Why are Hammockers so creative?

[dejoha]

dehoja,
Bought your book and REALLY enjoyed it! I'd HIGHLY recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about "hanging". As you mentioned, I suspect things will continue to evolve with time. You'd better start planning Book 2 soon!

Thanks 4 Dog Knight!

Book 2 is already in the works. Lots of great ideas flowing that will really broaden the book and make it an even better reference. Well, that's just me saying. I'm biased, of course.

[4 dog knight]

Dejoha,
How about asking for input here on your book, just to see what some folks thought was missing in Book 1, etc.? I'm carrying mine in my suitcase as I travel with my job so I can refer back as I think of things. I'd add a site I tripped over as a way to learn some of the knots you mention: http://www.animatedknots.com/

I know you mentioned that HF was a great source of info for you, but maybe more might be gleaned just be asking?

4 dog say: Many hands make light work!

[dejoha]

How about asking for input here on your book...

Feel free to send me a PM! I'd love to hear any ideas you may have.

I had a lot of ideas that just didn't make it into the first edition due to publication deadlines. I always planned to keep the book up-to-date as new ideas emerged, etc. I got some great feedback from BackpackGearTest that has also prompted some changes too.

[wi1ecoyote]

I got into hammocking first because of age and infirmity. It's a lot easier to get down than it is to get up. And I like sleeping a little cooler, especially in the summertime. Now that my son is no longer in Scouting, I am broke sending him to college so I think outside normal parameters to accomplish what I want to do. I can't carry as much as I used to and Hammocks fit right into the program.

[Naegling]

I've got a couple ideas on this.

1. We enjoy the time we spend at rest when camped because we're comfortable. That lets the mind think about things other than the pain in our backs/shoulders.

2. UL backpacking / adventure riding / (the types of things hammockers do) etc... Has not been perfected. There is still a learning curve that hasn't plateau'd yet. Additionally, because hammocking has so many other disciplines involved (light weight materials, knots, ropes,) there are a lot of ideas coming from those different disciplines.

Whatever the reasons are, it's awesome to be a part of it.

Just my 2c...

Naegling

[Knotty]

I wonder if hammocking just happens to attract the type of people who like or at least don't mind doing some rigging and they by nature are more likely to tinker.

There might be a parallel in the boating world. To sail you need to be willing to learn at least a little about rigging. Power boaters don't have to know that stuff. So sailors tend to be people who spend time learing knots and adjusting rigging.

We may be the "sailors" of the backcountry.

[Naegling]

I wonder if hammocking just happens to attract the type of people who like or at least don't mind doing some rigging and they by nature are more likely to tinker.

I think you're on to something there Knotty. I don't sail, but I do love knots and rigging. When I got my fist hammock, the very first thing I did was try to develop my own system of how to hang it. And that might be part of it too: each time you set up camp it's a new challenge, and a slightly different setup.

I also love the fact that I feel like I'm part of the surroundings and not just setting up a micro-house to stay out of the environment I came to spend time in.

[titanium_hiker]

That's not always the case...case in point: Fronkey.

also Brian- how old was he when he started sewing Mac Cats?

[secondechomatt]

it's almost a forced ingenuity. Because it still isn't as mainstream as tenting, we have to make some of our own things, develop new systems and experiment, experiment, experiment!

[Rolloff]

Knots and the knowledge of how to tie them, when and where to use them, would be, and are, quickly disappearing altogether, were it not for a few vocations, and pastimes. Hanging is one of those.

Many here are relearning and passing on an ancient knowledge, "spliced" with modern materials, and applications.(Did you see what I did there )

Another huge point, for me, I do much of my hiking solo. More than a couple tents crammed into a few level spots, to me, is a campground. I go there to car camp, and usually pay too much for the privilege.

I find that adding a few more hammocks in the same copse of sheltering trees or on the lee side of the same ridge, doesn't have the same effect to me.

In addition, hangers often prefer subdued or woodland colors, in their gear selections, in lieu of the brighter materials, the big box stores wanted us to always have in our kits. This too dramatically lowers the visual pollution, when you have more than one unit set up in close proximity.

I think typically, we are "loners" who have found a way to come together with other like minded individuals, on our own terms.

When most of the time, you depend on yourself to figure everything out, then knowledge preserved and passed on by others, once again becomes an important and greatly valued treasure.

Some days after reading HF or learning a new bushcraft skill, that can save one's life, or just make it a little easier. I feel I'm somehow learning or more like relearning forgotten secrets, nearly gone now, and lost to us from another time.

That's a pretty good feeling for me