Where do you start???

[Iceiceguy]

New to the forum and relatively new to hammock camping. Right now I'm using an ENO singlenest with an ENO Guardian bug net, a Thermarest, a cheap Coleman sleeping bag and an ugly blue tarp you would buy at a home improvement store. I know....pretty lame right?

Well, I've figured out that I can sleep like a baby in a hammock. Probably about time for me to look at investing in something a little more comfortable than what I have. I will keep the ENO for hanging out in (love how compact it is, etc). What I'm trying to figure out is where to begin when it comes to more of a hardcore sleeping/camping hammock. I've read through some posts and read lots of reviews but have no idea how to begin to decide what to get for more serious hammock camping.

It looks to me like there are a multitude of options available. If you are spending the money, how do you choose? Are most of you buying based on reviews alone? Seems like for every style of hammock made, there is someone who has written a great review about them. Does anyone "try before they buy" or is that just not an option?

Just curious how others decided on the hammock they bought; especially in cases where you bought it based solely on reviews. I'm getting to the point of being able to nail down the features I want but it seems like there are 10 manufacturers who all make what I want. Am I over-thinking this? Part of me thinks that if I spend $250 or $300 on a camping hammock, any of the options are going to be way more comfortable than my ENO and then it is just a matter of choosing based on "fringe" benefits like whether the bug net is flat over you or suspended above you so you can sit up in it.

How do you choose a hammock having never been in it? Thanks for any advice you can offer me! Dan

[TrailSlug]

For me it was a combination of going to a local hammock hang and then some trial and error until I found that I liked bridge hammock a lot more than gathered ends. Check out some hangs in your area to check out many of the options. That will help narrow down which hammocks you like rather quickly.

[rhjanes]

a) Find someone near you that you could meet up and try their rig (rigs).
b) find a "hang out" near your area. Great way to test out 20 hammocks in a day

Shop used here. Purchase and try them out yourself. Sell what doesn't work

[rob317]

You are using almost exactly what I started with. I don't have a bug net though (I smoke cigars under my tarp, seems to work like a champ, lol). I would say that if you are sleeping good already, then upgrade your tarp first. You're going to save a lot of room and weight by moving into a silnylon or cuben fiber tarp. So long as you don't switch to something like a bridge or amok hammock, then you'll most likely be able to use that tarp for any hammock you upgrade to later. Even then... you still might be able to make it work for whatever. I'm pretty sure I can make my Warbonnet Superfly cover pretty much anything out there, lol.

You could also look to spending some money on swapping out the suspension on the ENO (I don't know what they use anymore) but would imagine you could shave some weight/bulk there too. You could also consider getting an underquilt and/or top quilt to get rid of the need of the thermarest and coleman which both probably weight a considerable amount.

Just my thoughts. Lots of tarps, and options to choose from as well though!

If you are still locked into the idea of getting a better hammock... I would urge you to look at Dutch's lower line of hammocks. I don't think they exceed $75 for an 11' long, wide. I got one as gift last year, and love it.

[Spiguyver]

I just started a video series that will hopefully answer all of those questions, once it's done. First video went up today, but it just is a jumping off point. The next video will be where we really start getting into the details.

[Tikker]

Well, I've figured out that I can sleep like a baby in a hammock. Probably about time for me to look at investing in something a little more comfortable than what I have. .

first thing to address: What are you dissatisfied with in your current setup? certain brands lend themselves to certain fixes

How do you choose a hammock having never been in it?

trial and error is kinda the only way, coupled with educated guesses

are you over 250 lbs? if so, it immediately eliminates a bunch of hammocks

are you over 6 foot tall? some aren't great for taller folks

do you need a bugnet? do you want to be ultralight?

[TallPaul]

I took my tent and went to a group hang. I probably laid in over 10 diff hammocks that weekend. It really helped give me a sense of what I wanted.


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[Bubba]

When I first started, the Warbonnet Blackbird was the most popular hammock and with good reason. I'm still using it all these years later. If you can sleep like a baby in your ENO, you can't go wrong with any of the choices available these days. It may just boil down to lowest cost and/or how fast you can get it.

[guitstik]

I'm new here as well and still working on the learning curve. I started with a Grand Trunk Double as a jumping off point to see what I liked and didn't. Watching YouTube videos, Shugemery mostly, I picked up on diagonal lay left or right. When I started looking for a serious hammock I still didn't know what I prefered as far as lying in the hammock but I was leaning hard towards the Warbonnet Blackbird XLC until I found the multidirectional Chameleon by Dutchwaregear.com. I have been sleeping in that for about a week now and loving it but I still picked up a used WBBBB XLC from a member here for comparison and because my son will be joining me on trips. Both my son and I are over 6'3" so we went with 10.5-11' hammocks because that is what is recomended so figure out what you need for your body type and do a bunch of research both here and on YouTube. For the record, I love the Chameleon and would recommend it in a heartbeat, great hammock and great service/customer support by Dutch and his crew.

[Johnny Gunz]

You may not find any more comfort. I went from a Trek Light Gear double to a WBBB XLC and found, after many nights, that I slept much better in the TLG hammock. I'm still not done working out the variables and not ready to give up on WB just yet either. If you are sleeping well in the ENO. Than I would try sleeping without the pad. If it's still comfy, than go with an under quilt. From there look at simplicity and weight, if those are issues for you. Many people here are hyper focused on weight and that drives the design and material of a lot of the hammock cottage industry. If you're not a gram counter, then proceed carefully so you don't end up with a closet full of unused gear. Again, I personally found a good quilt set has many benefits and will work with what you have now. I also branched out and found I really like bridge and 90* hammocks. There is no shortage of hammock stuff to drain your bank account for years to come!