The
Ultimate Hang
Test Series by Kurt Papke
Tester Information
| Name: |
Kurt Papkelay |
| Age: |
58 |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Height: |
6' 4" (193 cm) |
| Weight: |
228 lbs (103 kg) |
| Email address: |
kwpapke (at) gmail (dot) com |
| City, State, Country: |
Tucson, Arizona USA |
I have been a hardcore hammock camper since March 2008, sleeping in
a hammock in temperatures from -27F (-33 C) to +100F (38 C), from
sea level to 10,000 ft (3050 m) of altitude, from Northern Minnesota
to Southern Arizona.
Initial Report
Product Facts
Product Information
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Manufacturer
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Hansen Outdoors Publishing
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Photo courtesy Derek Hansen
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Manufacturer website
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http://theultimatehang.com
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Year manufactured
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2011
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Size (measured dimensions are nominally
identical to those listed by the manufacturer)
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130 pages
6 x 9 in
(152 x 229 mm)
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MSRP
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$14.95 USD
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Weight
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7.9 oz
(225 g)
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Material
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Paperback with glossy cover
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Key features as stated by the manufacturer include:
With more than 200 illustrations to guide you, this book helps
you get off the ground to discover the freedom, comfort, and
convenience of hammock camping. Learn how to set up and use a
hammock to stay dry, warm, and bug free in a Leave No
Trace-friendly way. This book covers hammock camping basics
such as how to get a perfect hang and how to stay dry, warm, and
bug free. Plus, it illustrates techniques and tips to get the most
out of a hammock shelter, whether you have purchased an all-in-one
kit or you've assembled your own customized system.
Initial Inspection
 The first thing that struck me
when I took the book out of the shipping sleeve was the nice
illustration on the cover (see photo above). I thought "wow,
it must have cost the author a lot to hire an illustrator for the
book." Then I noticed the illustrator is the
author. Impressive.
I immediately went to the table of contents to see what I had to
look forward to (pictured at left). At first glance, it seems
very complete, covering all the hammock camping topics that came to
my mind. The biggest challenge I have had is staying warm
underneath me, and I was glad to see the author dedicated a dozen
pages to staying warm and a substantial fraction of that to "Warm
Below".
Next I leafed through the book, and I was immediately even more
impressed by the illustrations. Mr. Hansen's style reminds me
a little of the classic hiking author and illustrator Mike Clelland
- a bit whimsical, but instructive.
Though I am an experienced hammock camper, this is a developing
field and there is always something new to learn. The back
cover indicated that whoopie slings are discussed, and this
is one of those terms I have seen but never truly understood.
I look forward to pouring over the pages of the book in the next few
months attempting to absorb as much as possible all the tidbits the
author has accumulated.
Long-Term Report
Overall
As a credit to the author, this book has encyclopedic scope and
level of detail. I can't find a single topic of importance
that was not covered, at the very least in passing, and with a
wonderful sense of humor. In the following paragraphs, I make
a number of minor suggestions for improvement. This should not
be construed as criticism of the book, just thoughts that occurred
to me while I was reading it.
Its greatest strength is also its strongest weakness: it is so
thorough it could be a bit overwhelming to a new candidate to
hammock camping. Suggestion: perhaps in The Basics section
a pointer to one or more turnkey solutions available from a single
supplier. Not all components need to be chosen and purchased
from different manufacturers.
Each chapter gives many options for solving common problems.
The hard part for me is deciding what to do, so I found myself
wishing for guidance which way to go. Suggestion: add a table
in each chapter summarizing the advantages and drawbacks of each
option (including cost), and the situations (such as weather) that
may favor a particular solution. Example: underquilts are
covered in some depth, but they are expensive, and don't do well in
wet conditions. Pads are much cheaper, function well when wet,
and can be used on the ground if necessary. Most of this
information is in the book, but it might be helpful to summarize.
I do not have access to good information on manufacturer market
share, but Hennessy was the first major supplier, and my guess is
they still have the largest number of customers. I didn't feel
that Hennessy configurations were covered as well as they could
have, despite the author mentioning that his first hammock was an
Expedition ASYM. Example: there is little mention of side
tie-outs (common to the popular Warbonnet as well), bottom entry,
and ridgeline-attached tarps (mentioned only in passing on pg. 80).
On the flip side bug protection is something I have given almost no
thought to, despite doing much of my early hammock camping in
mosquito-infested northern Minnesota. Both of my hammocks have
fully-integrated bugnets, so it was never a concern. The
author devotes an entire chapter to this topic, which is great for
completeness of coverage, but might be a bit more than many folks
need.
The bottom line: there is no better source for information
available on hammock camping today (that I am aware of) than The
Ultimate Hang. For someone seriously interested in the
topic, this book can replace hours of wading through information on
the Web, and do it in an entertaining fashion. What a feat by
the author!
Introductory Sections
I really liked the table comparing hammock to tent camping in the
Overview section of the book. This table would be invaluable
to someone considering the shift from a tent to a hammock, and gave
the advantages and disadvantages of both. Suggestion: it might
be helpful to show which pieces of gear might be re-used
when transitioning from ground camping to a hammock: sleeping bag,
pad, tarp, stakes.
There are a couple of items in the comparison table that are
debatable:
- Hammock: lightweight, versus tent: heavy and bulky.
The jury is still out whether one saves weight and/or bulk with
a hammock, particularly when I've argued this point with someone
who sleeps on the ground under a tarp.
- Hammock: quick and easy to set up, versus tent: (need
a flat spot, etc.) I have seen some newcomers to
hammocks really struggle setting up their rig. Hammocks go
up very quickly once the user is experienced, but so do tents.
Bad Ideas (pg. 19): I would add to the author's list an inspection
for trees near the campsite that could fall (not just the branches
above as mentioned in the book). In fact there is a whole page
of the book dedicated to widowmakers, pg. 28. The
following picture was taken in April 2009 shortly after a
substantial tree fell on my Hennessy hammock:
This was an entire tree, not just a branch
above. Fortunately I was cooking dinner, not laying in the
hammock when the tree decided to fall, otherwise I surely would
have had some broken bones. As a testament to the
sturdiness of the gear, I was able to sleep in the hammock that
night, and after my wife sewed up the torn bugnet and I repaired
the broken ridgeline it was pretty much good as new. This
issue is not confined to hammocks, the same could happen just as
easily with a tent.
Where to Hang
This section gives detailed and extensive guidance about where to
hang one's hammock. I can't think of anything that could
be added to it. The one item I thought could be improved is
the illustration on pg. 29. It shows two hammocks tied to
three trees with a caption "A large tarp can cover both
hammocks!" Judging from the perspective of the illustration,
the tarp would have to be extremely large to cover two side-by-side
hammocks. It can be done, but the caption might be a bit
misleading.
In the Choose Your View section the author does a great job
of explaining something that may not be obvious to neophyte hammock
campers: we have many options for campsites that simply would not
work for tent or tarp campers, a point illustrated by the photo of
my campsite at Grass Shack.
Hang It Up
This section does a thorough job of laying out step-by-step how
to make camp with a hammock. It does so with illustrations
that would be of great aid to a beginner who takes the book with
them on their maiden voyage: the illustrations show at-a-glance
what to do and how to do it. It spells out some of the
"rules of thumb" that I required many outings to learn, such as
how to select tree distance and getting correct tension on the
suspension.
The Hammock
 I was a little surprised this section did not have a
discussion concerning asymmetric versus symmetric hammocks.
Many hammock campers consider the asymmetric models such as Hennessy
and Warbonnet to be much roomier and more comfortable, but they do
need side tie-outs as a result.
On the topic of side tie-outs, the cover illustration, which is also
replicated on page 13, shows side tie-outs, which the author calls a
"guyline" on page 12. However, this topic is never
really treated in the text. I have found that comfort is
maximized when the guylines are anchored as horizontally as
possible, either by tying to a tree, or using my trekking
poles. The photo at right shows my Hennessy hammock with the
guylines attached to the same trekking pole as used to support my
tarp. I found this made a huge difference in keeping the
bugnet off my face at night.
Suspension and Anchor Points
This chapter is exhausting in detail and options, perhaps this is
one of the author's favorite topics. This section has arguably
the strongest need for guidance to the reader concerning the pros
and cons of the many possibilities presented in the book. I
certainly get what a Whoopie sling is now, but I'm not sure I need
one.
Staying Dry
On pg. 74-75 the author gives an extensive comparison of various
tarp configurations, but omits my favorite: the common 8x10 ft (244
x 305 cm) rectangle, hung on the diagonal to give asymmetric
coverage. Because it is so common, this tarp is very
inexpensive, widely available off-the-shelf, and has a huge variety
of configurations it can be used in both on the ground and with a
hammock. This section also does not include information on
Hennessy ridgeline-attached tarps. Many hammock aficionados
denigrate the ridgeline-attached tarp, but that is what comes
standard with a Hennessy and I still use mine that way.
I really liked the graphical table the author used on pg. 75
to compare and contrast various tarp choices, with the vertical axis
placement indicating where that configuration was on the continuum
of coverage, ease of pitching, etc. This is exactly
the kind of summary info that I think would be incredibly valuable
to add to some of the other sections of the book -- help me decide!
The section on Tarp-pitching Tips is absolutely
invaluable. It explains lessons that may not be obvious to a
new hammock camper who is unfamiliar with tarp setup.
Keeping Warm
There is arguably no topic more important and more difficult in
hammock camping than keeping one's backside warm. Even after
many years I wrestle with optimal solutions to this problem.
On the top of pg. 88 the author states that hanging a hammock over
duff is a way to deal with an unexpected cold snap. This is a
section on inserts, but it wasn't clear that what the author meant
was that the leaves, etc. could be stuffed into the baffles of a
Clark hammock during the night for extra warmth.
Vapor Barrier Liners (VBL): this is a topic of some
complexity. A little bit of knowledge could be dangerous, as
VBL's can result in serious moisture accumulation if not used
properly. The decision to use a hammock in winter is not
obvious, as I have found it is much easier to stay warm lying on the
snow. My suggestion would be to leave out the VBL topic
completely, or expand it to an entire chapter on winter hammock
camping.
Hot water bottles: it might be good to point out that one must
use a bottle designed for holding boiling water. A cycling
bottle is likely to fail ending up with a cold, wet camper. A
Nalgene, sealed tightly, is the only reliable solution I am aware
of.
Field Experience & Use
Saguaro National Park
Photo courtesy Belinda Norby
On January 21-22, 2012 I went on a weekend backpacking trip with
a local Tucson Meetup group to Saguaro National Park East Unit in
the Rincon Mountains. We took a new section (Quilter Trail)
of the Arizona National Scenic Trail to Grass Shack camp, a round
trip distance of about 20 miles (32 km). I set up camp in a
dry river bed (see above photo) right next to the running stream
so I could have the gurgling noise of the water lull me to
sleep. Clearly from the photo this would not be a
location where one could sleep in a tent.
My shelter configuration was a Warbonnet Blackbird double-bottom
hammock (see my review on this website), and my Siltarp 2 in an
A-frame configuration with trekking poles holding up the middle
edges of the tarp to provide better ventilation and
ingress/egress. Not visible in the photo are the two pads I
had beneath me: an Exped MultiMat (see my review on this website)
and my Therm-a-rest ProLite 4 inflatable. My sleeping bag
was an REI Sahara 30F (-1 C) down mummy bag.
It got a little chilly that night, about 29 F (-2 C), just under
the rating for my bag. We were at about 5400 ft (1650 m) of
elevation, and the high desert gets cool on winter nights. I
was actually pretty warm, except for a cold spot right in the
small of my back when I lie on my back. I think what was
happening is the inflatable pad developed a crease where my butt
was which created a cold spot. The Ultimate Hang has a
pretty extensive section on pads, but does not mention this
potential problem with inflatable pads, though it does mention to
slightly underinflate them to conform to the curvature of the body
in a hammock.
I didn't really try any new brand-new ideas from the book on this
trip, though the dual-pad combination is something I've only done
once or twice before.
Romero Canyon
This was a three-day/two night backpacking trip from March 30 to
April 1, 2012. I have day hiked the lower sections of Romero
Canyon many times, but never done an overnight there. It is
the closest backpacking trailhead from my home, just 15 minutes
away, and I just wanted to get into the backcountry without doing
much driving. In addition to the Romero trail itself, I
hiked up and did a short section of the Arizona Trail south to the
Cathedral Rock trail.
One of the ideas I wanted to try from the book on this trip was a
taut tarp pitch. I have always used what the author calls
"end-only" lines, where I simply run a line from the two hang
points directly around the trees my hammock is hung from.
This is simple and requires minimal rope, but provides a pitch
with a distinct sag in the middle (visible in the picture above
from Saguaro NP). I was intrigued with the full-length
ridgeline technique illustrated on page 71, so I brought 50 ft (15
m) of utility cord, some S-biners and Figure-9's with me to try it
out. It was a smashing success as can be seen in the
following photo from my Friday night camp showing my 8x10 tarp
pitched asymmetrically on the diagonal:
Note the razor-straight ridgeline! I can now
go to my next Hammock Forums "Hang" and not be ashamed of my
sloppy tarp pitches. Note the visible hammock side tieout to
the tree to keep the bugnet off my face, and the tarp connection
to the same tree instead of a stake.
On Saturday night I decided to forgo the tarp and have a view of
the stars, but before retiring I spent some time studying my copy
of The Ultimate Hang, of course using my trusty Warbonnet
Blackbird hammock as a comfy camp chair:
On both nights my bottom insulation was my
MultiMat with a mylar space blanket just beneath me, and my
fleece pullover positioned just beneath my butt to prevent
Cold Butt Syndrome (CBS) as the author terms it. I've
found that this 1/8 in (3.2 mm) pad with the space blanket and
the fleece in the pad sleeve is good down to about 50 F (10
C), and the MultiMat gives me full coverage across the
shoulders.
The Growing Popularity of Hammock Camping
When I started hammock camping it was pretty much an unknown,
arcane topic. Since that time its popularity seems to be
growing rapidly, if the number of firms offering product and the
number of HammockForums.net members is any indication. In
fact, on March 23, 2012 I was walking through the Tucson 4th
Street Art Fair and there was even a booth selling camping
hammocks on site:
I believe the author's timing is impeccable -- it may very well be
that he is a major contributor to the next wave of popularity of
hammock camping.
Summary
The author has made a significant and novel contribution to
backpacking literature. Just as talented singer-songwriters
are a rare breed, author-illustrators are perhaps even more
rare. He has a gift, and I sincerely hope he continues to
exercise that gift to the benefit of the outdoor community.
This book is an invaluable asset for someone considering hammock
camping, or has already started down that wonderful path and just
wants to learn more.
Kudo's:
- Great breadth and depth on the topics. All of the
information in this book I would consider useful to a new
hammock camper.
- Objective, manufacturer-agnostic treatment of options.
- Illustrations are both entertaining and instructive.
Possibilities for improvement:
- Don't intimidate the newcomers! It is exquisitely
difficult to balance making things seem simple and obvious for
readers new to the topic, with sufficient detail and depth for
the experts.
- Summary information in each section on options - help me
decide!
Many thanks to Derek Hansen and
BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test this product.
Read more reviews of CreateSpace gear
Read more gear reviews by Kurt Papke
|
