Kayaking and Camping with the Nubé Hammock Shelter
~ Adventure by Lyle Hovland ~
It Starts with a Gear Addiction
I absolutely love camping in the outdoors, but I also adore the gear I bring to enjoy the outdoors. Whether it's backpacking, climbing, kayaking, or base camping, I am always searching for the best gear. Gear must be reliable, long lasting, and it always helps when it looks cool as well. To put it bluntly, I have an addiction, an addiction to gear. Sometimes I treat myself with a special pay check or even use my ebay sales to support my addiction. My Sierra Madre Research Nubé Hammock Tent is my latest treat! My latest addition to support my craving for the outdoors and gear. Each year I take 3-4 trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Northern Minnesota. This past October, I was able to take an extended weekend with my youngest! A week before we left, as we were packing, I mentioned I had some new gear. She wasn't surprised, because I had been dropping hints for the past two months. I'd shown her multiple times, this new website I found called Sierra Madre Research and we watched every possible video they and others had about this product called the Nubé. We talked many times about how awesome it would be to battle the mosquitoes in the BWCA. At times, they can get really bad, unless you're prepared. We've been prepared and have some neat gear like our bug shirts from the Original Bug Shirt Company, a 12x12 Bugout shelter from Nemo, and an Eno Guardian Bug Net for our Eno Hammock. Like I stated before, I like gear, and many would suggest I'm addicted and love certain brands (The North Face, MSR, Nemo, Patagonia, Perception, etc...).
Over the years I have learned that many people avoid the outdoors for two common reasons; getting wet and cold, and also dealing with nasty bugs. I love the outdoors, but even more I love sharing it with my family. I have always wanted them to have fun, without suffering coldness or dealing constantly with our Minnesota mosquitoes that can be gigantic. The SMR Nubé has exceeded my expectations in combating both elements. When we arrived at our first site on Birch Lake on October 16th, we took the usual time to get camp set up, but were really excited to hang the Nubé. Even though the mosquitoes were not going to be a problem because of the colder weather, we were excited to try it out in anticipation for our summer expeditions. We set up the Nubé in no time at all.
Sierra Madre Research has thought of everything with the Nubé. Our Eno Guardian Bug Net has been nice, but having an all in one tarp/bug out shelter for my hammock is amazing. And besides, the Nubé is incredibly roomy. Though I had read about the roominess online, you can't imagine it until you get into the Nube. I am 6' tall and my high school daughter is 5'8". The two of us in a double hammock had more than enough room in the Nubé. It is so nice that the netting is away from you and gives the feeling that you are in a roomy tent. That first day, we played Farkle for hours in the Nubé. It even rained with a splash of snow and we stayed dry the entire time. It was so nice to have gear stowed in the storage compartment below without having to venture out in the misty rain for supplies. SMR truly made a great product with the Nubé. Taking it down two days later for our next site was even easier. I love that the tie down cords have a Velcro wrap system, that is so convenient. Once it is stuffed in its own compression sac, it's ready for the next hang.
After we paddled to Sucker Lake, we had decided we would not set up everything because we were only staying a day. Because our experience with the Nubé was so easy on Birch Lake, we obviously chose to hang it up for another night. I am pretty sure that from start to finish we were able to secure and hang everything in under four minutes. We chose a great set of trees right by the lake shore. The pictures of this site on Sucker Lake, cannot do justice to our Nubé experience. With the loons calling, the waves gently splashing on the shoreline, and our bodies nestled in the Nubé, it was heavenly. That night after supper we played more Farkle, and just talked for hours while relaxing in our Nubé. That, and we took a couple of selfies with our "mock" Xmas lights hanging with us. You can tell that SMR has spent a great deal of time with the details. This new piece of gear, my Nubé Hammock Shelter, will never be left at home. In fact, my daughter is already planning our next trip and seems to think two Nubés would be better than one. I think this Nubé Experience, our first, has truly changed the way we will camp. Thanks Julie again for shipping my Nubé to me so quickly and making sure our fall BWCA adventure was a great experience. I am so excited to see what other products SMR will create to support my addiction of the outdoors and gear. This great NEW EXPERIENCE, has been an incredible NUBÉ EXPERIENCE !
SMr Camping Gear Used In This Adventure:
