[at-l] Hennesy hammock on a thru questions

[morganpaulw at hotmail.com (Paul Morgan)]

Kajsa,

In 2002 I started a thru with a North Face tent then switched to a Hennesy 
hammock at Damascus.  I'd go with the hammock for the central part of a 
thru.  You'll spend a lot of time in shelters at the start and end.  If you 
have the cash and support you might want to start out with a tent, switch to 
the hammock and then switch back to the tent as the weather gets colder.

My main reason for switching to the hammock was just to get a good nights 
sleep.  Just couldn't sleep through the night with a sleeping pad.  Slept 
great in the hammock.  It did decrease my weight but that was just a bonus.  
It was also faster to pitch/pack the hammock than the tent so it'll also 
save you some time.

Carry a sleeping pad so you can spend a night in a shelter, use the pad in 
the hammock for cold protection or if you want to take a break/nap during 
the day.

Never had trouble with wet weather and the hammock.  You're just as dry 
packing everything inside/under the hammock as you are in a tent.  Both ways 
you end up packing some wet gear (hammock/tent) into your pack.

Did have some trouble with the Sil tarp on the Hennesy but that was my 
fault.  It was too easy to pitch the hammock with the asymmetric tarp 
flipped so it wouldn't cover the hammock correctly.  Ended up with water 
coming into the hammock at my feet a few times.  Because I slept cockeyed in 
the Hennesy and on account of my height my feet would stick out from under 
the tarp.

You're normal pack cover (which you're going to carry anyways) works to 
protect your pack under the hammock.  It's not extra weight.  I did use 
cheap garbage bags inside my pack to keep stuff dry.  Getting my pack wet 
wasn't really a problem.

Too Tall Paul
(GA-Catawba, Duncannon-HF 2001)

>Wouldn't all of this add up to carrying more weight
>than if I were carrying a lightweight tent (Sierra
>Designs something, Nomad or wichever one) with pad and
>sleeping bag?
>
>Secondly.. I have not (really) heard anyone comment on
>their favourite choice for a thru?
>Which would you go with?
>
>I can imagine there is the added value of not having
>to sleep on hard ground with a hammock, but what about
>comfortably reorganizing your things or packing up in
>the rain for example.. Is there a chance to keep your
>stuff dry?
>
>All comments are welcome...