Hello from CT

[pnyberg]

Hi, my name is Peter. I'm not much into trail names, and funny forum names, so if Peter is too mundane, you'll have to make up something else. You can call me anything you'd like except late to dinner.

I'm 58 years old. I've been backpacking on and off since the early 1970's. I first joined an internet based hiking forum in 1998 (the Appalachian Trail eMail list - AT-L). And I've been messing with backpacking hammocks since about that same time. So I'm not a noobie, but it's likely that I'm not quite up to date on the latest techniques.

The first time I read about hammock camping was in the mid 70's I think. At the time the only lightweight hammock would have been a string-net model. I tried one of these back at that time, and it left a lot to be desired. But the appeal of the hammock and tarp were pretty evident none the less, so the concept stayed lodged in the back of my mind.

I don't remember what sparked it, but something in 1998 inspired me to buy a lightweight nylon (I think) hammock and a square tarp that I could rig in a diamond configuration, and I talked by wife into sewing me a bug net. Here's a picture of me using the hammock that year on the AT somewhere in the middle of the 100 mile wilderness.




I was pretty much on my own in figuring stuff out back then. The internet was up and running, but there just wasn't much out there, certainly nothing like the Hammock Forums. But little did I know that Tom Hennessy was working on his first hammock at about this same time. It wasn't too much later that I bought what I think was the first model Hennessy Hammock, followed not too long after by the '1.5 lb Ultralight Backpacker' model. This was before Tom invented the 'Asym', so it's quite symmetrical. It also appears to be lighter by an ounce than anything Tom sells today. But I'm probably about to change that.

I've never gotten over missing the openness of my original hammocks. I particularly miss the perpendicular lounging option. Now that I've found the HF, I know about the 2Q/ZQ Hennessy zipper mods, so I'll be following up on that soon I suspect. Also, I see that I'm not the only one concerned that the hammock ridge line could interfere with my lounging plans, so a detachable ridge line is probably in order. And these new whoopie string suspension systems look like they need to be checked out as well.

So, even though in some ways I may be an old hand, there still seems to be lots to learn.

Good hiking…

Peter

[flatline]

welcome to HammockForums and hey from high point nc.
great intro and cool rig.
there is a ton of stuff here to read, learn and ask about.
if it's hammock related it's here or still waiting to be invented.
hang on and have fun.

home is where your hammock is.