What made you a "hanger"?

**curlymaple42** · 03-04-2018, 09:07

Originally Posted by Cowlitz

I happen to live on a piece of riverbank. One day some dude probably near 50 years old pulls up on his bike with a small pack set, Asks if he can overnight on my property, says he just wants to throw his hammock up for the night and will be gone before light. I tell him normally I don’t allow it because people see campers here and then everyone thinks it’s Ok, but I was intrigued by the hammock so I allowed it if he let me check out the gear. Took less than 15 minutes for him to roll out his setup, while my eyes popped out of my head, nothing touched the ground, he stripped down to long johns and crawled in. Said he was on vacation riding from Seattle to North California. I asked if he got cold...it was 25* that night and he just smiled and said never. I had to try one and I loved it.

That's a great story!!

Sent from a furniture shop in Maine

**Cowlitz** · 03-06-2018, 00:09

Thanks CurlyMaple.

The older I get the less I want to bend over and get in a tent. Always hung a hammock in my yard for summer, (ol Walmart special), nap in it regularly but a breath of wind or cold and I’m out, plus the mosquitoes would hammer me. This hammock gear nowadays is amazing, blows my mind, makes camping fun for me again. Saved up $ and getting me a real nice set, that reviews well on here....plus the old guy on the bike said to. The hammock I’ve been using is a friends....he inherited it a few years back, but never really tried it. Now that I used it he wants it back. I’m only 42 but I do construction for a living, and I’ve skipped out on many camps because the thought of crawling around in a tent after a 50 hr work week makes me sad...and I’ve got excellent tent gear with hundreds of dollars in sleeping pads that I’m now passing on to the younger family members. Sleeping on the ground.....that’s just silly.

**Marnoc** · 03-06-2018, 07:48

My brother talked me in to trying it. After I woke up the first day not sore and well rested there was no turning back.

**VTScoutLeader** · 03-08-2018, 16:12

I have been a Boy Scout leader for over 22 years. A few years ago my father in law started to camp in a hammock. I will admit I was a little skeptical about sleeping in one. I tried laying in his a few times, but wasn't quite convinced. I noticed some of my fellow leaders using them and they all raved about how comfortable they were. So last summer I decided to jump in. I don't have many nights hanging yet, but I like it. Getting a new hammock for myself and giving my first one to my son (who has spent as many nights in it as I have).

**Marnoc** · 03-09-2018, 07:30

Originally Posted by VTScoutLeader

I have been a Boy Scout leader for over 22 years. A few years ago my father in law started to camp in a hammock. I will admit I was a little skeptical about sleeping in one. I tried laying in his a few times, but wasn't quite convinced. I noticed some of my fellow leaders using them and they all raved about how comfortable they were. So last summer I decided to jump in. I don't have many nights hanging yet, but I like it. Getting a new hammock for myself and giving my first one to my son (who has spent as many nights in it as I have).

Great to see Parents camping with their kids. I camp with my son and his troop every month. I have even started converting the other "Old People" to hammocks. Its easy when they see that I always stay warm and dry, and sleep comfortably. I'm usually the only one not groaning in the morning. Heep up the good work and "Hang in There"

**SteelSkywalker** · 03-14-2018, 15:40

I got tired of sleeping on slanted ground and rocks and tree roots in my back.

**cscornette** · 03-15-2018, 23:55

I've been a tent backpacker since my teens (45 now) and always wanted to try hanging. Many times, I'd look into buying a rig, but wound up put off by the size of the initial investment to get any kind of quality rig. However, I'm just as avid a DIY'er, and recently began to realize that I could put together my own set up. After watching many of Shug Emery's videos and reading through the Ultimate Hang, I decided to start picking out material. The last bits will be here Saturday and I plan to test it out overnight within a few weeks. I went with 1.7 Robic inner, with a 7D ripstop breathable water resistant outer. Dutch clips, dutch buckles, adjustable structural, whoopie slings, and a silnylon hex tarp w/continuous ridgeline. My goal was minimal hardware - I'm fairly comfortable with knots. Every stitch will be mine. Only the buckles, clips, and braided lines will be pre-made. I don't know that I'll save any money in the end, but by satisfying both the DIY bug and the hanging curiosity, it made the investment tempting enough to take the plunge. I'm still working out what I want to do with my bugnet design, but I've got a couple months to figure that out before the critters start coming out. I'll start out with my pad between layers until I'm ready to make my own underquilt. Looking forward to learning a lot here. Cheers!

**cscornette** · 03-29-2018, 17:05

After I got the 7D in hand, I realized it's better suited for an under hammock protector. Made that and finished my hammock with two layers of HyperD instead, black on the inside and blue on the outside. I'm going to make another lightweight for distance packing, probably out of 1oz Robic or similar. It's all working well and super comfy. I've done two nights sleeping in it hung from basement rafters to test it out. I took a down quilt I had spare and converted into an under quilt. All I need to do now is sew the spare Robic into a double sided stuff sack and I'm ready to hit the trail with it.

**m00ch** · 03-29-2018, 17:08

My camper was totaled and I thought I would save money by just having a hammock for me and my wife. I will total up my receipts and get back to you on that.