When I was a young boy scout at summer camporee, I asked my scout master if I could sleep in the canvas hammock he had hung beside the dining fly. He said it would be uncomfortable, that it was just for short naps, but I talked him into it. I still remember it being one of the best night's sleep ever when camping.

When I was in college, my girlfriend's father owned a 25' Catalina and would take us sailing on long weekends. I remember lying in my bunk, hearing the soft lap of the waves against the boat and feeling their gentle rocking. Those, too, were some of the best nights of sleep ever.

This afternoon, I lay in my Grand Trunk Ultralight with my faux Pea Pod (35° North Face mummy bag). It was warm and comfortable, gently swaying in the light breeze like being adrift on those soft ocean waves. I remembered that young boy scout and that college kid and thought, "Yeah, I'm back."

Hi. My name's Jim, and I'm a hammock camper.