Your first Setup

[BillyBob58]

HH Explorer with a sleeping bag. Classic entry. The bag was a pain and I had no real bottom insulation. It was summer in VA so with the temps not dropping below 75F and humidity bottom insulation was not an issue.

Same as above but a UL model and a HHSS for the bottom which I had no understanding about how to use. And 1st night ever was 22F. Froze, could not get fully inside sleeping bag, abandoned hammock for ground under the stars about 0200. Dog cussed the entire hammock concept and the buddy who convinced me to try it, swore I would never do that again. Although, later i had to admit I was sleeping mighty fine until I woke up in the hammock net shivering violently with my HHSS pad above me.

2nd night figured insulation out a bit better and slept toasty, deep and comfy except for having to get up for diarrhea attacks.

3rd night was too sick to get over Jack *** Pass and had to go to ground again, no trees:


4th night was very paranoid about the tarp, could not figure out how to rig it right and was paranoid about a storm that was coming. Made it OK, slept wonderfully. I know this looks ridiculous, but I was an ignorant noob, got it all figured out later. Thank goodness for the HHSS UC which save me from wind and wind blown rain on my 1st trip:


The view from my hammock when I had the tarp off or was out of the hammock helped keep it together:




The night after this, I had the best nights sleep I ever had indoors or out and was hooked. The wind howled in the foot end of my tiny tarp pitched right next to the lake 10 feet away. I found out my buds were snickering at me becuse they knew that wind was going to freeze me. I was the last one to wake up with the sun up and shining bright. Woke up to the sound of every one else breaking camp, and all were grumpy except for me. They all were cold and spent the night on rocks and/or rolling downhill in the uneven campsite. Now I was 100% converted, no turning back. This was 1st week Sept 2006. Joined HF a few months later.

[somniferous]

Hammock: Trek Lite Double
Tarp: None
Insulation: No sew Poncho liner UQ and an old coleman synthetic sleeping bag

I work as a stagehand so I got a hammock originally to take naps where I could (backstage, under the stage, in trucks etc) Originally started with no insulation because I was inside and only taking quick naps. Finally got insulation to work a festival, but I didn't need a tarp because I hung in a gazebo. Took me a few years to actually hang from trees.

[gargoyle]

1980.
The first (you always remember) was an old army issued hammock, old school monster sleeping bag. Slept dry through many trips and backyard outings. Everything packed huge.
junglehammock.jpg

[tomwiththeweather]

About 15 years ago, I used an older Hennessy Asym Expedition; the one with bottom entry and terrible suspension. I knew nothing of underquilts or pads and shivered all night long.

[sargevining]

1980.
The first (you always remember) was an old army issued hammock, old school monster sleeping bag. Slept dry through many trips and backyard outings. Everything packed huge.
junglehammock.jpg

Yah, that would be it for me, at about the same time. My first actual time camping with that was done at state park which at that time was relatively new. They assigned me a camping area, but not an actual site, and gave me the gate combination in case I needed to get out during the night. The only campsite I could find with any trees at all had only one but there was a BBQ pit on a steel pole set in concrete the proper distance from the tree, so I tied off to the tree and the BBQ pit. I woke up about 0530 the next morning laying on the ground with that BBQ pit leaning over at about a 45 degree angle. I was glad I had the gate combination so's I could get outta there before the rangers showed up.

[Tyler]

My very first night in a hammock was a young n' dumb accident... Had the eno pitched at the lake with friends. After enjoying a few too many libations I was woken up at 11 pm by the park ranger to whom I explained I was still in no shape to drive and asked if I could just pay the camping fee in the morning. It was summer here in Texas, the hammock was all I needed and that was all she wrote for my days on the ground.

That first system got completed with a blue tarp from dads garage, some paracord, ccf pad and a sleeping bag I already had.

[skwatupu]

Good memories.

Woot special Yukon Outfitters with bugnet. 5x7 poly tarp. Knotted rope and those heavy steel links that came with the hammock for suspension. Used a sleeping bag I had and a trimmed down blue ccf pad for insulation. I was so nervous the whole setup would crash to the ground. I could feel the earth spinning beneath me. Lake Michigan was roaring in the background. There may have been skinny dipping. It was a great trip and got me hooked on hammock camping.

20130803_212249.jpg

[Doubletime]

XLC

Superfly w/pole mod

20 Incubator

20 Burrow

Done

[aka.jobbe]

My first set up stood off.

I cheep tarp from the local "home depo" that's what i think you guys use over there.
A amazon mosquito travaler, is was back when hammocks wasn't out on the market in Denmark. Så that was what i could get my hands of.
I marmut inflatable pad
and my gamut summer sleeping bag.

i Used this setup 3 times.
Once to try the hammock, and BOOOOM! a got bid by the bug.
vent home, online - forum this forum. and after two days i ordered my Wbbb.
The next two times i used the traveler was in the waiting time between ordering and recivind my bb.

More and better gear soon comes after the BB.

And now i'm satestfaied with my setup, - for now.

[Codger]

My VERY first time was in October of 83 in Germany while on ReForGer. One of my units' many issued items was a piece of netting with about a 1" weave. We called them yeti nets. Cold, rainy weather. Hung it with 550 cord, put an intermediate bag in it, threw a poncho over top and slept like a corpse. Never forgot the comfort. Fast forward 20 years - can't carry enough ibuprofen anymore to ward off the ache's from tent camping with the kids and remembered that first hang in Germany. Got an ENO double, draped some bug netting over a paracord ridgeline and slept like a baby. When it rained I just threw a poncho on top of me. Enjoyed it so much that I slept in it for 4 straight months in the basement. Finally got tired of diddling around and "making do" with the insects and rain (plus a little more spending money with the kids grown) and ordered a DangerBird a couple of weeks ago. Now I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas! Have I finally arrived?