Ross Tapp We live and we learn - happy trails!

Hey, thanks rammur1 - I appreciate the support!

Thank you sir, I really appreciate that! As soon as life gives me the opportunity I'll be right back out with the cameras in hand. Happy Trails

Hey Steve! Thanks for the support man - it means a lot and I really appreciate it. I'll definitely be back out on the trail this year. A few health issues kept me benched for the 2017 season but I ought to be good to go for this season.

Thanks a lot TSS NCS. Happy Trails

+ric cartwright Thanks a lot, Ric, I appreciate the support! Happy Trails

Many thanks Angry Daddy Bird! Never tried the Blackbird but I hear great things about them. I've tried others with attached nets like the Hennessy and Dream Hammock Darian but have switched over to using a detached net in the past year or so. Do you find the comfort of the Amok offsets the additional weight? For that matter, do you find the weight to be much of a problem? I've seen a few reviews of the Amok and it seems like it would be incredibly comfortable. It's all about finding the right tools for the job! Happy Trails

Father Goat For my the weight comes more from the mat you choose for the Amok. Like you I like open designs in winter which is why I chose only a few brands and on my XLC the net and winter cover can completely be taken off. My ridgerunner can be rolled to the foot section pocket. The pad size and weight is worth it IMO. Mat Pack size is just about the same as packing an Underquilt. So it evens out a bit. I like their tarp during summer nights but for winter it needed doors. Simply light designs has a nice winter tarp just for these type hammocks. It's worth the money! I did not notice a big difference in weight but you just have to choose a good pad that's compact. I like the Exped Synmat 7 & 9 or Downmat versions for winter. Pads was a new thing for me. I found out Ultra light means ultra loud and quiet and warm means ultra bulky or heavy. But after heading to rei and trying all the mats ended up like the Exped models. Pricey though but you have to have one with the Amok. ADB

Great info - thanks ADB. I'll have to circle around and give it another look.

Father Goat Mad if you were closer I'd invite you over to try it out for a few nights. I got several mats I bought just for it. The pad is a big factor in your comfort in the Draumr. Just remember long and wide and full length baffles and you should be fine. I even tried a swimming pool mat that worked in summer.

That's excellent, thank you. Honestly, I don't know much about sleeping pads. I used them as a child when camping with the family but as an adult I jumped right into hammock camping and haven't looked back. Though, I do have a couple trips planned that require ground sleeping so I suppose I should get to learning a thing or two about pads. What neck of the woods do you call home?

Thank you so much for the support - it really means a lot. Yes, I'm planning to be back on the trail this year! Life and health got in the way of most of my plans for last year but it's looking good for the upcoming season. The parking is good so long as the ground is dry or frozen. If it's wet out (as it was when I went in on this video) it turns into a little bit of a 4X4 mud rally while driving in the last mile or so. There was parking for maybe 8 vehicles - more if you get creative. From downtown Greenville follow 6/15 north for about 5 miles. A dirt road called North road will be on your left hand side. Follow North road for about 1.5 miles until you reach Big Moose trail head parking on the right hand side. This is where I parked for this video, but, I think you could drive in further in the summertime. Here's a Google Maps link: goo.gl/5DU69Z Thanks again for the kind words - happy trails!

Father Goat thank you! Hope the health things are better. I’ve got a tundra so I think I could make it. Hard to tell with this crazy winter. All the ice fishing shacks have been pulled Newry south so who knows. Heading out. This weekend for a one night hang, but I’m bringing snowshoes!

Crazy winter is right! Good luck on the trip, I think you'll have a great time. Let me know how it goes - I'm curious if you'll experience the eerie silence that I did.

Hey Erik, long time no talk! We're headed back up to Greenville this weekend to go back out and visit the moose ponds. As you said, I'm sure there's some snow up there but I reckon most of it is gone. I'm hoping the picnic table isn't buried any longer :) I'm definitely completing Grafton this year. I'm also only doing the western half but I'm planning on hiking clockwise and starting from the southern part of RT26. That direction has a much nicer grade going up Old Speck. We're planning on taking 3 days to do it though - I'll be hiking with my wife and daughter so we're going to take it a easy (though, I'm sure my legs won't mind the reduced mileage). Let me know how Grafton West goes. Good luck! P.S. You ever make it over to the Deboullie Public Lands? I believe those are in your neck of the woods. I've been meaning to take a trip up that way for a couple years now.

i have yet to go to Deboullie would like to but its a matter of i dont want to drive my mustang into the woods lol should get some great views, i will definitely let you know how it goes

Ha ha! I suppose that's one benefit I have to owning an old scratched up truck already.

The tarp I used here is the Warbonnet Superfly. It is a great tarp and my go to tarp in the winter or if I'm expecting some real bad weather. It's hits the mark for value in my book - good price, fairly light, and excellent coverage. I added the door clips myself and have since added them to my other tarps. The weight of the clips and shock cord are almost negligible but their utility can't be overstated. It's so nice to just clip and unclip rather than mess around with extra guy lines when you've got business to do in the middle of the night. :)

It's the Warbonnet Superfly. The tarp is 11' long by 10' wide and weighs about 20oz out of the box and about 21oz as seen in the video. This is a great tarp - ample room underneath the tarp, fairly light, and reasonably inexpensive. The only time I don't bring this tarp is when my wife goes out with me or when it's warmer and I'm not expecting weather - I usually bring the smaller cuben tarp when the weather is nice and favorable.

Making a gathered end hammock was pretty simple. 4 yards of HyperD ripstop nylon Some thread A few feet of amsteel a few hours time The process is pretty simple. Cut the fabric to ~11.5' long. Hem around the edges. Whip the ends. Tie off with an amsteel continuous loop. ??? Profit. I used the "W" whipping method on Just Jeff's site - www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeHammock2.html. I probably re-whipped it 5-6 times to get just the right lay. "Is the hammock comfortable?" - Yes and no. Structurally the hammock is incredibly comfortable. I can get an incredibly flat lay and the fabric offers a lot of support. However, for me, the feel of the fabric isn't terribly comfortable. It's got a plastic like feel to it. Compare that to hexon 1.0 which to me feels more cotton like. There's nothing wrong with the one I made per se, but I prefer the hexon to the hyperd. I've now replaced my hyperd hammock with a hexon hammock just for this reason. When adjusting your whipping you can really change the lay of the hammock. For example, if you pull the ends of the fabric a bit tighter when whipping then the sides of your hammock with be more taught. This isn't the best when hopping in and out of the hammock but it gives some slightly higher sides so it keeps you in the hammock a little better, in my opinion. Likewise, you can give the center fabric some more slack to help with calf ridge. All in all it was a fun project. It was roughly 30% cheaper to make my own then it was to buy a new netless hammock from Dutch. The craftmanship on the Dutch well beyond my abilities and that certainly has value. I replaced my DIY with a Dutch netless hammock and I'm happy that I did. For me it was worth it to purchase the hammock rather than make another as I'm not very competent with a desktop thread injector. Let me know if I've missed anything. :) Happy Trails fellow Mainer.

Thanks for replying :). I had dutch help me with my net less also but I got argon 1.6 because he said it was better for dog nails and mosquitos. I want to make a hammock as a learning exercise. Really appreciate your take on the hyperD because I was considering that! I might just try the modified sheet bend that @nature calls backpacking KZfaq channel. Like that there are mainers that "hang" lol! Great videos btw

+Maine hiker It was definitely a good learning experience. For sure it's nice to meet some hangers hanging from the same set of trees! Happy trails!

No joke! This is why I'm always sure to leave my Jack Links at home.

That's harsh - I hope they didn't leave you stranded any place too icy. The ones that I got were a gift but they are just like these: a.co/gpQIwRZ This was my fourth or fifth time out with them and they only popped off the one time. This is also my first time with spikes so I don't know if that's typical, though, I imagine it's not. The little velcro strap that goes across the top of your boot to prevent them from falling off is a bit too short so I can't properly cinch it down on my boot. Before next winter I'll make another velcro strap so I don't lose it again.

I was about half a mile from Tumbledown pond on Tumbledown Mountain when they both broke within 10 minutes of each other. It was more of an annoyance than an inconvenience. Like you I also chose not to take snowshoes and ended up post-holing for about a mile. The post holes would get as deep as 2.5-3 feet deep. The kind of spikes I have didn't have a strap but I can tell you how useful it would have been. This is why I would prefer wearing crampons but I am afraid of wearing them all the time because if they break that's well over a $100 expense. Thanks for the info, I'll be sure to check those micro-spikes out.

+Steven Bishop Yikes - that last push up Tumbledown can be harsh, doubly so I the winter I'm sure. For me, I think I'll wait on the crampons until I get more serious about winter climbing. I spent much more time out this winter - next year I'm gonna start spending time going up. I've got a new rule for my snowshoes - take then if there's snow. :)

Yeah winter hiking is an entirely different game when hiking above treeline. When you do get crampons I recommend the Camp stalker universal crampon. They work with any style boot. For me it seem that whenever I have my snowshoes I don't need them, but when I need them I don't have them.

+Steven Bishop thanks for the recommendation. Doesn't that just seem to be the way life is sometimes?

Ah, April 1st. Sorry

+Ray Practically speaking, probably not. However, it's not too much of a chore, it's good habit, and a "better safe than sorry" situation. Plus it's loads of fun! /s

I thought everyone hated doing it. Sarcasm?

I had to look up /s. Lol

Actually, he is right to hang the bag, bears aren't the only thing in the woods. As well, there have been tagged bear hibernation studies . Now, that tracking devices have become far better. Bears do wake from hibernation, to feed according to the new studies. We were duped with the old hibernation stories. But they do tend to not wonder as far from their den or be as active, but they do wake to seek food and only wonder for short distances..

ha ha, sure it is... Isn't the order Southern Maine, Central Maine, Northern Maine, then The County?

Winter camping / hiking is great in it's own right, but I share your joy in seeing the snow leave. Spring is now in full force here and all of the white stuff is gone. But, as you mentioned, the little crawly things are out now. We did a little day hike yesterday and stopped for about a 30 minute break to grab a snack and take in some views. When I picked up my bag to leave I found 3 ticks scattered about the bag. We're heading back out to the area this weekend to check it out sans snow. It ought to be a fun contrast between the two trips. When does spring typically come about in Sweden? Here we usually transition during April and things start blooming in May.

It differ depending on where you live. Where I live the snow usually disappear in april but it can still snow during all of april but the snow on the ground is thawing more than growing.