Hammock Equality

[Cecilsson]

As a newbie I appreciate your sentiments. It can be very confusing trying to choose equipment when there are so many divergent opinions. I chose my hammock based on my location, the availability, price, reviews, weight...
You mentioned helping new members to find others in their area to talk in person. Just wondering if anyone out there is from Manitoba, Canada.

[nuttysquirrel]

if i'm in the woods i'm happy, and you should be too!

[wiscoman]

Right on! Well said, I agree!

[oldgringo]

I've been at this for a while, now, and have a duffle bag full of hammocks to show for it. I sleep every night in a "beginner hammock."

[oldpappy]

Out in the woods for the most part your right. although I have have people try and make me change to what they have on many occasions..

But when a new person comes in here and says he just bought so and so and everyone says he should have gotta this or that to the point
where they now are not happy with what they bought even before laying in it.. its just not needed. It in no way helps the new person.

Encouraging them to meet a local member and try one out for themselves is much more productive, and gives them a positive look on things.
Also shows them its ok not to follow the crowd or not to be embarrassed because they have a less popular or less expensive hammock.

I like and agree to the spirit of this post and follow-up comments.
I find most folks provide a good analysis of what they have/used/know - Ex: "I've owned both and .....".
A few add remarks without regard to their actual experience or facts - based on their internet/youtube knowledge (maybe even seeking recognition as to being a subject matter expert). Ex: "If you buy, then you need to change this/that, and send it out for mods.....".
Noob questions one month followed by expert advice the next would be a red flag to me. You can click on a user's ID and show his/her other posts.
I guess you just need to learn/look into who is real world experienced vs. who is 'virtually' knowledgeable as part of your research.
That being said - this is the internet and anyone can comment.

[CrankyOldGuy]

good thoughts indeed.

The subtlety is strong in this one. - Yoda

[SilvrSurfr]

I respectfully disagree with the concept of hammock equality. If someone solicits opinions, there are always differences of opinion. That's why people ask for opinions - to help them make a decision. In the example given, "I have seen this go as far as to make a new member regret his choice of what he ordered when he hasn't even tried it yet!" then that OP is to blame for soliciting opinions on something AFTER he bought it.

Saying that all hammocks are good is like saying all cars are good. There's a Yugo; then there's a Ferrari. No, all cars are not good, just as all hammocks aren't good.

What annoys me is when people just invent something to get offended about. Somebody always steps up to say that mass-produced-in-China hammocks (aka beginner or noob hammocks) are just as good as cottage vendor hammocks, etc., and let's avoid calling them beginner or noob hammocks lest we offend someone and geez, can't we keep it all happy? Someone suggested once that we call them gateway hammocks - that's getting a bit ridiculous.

I would hope the word police don't incorporate anything into the HF TOS about what adjectives we can and cannot use to express our opinions. Just as OP thinks all hammocks are bad ***, I think all opinions are bad ***. I also think we have a rich and wonderful language that we should use to its fullest extent. If someone wants to call ENO or Kammok a beginner hammock, or they call the Clark a Cadillac hammock, that's not brand bashing. It's just someone expressing their opinion.

And there is nothing in the HF TOS to indicate that we are all here to promote or proselytize hammocks. The TOS does say, "Be Respectful. This is not negotiable." However, that applies to people, not products. If someone thinks ENO is a beginner hammock, that shows no disrespect to the owner of the hammock, and it is ridiculous to assert such a thing.

As others have mentioned, if you feel like it's a personal attack that someone called your brand of hammock a beginner hammock, then you should probably stay off the Internet entirely.

[silentorpheus]

I respectfully disagree with the concept of hammock equality. If someone solicits opinions, there are always differences of opinion. That's why people ask for opinions - to help them make a decision. In the example given, "I have seen this go as far as to make a new member regret his choice of what he ordered when he hasn't even tried it yet!" then that OP is to blame for soliciting opinions on something AFTER he bought it.

Saying that all hammocks are good is like saying all cars are good. There's a Yugo; then there's a Ferrari. No, all cars are not good, just as all hammocks aren't good.

What annoys me is when people just invent something to get offended about. Somebody always steps up to say that mass-produced-in-China hammocks (aka beginner or noob hammocks) are just as good as cottage vendor hammocks, etc., and let's avoid calling them beginner or noob hammocks lest we offend someone and geez, can't we keep it all happy? Someone suggested once that we call them gateway hammocks - that's getting a bit ridiculous.

I would hope the word police don't incorporate anything into the HF TOS about what adjectives we can and cannot use to express our opinions. Just as OP thinks all hammocks are bad ***, I think all opinions are bad ***. I also think we have a rich and wonderful language that we should use to its fullest extent. If someone wants to call ENO or Kammok a beginner hammock, or they call the Clark a Cadillac hammock, that's not brand bashing. It's just someone expressing their opinion.

And there is nothing in the HF TOS to indicate that we are all here to promote or proselytize hammocks. The TOS does say, "Be Respectful. This is not negotiable." However, that applies to people, not products. If someone thinks ENO is a beginner hammock, that shows no disrespect to the owner of the hammock, and it is ridiculous to assert such a thing.

As others have mentioned, if you feel like it's a personal attack that someone called your brand of hammock a beginner hammock, then you should probably stay off the Internet entirely.

Yeah, that pretty much sums up my thoughts about this as well.