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Thread: back to basics

  1. #1
    Senior Member mountainm's Avatar
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    back to basics

    In another thread someone used the term "Noob Setup". This made me "cross with the internet." Consequently I derailed a thread - so I brought it over here.

    Sure there are ways to minimise weight, minimise bulk, maximise comfort and minimise cost and we all compromise on one or more of these to some degree. And through experience and knowledge we can improve our setups. However the attitude that there is a "noob setup" is one I find a little abhorrent. Hammocking isn't a sport, you can't train for it. You can't look at the equipment someone is using and judge them for it.

    Can you?

    "Meh, you're using webbing straps direct to a mass produced hammock bought in a high street store! Noob!"

    "Mine is hand knitted by indian squaws using spider silk and deploys so quickly I actually travel back in time - that's right it saves me time!"

    I find this goes against the pervading forum ethos of

    Hang Your Own Way.

    I have more admiration for the people that make do, or make. Those that have one hammock not 10. It's not about the gear, it's not about the materials. It's about the experiences.

    Let's hear it for the low budget, the simple, the homespun. The gathered end blankets. The bargain bins. The camping store specials.

    I've downgraded - I bought a cheap no frills hammock. It's 3m long, its 1.8m wide and it's comfy. It was cheap, mass produced, cheaper than my other two hammocks. It has no bug net, no zips and packs tiny. It's just as comfy as a Hennessey (more so in my opinion).

    Noob and Proud. Anyone else gone back to basics?

  2. #2
    Senior Member craige's Avatar
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    Re: back to basics

    I have never seen the term noob used as a derogatory term on this site. I realise that on other forums it can be used as an insult but how many other websites do people get excited over string (dyneema) or a funny shaped piece of meatal (dutchware).

    What does the term 'noob' actually mean? I was under the impression it meant that the person was new either to the hobby or the website, maybe lacking knowledge and experience and maybe not. Probably not originally coined as an insult anyway.

    On hammock forums it doesn't matter what qualifications a person has, it is about people sharing an interest and discussing all aspects of it.

    On other sites people would be scoffed at and made fun of for not knowing something, I have seen this on computing type forums when searching how to do something.

    On hammock forums noobs/newbs/newbies (however you want to spell or say it) are encouraged to ask questions and immediately invited to attend social events (group hangs), it doesn't even matter if they have a hammock, everyone just wants to share and be friends.

    In relation to the thread you took off topic earlier; opinions were asked for and given, it was a healthy discussion, no one was getting upset (except you).

    I would still consider myself a relative noob, so what!? I have diy'd most of my gear, saved some £ and had fun, I visit this forum for an average of at least 1 hour per day, and have done for around a year now, I may not always have anything to say, but I'm always reading, learning and enjoying it.

    A noob setup does not mean 'bad' gear, if it's a hammock it's good, right? It just means it was where someone started, they may stop there or they may end up with 100 different setups. Many members here are backpackers and prefer lightweight gear, their decision. Others are car campers and want ultimate comfort and durability, their decision. Some are in between and some don't take their hammock from their bedroom. HYOH!!

  3. #3
    Senior Member Mountain Gout's Avatar
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    I will agree fully with the HYOH. part.... It is all a journey.. Enjoy every bit of it..
    We would be one step closer to world peace, if everyone slept in a hammock..

  4. #4
    Senior Member Kyle's Avatar
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    I don't know that I've ever seen someone refer to another as a noob around here. Every time I see the word, it seems to be someone calling his/herself a noob. That said, I think most people are (gonna get a little geeky on ya, my bad) really meaning to say "newb" instead of "noob;" the former referring to someone that is simply new, the latter being a derogatory term. At the rate hammocking is growing, there really are a lot of newbs around, and that's okay. While I do find the idea (note I said idea, because again, I haven't seen it) that someone would call a specific setup a noob setup because they think it's made up of poor decisions, I think the concept of a "newb setup" is perfectly acceptable.

    I think there are probably a lot of us that started out with similar setups and moved, perhaps, in totally different directions. That doesn't mean that those setups are made of poor decisions, it just means that they're made up of components that are easily found and readily available, such as ENOs. I'm sure I'm not alone in this, but I got into hammocking by finding an ENO, thinking, "Huh, that's cool, I'll get one and see how it goes." Of course, then I ended up looking up how best to hang it, and that landed me here, and the metaphorical snowball was on its way.

    Did that make me a noob? No. Did it make me a newb? Well yeah, given the definition, and I suspect such a route is common enough that my first ENO hung up with the nylon webbing I also got at REI could be called a newb setup. This place is far too cordial for people to be throwing around the term "noob" (while not meaning to be using "newb") at eachother.

    Methinks you're over-analyzing.

    My $0.02.

  5. #5
    canoebie's Avatar
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    The conviction with which you express your perspective would indicate some pretty strong feelings. I think most people here don't take it all that seriously. Thus the use of newbie, noob, whatever is pretty harmless and is not taken with the intensity that your post expresses.

    So I would like to minimiZe your concerns by saying that, at least from my perspective, it is not a huge issue. I can't think of a less snobbish forum any where. HF is a great place to interact, learn as someone new and experienced to the world of hammocking. MaximiZe your experience here, don't sweat the small stuff.

    Back to basics means different things to different people. Not everyone has the time or resources to "make their own." This place accomodates vendors, DIY and everything in between. I have gear made by vendors, made by me, made by friends and other members, and made in other countries.

    There is no right way, just the way that gets you out in the woods more than ever.
    “Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?”
    ― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

  6. #6
    Senior Member mountainm's Avatar
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    back to basics

    Quote Originally Posted by craige View Post
    A noob setup does not mean 'bad' gear, if it's a hammock it's good, right? It just means it was where someone started, they may stop there or they may end up with 100 different setups. Many members here are backpackers and prefer lightweight gear, their decision. Others are car campers and want ultimate comfort and durability, their decision. Some are in between and some don't take their hammock from their bedroom. HYOH!!
    I couldn't have put it better myself. But in the context it was used it was definitely a 'sneer'.

    Anyhow.

  7. #7
    Senior Member mbiraman's Avatar
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    I would just echo what others have said. I would also say its easy sometimes to get derailed by a single word and the interpretation when online without having the benefit of the person in front of you. For instance in North America the word Squaw is still considered by many native people to be offensive when spoken by non natives because of the connotation it was given by early europeans. I'm sure you didn't mean it that way but,,,just saying.


    bill
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    “The measure of your life will not be in what you accumulate, but in what you give away.” ~Wayne Dyer

    www.birchsidecustomwoodwork.com

  8. #8
    Senior Member Cali's Avatar
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    I look at a newb setup as my first setup and only in referring to me and mine. I do find that everyone is different and setups are different. I have changed hammocks many, many, many time as I did not find the ENO (that a lot of people seem to love) very comfortable to me. So I moved on and as I researched I found other hammocks I found more comfortable. I also found others that were not. Research, experiment and tweak and experiment and research more. Some folks find an ENO very comfortable and stick with it, for me it didn't work. However; I don't look at it as a newb setup for them, I did for me.
    I hope what I am saying makes sense. I also think we need to just smile and be happy and don't let little things like this get to us. This is a great forum and I feel the love. I hope and pray it stays that way, because I spend a lot of time here.
    "No whining in the woods"

  9. #9
    Senior Member Rolloff's Avatar
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    Sneer or not, the evaluation was an accurate one. Most start out with a mass produced item, and move up. My first newb rig was a GTUL and salvaged tent fly tarp. Many still use the GTs and swear by them. I own a BIAS, so I no longer do.

    On the other hand it's difficult if not impossible to change, modify or customize anything out of a shipping container. So it shouldn't probably be part of the discussion in these types of threads. They may put you in touch with their designer, but the order still has to go through China and back and that's too long of a line of communication to suit most tastes.

    I do see a number of imported units that have better craftsmanship than we've come to expect in the past, but none and I will go out on a very short limb and reiterate, NONE come close or care to match any of our cottage vendors. Price is no longer that much of an issue. For a little less than double what you'd pay for an Eno or GT you can be swinging in something handmade, just for you, and know you're not dealing with substandard anything.

    HYOH

    Rolloff
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  10. #10
    Senior Member mountainm's Avatar
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    back to basics

    Quote Originally Posted by Rolloff View Post
    Sneer or not, the evaluation was an accurate one. Most start out with a mass produced item, and move up. My first newb rig was a GTUL and salvaged tent fly tarp. Many still use the GTs and swear by them. I own a BIAS, so I no longer do.

    On the other hand it's difficult if not impossible to change, modify or customize anything out of a shipping container. So it shouldn't probably be part of the discussion in these types of threads. They may put you in touch with their designer, but the order still has to go through China and back and that's too long of a line of communication to suit most tastes.

    I do see a number of imported units that have better craftsmanship than we've come to expect in the past, but none and I will go out on a very short limb and reiterate, NONE come close or care to match any of our cottage vendors. Price is no longer that much of an issue. For a little less than double what you'd pay for an Eno or GT you can be swinging in something handmade, just for you, and know you're not dealing with substandard anything.

    HYOH

    Rolloff

    Are you sure that's what "most" do? The vocal majority maybe. But I'm guessing there are more Dd's, tw's, enos, amazonas and Hennesseys in circulation than the cottage industry hammocks.

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