Why do you have the gear you have?

[Cannibal]

Are there specific things that you have found that absolutely don't work that might be of benefit for noobs like myself to know?

Our Commandments of Hammocking

[Just Jeff]

I do find that the longer I hammock, the simpler my chosen gear becomes.

Just like AS, my gear closet has grown as I kept trying new things just to see what works. I've sold off some gear a few times when I realized I wasn't going to use it anymore, but I won't try to convince myself that it'll stay that way...soon it'll build back up and I'll sell some more.

Also like AS, my go-to gear has become pretty constant now. WBBB, MacCat tarp, partial underquilt, top quilt...on nearly every trip.

But I start getting uncomfortable when I realize that I'm comfortable with something...so I start mixing things up.

[lizzie]

Probably the most unconventional piece of gear I use is an external frame pack - not very common in this modern day of internal frame ultra lights. But hey it works for me.

I like that I can strap a bear resistant food canister to the bottom, and the pad to the top. Have plenty of room in the pack, and other gear. I can easily strap a fishing pole or anything else I care to take, and most of all, I like the ventilation and feel. My pack also only weighs 3.4 lbs, which is not bad all things considered.

Then again, I have never gone on a hang to try a ULA or Aarn, so I may be swayed some day in the future. But for now that my 'ol external frame pack stays in my "gear closet" (darn, I should get a real closet in the garage to store my gear in. In the short time I've been a member of this site, my gear acquisition has, ahem, significantly expanded.)