Great video! The Chameleon is also my hammock of choice. Quick tips: To prevent the hammock and quilt from dragging on the ground, and for protection in general, you might want to look into a catch-all sack. Kind of like a snakeskin, but for the hammock. Also, I noticed your trees were pretty far apart. Was that due to the length of your whoopie slings? Commercially available whoopies tend to have a very long bury. I prefer to make my own. So for me what determines the tree spacing is the length of my tarp. If I can fit my tarp between the trees I know I can fit the hammock.
You are exactly right about the whoopie slings. Because they are longer I typically need the distance between my trees to be about 20 ft. apart. But if needed, I can wrap it around the tree a time or two if my distance between trees is shorter and that has worked out fine for the most part. As for the catch-all-sack, Dutch sells an Anaconda sack specifically made to house the hammock and quilt. But I'm first going to try making something myself and try it out this year. Thanks for the comments and the feedback. I am by no means an expert and love hearing about other people's setup and what works for them. My hammock videos are generally what has worked best for me and the different stuff I have tried, pros and cons of each and then let folks decide what works best for them. And I'm always looking to improve my setup and make things either easier at camp or lighter so having good feedback like this always helpful. Thanks for watching!
Get info, thanks! I have a pretty nice inflatable sleeping pad but sleeping on the ground hurts! Your set up is way lighter than mine. I would love to learn more about sleeping off the ground.
Hey David! My plan is to make more videos on hammock camping. I prefer doing the hiking/backpacking videos but I enjoyed making this one so I plan to make more. But let me tell ya, once you figure out hammocking, there is no better way to sleep at camp! 🙂
If I'm packing in with horses I can bring a cot but backpacking I need to be light. I think if I learn how to sleep on a hammock I could lighten up a few pounds too!
Love my Chameleon, and that zip on UQ is on my list. I know the sewn on is out now, decisions, decisions, decisions... A word about your setup, if I may. You should have the tree strap to the side to prevent the right angle stress on the strap and the Dutch clip. I believe Dutch has a video on this when he demonstrates using those clips. I enjoy your videos and the scenery. Is that a Melanzana pullover?
I don't think I would like the sewed-on version. The reason I love the Chameleon is because I can easily change things out and really customize it to the need of my trip. If the under quilt is sewed on then I can't swap it out for another under quilt if it is warmer or colder. I go backpacking some in North Carolina and I like have my 40 degree under quilt when I camp there. But like you said, decisions, decisions. Agreed about the Dutch clip. I've seen that exact video and will admit I'm not the most consistent person when it comes to angling it on the side to reduce the stress on the clip. I just find that sometimes it interferes when I am hanging my tarp and the cordage I use to go around the tree doesn't line up and I hear my hammock suspension rubbing up against my tarp. This is generally only the case if my trees are extra wide apart (because of whoopie slings) and my suspension is higher than the point where I need to hang my tarp or if I am pitching my tarp tight and low because of a storm. Like I've said in other videos, you better like the fiddle factor when you get to camp because there are alot of variables involved. Plus, I consistently check my Dutch clip to see if it is bending in any way, and so far it is holding up strong and looks like the day I bought it. But I am getting a new hammock suspension from Dutch in the coming week that has no hardware. So I'm looking to play around with that! And yes, that is a Melanzana pull-over! We live here in Colorado and like to visit the Melanazana store every year just to see what new colors they have in store. I have a few of them and love them. They are a bit heavy for me to take backpacking but love taking them on day hikes. Thanks again for your feedback, and thanks for watching!
@@crimsonblaze_backpacker Thanks for your response! While I like the concept, I would prefer full coverage so I can choose how to lay (right now, they only have asymmetrical - head right feet left). And as you mentioned, the big selling point of the Chameleon is the adapatability. I'd love a 20 degree quilt, but I don't want to carry it around in the summer if I don't have to. I'm leaning towards the zip on. In the summer (primarily NY/NJ/PA) I use a 3/4 length 40 degree from Hammock Gear - 850 fill. I think it's 14 ounces and works great for the summer. I used it LASHing in NC/GA and it was perfect.
Great video! Nice to see a fellow CO hammock camper.
Great video! The Chameleon is also my hammock of choice. Quick tips: To prevent the hammock and quilt from dragging on the ground, and for protection in general, you might want to look into a catch-all sack. Kind of like a snakeskin, but for the hammock. Also, I noticed your trees were pretty far apart. Was that due to the length of your whoopie slings? Commercially available whoopies tend to have a very long bury. I prefer to make my own. So for me what determines the tree spacing is the length of my tarp. If I can fit my tarp between the trees I know I can fit the hammock.
You are exactly right about the whoopie slings. Because they are longer I typically need the distance between my trees to be about 20 ft. apart. But if needed, I can wrap it around the tree a time or two if my distance between trees is shorter and that has worked out fine for the most part.
As for the catch-all-sack, Dutch sells an Anaconda sack specifically made to house the hammock and quilt. But I'm first going to try making something myself and try it out this year.
Thanks for the comments and the feedback. I am by no means an expert and love hearing about other people's setup and what works for them. My hammock videos are generally what has worked best for me and the different stuff I have tried, pros and cons of each and then let folks decide what works best for them. And I'm always looking to improve my setup and make things either easier at camp or lighter so having good feedback like this always helpful.
Thanks for watching!
Get info, thanks! I have a pretty nice inflatable sleeping pad but sleeping on the ground hurts! Your set up is way lighter than mine. I would love to learn more about sleeping off the ground.
Hey David! My plan is to make more videos on hammock camping. I prefer doing the hiking/backpacking videos but I enjoyed making this one so I plan to make more.
But let me tell ya, once you figure out hammocking, there is no better way to sleep at camp! 🙂
If I'm packing in with horses I can bring a cot but backpacking I need to be light. I think if I learn how to sleep on a hammock I could lighten up a few pounds too!
Love my Chameleon, and that zip on UQ is on my list. I know the sewn on is out now, decisions, decisions, decisions...
A word about your setup, if I may. You should have the tree strap to the side to prevent the right angle stress on the strap and the Dutch clip. I believe Dutch has a video on this when he demonstrates using those clips.
I enjoy your videos and the scenery. Is that a Melanzana pullover?
I don't think I would like the sewed-on version. The reason I love the Chameleon is because I can easily change things out and really customize it to the need of my trip. If the under quilt is sewed on then I can't swap it out for another under quilt if it is warmer or colder. I go backpacking some in North Carolina and I like have my 40 degree under quilt when I camp there. But like you said, decisions, decisions.
Agreed about the Dutch clip. I've seen that exact video and will admit I'm not the most consistent person when it comes to angling it on the side to reduce the stress on the clip. I just find that sometimes it interferes when I am hanging my tarp and the cordage I use to go around the tree doesn't line up and I hear my hammock suspension rubbing up against my tarp. This is generally only the case if my trees are extra wide apart (because of whoopie slings) and my suspension is higher than the point where I need to hang my tarp or if I am pitching my tarp tight and low because of a storm. Like I've said in other videos, you better like the fiddle factor when you get to camp because there are alot of variables involved.
Plus, I consistently check my Dutch clip to see if it is bending in any way, and so far it is holding up strong and looks like the day I bought it. But I am getting a new hammock suspension from Dutch in the coming week that has no hardware. So I'm looking to play around with that!
And yes, that is a Melanzana pull-over! We live here in Colorado and like to visit the Melanazana store every year just to see what new colors they have in store. I have a few of them and love them. They are a bit heavy for me to take backpacking but love taking them on day hikes.
Thanks again for your feedback, and thanks for watching!
@@crimsonblaze_backpacker Thanks for your response! While I like the concept, I would prefer full coverage so I can choose how to lay (right now, they only have asymmetrical - head right feet left). And as you mentioned, the big selling point of the Chameleon is the adapatability. I'd love a 20 degree quilt, but I don't want to carry it around in the summer if I don't have to. I'm leaning towards the zip on. In the summer (primarily NY/NJ/PA) I use a 3/4 length 40 degree from Hammock Gear - 850 fill. I think it's 14 ounces and works great for the summer. I used it LASHing in NC/GA and it was perfect.