Clark NX 250 Hammock

Author: Holger

Category: Gear reviews

Created on Monday, 21 November 2011 06:29

Written by Holger

The idea of hammock camping has fascinated me for a number of years. All you need to set camp is a couple of trees or tie-off points, and off you go. No matter what the ground looks like, it keeps you safe and sound away from the sand and insects on the ground. Although I had my doubts: ‘I sleep on my belly in bed at home, I surely can’t sleep in a hammock, can I?’  After a lot of consideration and internet research into which hammock would best suit my needs, I decided to give it a go and try it out. I bit the bullet and bought a Clark NX-250, a 4-season hammock.

The Clark is built to the highest quality standards and loaded with features, some of them unique to the Clark hammock range. There are the dual purpose insulation / storage pockets.  One reason why I love these pockets is that on a place like Fraser Island you really want to get your gear off the ground and out of the sand. These pockets are perfect for this, and are actually big enough to store all the gear I had with me with lots of room to spare. Once the pockets are filled with something, they create air pockets under the hammock which insulate and stop a cold breeze from flowing along the bottom of the hammock stealing body warmth and leaving you feeling cold. With some clothes stored  in strategic places, the pockets insulate well enough to make the need to carry an insulation-mattress redundant for all but winter camping (for which the zliner, a ‘velcro on’ insulation system is available to give additional warmth). Love those pockets!! Another cool feature is the integrated mosquito / weather shield. The hammock can be used in different modes:  open air, with closed mosquito shield, or with a partially or fully closed sil-nylon weather shield which protects from dew or a light drizzle, and makes sleeping a lot warmer. The zippers allow entry from either side, while the spreader bars give a light and airy feeling inside the NX-250. With the hammock comes a silicon nylon tarp. I opted for the Vertex, a slightly bigger tarp with greater cover which is optional at the point of order. 

After a couple of promising test hangs the decision was easily made to bring the hammock to Fraser. ‘How did you sleep’ you may ask? I slept great!  And the best thing is that in the morning I was neither stiff nor sore with no back ache either! The hammock seems to distribute the weight better with no pressure points on the back. I am a convert from ground dweller to hanger, no doubt.

Another thing I really liked was the large dry living area under the tarp and the free view out of the hammock. Considering that I previously carried a tent, tarp and insulation mattress, it saves quite a bit of weight too.  A  bit of ‘reflectix’ ,( the silver bubble- foil stuff which is used as foldable heat shielding for car windshields in summer) can be used as a sleeping pad if it gets colder than expected at night, and doubles as a sitting / laying pad on the ground, while weighing next to nothing.

All in all I am very happy with this set-up, and reckon this is the best piece of kit I’ve bought in a long time. If you want your own hammock, the best place to start your research is the hammock forum, which is a veritable fountain of knowledge when it comes to hammocking, and here at Jeff's page.