Would like to hear some stories from you folks, about your first over nite hang. First impressions, funny stories.
Surely everyone remembers the first one. I have yet to do mine, so I am exempt :(
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Would like to hear some stories from you folks, about your first over nite hang. First impressions, funny stories.
Surely everyone remembers the first one. I have yet to do mine, so I am exempt :(
Boy Scout Camp-out in the Philippines. 1956. On the outskirts of Subic Bay when I was 11 years old. Those in the tents would wake up with monkey tracks across their sleeping bags. Instead of sneaking around at night and loosening the tent tie out to have it suddenly collapse on the sleepers inside, us in hammocks had to check to be sure that the knot did not get replaced with a slip knot to tumble us down with.
My first hang was Lake Lila, NY, last year in the William Whitney Wilderness. Rain was coming down in sheets when we arrived, but I had my hammock set up in 3 minutes. I stayed dry as a bone through 5 inches of torrential downpour and slept like a baby that night. The next night it went down to 25 degrees and I was warm and toasty.
I knew then I was hooked on hammocks.
Stagecoach Music festival '09. Party!!
My property. Lots of land and I was set all the way back in the rear. We had had quite a few wolves and deer run nearby that year but it had slowed and I was a distance away. When out late to my set up, finally got settled in when all of a sudden I was being attacked on the left side of the hammock. Bolted straight up as whatever animal was pouncing off and on the side. Finally got my beam on it and it was my dang cat. Figured I might be a late night meal in a bag and came to investigate. Nearly jumped out of my skin but I stuck it out. Only to be woken by power trimmers and chainsaws at 6 in the morning (a couple of hours later). Thought I was hallucinating. Seems I forgot the guys were coming real early the next day to help out and they thought they would give me a hand waking up!
True first overnight hanging would have been when I was around 12 or 13 on a camping trip with my church's youth group. Someone had set up a net hammock. I laid down in it middle of the afternoon and didn't wake up till the next morning. :D
Of course I didn't really think of camping in a hammock until I started getting interested in backpacking and doing research led me here. Since then my first night was in my backyard. Actual overnighter was in state park nearby. Can hike in along the MST and stealth camp in one of the loops they only open on holiday weekends. Makes a nice place to stealth with power and water hook ups. :cool:
Linville Gorge. Rained like hell. Thunder, lightning and it didn't let up all night. Got soaked hiking in and my spare clothes did too because I did not put them in a dry bag. Didn't sleep a wink until the storm was over near daybreak. But I was warm and cozy the whole time surrounded by down. The next morning was sunshine and birds a singing and COFFEE!
Second and third try wasn't the best but I didn't give up...I'm not a quitter. Love it now because I just had to learn all the best things that were for me! HYOH :)
stream in a WW II surplus Army hammock. Canvas, with anti-fungal treatment.
Mmmmmm, can you say "Aromatic?"
I was 11 or 12, and decided to strike out for a solo night in the woods. I was scared witless most of the night.
Jim
mine was this summer in mid june. me and my buddy did a 20 mile section on the AT. this was the first overnighter in hammocks for both of us. we have done plenty of weekend trips before but those were on the ground in tents. needless to say the first night was bliss. no sore shoulders, back, or hips made the next day's hike much more enjoyable.
With my camping hammock: First hang would have been in the pine woods on the top of Mt. Precipice, Nazareth, Israel. First overnight hang - in some wadi just outside Kabul, Israel (between Nazareth and Akko).
First hang in America: a little grove of trees on the edge of the Bowl in Clark Park, Philly, USA.
****, ya'll had fun! I was in the backyard, 200Yds behind Sharkey's Bar and Pool Hall which generated a low bass thump until 2:00 am. Then we're located 1/2 mi from the county ambulance barn, can't remember have many calls they had. At 4:00 am the garbage trucks were dumping all of the dumpsters in the area. I also fought a full size adult sleeping bag. Finally gave up at daylight. The first night in the woods was fantastic, 32 degrees.
About 9 years ago in Wisconsin on a 20* night with a 20 mph steady wind. I had a 20* bag and pad.
I thought I was never going to see morning.One of the roughest nights I spent in about 23 years (at that point in time) of outdoor travels.
Almost made me swear the hammock thing off completely.
Mine was Nutimk Lake in Manitoba Canada this past June
The skeeters and black flys where bad
And no bug net just lots of (deeps woods off)
Looking at the next long weekend in September
Not sure if you wanted a big long story . . . oh well . . . :laugh:
I thought it would be easier to pull my original intro . . .
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bradley
The very first time I set it up was in my yard. But I think the more entertaining time was my very first backpacking trip with my hammock just this passed June. Finally, after buying the hammock for the holiday sale from HH I was released and able to use it outdoors, outside the confines of my yard.
It was excellent. I stealthed camped in the Pine Barrens. I found a perfect spot right along the river and during the night as I settled in I can hear frogs all around me, and under me. I was enjoying every moment of it. Time to time I would hear the occasional "Plop" from a frog leaping in to the water. There was a gentle breeze too which rocked me to sleep. Was great! A friend of mine who came along used just a ground sheet and did not have a great night sleep, or sleep at all really...constantly being bombarded by mosquitoes and ticks. The morning came and he asked, "man where did you get that hammock, I gotta get me one! I kept looking over there and you were sound asleep and I was battling the bugs." Something to that affect. I said "yeaaa that thing is the best purchase I have made in a while!"
My first time was in my front yard back in June of ought-nine. It was a Skeeter Beater Pro (SBPro) and I spent the night chasing my pad all around the hammock. After that, I bought a JRB Shenandoah quilt and used it under me. I didn't much care for the limitations of the SBPro but, it worked well enough for me to tell that hammocks are better than sleeping on the ground. I asked for a Warbonnet Blackbird for father's day. I tested it in the back yard a few times, to get it just right, and took it to Jack Lake in the Boundary Waters that July. I've been happy as a clam with it ever since.
First hang...this past Spring. Went camping with my sons, youngest son had his HH Expedition with HHSS, me in my Explorer with HHSS.
I had the HH ED, HHSS, hex tarp, and my military issue ICW sleeping bag (15 deg synthetic).
Had trouble getting to sleep, and was kept up by the noise of a bush rubbing against the bottom of my hammock by the wind.
Temps got down to 36 deg that night, with some steady light winds.
Sons in the tents froze their butts off...youngest and I slept comfy warm since we were concerned about CBS and made darned sure we had sufficient insulation.
I didn't even know how good it was until after I'd got up the next morning and had been moving for an hour before I realized that I was able to walk from the moment I got out of the hammock...something I've not been able to do tent camping for years.
My first hammock camping experience was during the Summer of 1993 on the Chatooga Trail. Back then I didn't know any better; I wished for a tent. I started that Summer with a $10.00 single-person net hammock with spreader bars. My tarp was clear 5mil poly. I had no insulation other than the clothes on my back.
mine was in my back yard LOL .... after that at a camp ground car camping.. then on the AT ...
...in the backyard---horrible night. couldn't get comfortable for the life of me. regretted even trying but it but kept with it. second night a bit better but not by much. finally went with my instinct and tightened up the SB hang. heaven!!! sometimes i'll wake up in the middle of the night with a very surreal floating sensation---in my sleepy daze i wonder if i'm still alive because i feel no pain :scared::laugh:
I had many naps in the hammock, but my first all nighter was in tahquamenon falls. Funny thing was that for the first couple of hours I was having these paranoid dreams that someone was sneaking up on me. I would bounce awake, look around, then settle back in once my heart stopped running a sprint. By about 1am, I was able to finally get a decent sleep.
Mine was in my back yard. Just bought the Hennessy and wanted to try it out to see if I liked it. Been hooked ever since.
Davis Creek Park, group area with the Scouts. Seen here.
trees could've been a little closer together but I was itchin' to hang.
My first time was in my back yard..
I got about 3 hangs in the back yard between different trees before
I took it out camping.
Mine was in my patio was fats a slep when next doors cat jump into my lap. I screamed like a little girl.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Loneoak
Mine was about that bad, or maybe worse.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lorax
1st week of Sept, 2006, first night( or day or hour) ever in a hammock, and therefore 1st time to try and use a HH Super Shelter. 22F that night at 10,000 feet after a long hike with altitude sickness getting worse by the minute. My buddy and I were both quite mystified about how that HHSS was supposed to work. Froze my butt off, unable to adequately get in my bag. Woke up about 0200 shivering violently, partially in the net with the HH pad and HH bottom opening more above me than below me. After a bit of initial panick, I fought my way out and slept on the ground, cursing hammocks. Worked out good though, within a night or 2 I was warm and comfy and sleeping like a log. But that 1st night was rough.
Literally? This was my very first hang. I'm the wee one. :)
http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._2427292_n.jpg
You've come a long way baby . . .Quote:
Originally Posted by solstice
:lol:
My first overnight hang was four years ago. Uwharrie National Forest, Hiked about 3 miles. Dopey me chose to hang right at the edge of the lake in early spring. That night a sustained wind of 15 miles an hour (gusting to 20) kicked up straight off the water and temp dropped to just above freezing. Talk about rock a bye baby. Pitched the tarp very tight to the hammock, sides were almost vertical . In those days I used my Big Agnes wide long pad in an Eno double with a down bag as a TQ. I was comfy warm until I had to get out in the morning. The wind was relentless couldn't get a fire to light (stove or fire), blew it right out. Cold breakfast and was shivering until I hiked myself warm. Bought a windproof jacket before my next hang.
Springer Mt 12/31/08 :)
First time was in the early 1970's with my buddy Jim in Linville Gorge trying out a couple Vietnam surplus military hammocks. Marginally successful but too bulky and heavy for our use. Next really time where I didn't turn back was in 2001 with our non-asymmetrical HH's
Been using them ever since