No more custom HG orders

**Steve66** · 09-09-2019, 11:34

I just got this email from Hammock Gear sales. I was planning to order a custom 13 foot Palace tarp to use with my WB Ridgerunner and had been exchanging emails going back a couple of months to figure out the details. I thought that was one of the advantages of a great cottage vendor. I've previously had really amazing experiences with HG, hopefully this is just a miscommunication.

The owner has asked us not to accept custom orders on our products, beyond what is available on our website. I spoke to him about this tarp we've talked about previously, but he said that we can't make any exceptions. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

**NJHeart2Heart** · 09-09-2019, 11:41

That's unfortunate, but given HG's popularity these days, it may be that they just can't handle both their regular offerings and custom orders.
They are a business, and they do have to manage a balance between customer service and fulfilling general demand. They may be in that unenviable position where they have enough business to do well with their current staff, but to hire more staff because of custom order demand, would overtax their overhead, and make them less viable as a for-profit company.

We love our cottage vendors, but they too have to look at the bottom line and make tough choices sometimes.

Just my humble thoughts. If the customizations are really that important to you, perhaps it would be worth looking at other vendors for those requirements. The beauty of healthy capitalism, is that if you have a healthy number of vendors out there, where one is unable to meet demand, others may pick up that slack - hopefully it will encourage either new vendors to take up those spots, or will cause some positive peer pressure for those vendors to invest in their clientele via further hiring to adapt to demands.

Good luck, and keep us informed!

**Cabmanhang** · 09-09-2019, 11:44

If true, I guess it is a part of business growth. Good for them, if they have more than they can handle, but hurts for folks who want HG quality custom work and don't have the desire to diy.

**cmc4free** · 09-09-2019, 11:51

I agree that's unfortunate, but if this is true then it could be seen as a case of "their loss is someone else's gain." You could buy a custom 13' Superfly from Warbonnet or a 13' Winter Haven from Simply Light Designs, either of which would be a great piece of gear and significantly cheaper than a custom Dyneema Palace (and probably delivered in a shorter timeline, too). The HG tarps are nice for sure and you may have had your heart set on the Dyneema, but if if the situation is beyond your control then try not to be discouraged and move on. If memory serves, there have been at least a couple 13' Palace tarps offered for sale here in the last couple months. Keep your eyes peeled, or create a thread in the WTB (Want to Buy) section if the Dyneema is really a must have feature for your needs. Maybe somebody has one that they don't need as much as a quick cash infusion.

**alifeoutdoors** · 09-09-2019, 11:53

Wow that's a shame, they've done several custom cuben tarps for me in the past. I always turned to them as they were the only one's who did it. Same thing happened to Zpacks when they grew larger. Bummer.

**OneClick** · 09-09-2019, 11:58

Originally Posted by Cabmanhang

If true, I guess it is a part of business growth. Good for them, if they have more than they can handle, but hurts for folks who want HG quality custom work and don't have the desire to diy.

I guess I understand that.

But DAYUMN!!! Glad I got my custom Phincubator. That thing is worth a fortune to me. Almost wish I could get another backup to future proof it.

Maybe I need to order another 10.5 hammock from Dutch before he pulls the plug.

**Grisnakh** · 09-09-2019, 12:13

We certainly understand the frustration, but it was a decision that had to be made due to our growth over the years. We get multiple requests every day for gear that we don't normally make. We absolutely take those requests into consideration when coming up with new products, so its entirely possible we will come out with a 13 ft tarp to handle bride hammocks' unique suspension. We can certainly build most of these custom items, but we feel that we have to turn them down in order to take care of the "normal" orders we get every day. Custom gear requires a lot more supervision, careful consideration, engineering, and trial and error. Like others have said, that's the great thing about capitalism. Will we offer customization on our products ever again? We never say never, but we're in a great place right now, and are fulfilling made to order quilts and tarps in about a week. Speaking from experience, when we offered customization on gear "back in the day," lead times were 5-8 weeks depending on the season. I know a lot of folks are willing to wait that long for quality gear, but we don't like making people wait that long, especially when you have to pay upfront. Long story longer, we apologize for not being equipped to handle customization at this time, but if we do start offering it again, this will be the main place we advertise that. You are all dedicated hammock campers. Our name is Hammock Gear, so you are all in our thoughts when we make decisions like this. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us via the methods in my signature

**Steve66** · 09-09-2019, 12:21

Thanks for the response. As much as I am frustrated, I certainly understand the business side of the decision and I certainly want to see you guys thrive. I have many other pieces of your gear and I love all of them. I'll keep my eyes open for any new gear you come out with, or perhaps a softening of your customization policy if that works within your business process.

**Grisnakh** · 09-09-2019, 12:25

Originally Posted by Steve66

Thanks for the response. As much as I am frustrated, I certainly understand the business side of the decision and I certainly want to see you guys thrive. I have many other pieces of your gear and I love all of them. I'll keep my eyes open for any new gear you come out with, or perhaps a softening of your customization policy if that works within your business process.

Thank you so much! It means the world to us

**Chesapeake** · 09-15-2019, 11:27

Like Oneclick, I'm soooo glad I got my custom -10° quilt set when I did. They are absolutely AMAZING and more than worth what I paid for them. Although, I guess that means the value of custom HG gear just went up hu? Gotta love supply and demand!! While it is really nice to be able to order exactly what you want , I can definitely see where HG is coming from in wanting to keep wait times down while still keeping quality up . I'm sure custom orders will be back in the future.....