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Initial Report September 14th
2009
Field Report due November 17th 2009
Long Term Report due January 14th 2010
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Contents
Initial Report
Description
Features
Instructions
First Impressions
My Details |
Contents
Field Report
Long Term Report |
The Nano hammock in its stuff sack.
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Personal Details
Name: Andrew Preece
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight: 165 lb (75 kg)
Waist: 39 in (100 cm)
Sleeve Length: 20 in(53 cm)
Chest: 42.5 in (108 cm)
Neck: 16 in (40 cm)
Email: andrew@teamgunnparker.com
Website:
www.teamgunnparker.com
City: Perth.
Western Australia.
Australia. |
Backpacking Background
I have done a lot of hiking over the years but now carry a hammock and
gear for over night stays of one to two nights. I normally carry
approximately 35 lb (16 kg) which includes food and water. My trips are
usually between one to two days duration mainly over weekends. I hike
all seasons with winter temperatures ranging from 39 F (4 C) to 64 F (18
C) including periods of heavy rain at times to summer conditions with
the temperature ranging from 68 F (20 C) to 95 F (35 C) and very dry. |
Testing Locations
Bibbulmun Track: Sea level to 1,920 ft (585 m). Within this region I
backpack along old forestry roads, sandy tracks, and purpose built
walking tracks. The south-west of Western Australia allows for hiking
and backpacking from coastal plains to forested ranges. I hike in
varying conditions from forestry tracks, to sandy tracks to single
purpose walking trails, from rock hopping, to beach walking to
completely off-track through open and dense bush country. |
Testing Conditions
It is now toward the end of our winter. Though we are still
experiencing some unseasonably warm days, and yet some mornings with
lows of 50 F (10 C) and highs of 68 F (20 C). In another few months it will be middle of
summer and the heat will set in. Daytime temperatures will range during
the testing period, from a minimum of 57 F (14 C) to 100 F (38 C). The average rainfall for
the next few months is, 1 3/8 in (35 mm). |
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Initial Report
September 8th 2009
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Manufacturer: Grand Trunk
Year of Manufacture: 2009
Place of Manufacture: China
Manufacturer's Website:
www.grandtrunkgoods.com
MSRP: US $69.99
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Manufacturers
Measurements. |
My Measurements. |
| Dimensions |
9 ft x 4 ft (274 cm x 122 cm) |
9 ft x 4 ft (274 cm x 122 cm) |
| Weight |
6.70 oz (190 gm) |
6.95 oz (197 gm) |
| Weight Capacity |
300 lb (136 kg) |
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Description
The Nano-7 is an extremely
light weight hammock designed for hiking, camping or just lounging
around. It is made from lightweight rip-stop nylon and stuffs down to
the size of a softball.
The Nano is a typical gathered end hammock. At each end of the hammock
there are channels sewn into the end and a carabineer passes through the
channel. Rope is then attached to the carabineer and on to a tree or
post.
The long sides of the
hammock are rolled hemmed with very nice stitching all the way along.
The ends with the channels have been folded over once and tripled
stitched to add strength.
Inside the stuff sack is a
care label stating the safe weight limit of the Nano plus how to wash
it. Hand wash and hang to dry. It has four warnings about not smoking in
the hammock, do not wear shoes, no knives and don’t go over the weight
load of 300 lb (136 kg)
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Hanging out at the river.
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Features
The Nano is a straight
forward, light weight hammock. The stuff sack is sewn onto one of the
side hems near the centre. This serves two purposes, one is to store
items in while hanging and the other is to stuff the hammock into while
not in use.
The stuff sack has a neat little knot or perhaps a wrap of cord that is
around the cord coming from the sack. To open or close the sack I just
have to slide this knot along the cord. It is like a plastic cord lock
in use.
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Instructions
The instructions for
using the hammock are printed on a swing tag attached to the stuff sack
and are very straight forward. The Nano does not come with any rope but
it is available at the Grand Trunk website.
There I could buy a hammock hanging kit for US$10.00 but I had been to a
boating store and bought myself some cord that I will use. I noticed
that the carabineers are not stamped with a weight load rating on them
as are the climbing carabineers I have, but the website states that they
are “High-Strength Carabineers”. I will have to wait and see how they
perform. The tag also tells how to use the hammock hanging kit.
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How to setup the hammock.
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How to use the hammock kit.
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First impressions
This hammock feels very
light, very soft and looks like it will be nice to use. The stitching
around the hammock is very good. I am a bit apprehensive about the
carabineers but I hope they do not let me down. I set the Nano up along
side one of my DIY hammocks to check the size difference and to setup
the ridgeline. The ridgeline I will use on this hammock will run from
one carabineer to the other over the top of the hammock. This is used to
set the amount of sag in the hammock body and ensures that every time I
set up the hammock the sag is the same.
I had to retie the ridgeline a few times to get it just as I like
but now it is quite comfortable. I am able to lie on the
diagonal in the hammock which means my back is nice and flat and not
shaped like a banana. I have used the hammock overnight the other
night and it felt nice, but you will have to come back in about two
months to read more of that night and others in my field report.
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The side of the hammock and stuff sack.
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The end of the hammock with the carabineer.
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Please come back in about
two months when I report on my field trips with this nice hammock. |
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Back to top
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Field
Report
November 17th 2009
I have now used this
hammock on three occasions where I have slept in it overnight. The first
was at my home where I have a pole set into the ground and with the help
of a nearby tree I can test any hammocks I have and any gear I have
made. I am a firm believer in testing any critical gear at home before
heading out to the bush. The last thing I want is a cord to break or a
hammock to fail.
I used the hammock one night in the hills of Perth near Mundaring. I had
seen a spot on Google Earth that looked interesting and was only about
1.25 miles (2 km) off the nearest track. I headed out along the track to
a point where I had to turn East through the bush and then bush bash off
track until I found the spot.
The third time was one weekend when I went down to the Bibbulmun track,
I now volunteer to maintain the section of trail plus the shelter at White Horse
Hills. I hiked in about about 9.5 miles (15 km) from the car and set up
camp for the night, then hiked back out in the morning. |
Hammock next to my MSR pot.
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My hammock near Mundaring.
.JPG) |
I found the hammock to be shorter and narrower than
I am used to but this has not stopped me from having a good nights sleep
in it. The main issue I have had is my feet coming out of the hammock at
night when I am sleeping. The first night I set it up I had it set too
level, setting the hammock too level causes the torso to slide down in
the hammock. Because of the weight of a torso verses the legs gravity
will pull the torso down and this causes the legs to slide up in the
hammock.
A hammock should really be set with the leg end higher to help overcome
this sliding. The first night I awoke and my feet were quite a way out
and I had to reposition myself and go back to sleep. The next two times
I made sure to get the foot end higher but it is still not enough as yet
because I still had a little trouble at White Horse shelter.
Setup could not be easier. I am using a thin light weight cord now for a
suspension system and the whole thing minus the tree webbing fits into
the stuff sack. I was using a heavier cord but it was a pain to get it
all in the sack. Now it is a lot better but I am going to change it
again soon for a smaller, lighter cord.
To setup I just open the stuff sack and pull out one end of the cord,
tie that off on one of the webbings. Then slowly pull the hammock out as
I walk to the other tree, taking care not to let the hammock snag on
anything. Packing away is just a reverse of the setup. Easy Peasy. |
Testing my setup at White Horse Hills.
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My hammock all set for the night.
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The hammock is working out
just fine, I have another well known brand of hammock at home plus a
couple of ones that I have made myself. This hammock is by far the best
one for me. I am lucky that I live in a place where bugs are not a huge
problem or maybe they just don't like me. Over the years I have never
really been bothered by bugs, and so this hammock without a bug net is
just right. I like to feel the breeze on my face and be able to look out
at the sunrise.
A funny thing did happen one night in Mundaring and I put it down to the
hammock being quite narrow. I had just woke and got up to take care of a
nature call and got back into the left side of the hammock and promptly
fell out of the right side. Lucky for me I was not too far up in the
air. My DIY hammocks are very wide on the sides and I have never had
this trouble before. So from that night on I am very careful getting
into and out of it.
One other thing that I will
change with it is the carabiner at each end. When setting up the hammock
at White Horse Hills campsite and as I was putting my Yeti under quilt
in place I had a problem. The Yeti has elastic bungee cords running the
length of it and fixes to each end of the hammock by the suspension
lines. So I had just clipped the Yeti on when one of the bungee cords
slipped through the gate on the carabiner and went in next to the
hammock fabric by the channel. I opened the gate to remove the cord but
as I did the fabric unfurled from the carabiner and I ended up with a
big mess. I was worried about the gate pinching the fabric and putting a
hole in it, so there I was holding the hammock off the ground, the gate
open and all the while fighting the tension of the Yeti. After that
night I decided to do away with the carabiner and change my suspension
system.
The hammock itself does
not show any signs of wear at all and I must go back and check the care
label and give it a wash before I head out again. I'll report back in my
long term report about that. I have another couple of nights planned end
of this month plus I have a friend who is new to hiking and I have
promised to take him out for a day hike. I'll take a small hydration
pack with me and use the hammock at lunch time to rest. |
Likes:
The small pack size.
The very light weight.
Dislikes:
If I have to pick, it would be the carabiner.
The small stuff sack could also be a little bigger. |
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Long Term Report
January
14th 2010
I have now been
using this hammock for another two months and during this time I used it
twice in the hills of Perth geocaching and once on a maintenance day
along the Bibbulmun track. I maintain a section of track as well as the
shelter that is on this section.
On that day we parked the car and hiked about 3 miles (5 km) one way
into the shelter and performed the duties we had. We stopped for lunch
afterwards and then hiked back out.
On these days I
used the hammock as a place to lounge around and take the weight off my
feet for a while. I would look for a suitable couple of trees, set up
the hammock and just lay back for a while. I recently changed my
suspension system from my own DIY set-up to a whoopie sling style
set-up. This has meant that it is now very easy to set-up quickly and
easily. Full details of these slings can be found at
www.whoopieslings.com or just
search the internet for whoopie slings. Another side benefit is that now all of the
suspension except for the webbing fits into the hammock stuff sack.
This hammock is
just great as far as I am concerned, I have found it to be hard wearing
despite just how thin the material feels. I don't need to worry about
bugs most of the time and so the need for netting is not an issue for
me. I love to set my tarp a bit high so that I can lay back in the
mornings and look out at the scenery without netting getting in the way.
The hammock might be a little more comfortable if it was longer but then
I would have to pay a weight penalty which I do not want to.
I wanted to
wash the hammock and searched for the care instructions but could not
find any. So I washed the hammock in cold water in our washing machine
on a normal cycle and it came out just fine. Nice and soft and smelling
nice. There has been no wear and tear on the hammock in the months that
I have had it and it looks like it will hold up for many a trip out. I
am not sure if this hammock was designed with the hammock camper in mind
or more the day hiker looking for a nice spot to lounge, but I would
have no problems recommending it for overnight trips at all.
This hammock
has performed way better than I had expected. Looking back now at the
GrandTrunk website I think they should market it more as an all purpose
hammock. If this one were to wear out or break I would have no problems
at all in ordering another to be shipped from the US to me here in
Australia.
Conclusion
This is a very
nice, light weight hammock. Suitable for both overnight trips and day
hikes and one I would highly recommend.
Likes
Small
packed size.
Light weight.
Easy set-up.
Dislikes
If I had to find
something then perhaps
the
stuff sack could be a little larger.
Perhaps the hammock could be a little wider and longer, but at a weight penalty.
I'd like to
thank GrandTrank for producing this very nice, light weight hammock that
will stay a firm favourite of mine for many a trip. |
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