Always set up your new gear to make sure you have all the parts and pieces, and to learn how they go together. When you are up the side of a windy mountain, and it's dark, and your fingers are cold, that's not the time to try to understand your new equipment.

Always check your gear before you go!

Always test your gear close to home before you start out on your trip, especially if you're setting out for some cold weather camping. Everyone has a different metabolism (in the winter, some folks sleep with the windows wide open, some with the heat turned all the way up) so everyone needs to find the right combination of sleeping bag and insulation. It's important to use a pad wide enough to protect the back of your arm such as our DoubleBubble reflector pad, our SuperShelter 4 Season System or a jumbo car windshield reflector trimmed down to size. Closed cell foam pads are too bulky, especially one wide enough to protect your arms  The hammock fly can be tied down close to the hammock like a tent but leave some space for air circulation to carry away the condensation. Even in the winter, the mosquito netting serves a useful purpose. The fine weave of the mosquito mesh blocks out about 90% of the wind and provides a calm space inside the hammock, even when the fly is not fastened down as low as possible. For winter camping, you should think of polar fleece clothing, mittens, gloves & booties.