as much as I'd love to do it

**gunner76** · 10-12-2015, 21:52

I haven't slept on the ground in five years, and have no intention of doing so.

Ditto, the difference in comfort is worth it.

Don't know any of us here that could go out and buy all new top of the line gear at one time. I am always looking to see if I can find any deals on the For Sale section, waiting for vendor sales, winning stuff at the raffles at the group hangs ect.

A bridge hammock like the RidgeRunner is a hammock a stomach sleeper can use ( its The Terminators go to hammock there days ) and after 5 years I finally got her to give up her sleeping bag and go with a TQ which she admits is lighter and more comfortable to use. I made her a DIY UQ for her RR. Took two attempts to get it right. You can make lots of your own gear, tarps, hammocks, bug nets, TQs UQs and save some money, not much but some.

I am a stomach sleeper in a bed but in my hammocks I have no problem sleeping on my back or sides. My only complaint is that I do not want to get up in the AM as I am so comfortable.

As Dutch suggested, use as much of you existing gear as you can and and slowly upgrade as $$$ allows. Hint...pads work best in a double layer hammock and a wider 24/26+ inch pad offers more coverage and does not slide a around as much.

I strongly recommend that you attend a group hang even if you have to bring your bear fortune cookie so you can check out different setups, talk to the folks using them and ask why did they go with the set up they have and what would they change. Many times there will be vendors at the hangs showing off their gear.

Both Dutch of DutchGerar and Paul of Arrowhead are selling top quality entry level hammocks and hammock kits to help get new hangers going. I have bought stuff from these guys many a time and they both have excellent gear and service. RipStopByRoll also has DIY tarp kits know and I would not be surprised if he starts selling DIY hammock kits. Wilderness Logics sells UQ kits where you buy the shell and the down ( you can purchase the down from him or elsewhere ) and finish the UQ yourself. Undergroundquilts has a rental program where you can rent a hammock with beg net, a tarp and UQ to try.

**Namtrag** · 10-13-2015, 10:17

Hey Gunner,

We met you a couple of years ago at Neusiok. You came and hung at the shelter with my Meetup group (Obsessive Compulsive Backpackers) and showed us your setup. None of us had ever seen a hammock setup up close.

Lots of great advice from everyone. I do think we will end up easing into it and seeing how we like it. We may even by the Sky Bed hammock that has the sleeve for our pads, which will save us having to buy underquilts for a while, although I wanted to check with you guys and see if it defeats the purpose of the hammock to use a pad, or is it still 1000% times better than laying on the hard ground?

**Dead Man** · 10-13-2015, 12:30

Originally Posted by Namtrag

Great comments, guys. It is interesting to see how people decide to do it, and/or fund it, so keep it coming.

I have a series of side work that I do. Low effort/time high pay off work that I have acquired over the past few years. This is my "mad money". I use it to fund trips, group hangs, DIY supplies, and particular gear. I'm about to a point where I have settled on the main components and am through buying the bigger ticket items. The extra gear stays but is used to introduce others to the hanging habit. It's all about choices. You know you level of patience and willingness to make due on gear. SO much of what you need, you can make. Again, just a choice of time and effort to do it.

You're closer than you think to hanging bliss. Stay with it. It will surely work in your favor.

**Hammonkey** · 10-15-2015, 19:41

You can get hammocks on the cheap if you catch a woot sale for the grandtrunk. and usually you can score one for $15-$20 depending on the model. That said, your only other expenses would be a tarp, and suspension.

You can utilize your ground pads as bottom insulation in your hammock. Suspension is really cheap. That leaves the tarp. There are many options when it comes to tarps, you can make a tyvek one for cheap. If you or your wife has any moderate sewing skills, you can generally make a tarp fairly inexpensively as well from silnylon if you find 2nds on sale or at a good remnant price.

**brady1** · 10-17-2015, 22:33

Luckily for you it seems hammocking is getting more popular lately. This means you might find some deals on used gear from people upgrading, or finding they didn't like it, etc.

With that said, I just started this year myself. I don't know what took me so long to switch. My back feels much better after a night in a hammock versus a tent. I recycled as much of my old gear as possible. My only "hammock gear" is the hammock itself, suspension, bugnet, and a tarp. Maybe $250 so far. I've repurposed my sleeping bag as a topquilt and I use my RidgeRest pad as insulation. However, I am saving up for a nice underquilt. But don't let the lack of gear prevent you from checking out hammocking.

You might also have some old camping gear to sell off to help offset the cost of new hammock gear.

**latriper** · 10-17-2015, 23:12

Not sure if you gave your height but one word of "free" advice. An 11 foot hammock is much more comforDCctable (for most IMO) than a nine or ten foot.
A DIY double layer hammock can be made for under 50.00 in materials and slip a pad in between. I have DIY'ed all my gear except my under quilt which I got from Paul at Arrow Head Equipment. I buy all of my components from Kyle at RipStop By The Roll. Really can't say enough good things about him and his business. All the vendors on this site are top notch.
I am writing this while about to go to sleep in my setup. I could be in a bedroom at my camp but I set my hammock up in the back yard because it is the most comfortable way I have ever found to sleep. Good luck!

**CamoDeafie82** · 10-18-2015, 01:08

I started cheap. Since I had already mastered the basics of machine sewing, I decided to buy a few yards of fabric to use as my first hammock, and that blossomed into a DIY tarp, DIY bug net, DIY under pad, DIY underquilt from a sleeping bag, a DIY modded topquilt and soon a couple DIY Costco Down Throw UQs........... as well as packs to carry them all in!
My fiancee started with a $20 Grand Trunk UL hammock, and we both started with CCF pads in the hammocks and whatever we could use for sleeping... heavy USGI mummy bag from the 80s for me, a NF down bag for her thats too small for me... now that we have the Costco Down throws, I am looking forward to essentially halving the weight of the entire setup!

Like many here, it is relatively cheap to start with DIY stuff, but that cost hours and materials and skills, so it is not always economical to make things... Dutch's hammocks are tempting me at the moment....

**BackpackerGuy** · 10-18-2015, 07:18

Sent PM to OP. Might have gear for you.

**gunner76** · 10-18-2015, 07:25

Hey Gunner,

We met you a couple of years ago at Neusiok. You came and hung at the shelter with my Meetup group (Obsessive Compulsive Backpackers) and showed us your setup. None of us had ever seen a hammock setup up close.

Awkward silence.... I am terrible with names, I remember faces....some pictures of that camping trip with more here