Champane taste and beer bottle pocketbook

[Bubba shmubba]

I'm new to the scene.. I only hung once in a borrowed hammock, and loved it. I'm looking to get some gear in the near future, but there's only one problem... I'm broke! I'm putting my pennies together to buy one piece at a time. And if you're wondering what i need...the answer is everything. So if anyone has boots, quilts, clothes anything you just want to unload. Remember me. pleeeze

[injun51]

Are you looking to buy some gear or are you asking people to just give you some gear???

[SilvrSurfr]

I never understand these posts. Sometimes they say "looking for cheap 900 fill 0* down UQ for less than $50," or "WTB: WBBB for $25."

What exactly are you looking for? Start with one item, then move on to the next. The funny thing is, I have a six-figure income, but with two kids in college, a mortgage, car payments and an unemployed wife, I'm broke too! Hell, I qualify for food stamps.

Most Americans are one paycheck from financial ruin, and hammock camping is an expensive hobby. Enter this hobby at your own financial risk. The good news is, if you buy quality gear, you can probably resell it for close to what you invested.

[USMCStang]

First off, welcome!

A word of advice if you are new (and broke) is to do your research. Make sure you are starting with what you need before sinking money into it. You've got a lot more than just shelter to worry about, but since this is Hammock Forums, I'm going to focus on that.


Get out to a group hang. Tents are more than welcome if you are a new guy and trying to learn. You'll find that most people you meet at them will be more than happy to let you hang in their hammock and talk about gear for hours. Alot of them are borderline car camping because they are designed to get alot of people out, some that don't necessarily do a lot of backpacking in the common sense of the term.

Now, for a quick "poor mans setup":

1. DIY hammock or grand trunk: less than $25
2. Blue CCF Wally world pad: less than $10
3. Poly 10x10 Wally world tarp: less than $10
4. Cheap synthetic sleeping bag as a TQ: less than $25
5. Associated odds and ends (stakes, guy lines/ rope, livermush, etc): less than $10

This list will get you off the ground, warm for 3 seasons, and dry, for less than $80. Now, if you plan on carrying that gear, you have to start considering things like weight and bulk. There is a "golden triangle" when it comes to gear: cheap, lightweight (interchangeable with "small"), and durable. You can only pick two of the three. The list above is cheap and durable. You can get a lightweight and durable (arguably) cuben tarp...but it isn't gonna be cheap.



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[tncamper]

Go post "I'm in" on the (Butt in a sling) thread, we're having a drawing for a 1.9 ripstop hammock. Heck, odds are better than the lottery.

[Ramblinrev]

Bubba.. been there, done that, got the t-shirt and the hat.

Here's a key from my perspective. Folks look at your user profile and see 3 posts. Well... that's fine and good and we all started out there. But how well can we know you and your needs on three posts. I've seen entire set ups and more donated to folks who have fallen an hard times. This forum has a reputation of taking care of its own. Having said that... There is the other side. The folks who have been more than blessed have _been_ one of our own. They have taken the time to post and ask questions. Things like "how do I do this on a low budget."

You don't _need_ shoes if you just want to wander the soft trails of the piney woods. Lots of folks folks use trail runners or tennis shoes for that matter. Now mountaineering is a different story. Use what you have and get to some group hangs. They are all over the place in NC. Let people get to know you. Find out what "will do" even if it's not what you want eventually.

[Carolina Razorback]

Hoowee fellers, take it easy on my buddy Bubba there... he has just got the bug and he is excited. I didn't think he mentioned anyone giving him anything...he was just saying in fun way that he would like to buy some gear if anybody had some cheap.



I recommended him to HF and told him that this was great group of people, I hope I didn't tell him a story...with some of the replies I've seen I am little shocked.

[Catavarie]

For a cheap hammock check out your closest Kmart. They may still have some of their camping hammocks from Pauley's Island. It's near identical to a Eno or Grand Trunk. I picked up the last 2 my store had (took alot of searchign to find them) for $5 each. They didn't have a price tag on them so that might have just been the manager on duty's opinion of what they are worth. But they were $20 at full price, so still not that expensive. Definitly get out to group hangs, many times folks will bring an extra setup with them for any poor ground dwellers that come out so they don't have to be miserable while everyone else is swinging happily.

[stevebo]

Welcome to hammock forums Bubba! One quick question---do you or anyone you know, sew? You can make a really cheap and effective gathered end hammock very easily. (let me know if you need some bug net material, I have to check , but I may have some extra for you--I havnt made a "fronkey " style bug net, but it looks really easy! ) There are lots of inexpensive ways to come up with a servicable hammock set up! (you can always upgrade later) Good luck!

[SilvrSurfr]

Hoowee fellers, take it easy on my buddy Bubba there... he has just got the bug and he is excited. I didn't think he mentioned anyone giving him anything...he was just saying in fun way that he would like to buy some gear if anybody had some cheap.

I recommended him to HF and told him that this was great group of people, I hope I didn't tell him a story...with some of the replies I've seen I am little shocked.

Guilty as charged, Carolina Razorback. My apologies, Bubba, for the inhospitable response. Let me start over again.

Welcome to HF from the Jersey Shore! I too, am broke most of the time. On top of that, I had to come up with three hammock setups, not just one, so I could get my sons involved.

As mentioned in this thread, tackle one thing at a time, one post at a time.

I would start with hammock. I've got a couple of crappy Byer Mosquito Hammocks that cost me $29 each, but it took me time to find them on sale. I had specific needs and that's what I researched: 5'11", 165 lbs, integrated bugnet. I was excited to get hanging too, but you might be waiting months for things to go on sale. There's always the DIY path, with plenty of plans for DIY hammocks on this forum.

After hammock I moved to suspension - researched it, bought tree huggers from http://www.strapworks.com, some Amsteel from http://www.reddenmarine.com, some Zing-It from I don't remember where. I then traded some of my 2.2 mm Zing-it with an HF member for some 1.75 mm Zing-It so I could experiment.

Tarp was my toughest challenge. I tried re-using tent tarps (bad idea), tried the Walmart blue tarp (too flimsy for me), before finding a couple of Grand Trunk Funky Forest 10' x 10' tarps for $29.95 (normally $75+). I have a lot of nights on those tarps, lotta weather, with no complaints. There's always the DIY route too. Plenty of info on the forums here. Research, post some threads, and people will look after you and help you.

Insulation - that ccf blue foam pad will keep you warm through a lot of weather. It has its drawbacks, but it'll get you hanging. A cheap synthetic sleeping bag (or two) will get you hanging in no time.

When operating on a limited budget, patience is paramount, research is essential, and experience will really be your guide once you get out there and start trying things.

And one other thing, I definitely agree with RamblinRev's comment about hiking boots not being essential - I went on a weeklong hiking trip this August and the first day, my 25-year-old hiking boots spontaneously disintegrated. All I had was a pair of boat shoes (no good for hiking), so I went the whole week barefoot. By the second day my son was jealous and he started going barefoot. We had a base camp and I wasn't carrying a full backpack, but it certainly made me think about maybe doing some more barefooting!

Good luck on your quest.