Another from the Mountains of NC

[Not_Yet]

I live in a wonderful place Asheville, NC.

I have not done much camping since I was a teen. Lately I have had the itch to "Get back to nature". And when in REI on the start of the Big Sale I noticed a ENO Doublenest that was at a "Reasonable price". So Long story short, I "hung" for the first time Saturday.

It took most of the night for me to find a comfy position. And not sure what I did to get there... Any thoughts?

I eventually want to get into some self transport (like hike, bike, and/or kayak) camping. All of which have space limitations/considerations to deal with. I am heavy guy (300+/- lbs) so ultralight is not a concern (I will skip the junk food for a day or two and save 3lbs and some cash).

I do have a couple of questions:

#1 How tight (or straight) should the hammock hang (I know this will be personal preference but looking for a starting point)?

#2 Currently there is no ridge line... Is this something I should add? I assume this is the "Easy" way to control sag?

#3 I doubt I will do much (if any) winter camping but spring/early summer here nights can dip into the high 30s sometimes and think a matt would help me... Where can I get an affordable mat that is also able to be packed/rolled small enough to use hiking/kayaking?

[dragon360]

Hello and Welcome to the Forums from Canada!

I'll take a shot:

1. You're hang really should neither be tight or straight (puts too much pressure on your material and suspension). As a golden rule, you want to look for about 30 degrees in your suspension to the hammock. A couple of good reads out there for you as well.

2. a ridgeline helps keep that sag once you have found it. Many people have found an adjustable ridgeline to be something very helpful at the start.

3. As for a mat or pad, manhy have used the blue CCf pads from Walmart with great success. Nothing beats an UQ in my opinion but its a good starting point.

Hope this helps!

[Hiknhanger]

Welcome from Greensboro! I love Asheville. Beautiful town.

Dragon360 is absolutely right above. There are several threads discussing these issues here on the forum. One thing I can add is that the general rule of thumb for sag is to use an adjustable ridge line and set it at 83% of the length of your hammock as a starting point. Everyone has their own comfort zone, but just remember sag is your friend! Also remember this, if you use a ridge line, it should not be tight as a guitar string if hung correctly. Look up threads by dejoha, who has written a great book for beginners called "The Ultimate Hang". He has some great diagrams showing the best setup information. Have fun!

[toygun]

Greetings from MS. Enjoy your stay!!

[raiffnuke]

Welcome to HF from Mass.

[Not_Yet]

Greetings from MS. Enjoy your stay!!

What part of MS? I have alot of family and friends all along the coast of MS.

I am hoping to get a chance to do either do some kayak camping with my lil' bro at some point.

[big_fat_sellout]

Welcome from MN!

[Pipsissewa]

Howdy from waaayyy up here in Burnsville!

[DivaB]

Welcome to the forums; from Ohio.

[Not_Yet]

Howdy from waaayyy up here in Burnsville!

LOL... Man you are way up north!

... I see mention of "Hangs" or gatherings of some sort, are there any around here?