View Poll Results: When on the trail and hanging, do you prefer to be?

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  • by yourself and on your own?

    39 36.11%
  • with another hanger?

    56 51.85%
  • with a group of hangers?

    24 22.22%
Multiple Choice Poll.
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  1. #1
    Member Dain Bramage's Avatar
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    Feb 2010
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    Ardmore, Ok.
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    Question Accessory costs vs. Primary investment

    My friends, I am new here, and maybe I just don't get it yet. But I am having a hard time understanding the exorbitant cost for the accessories, verses the primary investment. I am a fairly knowledgeable knife advocate. I carry the quarter inch thick BK-2, designed for KaBar by Ethan Becker. I love this survival knife. Hedgehog Leather Works makes a beautiful horizontal carry sheath for this knife. Probably, I dare say, the finest made leather sheaths on the planet.
    (tried to post a picture, but it didn't work out).
    And although I can afford the sheath, I just can't justify spending $290 on a sheath made for a knife that cost $65. I have a hard enough time paying for AIR at the gas station. Or frozen bags of water.
    I have recently purchased the Warbonnet Blackbird, and anxiously await its' arrival. I found the Tom Claytor diamond camo tarp to be just a beautiful accessory for my Blackbird. And though the $50 price tag is more than reasonable, the $50 shipping turned me away immediately. I assume he is out of the U.S. and these are just his costs and I understand that. Regardless, I won't pay as much for shipping as I would for the object of sale in any case. I know that great care and craftsmanship go into making the underquilts. But I can't see paying $100 to $200 more for the underquilt than I did for the hammock. lol. I have no doubt, however, that they are worth every penny, by the wonderful reviews they get.
    Maybe I don't get it. As ridiculous as it sounds, I would have rather given Brandon twice what I paid for the hammock, and then I wouldn't be in this pickle. lol.
    There is a lot of home made creating going on out there, for just this reason. And I lack the sewing machine OR the skills to make my own tarps and underquilts. I am not adverse to learning however. But it takes time, and I am raring to get started with my virgin hang.
    Can anyone suggest where I might find a reasonably priced camo or black tarp to go with my Blackbird? And just out of curiosity, I have noticed a real lack of color in our choices of lite weight tarps. And I have yet to find one with graphics of any kind. I'd like a big diamond tarp with a big menacing Pink Floyd type blackbird on it. lol. Or maybe the HF logo. Or my own moniker.
    Just some observations friends. As I mentioned, I am new, and maybe someone could point me in the right direction. Thanks
    "Are you gonna eat that?"

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  2. #2
    Senior Member gargoyle's Avatar
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    May 2009
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    Muskegon MI
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    Sil = lighter weight and plain, non-patterned colorings. Apparently it is not possible to do a camo type pattern on lightweight sil coated fabrics. At least within a reasonable price range. They are available in a full spectrum of color. Pink, purple, orange, white..you get the idea.

    Poly-urethaned fabrics = slightly heavier and bulkier. The difference being almost double.
    But they can be made with camo patterns.

    So its a trade-off, do you want camo (heavier) or sil (lighter and more packable)?
    Most folks like a sub-dued color to blend into the woods, so most shops go with darker, woodsy colors.
    Ambulo tua ambulo.

  3. #3
    Member Dain Bramage's Avatar
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    Very informative! Thanks so much. I am pushing 51 and I really don't stray far from my vehicle, so I am as much a car camper as any. So, weight makes little difference to me. I do see your point though, especially for those hikers in the piney woods. Thanks for the enlightenment. I'd be happy with even a solid black in the sil or spin. Doesn't have to be camo. Thanks again


    Just checked out the site. I'll be ordering. THANKS AGAIN!
    "Are you gonna eat that?"

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  4. #4
    Senior Member Oh-No's Avatar
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    May 2007
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    Smyrna, DE
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    various homemade Speer type
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    I don't view the hammock as the "primary investment".
    It's just part of my sleep/shelter system.
    Tarp,hammock, suspension, & insulation.
    Anything over and above those 4 things could be
    considered accessories for that system.

  5. #5
    Member Dain Bramage's Avatar
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    Ah! You view it as a system. I could see that. I do the same with my everyday carry items.
    "Are you gonna eat that?"

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  6. #6
    Senior Member oldgringo's Avatar
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    Hey, Okie, you're looking at this backwards. First, you buy a really nice set of quilts, and then you accessorize.
    Dave

    "Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self."~~~May Sarton

  7. #7
    Member Dain Bramage's Avatar
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    Uh uh! Otherwise this would be called Underquilt Forums! lol. Got to get up perty early to fool an Okie! (might of worked on a texan though). lol.
    "Are you gonna eat that?"

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  8. #8
    Senior Member salamander42's Avatar
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    Jul 2010
    Location
    Akron, OH
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    I understand both sides on this one. . . I also balk at the cost of good down under and over quilts, but I am with those who look at it as part of a system. I'm far from an expert on such things, but it seems like there is probably considerably more cost of materials for a down UQ than for a hammock. Also, from the couple of sets of instructions I've seen about making a DIY UQ, it looks like a lot more work goes into the construction. Which all translates into a considerable price tag. I've just used sleeping pads inside my hammocks for insulation 'till now. . . I went the DIY route and made an Insultex UQ. I have/had no sewing skills, but I got a little help from my girlfriend to get me started (using her thread injector) and it was really easy once I got going. I made a couple of mistakes and spend a frustrating bit of time with a seam ripper correcting them, but it still only took a few hours total, start to finish. If you aren't quite ready to try the DIY route, there are some insultex UQs on here. . .

    http://stores.tttrailgear.com/StoreFront.bok

    And here's a link to the instructions I followed (more or less) to make my UQ. . .

    http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=23881

    One of these days I'd like a nice set of down over and under quilts, but it's probably not going to happen any time too soon. Good luck with whatever route you choose!
    Don't alter my altar
    don't desecrate my shrine
    My church is the water
    and my home is underneath the shady pines

    From the song "One Man's Shame" by William Elliot Whitmore

  9. #9
    Senior Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dain Brammage View Post
    Got to get up perty early to fool an Okie! (might of worked on a texan though). lol.
    Ouch!
    That's gonna leave a mark.

  10. #10
    Senior Member JDShearer's Avatar
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    I think Oh-No said it right. Tarps and UQ's aren't so much accessories as they are necessary parts of the system for various weather conditions etc.. The reason the UQ's cost more than the hammock is simply cost of materials. I made my own UQ and hammock and my materials cost for the quilt was more than twice as much as for the hammock, and that's using synthetic insulation, not down! If you want to go cheaper, you can always use a pad for your bottom insulation. I've done it for years quite happily.

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