I guess I forgot how complicated it can be.....

[jrmyh]

When you are going from a tent to a hammock, knowing the ins and outs isn't really that difficult to grasp but more so its just a lot of information to process in the beginning.

[Dusey]

Great thread, really enjoying all the responses.

I feel like, besides the details of how to setup the hammock, there are 4 or 5 things to tell every new hanger, like

Try laying diagonally
Shoot for a 30 degree hang
They are cooler, and if you sleep in a sleeping bag the compression will make it less effective (CBS) - consider an under quilt or pad.
Consider if you'll need a tarp or bug net (different parts of the country, time of year, etc. might not need one or or the other.)
If you're a side sleeper, consider bringing a small pillow (just like you would on the ground!)
Don't hurt the trees! (use straps)

Those are things I think of anyway.

[Chemguy]

So many of us enter through the ENO portal.

That's how I got here. If you look at my join date it is quite a while ago, but only recently have I been an active participant in the forum. This summer my wife and I were looking at equipment for backpacking when she asked me to go get something from the car. When I got back in the store she handed me a bag with an ENO sub 7, straps and a bugnet. ENO might not be the preferred vendor of those who know more about the wide variety of hammocks available and who can appreciate the many factors that make a good hammock a good hammock, but that is my start. I know more now from hands-on experience by practicing what I've learned here with my first hammock. Sure, I might move on to another, but it will always have been my wife and the ENO she gave me that helped me to get started.

[charel]

This thread really is a great source of information. I'm going to give a hammock workshop at a hacker camp tomorrow and I found quite a lot of info that I assumed to be obvious, but isn't to beginners.

Regarding the suspension, I (and all my friends w/ hammocks) use nothing but tree-straps to attach the hammock by either using a simple slip knot or the knot with a stick in the middle (dunno the name, found it in some youtube video from a user here). This saves weight, material (ergo cost) and space.

The most compelling thing about hammocks usually is the simplicity and speed. Most people are reluctant to even try a hammock but once they've sat in one of mine and I've shown them how quickly they are attached, they want to get one as well.

[tennistime99]

I've always researched before purchasing anything, sometimes to the point of confusion, and was lucky enough to find this forum. Some of the videos out there definitely make the assumption a beginner knows more than they usually do. Then there's the issue of how many ways you can hang your hammock and the multitudes of gear available to do so, as well as the hammock itself and insulation. I ended up having to just stop reading and take an educated first plunge to figure out what I liked and/or wanted.

On the teaching aspect, I attempted to show my Chinese nephew how to make whoopie slings and a marlin spike hitch without being able to communicate beyond visuals and occasional grunts of understanding. He seemed to have picked it up fairly well. Now if he can just find two trees near hong kong. ..

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[Debi Jaytee]

funny, the first time I was ever in a hammock I felt at home. Went and bought my own (a Hennessy) and camped very happily that summer. Then I decided I needed to sleep like that at home. I bought an Eno and it was nice, but not the same sleep as my Hennessy. I bought a bigger hammock, and then I bought a Mayan hammock, and it wasn't until I made my own that I found the nirvana of hammocking. I've made three for myself and countless others for friends - they all love them.
I've dickered with the suspension on my Hennessy to where I can set it up in a couple of minutes without all the lashing etc. Hands down, it's still my fav and love it to death. I'm not sure if it's the hammock itself or sleeping out in the bush, but I love camping with it and will continue to do so. I might play around with the suspension a wee bit more but I'm pretty happy with what I have.
If I were going hammock camping with a friend, I would probably lend them my Hennessy and use one of my homemade hammocks for myself. After the first go, they'd have to go and buy their own though... (with my help of course!)