Thank you so much Derek. I really appreciate this. You are the best! I will go back to my old ways of using a bowline on the end. Although I DO like the bowline on a bight which I can do. The bowline on a bight sounds great because it increases the size of the turns in the knot thereby helping to maintain the working load limit in the strap itself. I will look for the this tape on my favorite retailer. You take care sir. Paul

Any nylon or polyester webbing would work fine, starting with 1-inch wide. That’s all I use — nothing too fancy. I have used webbing from so many different vendors and manufacturers that I don’t really think it matters. Sure, there are some fancy ideas going around about kevlar straps or other materials, but I haven’t seen much value for the price. The only webbing I specifically seek out is Mule Tape or Bull Line, which is _cheap_ line used in the wire and cable industry and is often free to get your hands on. It’s the lightest per foot and it has a slick coating making it run without snagging as much. I usually tie a figure-8 on a bight for the end loop, but a bowline works great too. If you want to sew a loop, that lays flatter and uses less material so you can save some grams.

In deed HangCon 2025 was a blast. It was also good meeting you and had some good conversations. I hope you enjoy the Schwarze Biene table. Looking forward to the review of the table.

Hope to see you in april in the Netherlands. As I mentioned before. I have to defend my thesis in April.

Regards,

Nol

THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

Paul

A few I have and have tested: Superior 30F, Superior 0F, Dutch Half Zip, Warbonnet Blackbird XLC, Blue Sky Double, Sheng Zin Netter, Kammock Roo, Hummingbird UL.

I often supplement the lay in the Sub 6 with a well-insulated, mummy air pad, lately the Thermarest Neo Air X-Lite Women’s: With my height of 70″ tall, the 66″ Women’s version came better insulated & was about perfect in the hammock for a flat lay, eliminating that back arch & calf ridge–& works fine on the ground too.

After 15 years or so of hammocking I have yet to find a better setup, and in the winter an XL Hammock Gear Incubator (add 1 baffle 5″) has proven well. I can supplement it with the pad or go lay in the hammock without the pad–no problem.

That’s great! I’m glad it is working for you.

The HG hammock is comfortable, but it is also easy to set up. You don’t need to know any knots, everything is easy to get into place. It all fits together, so you know you got an under quilt that will work with a hammock that long, and you just clip it into place. You do have to fuss with it a little to get everything fluffed and sealed, but you know it’s going to work. It comes with suspension straps, a double ended storage bag, and a mesh snake to store the tarp. The insulation kit is a separate charge, but heavily discounted. It consists of an 20* underquilt and top quilt. On my first trip with the Wanderlust kit, it got down to 28* and I was plenty warm. And hey, once you’re already on the order page, you know you need an organizer and a storage loft, and… . I am now almost totally set up in Hammock Gear stuff, in matching Moroccan Blue.

I agree with you — pads take up a lot of space. Depending on the temperature range, sometimes the pad by itself may be all you need to stay warm. Pads can be pretty light and multi-purpose, but you can get more thermal weight to warmth ratio with an under quilt. In other words, pads are less efficient for the weight and space they take up. Under quilts are better. Pads CAN be a POSITIVE pack item in some conditions to augment an under quilt, like in sub-zero temperatures. In those cases where you do want/need to bring both, you can always roll up and pack the pad on the outside of your pack or in a pulk sled. For me, I rarely bring pads because of the reasons you outlined: taking up too much space in my pack. If you have an under quilt, do you use a separate stuff sack. If so, you can save some space by packing your UQ directly into the bottom of your pack (inside a compactor garbage bag for weather protection).