Greets! I'm stoked to have found this forum as I continue to get my hammock setup dialed in. First, some history.
I had my first camping experience as an adult in 2012 with a borrowed tent and a good group of friends. None of them were avid campers either, but they had more experience than I did and helped introduce me to the wonders of camping. I had a great time, despite not sleeping much.
Shortly after that first camping trip, I purchased my own tent -- a Eureka Apex Solo (this was my first mistake). I thought a single person tent would be smaller and easier to carry on the motorcycle. I still wasn't aware of the hammock option, but I continued to enjoy camping despite the constant struggle of trying to actually fall asleep.
A bunch more camping trips and some years later, I upgraded my tent to a Kelty Grand Mesa 2. This was much roomier than my first, but I still wasn't finding it easy to actually fall asleep on the ground. I bought a nicer airpad, some different pillows, and thought that might help but nothing really did.
It was on the Gypsy Run 9 (big motorcycle camping trip) that I saw my first hammock in the wild. This guy had a whole Eno setup -- rainfly, bugnet, underquilt and I think what caught my eye the most was the string of LIGHTS under his fly. I was intrigued and asked him a few questions. He was friendly and explained how it all worked and told me how well he sleeps in that setup. I was sold.
When I got back home, I went online and ordered an Eno Doublenest. I'd bring it with me on camping trips, along with my tent. On one trip in 2016, I took a snooze in the hammock and the next thing I knew it was 3 in the morning and I was getting drizzled on. I was amazed how comfortable the hammock was, so I bought myself an Eno ProFly and a Guardian Bugnet and began my transition to hammock camping.
Fast-forward another couple years and I'm still enjoying my Eno setup. In 2017 I added a budget Snugpak underquilt to the mix after one particularly cold night in the woods. At this point, I thought I finally had a complete setup and was done purchasing gear.
The setup worked well and I was sleeping like I never had before. I was shocked at how comfortable it was to sleep outdoors with this setup. The hardest part was getting in and out of the thing in the middle of the night when I inevitably had to take a leak. A minor inconvenience, I thought.
The year now is 2018 and my bugnet is starting to rip. I'd been preaching the good word of hammock camping to my friends and one of them did his research and took the plunge by purchasing a Warbonnet Blackbird XLC. I got to try his setup out last weekend when we camped together and I really liked the ease of entry with the zippered bugnet. The ridgeline being inside the bugnet was also nice compared to mine which hung outside of the net.
Earlier this week, I found this forum and decided it was time. I ordered myself a DutchWare Chameleon (woodland camo) with a symmetrical bugnet and a ridgeline organizer. It was at my door days later and here I am typing my introduction to y'all. This forum was immensely helpful in making my decision to go with the Chameleon -- I only wish I'd found it sooner.
My setup now is:
Dutch Chameleon
Eno Atlas Straps
Eno ProFly
Snugpak UQ
I'll be looking to upgrade my underquilt as the seasons change and I'm excited to search the forums for suggestions!
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Originally Posted by Dcolon13
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