Originally Posted by
Rob_E
You have time. When I was setting up my touring bike, I had similar issues with OMM racks: I felt like the Cold Springs suited my needs, but was way more than I wanted to pay. Fortunately, like you, I was in no hurry. I set a price that I was willing to pay for the rack, and watched eBay. Eventually I had my rack at a price I could afford.
I used to carry a pad with mine. It was difficult for me to stay on top of, and it almost always ended up being thrown out of the tent early on in the night. Now I have insulation that hangs underneath my hammock, and it makes it very toasty down to temperatures near freezing. So far, I haven't had any desire to camp in temps colder than that. On my last trip, I put my hammock and bedding into a dry bag and tied the dry bag on to my handle bars. I used a piece of an old pad to wrap around my dry bag to protect it from the straps. It's the first time I've traveled with a pad in years. Although a pad would likely come in handy if you ever couldn't find a way to hang your hammock and had to sleep on the ground.
Yeah I'm not in a rush. I have 5 months before I depart. I do leave for Germany soon though and my bike will be in storage until I return for my bike so am trying to take care of as much as possible right now.
Where do you find insulation that hangs below your hammock? I wasn't aware they made such a thing. I have a Eno Double Nest. How much does your complete hammock set up weigh? Mine is around 2lbs including the bug net, rain fly and ropes. I imagine the insulation doesn't add too much to it? I tried using my mattress pad on a trip over the summer and had the same issues; it kept slipping out from under myself and sometime during the night I would open the bug net and toss it out. By that point I was too tired and couldn't careless.
I was homeless for a period of time as a teenager and while I have no intentions of reliving those days sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag wouldn't be new to me
