Almost anything works, but I like the idea of Amsteel because it won’t soak up water. Cotton string soaks water quickly and sometimes you can see some weeping, but it still works really well. IF the line is TOO SMALL the water can bead up and jump the line, so test it first before you commit. My favorite is actually a small piece of neoprene foam, cut in a circle with a hole or slit for your strap/suspension. You can pick those up for cheap at a craft store. And sorry for the LATE reply; for some reason my WordPress had cached all comments from 2023 so I’m just now seeing them!

The fit is curious but I do not know really anything about underquilts. It is fairly cupped which does mean there is probably an air pocket under my butt. However, that is probably fine and my butt feels pretty toasty. I am going to add a length of shock cord to one end to shift the quilt more to my position though It is a so-so fit. But pretty low weight even at 700g. Says the guy who claims to not care abut weight (but still would prefer not to carry it).

Totally stoked to head out. Played around with the hang a ton in the yard and think I have it down. Though gave up in the ‘becket web straps’ I bought from Warbonnet. At 220lbs I has a hard time not getting the becket hitch to not slip and had to add a stick in the loop. Which worked. But bought the ENO system with carabiners. Much better for the guy that does not really have experience getting the thing hung (you can easily index each end with confidence that you only changed it the amount you intended). Eventually I will likely go back to the becket hitch when I know what I am doing and probably with a different line (disappointed the one from Warbonnet was so prone to slipping ).

But awesome hammock so far. Love this thing.

Thanks again. Maybe someday Hammock Forums will let me post (now on second attempted registration) and I can stop trying to hijack other threads.

Still very conflicted on what I want to do long term, though I think I have a short term plan in place. Things are likely to get expensive for me on the hammock itself front as it is getting rave reviews as the kids try it out (what kid would not love the concept). Though I will likely mix up some other brand in there just to try them out.

I ended up going with a third option (or fourth). I looked into OneWind and GearTop as well. Though I ended up buying a King Showden. Which is likely totally dodgy. Claim is 300g but I will believe it when I weigh it (I saw a helinox chair at 0.01lbs). It says to be made of something called ‘hollow cotton’. I am not a cotton fan as it is useless (or worse) when wet though down has a lot of the same problems. And with reading it appears ‘hollow cotton’ is probably not cotton at all but actually a synthetic. So we will see how this goes. But at less than $50 I am OK with the odds that it may be garbage. Summer is here and I was going to take this thing out for a spin with just a space blanket and a fleece blanket (and the bag is likely to be too warm most of the night). I will post weights and other bits when it shows up.

And thanks for the reply. I am totally stoked about the possibilities. I do not dump money on my camping gear very often so a splurge on occasion is fair. And there are a few things that make me very interested:
– good sleep (I have owned a hammock I got from Maranon for years)
– site flexibility. I no longer have to camp in the site that has been beaten down by previous users.
– getting off the ground. Oregon can be pretty wet sometimes.

I am pretty stoked. Not sure why I did not go down this path sooner but have only recently noticed a few individuals out (twice) and that got me thinking. Well, that and I really love the hammock I have in my yard.

Sean, welcome to hammock camping! It’s an un-ending journey of discovery. I guess that’s similar to most outdoor endeavors: you find something you like and then over time your needs / tastes develop and you try and experiment with other things. Even thought it “works” you may find you have other needs or pressures to make changes. I started out using simple closed-cell foam pads. They worked. They were warm. They were cheap. Under quilts came over time, when I could afford them, and they improved my comfort. Synthetic fill are cheaper, work better when wet, but don’t pack down as small. Down fill has superior weight-to-warmth ratio, but are expensive.

So, I agree: lots of choices. IF budget is your primary driver for now, I’d start with a synthetic quilt from Wise Owl, OneTigris, or OneWind Outdoors. The prices are excellent and OneWind has excellent quality. I don’t think you’d be disappointed.