Hello Everyone!
I figured it was about time to formally introduce myself to the forum and tell the story of how this hobby (addiction) began.
In August of 2011 I took a motorcycle trip from my home in Mississippi through parts of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee. During this trip I packed my trusty one man tent to serve as my home for the next few weeks. Well as you can imagine this plan led to many sweaty, hot, and uncomfortable nights. I was determined to find a better way to do this summer time camping stuff so I turned to my old friend Google. Google told me that the key to staying cool during hot, humid summer nights was to increase air flow and that a great way to do this was to begin sleeping above the ground. What an idea!
As you can guess the next suggestion Google had for me was a Hennessey hammock. While researching this idea I came across the gold mine of information that is contained on this site. Talk about being overwhelmed! I would have never guessed that getting a good nights rest could be such a complicated and hotly debated topic. My next big decision was when I chose to attempt build my own gear as opposed to buying it already assembled. My biggest reasons behind this were my tendency to enjoy doing things with my own hands, knowing that I would not have much spare time to travel this past year since starting a new job, and also the delusion that DIY was cheaper (Yeah right!).
All in all since joining this site I’ve completed 3 tablecloth hammocks, a IX underquilt, 2 climashield Top Quilts, Fronkey style tulle bugnet, 1 DIY WBBB hammock, a spreader bar, 2 tarps (hex and asym), a poncho liner underquilt, a poncho liner top quilt, a TurtleDog stand, and more whoopie slings than I care to count. My current project list is quite overwhelming so I’m going to avoid typing so I can keep fooling myself into that idea that I’m almost done and these DIY will be all finished soon. This is a great community and an invaluable resource. I have been so impressed with everyone’s helpfulness and willingness for all members to go that extra mile in helping out a fellow hanger. Hopefully as I learn more and gain more experience I will be able to one day contribute something in return for all that I have gained.
Another thing I’ve learned is that no thread is complete without pictures so without further ado:
Here are a few pics from the trip that led me to seeking out a way to stay cooler at night:
Next up a picture of my DIY WBBB:
Now the DIY WBBB with my asym tarp:
First overnight hang:
DIY hex tarp, TD stand, and DIY WBBB:
Pink tablecloth hammock, Fronkey style tulle bugnet, and DIY hex tarp:
Both hammocks on my spreader bar:
Poncho Liner Top Quilt:
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks