Hey all! I'm Pete and I'm new to hangin' (though, I've been stalkin' the HF for a couple of weeks now. I live in Northern VA about 25 miles west of Washington DC.

About 18 years ago in the cool of late Fall, I went tent camping w/ some college buddies. I don't remember how but, one way or another, I ended up spending the night in a rope hammock bundled up in my sleeping bag instead of a tent....... and I loved it! Sadly, I hadn't done any hammocking since.

Ever since, I've thought about hammock camping more and more over the years but couldn't justify the investment with respect to how infrequently me and my family venture outdoors. We camp maybe once or twice a year, and my extracurricular commitments have me tied down close to home. So getting out into the "wild" is kinda tough.

Anywho, my family of 4 and 14 other friends went buddy camping out at Westmoreland State Park (Montross, VA) the weekend after Mother's Day and I was determined to give hammocking a go. I ended up hitting REI to buy the ENO DoubleNest, along with the ProSlaps, and ENO's Guardian Bugnet. I bought them on sale knowing full well that I could return them back to REI should I find the weekend's hanging experience to be shoddy. As a side note, this purchase was negotiated as an early Father's Day allowance.

Granted, the weather couldn't have been more perfect that weekend, but the hang was GREAT!

The setup was simple and sturdy... the 2 nights of sleep were comfy... the breakdown was quick and painless... the packing was easy!

I know that there are a number of mods I'd like to make to my setup as budget and time allow (whoopie slings, tarps, etc.). Hopefully, I can carve out some regular opportunities to hammock (to justify the investment). If you all know of some nice places to camp and hang within a couple of hours drive from the Washington DC area, please let me know!

But I just wanted to drop in and say "HI" and also to say "THANKS" to you guys and gals here on HF for sharing and inspiring and encouraging and promoting the "art of hammocking!"