suggestions for a new owner

[colonel r]

I have just bought a HH hammock and have not yet spent a night in it. I am preparing for a thru hike on the AT this spring.

After viewing all the you tube videos on the suspension modifications, I ask myself why? Is the system provided by HH insufficient? Is it lighter or more adjustable?

I would like some experienced hangers to advise.

[JCINMA]

There is nothing wrong with the included suspension. It will perfectly suffice for just about anything. The reason we change the suspension is to make it easier to set up, easier to adjust, or simply lighter.

As far as I know, the HH suspension is a rope that you tie a knot in. An option to make things easier to set up and adjust is the adjustable buckle webbing suspension. You just clip the webbing around the tree, and adjust the suspension like tightening a belt.

A light and easy way to set up is the whoopie sling system. Through a "constrictor" type splice, they allow the user to have an adjustable suspension with no knots, with a single line of rope.

For ease of use, an alternate suspension is useful, but it's no better or worse than the stock.

[GrizzlyAdams]

my first hammock was an HH Explorer. It now sports Amsteel cording because it is lighter, more compact, and can be used with a Marlinspike hitch. I am particularly fond of the MS hitch because it let's me bring the cord from the hammock flush up with the tree (with HH tree huggers your cord comes to the loops in the tree huggers). What _this_ lets me do is get in tighter spaces than I could otherwise.

There are a variety of ways to secure the end of the Amsteel cord, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Didn't dwell on those, because the first order benefit enjoyed by them all is changing the cord and tree attachment.

[Bubba]

I find most outdoor enthusiasts like to fiddle with their gear. If you are planning a thru hike you probably want to streamline you gear and technique to keep it simple and lightweight. Changing suspension is just one of those things we do to accomplish these two goals. You can use the the stock suspension but it take longer to tie and untie the set up. Nothing wrong with it but if you can save some time and weight with another options then why not?

[bloomgorge]

before i changed my HH over to whoopies i found i fiddled with the set up a lot trying to get the right lie between my feet and head and which was higher and lower. everytime i wanted to adjust the height of one end of the other it was a series of unravels. with whoopies you just pull the end and smooth out the barry.
the other reason i changed over was sometimes i could double wrap the trees with the 42" tree strap, if i didn't i would find i'd slide down the tree throughout the night.
i also like to see the expressions on peoples faces when they look at the 7/64 amsteel and ask 'does that hold you?'

[ChrisH]

I switched to whoopie slings for adjustability more than anything.

[Silverlion]

Same here on the whoopies. Amsteel all the way. Just make sure you hang a few times before you head out. Fiddle with the set up, tweak things and get used to the hammock. Even if it's in your back yard, just hang in it. Try it out in all sorts of conditions. Perfect your tarp set up in the rain. That's something you don't want to learn in the field.

[colonel r]

thx for the replies. No substitute for experience!