I had spent a great deal of time in Hammock Forums considering whether or not to try hanging. After backpacking as a teen I had been away from it for years and then decided to start again and get the kids interested. Needless to say the ground don't feel to good any more. I remained skeptical of hanging however, as it just does not look like it would be comfortable, and the cost to outfit a family seemed pretty high compared with sharing a tent. I finally acted and picked up a 1.7D WBBB from gtshouse (thanks for the great service). The bird arrived after a 8 inch snowfall and temp drop to 15*F. Decided to set the thing up the first time anyway. Only option close to house with trees close enough was on a hillside with about a 50* slope and the trees at different elevations on the hill. Probably not the best choice to try to set up the first time. I was amazed. Took me about 15" despite the conditions, and here is what it looked like.
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/p...pictureid=7199
My son decided to give it a try and this was the result. He told me he thought the hammock was great and wondered when I was going to get one too.
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/p...pictureid=7203
I explained to him the reality of the situation. He was disappointed but apparently decided to solve the problem. I came home the next day to find this set up in the hallway. Grandparents had brought this hammock to him from a Mexico trip. My wife said it was an all day development project for him.
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/p...pictureid=7204
He was pretty happy with the results and actually slept in it the next 2 nights. Looked pretty comfortable.
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/p...pictureid=7205
Couple days later I had more time so we packed up our stuff and set out to try the hammocks in "the real world".
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/p...pictureid=7200
We walked around on our 5 acres until we found a spot I thought would meet the criteria for our "bunkbeds". Weather was a "warm" 25* now. Took a little work but I finally got this put together.
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/p...pictureid=7206
I got the chance to spend enough time in the WBBB to realize I had wasted to much time making this decision. It was incredibly comfortable, warm (thermarest pad and 20* bag), and surprisingly easy to get started. I guess I would encourage anyone sitting on the sidelines and trying to decide if a change to hanging is a good idea, just take the step. I think I am going to be very happy.
Anyway, I am glad I am now a newbe rather than a wannbe. So is my son.
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