New Shelters, New Jobs, and No Time!

It has been some time since I have posted and there are several factors to that which I wanted to run down with you guys because they are going to have an effect on my blog!

First, I have gotten a new to me bivy sack. It is an REI Minimalist Bivy and I got it in the long version because it was worth the extra oz to have some more leg room. (why do companies assume short people must equal stick figure sized people?) And I love it, but I now will only be using it in 4 season non forested areas. I still have designs on building my own bug bivy and tarp as well which I plan on using for 3 season non forested areas.  Why only non forested areas, you ask?  Because I’ve been converted to the Ultralight Order of the Hangers, aka Hammock Camping.

It wasn’t an easy decision for me.  I am a side sleeper and have never found much comfort in backyard hammocks, but the good people at Backpackinglight.com and Hammockforums.net helped me out and I’ve discovered that it’s all in how you lay in a hammock that matters on how flat you sleep.  It’s all about sleeping on an angle to get a flat lay.  So after talking to many hamock campers and researching all the information I could, I decided to go to my local JoAnn’s and pick up some sport nylon and try making my own and seeing how I liked it.  It was by no means a backpacking model since the fabric was quite heavy but it gave me a chance to see and decide how I want to make one out of the nice 1.1 nylon.  My other concern was needing to buy an under quilt and top quilt for proper insulation.  I was worried that it would add too much weight, but after doing some looking into underquilts, I found that, like with a pad, you can choose a full sized or 3/4 sized quilt to save weight.  A full sized quilt for someone of my size is actually the same 14 oz that a Neo Air would be!  After getting to try out some designs and lays and having all my concerns dealt with, I have decided that I definitely want to backpack with a hammock shelter!

Secondly, I have gotten a new job!  It is my first full time job.  I am now going to be an independent contractor so I will get to take more trips and have more control of my time off but there will be less time off during the weeks I am working so I won’t be able to focus on my online activies as much.  I may not be able to blog as much but I may be able to start posting more trip reports and gear reviews since if all goes well I will have more funds and consecutive days off.  For now I may go a bit silent while I get used to my new job.