamp,
in a lecture to some Scouts ~ 1993"

I said 'tent', but it's true of any shelter I have used - tents, tarps, and
hammocks.

For many reasons, a hammock just made a lot of sense.

See: "Why Hammock?":

http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/hiking/sections/gear/shelter/whyhammock.ht
m


You may also be interested in "How to use a Hennessy Hammock" if you decide
to go that way:

http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/hiking/sections/gear/shelter/hthh.htm

There are instructions and some video.

Shane