A few years back my folks, avid kayakers, and year round campers... even if they do so out of a Roadtrek dragged me up to Madison Wisconsin with them to Canoecopia a paddler's trade show/convention.

Now I've never been much of a paddler, I take one or two trips down a river a year but it's not really my passion, so much back and forth most of the time. I'd rather hike, or bike, and camp... but I digress... at Canoecopia I ran into the Eagles Nest Outfitter's stall... and I was sold.

Bought me a Singlenest, started camping with it, love the thing, been camping with it since. The next year I bought myself a Doublenest (the singlenest was fine, still is, I use it from time to time but I liked the bigger one), a bugnet, tarp and what not from the ENO stall at Canoecopia, that was probably two years ago and I haven't upgraded my gear since then.

Still I didn't even know how little I knew about hammock camping till earlier this week, I never heard the term "topquilt", "underquilt", or "whoopie-sling". My brother who transplanted himself from the Midwest to Virginia called me planning a big camping trip into the mountains. So I thought to myself to look online to see if there were any tips or tricks I didn't know, or should know as I planned on taking my hammock gear. I found Shug's video series for Newbs, and I found this place. I never knew how much about hanging I never knew. I never even considered winter camping in a hammock before two days ago. Shame on me.

Now I know how much I don't know, and I know where I can learn. I look forward to it.