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).

I’m glad you like it! Great hammock.

You can get some 3/8 poly rope from Home Depot. Very easy to do. You can use some aluminum wire gate carabiners but you don’t need them. Just take a length of rope and double it over and then you can feed that through the eye screw in the wall. The working end can tie to your hammock via a simple becket hitch

3/8 x 4-7/8 eye screw