Actually, I took all the photos on March 1 because it was getting dark when I was setting up my campsite the night before. This wasn’t a particularly special campsite and it was a pretty uneventful trip, overall, but I do have something I want to talk about …
My favorite sleeping hammock is still my Eno SkyLite. I recently purchased an Eno SkyLoft that I am probably going to return (more on that, in a minute). Both the SkyLite and the SkyLoft are special because they have 3′ (91.4 cm) spreader bars that make them feel roomy when you’re doing things in them and they sleep pretty flat.
However, Eno made these hammocks and promptly abandoned them in terms of critical accessories. There is no underquilt for either of them, and the SkyLoft doesn’t have a built in bug screen, but Eno offers no bug screen that will fit it. One of their bug screens is just a foot short. How hard would it have been to make it a foot longer to work with all of their hammocks?
What I wanted to report on is the use of my Lawson underquilt that is sold by Lawson for use with their tree-tent/hammock (which I also own, but it’s a lot heavier than the SkyLite). The Lawson underquilt fit almost perfectly under the SkyLite (no real surprise, since the hammocks are very similar). It isn’t a super warm underquilt but it definitely kept my backside warm last night at 35F (~2 C). It might be less effective in sub-freezing temps, but it makes a huge difference over having nothing underneath you.
The Lawson underquilt would also work for the SkyLoft, which has the same dimensions as the SkyLite, but attaching it would require some clips, since you can’t detach the spreader bars on the SkyLoft, which is what I did to attach the corner loops that are built into the Lawson underquilt to the corners of my SkyLite hammock.
Regarding the SkyLoft I just purchased. If I can’t find a workable bug-net, I will be returning it to REI. I’m really disappointed that the hammock wouldn’t fit in the Eno bug-net I purchased with it. I’m trying to get an answer from Grand Trunk about their MOZZY 360 Hammock Bug Net Shelter. I’m still waiting to hear from their customer support.
I also bought another piece of gear that I’m excited about. It’s an overpriced trash bag (the medium size Big Agnes TrashCan) that I can attach to my pack and use to stow my trash while camping, but also to collect trash I find on the trail. I figured if I purchased a special container with attachment points for my backpack, I’d always have something with me for the express purpose of holding trash.
