What made you a "hanger"?

**njredneck** · 05-26-2012, 19:02

My sons boy scout troop was going on a backpacking trip and I couldn't stand the thought of sleeping on the ground(or lack of sleep on the ground)

**SunnyBunny** · 05-30-2012, 16:30

Researching backyard hammock for chilaxing, check out REI and Whole World Provision in Austin, then the fine folks at http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/index.php suggest Hammock forum, the rest is history.

The main reason is COMFORT, hammock sure is easier to my body then tent/pad/sleeping bag. For solo day/car/fishing trip it seem like a great alternative, and more FUN too

Many thanks to Shug, Dejoha, JustJeff and many others, all the cottage makers, keep up the good work!

**Le Chuck** · 05-31-2012, 15:28

I was looking on youtube for videos about thru hiking in North America and found one about "superior hiking trail" this tittle was strange to me so I took a look. this was the first video I saw made by Shug Emery (saw thousand since then) and it was the first time I saw people using hammocks for camping. so weird and so interresting !! I made the first step a month ago ans already start to think about DIY stuffs...Mr Emery is a good preacher ! I guess very few people know about hammock camping here in Europe.

**PAHikingTrails** · 05-31-2012, 15:57

My first real experience with a hammock was about 5 years ago. For some reason my father-in-law purchased a hammock for backpacking and camping. He raved about it! Said how it was so comfortable and you feel so much better in the morning, because of a good nights sleep. I was hesitate about trying it out myself, since we had just bought a new UL 2 person tent from Sierra Design.

Boy was I happy I made the switch! My first experience sleeping out on the trail in a hammock was the old nylon rope Wal-mart hammock. Yep, cheap thread, heavy and you have to use stick bar spreaders too! But I slept pretty decent and enjoyed sleeping under the stars swaying in the breeze.

It didn't take long, first Grand Trunk "Skeeter Beeter," nah! Next, Hennessey Hammock "UL," nah! Third, Warbonnet "Blackbird," BINGO! Fourth and soon to come, "DIY hammock."

You most certainly will sleep better, feel more refreshed in the morning and it's lighter (with the right gear), however a tent at the moment for me is still faster in both setup and tear down. FYI: I have been hammock backpacking and camping for about 3 years. : )

**flipflop** · 05-31-2012, 19:15

My teens and early twenties I always went out hiking. Never really liked the lightweight options for camp furniture, and lightweight solo tents get to be really spendy if it is JUST about the weight (never found a tent that was "more" comfy than others despite some that leak etc. ).

Found on some of the harder hikes lately it is harder to recover (getting older I guess), but sleep quality on the trail was going down too so I am certain that is a factor.

Not wanting to back away from trips I decided a lighter weight option would help, and at a better cost than I was familiar with (initially thinking solo tent). I was able to use a friends hammock for a nap one day on the trail, and as a chair for cooking and was sold on the comfort. This deserves a shot for awhile, and may be my choice from here on out.

So a green hanger, but so far an appreciative one.

Cost to get in is pretty good, but size/weight isn't as small/light as I was thinking (In my head I didn't account for tarps, nets. etc.). It certainly can rival the best size/weight of solo tents without much effort, and at less cost.

In all it sounds fun to finally switch things up, and perhaps find a way to enjoy getting out that much more.

Also as far as spending money on equipment goes I am likely to use hammock stuff in the back yard, where as my tent I have to teach myself how to put it up every spring. Certainly makes more dollar sense to me.

**revbknox** · 06-02-2012, 13:14

Had been considering it awhile, but this past spring, right around the end of march, I took my son for an overnight backpacking trip into Pisgah National Forest. After spending 30 minutes trying to get my back and joints to work, I decided that it was time to give those hammocks a try. Started with an ENO, as I had regularly seen those @ MAST general and REI, but through youtube was led to hammockforums.net and the rest is as they say history.

**Shug** · 06-02-2012, 21:20

Originally Posted by Le Chuck

I was looking on youtube for videos about thru hiking in North America and found one about "superior hiking trail" this tittle was strange to me so I took a look. this was the first video I saw made by Shug Emery (saw thousand since then) and it was the first time I saw people using hammocks for camping. so weird and so interresting !! I made the first step a month ago ans already start to think about DIY stuffs...Mr Emery is a good preacher ! I guess very few people know about hammock camping here in Europe.

C'est tout simplement fantastique! Whooooo Buddy))))))
La Shug

**MyLIFE** · 06-02-2012, 22:27

A couple of years ago, my son and I took a scouting trip to Sea Base which is located in the keys. As we were packing our gear before kayaking to the island when our guide said it was really a great place to have a hammock. At the last minute we dashed to the base store a bought a couple of Byer Moskito hammocks. Wow, did that turn out to be a great move. Although our camps had nice tents, we slept great in those hammocks. It was really hot on the island, even at night, but we were pretty comfortable hanging. Better yet, we avoided the small crabs that seemed to get into the tents each night!
Now fast forward a few years and I'm backpacking with my wife using a small tent and my thermarest has a hole in it. That ground was really hard. Then I remembered by nights in the hammock on the island. After the trip, I started to do some research into hammock camping. I'm really excited about about hanging again.

**dustinw.bergman** · 06-03-2012, 23:06

Like several others here I grew up camping with the Boy Scouts on the ground and I remember never being incredibly comfortable. After getting my Eagle and going to college I haven't made time to go camping, dreading the hard ground.

Sophomore year of college My good friend purchased a hammock and became mildly obsessed with them and I brushed it off. Then just recently I got a deal on a Grand Trunk hammock and started researching more about hammocking. After watching Shug's videos and reading numerous articles, posts and such I can tell that I will spend far too much money and time on this hobby!

The hammock ended up being the most comfortable means of sleeping in a very convenient package and I can see some camping trips in my future again.

Can't Wait!

**TheFather** · 06-04-2012, 11:55

Like many people I have spent years as a scout in tents, then progressed to tarp's when I joined the cadets so I guess hammocking was just a natural progression as I got older and wanted to increase my level of comfort whist out and about but didn't want to increase my kit load any more than I had to and certainly didn't want to isolate myself from nature (what's the point in camping if you spend all your time trying to keep yourself away from the great out doors?)