Having regularly immersed myself in bushcrafting, survival and wild camping adventures, I have seen a huge array of set-ups for sheltering and sleeping. During one such experience with the Scottish Bushcraft Group, I came across a very different looking type of hammock and tarp combination.
NapSack Hammocks
On investigation, I discovered that it had been designed, prototyped, tested, redesigned and tested etc etc by fellow bushcrafters, Stephen Learmonth and Stevie Burns. Furthermore, it has led to the creation of an exciting new company called NapSack Hammocks.
Stephen and Stevie
Stephen is 50 years old and divorced. A proud father of three boys (Craig 25, Max 22 and Thomas 14) and one crazy dog (Baloo 8 months). He has always loved the outdoors. He used to go camping as a kid with his mum and dad and has 20 years military service too.
His hobbies include hammocking (when he can get the time), sea fishing, DIY (he likes to mess about making things), taking the dog for walks, drives into the countryside and gaming.
Stevie is 39 years old and live with his wife Alison, 2 year old son Oscar and 7 year old Miniature Schnauzer, Lola. Most Friday nights you’ll find him at his local Scout Group spending time with his 38 ‘little cherubs’.
He first got into camping a number of years back in order to spend some quality time with Lola. Like many folk he went out and bought an enormous tent and the accessories to accompany it. He would spend forever loading up the car, unloading it on arrival, setting up and putting away his kit. It felt like proper exercise, he says.
Philosophy and ethos
Everything that NapSack Hammocks offer is modular, so you can mix and match for every trip.
“We may be approaching middle age, but that hasn’t stopped us at NapSack Hammocks in believing we are a young, vibrant and forward thinking company.”
The ethos behind the company start-up was to provide the UK market with a product that people would normally have to go Stateside for. In their quest to bring the best of the States to the UK shores, NapSack Hammocks have extensively researched what’s on offer in the US market and beyond.
Stevie says their aim is to be all things to all people and in our first offering, we have come up with what we believe to be the perfect modular sleeping solution.
However, the journey doesn’t stop there.
Wee bitey things
“NapSack Hammocks are also committed to stopping all the wee bitey things when outwith your slumber, unless that’s your thing of course. With our Tarp solutions, we trust you can enjoy a relaxed sleep, plus an admin area and meal that’s insect free.”
Where the river takes you
One fateful trip saw Stephen and Stevie camping by a beautiful stream. Stevie woke in the middle of the night and found his inflatable mattress bobbing up and down in the water. Stephen in his hooped bivvy bag was soon scrambling to find a way to safety. They were now part of that stream which, by that point, was no longer a stream but more of wide mouthed river. A hasty midnight decamp left them re-evaluating their options in going forward. Stephen suggested hammocks and as soon as Stevie tried one he was instantly hooked – Lola was pretty impressed too!
Passion
After buying his first hammock set-up Stevie’s passion pretty much took over and soon he was buying kit for other people to try too.
Before he knew it he was regularly buying and selling kit just to try out different brands and what they offered. Stephen followed suit and it soon developed into an expensive hobby.
Having owned, tried and tested countless hammocks, tarps and accessories from all over the globe. They’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to try many brands and many types of hammocks which gave them a good insight into what was out there. It quickly became apparent that most of the leading hammock companies were based in the States and prices were very expensive if you wanted to import. From there the dream began (about 2 years ago). Stephen adds “But like everything else each one has their limits and lovers/haters.”
Design challenge
What they gleaned from their research was there was a whole world of campers, bushcrafters and the like all using various types of hammock equipment. The biggest challenge was to try and design a hammock that everyone could use with ease, from the beginner to the more seasoned hammocker. Both Stevie and Stephen used different styles of hammocks, so they decided to design a hammock incorporating all the good points and try to eliminate the bad ones.
Sew what?
Having only the basic skills with a sewing machine, limited funding and unspecified material of various colours they started throwing material together.
Stevie comments “We still have prototypes and we use them as a measuring stick for how far we have come on our journey. The materials we used then have greatly change as we learn more about what we should be using and where we can access it.”
Stephen adds “Using ourselves as test dummies we would test out different designs and materials, with various results and injuries. Also having to trust in other people to help with other sides of the business, such as IT.” In the end they took that in-house too!
Patience and adjustment
Stevie explains, “One of the biggest challenges for me was bringing my ideas and thoughts to life. That’s where Stephen excels. We both work very differently. I don’t have a great deal of patience when it comes to projects, whereas Stephen has a patient and considered approach. With a career in construction, Stephen was very good at putting those plans into action. I found a lot of frustration in trying to understand why we couldn’t do things a particular way. I’m a visual learner so there was a bit of an adjustment made on Stephen’s side to accommodate that. Did I mention he was patient?
Trust and effort
Other challenges we found were trusting in others and on reflection maybe failing to understand that perhaps we weren’t a priority to other people. There was a lot of wasted time and effort in trying to get things done and trying to communicate our ideas to people. Turns out in reality these were all things we could do ourselves.”
Stephen believes “The greatest achievement was finally getting a design that we both liked and getting out with it and people liking it.”
“I think our greatest achievement thus far is seeing everything coming to fruition and having peers acknowledge what we’ve created” comments Stevie.
Fully enclosed tarp
Their Tarps are designed to reduce the wind chill. Unlike other tarps they have incorporated two way zips to create a fully enclosed tarp, each guy line has its own storage pocket. Furthermore, it’s designed to take another of their creations; the Tarp Bug Net. This gives users added protection from the elements.
Designed to fit snugly and with ease, following the contours of and to mirror the tarp, the Tarp Bug Net also has 2 way zips. With the adjustable rip stop skirting you can create an admin area with highly reduced wind chill plus pegging out points to keep the pests out.
On a lovely clear day users can unzip the Tarp doors and flip one side of the Tarp over itself or even remove it totally (although this would require some adjustment made to hold the admin bug net up) but having the no see um bug netting on top allows non-restricted views. So either relaxing in the hammock or chilling in a seat with the views pest free.
Bee lines, yes bee lines are NapSack Hammocks black and yellow tree huggers. These are designed to help with the quick set up and take down of both the hammock and tarp. This two-in-one accessory is colour coded, yellow for the tarp and black for the hammock.
Selection and sizes
NapSack Hammocks offer a wide selection of hammocks. They come in both single and double skin. The hammocks are all made to a standard length of 320cm but vary in width from 130cm, to 170cm with the widest at 200cm. All hammocks are made from 1.9 70D Ripstop Nylon and come complete with a quick deploy suspension system. Oh, and hammocks have a max weight capacity of 400lbs. However, NapSack Hammocks can custom make for larger loads.
Fully adjustable
All the hammocks are fully adjustable meaning there’s no need to worry about lying left to right or right to left, head end or foot end. Their clever design negates this need and of course, being fully adjustable you can cinch up the sides and open out or close in the hammock material for a flatter, morte comfortable lay. even the ridgelines are adjustable!
To bug net or not to bug net?
The Hammock bug net is designed to allow the user to have a choice, to bug net or not to bug net. This is achieved with one large adjustable end, which allows the user to simply slide the netting to one end of the hammock. Yes, I know what your going to ask, “Do I need to take off my under quilt”. The opening will accommodate most quilts and hammocks with ease. Access to the hammock is through the adjustable bottom opening which allows quick access with ease. Once in the hammock users can reduce the entrance area with the aid of pull cord and lock.
Junk dump and stuff pouch
For Ridgeline organisers the boys have came up with a few different types, the junk dump, stuff pouch and the multi pocket organiser. The junk dump is for what it says, the junk in your pocket and helps prevent your pocket contents emptying into the hammock. The stuff pouch is designed for ease of use when users wish to store clothing and still require quick access to it. Stuff it in and the shock cord holds in it till it is needed. It is a multi pocket organiser designed with a pocket for a smartphone and a larger one for anything the user wants, such as books, torches, chargers, etc.
Hanging pockets are designed for both inside or outside the hammock for storage of whatever the user may wish. No seeum versions are ideal for hanging wet kit outside the hammock to let it drip dry. Any of them can be used to store kit inside the hammock. This means there is no need to go digging through your rucksack. Just reach up and there it is. Also makes a good pillow slip.
Ultimately the NapSack hammock and tarp system is a great bit of kit and I would recommend it to anyone from experienced hammocks to those who are looking to buy their first hammock.
For more information:
NapSack Hammocks facebook page
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