>>2386083>>2386072Yeah, paracord is a bad idea. It’s a nylon rope that’s designed to stretch, and over the course of a night it will stretch way more than you’d like. AmSteel doesn’t stretch at all, which is why it’s the go-to rope for suspensions. But AmSteel doesn’t hold some knots very well, so people started using hardware. Since it’s hollow, you can make a self constricting adjustable line, aka a whoopie sling (Google it).
The same goes for polyester straps. Nylon tree straps will stretch a lot. I use just polyester webbing with buckles (no rope except for the loops on the hammock). It’s a pretty simple, basic setup. In fact the Dutchware hammocks can add suspension as an upgrade, and the options are 15’ polyester straps with buckles or 3’ poly straps and AmSteel whoopie slings.
>inflatable matYeah, it works but it’s far from ideal. They don’t form to the hammock correctly and they slide around.
>heavyA little, yeah. A hammock setup isn’t that much heavier than a comparable double walled tent. A hammock setups weight varies with the weather since the underquilt can be swapped out. In winter I use a 20° underquilt but this time of year I don’t use one at all.
>costlyNo doubt. A good underquilt is pricey, and can be downright expensive for really cold weather. The Therm-A-Rest XTherm is $200 ($220 for the lighter version). A 20° underquilt is easily $250, maybe more. The hammock, tarp, and suspension are easily $250, similar to a Lunar Solo or something (more like a Duo since there’s a crap ton of room under an 11’ tarp).
Pic is the no-see poncho liner underquilt.
