Myself and some crew are headed deep into a canyon to do some fisheries work for five days. The terrain is treacherous and landlubbers need not apply. I ran out of hammocks to lend so I ran out an bought some material and a couple of used sleeping bags. In four hours, I had a top and under quilt along with a hammock. It will not win any beauty contests but it is comfy and functional. Total cost including hardware straps and whoopies: $65.

Add another zero to that and you have my personal rig. We buy fancy, expensive, professionally made gear because we can. However, I forget that it is not entirely necessary. I will send photos after the trip if the gear holds up. You will not hear of this again if the gear does not!!