What do non-hammockers think?

[gunner76]

My wife's attitude was a mixture of loving indulgence and humor until the day I was working on a sock, and needed a crash test dummy to weight the hammock. About 2 minutes in, she sez, "Now I get it. I totally get it."

I knew my wife was hooked after she tried out the BB I got her for her birthday. She got in it and promptly fell asleep. When she woke up she " this is soft and comfortable, can we take it on our next camping trip ? "

While I can not claim to have converted anyone, one of my nephews is using a hammock now after I told him about it.

I think most of us hangers march to a different drummer and are not worried about what others think of us (at least I don't).

And aren't hangers in Florida and Louisiana Gator Bites ?

[Hooch]

My girlfriend is a hanger, too. My son has his own hammock setup. For anyone else, their opinion is, quite frankly, insignificant.

[Bearpaw]

You folks really care what others think? I've spent the last four years hiking all the southern trails within a half day's drive (Benton MacKaye, Pinhoti, Foothills, Bartram, Chattooga River, Sheltowee, etc.), which also corresponds to when I began year-round hammocking. So there really hasn't been any one to talk to about hammocking. I find Dewey Bear, and occasionally Hooch, about all the company I care for.

Of course, now I am rehiking parts of the AT, so i've run into more folks on trail. Even so, I can stealth camp well enough that I still am mostly to myself. That's why I like hammocking. To get away from it all (and everyone).

I'm growing pretty fond of being a curmudgeon.

[Shnick]

My girlfriend is a hanger, too. My son has his own hammock setup. For anyone else, their opinion is, quite frankly, insignificant.

...insignificant and irrelevant.

Society equates camping with a tent, coleman lantern, 2 burner stove, large cooler and other antique means of bringing the comforts of home into the wild. We hammockers tend to go small and light.

Seeing someone camping in a hammock bursts their paradigm.
So, unless you are introduced to hammocking as a means to camp initially there is a low likelyhood you'll see hammocking as the norm or first association.

Not to bash the tent campers, but they really are missing out. Besides, we pee on the ground.

Had the best night of sleep in a long time Friday night in my hammock.

Shnick

[oldgringo]

Society equates camping with a tent, coleman lantern, 2 burner stove, large cooler and other antique means of bringing the comforts of home into the wild.

Actually, the paradigm you speak of is more one of RVs, paved pads, and full utility hookups. Showers and flush toilets are expected. It's getting harder and harder to find "primitive" campsites.

I recently revisited a camping area I used to frequent when I slept in my truck and cooked on the tailgate. There was not a single primitive tent site remaining. Every single spot was paved, and had full hookups.

[Shnick]

There was not a single primitive tent site remaining. Every single spot was paved, and had full hookups.[/I]

Yup, because people will pay for conveniences they refuse to go without, putting themselves further away from actual camping.

We justify using our pop-up camper because they won't let you cook a 20 quart pot of steamed blue crab in the hotel room!

Shnick

[motlekj06]

might get some weird looks, but its worth it when i'm sleeping like a baby

[J.Andersons]

My friends and workmates think that I'm crazy and going to wreck my spineand about my plans to going outdoors after I'll get my MacCat Ultra they think that my brain are screwed

[ShortTripHome]

Great thread everybody.

I'm still relatively new to HF, but I can say this: I am so glad I stopped being addicted to whiteblaze.net

With all due respect to all the members here that are also active members of WB, that site has gone downhill the last few years. I rarely get on the forums--most recently for info on the Scott Lily murder here in VA, which has basically turned into a which hunt.

I wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone on here: all your great info, trip reports, humor, and common love of hammocks. You are all mature, level headed people that seem to go out of their ways sometimes to explain, detail, and correct with respect, honesty, and love.

Never have I seen bickering, arguing, mudslinging on any of the threads. I am glad we are all friends and I have an amazing forum for this great medium in my life. I cannot thank you all enough..from the very senior member to the chap who just made an account.

That being said: I think that tenters think we are geeks or nerds--which is fine and dandy with me. Any yahoo can pitch a tent and wreck some pretty grass, hammocking has changed the way I spend my time in the back country and I feel that it has changed everyone's experience too.

[redhawktx]

I'm with Shug - compared to other activities I enjoy, hammock camping seems rather tame. It isn't high on the 'Things to worry about List' of my friends and family.