+1 on OldGringo, I watched every Shug video and that is what got my started off but it would have been cool to make it to a hang and see it first hand back when I first started.
I started with an ENO DN and it is a pretty good hammock but to short in my opinion. A DIY tablecloth hammock about 11 ft long is the ticket. Especially if you are not going to be hiking in long distance, they are a bit heavier. But very cheap and super comfy.
"I love not man the less, but Nature more."
Byron
+1 on getting to a hang. nothing like actually getting in a rig and feeling the differences first hand. I've got an ENO that was a gift; I like it for a lounger in the backyard but I wouldn't take it on the trail. Don't worry too much--you'll end up with more than one hammock anyway.
Les Rust
"My goal is to live long enough to become a character."
A Good Place To Start
It sounds like you are starting out a lot like me. I decided I wanted to start hanging, but the more options I found the worse it got. What I wanted was a decent hammock setup that I could use immediately (i.e. not wait till all of the pieces arrived) and then upgrade as I figured things out. What I wanted to avoid was the frustration of fiddling with pro type gear while trying not to feel like I was starting out with a garden hammock and a plastic bag for a rain fly.Originally Posted by BossLady
My solution was to run by REI and pick up an ENO Doublenest, a Bugnet, Atlas Straps and a Pro Fly. I used one of my Thermarest pads for insulation and a 20 degree down bag for a top quilt. Voila', I'm hanging in the trees. This setup was a perfect place for me to start. Still perfect for a lot of what I do!
Since that time I watched all of Shug's videos, read for hours on this forum and most of all, started hanging out in my hammock as much as possible. Over the past 6 months or so, I was able mod and upgrade my kit to where I am today (Warbonnet hammock, down under quilt, Dutch Clips etc.) The experience has been great. Wouldn't change a thing.
My recommendation - go with the ENO stuff and work your way up from there. No need to complicate things. Just go with it, head out to a group hang and have some fun.
Y'all are great, I really do appreciate all the good advice and tips! Big thanks, Mojodax, that's pretty much right where I'm at. I'm gonna go with ENO... Then I'm going to do dirty, DIRTY things to it with my sewing machine ::evil::
I'm ground camping next week near Austin for Sherwood, so now I have to be all good and budgety >.< so I can get my gear... At a ren faire. Heh, well see how this goes. But by April for sure Ill hopefully be posting my first hang!!
This is crazy. I don't even have a hammock yet and I'm already looking at my living room/porch/yard/neighbors dog and wondering the best way to rig! I don't really NEED the loveseat...^.^
BossLady,
It sounds like you pretty much have your mind made up, but I'd like to add a few notes as well.
A few things that I considered when I was buying a hammock setup were weight, cost, ease of setup, and where it's made. Since there are so many choices in a hammock setup and since you can customize EVERYTHING, a hammock really becomes an expression of yourself and your values as a camper.
You said you've been camping for quite a while. Do you car camp or backpack your gear deep in the woods? I started out with a lot of heavy gear when I was a ground dweller, but I've been hacking and slashing weight every way I can lately. I tend to buy the best/lightest gear I can for the money.
Here's my setup if you'd like to know:
Hammock: I used to have a WB Blackbird. Now I have a WB Traveler, and I just ordered a Butt in a Sling Weight Weenie Micro with a Buginator Nano bug net. I am thinking the WWM will be my go-to.
Tarp: WB Superfly in digital camo. If you want a full coverage tarp that's pretty easy to hang, you can't go wrong with a WBSF. I will soon be ordering either a WL Tadpole or a HG Cuben Fiber hex tarp to save some weight.
Suspension: whoopies, tree huggers, Dutchware, and Zingit.
Quilts: Hammock Gear is my choice.
I hope this helps. No matter what you choose, you can't go wrong in a hammock. If you really want to save some cash, just make your own right off the get-go. The sense of pride and ownership you will have in having made your own gear is pretty awesome.
Have fun!
I've been car camping, but the end goal is multi-day backpacking. I'm a BIG DIY gal, but since I know really nothing about this, I kinda wanna get something off the shelf so I know what it's *supposed* to be Vs. some cockamamy idea bouncing around my head that I'm gonna have to scrap and rebuy materials for a dozen times because said cockamamy doesn't actuay exist in this dimention (but it WILL, damnit! Screw physics). But I'll make my own, to be sure ^.^
How's that Traveller? Is it much differs t than the BB everyone raves about?
The big difference in cost is due to features. You buy an ENO and you get "just a hammock." You'll probably then upgrade the suspension, and then you might want a bugnet, a winter sock, etc. and so on.
Some hammocks are more expensive because they're double-layer, allowing more weight capacity and letting you put a pad in between the layers for insulation.
A Warbonnet BB has a built-in bugnet, so you don't have to buy one separately. It also has a cool storage shelf that no other hammock has.
Some hammocks, which I like to call "Swiss-army-knife hammocks," try to do even more. Clark Jungle Hammocks, for example, have weather shields, pole and storage systems that some people love.
If the features interest you, then you're probably willing to pay the price for those features. And if they don't interest you, then you can buy "just a hammock!"
My biggest draw to ENO is they sell a sleep system set. I can get the hammock, tarp, lines and straps and bug net for the price of a good WB. and I can put in a shelf myself ( that IS a darn fine feature)
Going to a hang is the best advice anyone could give.
You just missed a good hang on the Lone Star Hiking Trail near New Waverly. We had a Ridge Runner Bridge Hammock, a couple of Weight Weenies and some DIY's out there along with a couple of different tarp and suspension set-ups. I even brought along a Hennesy Expedition, extra tarp and underquilt for someone like you to use if needed, and I know a couple other guys had similar extra set-ups and components, we're always ready for that kind of thing.
Personally, I'd go right past the ENO. I have one, have used it in the woods, and there are lots better alternatives. IMHO, the most cost effective entry level hammock is a Hennessey, and the best place to get on is the For Sale section of this Forum. They are the Fords of the Hammock World. They are reasonably priced new and come as a complete system: Hammock, Bug Net, and Tarp, and if you upgrade to a Hennesy Hex tarp you will be even happier.
Welcome to Texas Hammock Hanging. We have a large, friendly, and growing community here and there will be plenty of opportunties for hangs coming up in the next few months.
Like a few others have said try and get to a hang. If the Buffalo River hang is near you try and get there for a look see. Nothing like trying on a pair of shoes before you buy.
bill
" The mind creates the abyss, the heart crosses it."
“The measure of your life will not be in what you accumulate, but in what you give away.” ~Wayne Dyer
www.birchsidecustomwoodwork.com
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