Are we no longer “special”?

[SteinbergerGPPRo]

Plus i've always been under the impression that the hammocks were always more for hiking than car camping. A hammock is a light solution to comfortable sleeping which is perfect for hikers and leave no trace people, but when weight is not an issue it's probably more effective to stick to a large tent.

When the word mainstream is used in this thread I don't think it's such as: "hey kids let's go to wal-mart and pick up some hammocks to "rough it" at a campground, but more like people who predominantly buy north face gear and drive hybrids...

[slowhike]

i think we'll be seeing hammock stands for 2 or more hammocks sooner or later... commercially available that is.
i can easily see mom & dad side by side on a double hammock stand & the kids on an expandable hammock stand, made to support 2-5 hammocks.
all this in a cabin style tent w/ a divider between the two rooms for kids & adults.
they already make tents that big, we just need hammock stands that are user friendly enough to not take the fun out of it (no pipe wrenches please)<g>.

[tanpuma]

I am the lone hammocker in my area. I was thinking of going to a hammock get together so I knew there were "others". I am new here ( is there a place to go to introduce yourself?). Liam aka tanpuma

[Preacha Man]

Welcome Tanpuma,
There are always campouts being planned around. You might have to travel a bit, but look around the site and see when the next "hang" will be.

[seuss]

We're still "special" however you cut it. Hammocks may have moved from "cult" to "niche" but they're still a ways from "generally accepted."

Consider the following list of companies:

Big Agnes
Black Diamond
Eureka!
MSR
Sierra Designs
The North Face

When you see a few of these 6 companies producing a camping hammock and it actually makes the Backbreaker magazine annual gear guide then you can say we no longer have to ride the short bus.

As it now stands makers of hammocks and accessories are supporting players, who may have graduated from cottage industry to niche manufacturer but are still the tiniest blip on the market radar. Hanging is still pointed to as evidence of being "eccentric" or "quirky." When the mainstream press starts referring to us as "cutting edge" or "early adopters" then you'll know the wave has broken.

[Just Jeff]

I bet I could use a JRB Tarptent with my hammock stand with hardly any modification. Or with a big cabin tent, the hammock stand would fit inside.

I've been thinking that, when we get an RV around retirement time, I'm gonna screw some swing-out brackets into the side for a ready-made hammock stand.

I agree with seuss - the numbers are growing but the big manufacturers aren't carrying them yet.

[TeeDee]

We're still "special" however you cut it. Hammocks may have moved from "cult" to "niche" but they're still a ways from "generally accepted."

Consider the following list of companies:

Big Agnes
Black Diamond
Eureka!
MSR
Sierra Designs
The North Face

When you see a few of these 6 companies producing a camping hammock and it actually makes the Backbreaker magazine annual gear guide then you can say we no longer have to ride the short bus.

As it now stands makers of hammocks and accessories are supporting players, who may have graduated from cottage industry to niche manufacturer but are still the tiniest blip on the market radar. Hanging is still pointed to as evidence of being "eccentric" or "quirky." When the mainstream press starts referring to us as "cutting edge" or "early adopters" then you'll know the wave has broken.

Personally I'd just as soon the "big names" completely miss the hammock trend and I wouldn't mind if they never sold a hammock

That way, the small companies, even Hennessy, will get bigger slices of a bigger pie and will be rewarded for being there when it wasn't the "next big thing".

I like being able to call the manufacturer and talking to a real human being instead of listening to some crazy rock band for an interminable period. I'm the customer and my time is just as valuable to me as theirs is to them.

I know, I know, if the small get big, then they use the rock bands also, but until then I'll enjoy what we have.

[TeeDee]

...

I've been thinking that, when we get an RV around retirement time, I'm gonna screw some swing-out brackets into the side for a ready-made hammock stand.

...

Man that AF retirement sounds pretty good if you'll be able to afford gas at a gazillion $ per gallon

[Just Jeff]

Heh - well, the retirement will pay enough for me to hike. I'll have to get another job when it's time to buy the RV, I reckon...and since that's the only way the wife will come along, I'll have to figure out a way to pay for gas! As long as I have a place for my hammock.

Or maybe I should tell her, "It's YOUR RV...I didn't even WANT the thing...so YOU pay for the gas!" Or maybe not...

[Preacha Man]

Or maybe I should tell her, "It's YOUR RV...I didn't even WANT the thing...so YOU pay for the gas!" Or maybe not...

I wonder how long you would have to wait at the end of the trail for her to pick you up after you said that