Hello everyone, I have been sitting here reading all your posts and contemplating getting into the DIY addiction. I like the idea of custom building my gear and having the knowledge of how to repair it is priceless I think. My first project is going to be adding full zippers to my HH Explorer Asym. I didn't have a sewing machine, so my mother-in-law gladly lent me hers, but I am a funny guy and needed one of my own. I looked at all the new offerings out there and came back disappointed, all the good stuff is way to expensive for me to justify and all the ones in my price range seem like junk. So I went to my local Craigslist and found an older Kenmore model 1249, 10 stitch machine that will easily sew through 5 layers of denim among other things, so I think it will be plenty heavy duty for my purposes. It runs silky smooth and will be a great beginner machine I think. I ordered zipper and other material from Quest Outfitters and am waiting for it to arrive. It is a little scary to take on a project like this, altering my perfectly good hammock , but I am trying to keep in mind that this type of thing is half the fun. I will keep you posted...