What do you wish you knew when you started?

[DivaB]

....if you over pack, like I tend to do. Get a mule, goat, or big dog, because my 5 pound dogs can't haul crap!!!

[Cannibal]

What I wish I knew when I started?

Not a darn thing!
I mean that in all seriousness. Hammocking was a leap of faith on my part. I was planning an AT Thru and I had a back that liked to go on vacation at least once a year. Those two facts caused me to lose sleep. Someone told me about hammocks and how they solved their back problems and I thought to myself "that may be the dumbest thing I've ever heard". But, life is boring without the occasional risk, so I ordered a cheap one. I discovered very quickly how much joy hammocks could bring my battered body.

Then, I started learning about different types of hammocks (thank you HF!). Then I learned about tarps as applied to hammocks. Then I learned about suspension options. Then I learned about underquilts and topquilts. Then I learned about how critical site selection can be to my outdoor comfort level. Then, then, then.

When I knew everything, a bunch of vendors went and changed all the rules again. I sat down and studied hard and learned the new stuff. Found which pieces I liked and which pieces fit my own personal style. Again, I knew everything. Those bums went and changed stuff again, and again, and again. "Never stop learning" is a mantra around here and it's one that I embrace.

If I had known the things I know now, think of all the fun and excitement I would have missed out on. Never, ever take the easy path in anything you do. Learn it for yourself and enjoy the ride. There will be bumps and possibly pain, like when I learned to be really careful what I tied to in shelters, but at the end of the day when you turn around and see the mountains, or plains, you have crossed, all that sweat and pain is a distant memory as you cozy into your chosen hammock palace.

I've known it all a few times now, but I also know that every day I'll learn something I only thought I knew the day before. I don't want to know what I'm getting for Xmas. I wouldn't want to know the gender of a child still unborn. I don't want to know what the road ahead holds for me. No way I'd want to know what hammock mysteries await!

[old4hats]

Cannibal has spoken. Eloquently.

[spiffy]

I wish I knew how addicting this this is......

[MAD777]

My advice is to get a fairly large tarp to start with. Especially with a long ridgeline of at least 11 feet.

The reason for this is that as you explore the world of hammocks, you will probably experiment with more than one hammock. They come in all sizes. If your first hammock is short and you match it with a short tarp, you will have to change the tarp just to go to a longer hammock.

[weird1]

First, and I mean the first thing, go to a local hang and check out everyone's set-up and try out different hammocks to see what you really like. This will save you so much money in the long run. That is one thing I wish I had done. If you can go to a couple hangs first and don't be shy about asking to see everyone's gear. We love to show off our gear.
That includes hammocks, UQ, TQ, suspension, and tarps and stoves and etc......

This is great advise, I would add don't be afraid to try gear out too. The most popular gear is popular for a reason, but it is not the only gear out there for a reason too. It works for a lot of people, but not every one. Try as much as you can, if you have to buy it will all sell in the for sale section, at a surprising price. That is the only way you will find what will truly work best for you. The sad but true fact is you will never know true comfort until you experience it for your self.

[SteveJJ]

Checklist!

Create it, then use it before departure.

Now, where did I put mine? Must be in the bag I didn't pack. Practice, enjoy!

[DemostiX]

Not known to be assertive or argumentative, I would submit:
#1 Unknown: How much you are cooled from below at even comfortable walking temperatures; and how comfortable and necessary an under-quilt is likely to be.

This matters because it will cost you more than you thought it would. Think about giving someone a pet, but not the maintenance needed for it. Same as with giving someone else or yourself a hammock, if you expect them or yourself to be able to use it much. Enough $ to cover that expense, then no problem.....with the hammock.

Everything else is obvious:

• That one gets wet from rain (tarp),
• parts of a sleeping bag are unnecessary (surgery or quilt)
• bitten or sucked from by flies and mosquitos (bug-net),
• can always have a lighter suspension than supplied (Amsteel),
• that you'll miss your night-stand (pockets, shelves, "organizers")
• that varieties of hardware for ease, expense and toy factor, (too many, including the Niteize of hammocking: Dutch)
  

[Jcavenagh]

If I knew now, what I knew then...oh, man...

[Sidewinder]

I would have become a donating member sooner.

Ask lots of questions, research like crazy. Buy some good used gear. Take it slow. Send more time in the hammock.

S