Something old, Something new

I got Dylan this hammock for Christmas. He wants it for camping. He got to thinking that while it eliminates the need for a tent, he still has to pack a sleeping pad (for insulation), a sleeping bag, and a tarp (when the weather is bad). He started doing some research and came across a video in which a guy had a snugpak hammock underblanket. There are all of these technical reasons why it's beneficial, how it prevents compression blah blah blah but since Dylan is the one who understands all of that and I am the one writing on the blog, I'll put it in terms that I understand. It's pretty much a cocoon for his hammock. The guy in the video said that he doesn't need an air mattress or a sleeping bag. One night (50 degrees F) he clocked the internal temperature of his hammock (no bag, blankets, etc) at 90 degrees! He goes camping in freezing weather like that. Needless to say, Dylan started to drool.

Prices for one of these toasty cocoons are anywhere from $100 to $250. Since our budget for preparedness/survival/camping(/Dylan's obsession) is about $10, that wasn't going to fly. However, never being deterred (one thing I absolutely adore about him), Dylan was determined to have one! He grabbed an old fleece sleeping bag from his parents, spend $9.80 on nylon fabric (on clearance for $1.96 a yard and just happened to be digital camo) and a few more dollars on velcro and nylon straps (barely going over budget), Dylan got to work. He cut the zipper off of the sleeping bag, cut the nylon camo into the lengths he wanted, hemmed it, and added the zipper to that. He is about halfway done with the project. Did I mention he hasn't sewn before, or seen a pattern for this? He is making everything up. And sewing better than me. I just showed him the machine basics and he took off!

Thanks for letting us borrow your sewing machine Carly!

 I'm so impressed with Dylan's resourcefulness and his ability to problem solve. He sees something he wants, and he finds a way to make it happen affordably. It was so fun to sit with him while he figured this out.

p.s. Dylan wants to start a man blog where he posts products he likes, tutorials, and manventures. We will give more info when we have more info! Stay tuned!