Is the Ray Mears eco sleep system any good?

[The General]

You guys have more experience in this than me...

[Roger Gregory]

Who cares?

Roger

[ColdIron]

I care!
Think RM is 'an older' with lots of wisdom.
Has anybody seen the video?

[Roger Gregory]

A lot of us here like Ray the outdoorsman.....



Roger

[Kellam]

I have used it, I really really disliked it ( I havent met anyone else who has used one so i dont know what other people thoughts on it are)

in my opinion its very heavy and large when packed away, it weights as much as a two man tent

the mosquito net lets insects in though the bottom and the hammock,net,tarp assembly requires no less than 14 knots to put it up!!!!

and it is extreamly expensive for a hammock and tarp

I've stuck with my henessy hammock, in my opinion far better and less than half the price

I dont think mr mears is going to be very impressed with you calling him an "Older"

[Adi007]

Overpriced, heavy, complex and a maga pain to set up ... you can do a lot better for a lot less.

[PS_Bond]

...assembly requires no less than 14 knots to put it up!!!!

That *is* a lot of wind.


As soon as Lithril says how he got on, I might make myself a Thai hammock. Although I'm generally quite content on the ground. I ought to lose the habit of pitching my basha horizontally 18" from the deck, though...

[The General]

Well just goes to show...

I think I will be avoiding that system then, thanks guys!

[rapidboy]

Im waiting for my Hennessy to arrive.
Just thinking i will still carry my bivy bag in case i can't find suitable tree's.
I believe you can use the tarp without the hammock but how does it compare to the Britih Army basha for size etc.
I dont want to carry my basha as well as im trying to reduce weight.
RB

[Kellam]

The tarp on the A-sym is quite large (if you want bigger you can get the safari tarp)

I was always worried that i would not find trees and used to carry a bivi bag but i never used it, i always found somwhere except for once on the side of a volcano a 2000m where i pitched the hammock as a tent

when you need to pitch just the tarp (which is dimond shaped not rectangular) I peg down three corners and tie one corner to a tree/boulder etc

the biggest problem sleeping on the ground is that you have to carry a mat to be comfortable (or arrange natural insulation)

where as in the hammock i use a thin foam packing sheet which does not offer comfort on the ground but in the hammock you are comforatable anyway you just need to stop the heat from being lost

[bushblade]

The thing I don't like about the eco sleep system is the distance between the tarp and the hammock, if there is a breeze and its raining the rain comes into contact with the hammock. This is probably not a problem in jungle but is a concern for UK use.
I have to disagree with others though about the knots, I think they are by far the best feature of this system, once you know what you're doing with them they are incredibly quick and easy. They're just variations on the knots used to put up the Basha/Hoochie, so shouldn't be all that strange to most of you. The system Ray uses to put up and take down the whole set up, is brilliant, very well thought out and makes a lot of sense.

I use a tai hammock from nomad medical with the same knots as on the eco system. The tai hammock is best pitched almost flat, so can be tucked close under the cover of your basha. Also the whole system can be pitched quite low to the ground, which has obvious benefits if you're trying to keep a low profile. (Does the hennesy come in camouflage colours?).

The stainless steel rings are a very good idea too, much better than drip lines alone. I was using karibiners but have since discovered that point north do suitable stainless rings (5mm) and I've switched to them.

I also set up an additional line just beneath the hammock, this gives a handy place to hang your boots up at night. I also hang the dry bag that contained my sleeping bag here to store my clothes over night.

I urge anyone interseted in the system to buy the DVD first and adapt the system to suit you/UK use. Done like this it will be cheaper than an Eco Sleep System and more versatile than a Hennesy.

Will

[womble]

Does using the DVD to adapt other hammocks infringe Woodlores copyright?

[bushblade]

Does using the DVD to adapt other hammocks infringe Woodlores copyright?

I think only if you were to sell it, don't see any problem with personal use.
Knots are knots, I don't think you can own them, and Ray won't have been the first person to use them. Interestingly enough The Eco and Hennesey both seem to be copies/adaptations of systems used be the Tai army anyway, they're certainly not the first of their kind.

[womble]

Possibly I should have put an at the end of my previous post...

[ugug]

too late.. the lawyers are locking and loading for a dawn swoop