What do you wish you knew when you started?

[Boothill]

that hammockforums.net would take up as much time of mine as it does......

boot

[Shug]

....yes...that the cyber part (HF) and video part would become part of my life. Up to my hammock discovery those were two points I never thought I would follow.
It has all been fun and an adventure though.
Shug

[Caribou Bentspoke]

If I was starting over, I would skip 40 deg fractional under quilts, where I go, there is no known use for them.

[Atlas918]

....yes...that the cyber part (HF) and video part would become part of my life. Up to my hammock discovery those were two points I never thought I would follow.
It has all been fun and an adventure though.
Shug

I also bet you didn't know that you would affect so many aspiring hammockers through the video part. I have had people on other camping/hiking forums direct me to your videos for noobs and whatnots. You've become an internet sensation!

[Woodsranger]

I live in Virginia. Your weather might be different. My rig: Hang hammock-7ft Nylon with a folded over sewn ,90 ct thread-6passes,sleeve on each end, with doubled 6ft para cord knotted about every 6" drawing it closed. Put the Pcord through a tiny reinforced hole in the bottom of your sleeping bag near the heel. Then hang the hammock. Next hang a mil-spec space blanket with 2ft bungee cords on each corner, so it "U" wraps around the hammock. Bungees allow easy ingress and egress.The sleeping bag will be between the hammock and the space blanket by the foot area. When you get in the hammock, work the mummy or tapperd sleeping bag over you zipping as you go. Your boots can live in between the hammock and space blanket in the foot area. I do use a small tarp, a mil spec brit poncho. I hang it close to the hammock with one side longer down to block the prevailing wind or cold night air coming down the mountain. The short side makes access easier. The space blanket blocks wind and rain. Cacooned in the sleeping bag that completely surrounds the hammock deletes my need for an under quilt. Ilearned the marlin spike hitch on Shug's Vids on youtube. I love his vids. He learnt me good. Another knot you might learn is the artillery hitch on you tube. Have fun.

[Woodsranger]

I live in Virginia. Your weather might be different. My rig: Hang hammock-7ft Nylon with a folded over sewn ,90 ct thread-6passes,sleeve on each end, with doubled 6ft para cord knotted about every 6" drawing it closed. Put the Pcord through a tiny reinforced hole in the bottom of your sleeping bag near the heel. Then hang the hammock. Next hang a mil-spec space blanket with 2ft bungee cords on each corner, so it "U" wraps around the hammock. Bungees allow easy ingress and egress.The sleeping bag will be between the hammock and the space blanket by the foot area. When you get in the hammock, work the mummy or tapperd sleeping bag over you zipping as you go. Your boots can live in between the hammock and space blanket in the foot area. I do use a small tarp, a mil spec brit poncho. I hang it close to the hammock with one side longer down to block the prevailing wind or cold night air coming down the mountain. The short side makes access easier. The space blanket blocks wind and rain. Cacooned in the sleeping bag that completely surrounds the hammock deletes my need for an under quilt.

[ChillinOut]

I wish I knew how much I'd been missing and I wish I'd discovered hammocking earlier.

1. Weight is important and should be considered before purchasing anything / everything.
2. Bulk is a PITA - look for smaller versions of whatever it is you need.
3. If you buy cheap or heavy things you'll end up buying lighter things sooner or later.
4. Hammocks are by far the comfiest way to relax / sit / sleep outdoors.
5. A cheap hammock & good insulation is better than a dear hammock & crap insulation.

Get the basics (hammock, tarp, insulation) and work with what you have, everything else comes from experience and the wonderful folks on here will always help and guide you.

You're so gonna love it!!

[2new2hang]

When I started here a year ago (still a noob), I must've watched Shug's vids a hundred times. I thought lighter gear was for wimps. I also figured, how the heck many stoves can you need at one time? Now, a year later, I have a dedicated room of just my hammock gear, more dang stoves than I can count, still watch Shug's vids (along with the vids from about a dozen other guys on the forum) and my eternal quest has been to lighten all my gear. This place (HF) has helped me more than I could ever say. It is a blessing, and a terrible curse, all rolled into one awesome burrito. Dive in and enjoy. The water is fine. Oh, and practice, practice, practice!:-)

[Beansprout]

For some of us (myself) we have to do things by experimentation....and that can be expensive in the end . Trust that nothing is as warm, light weight and compressible as a good down UQ.

Embrace your inner stove addiction and cord addiction (which will happen soon enough).

The little things weigh you down. The many LED lights out there; the wonderful, colorful, different size caribiners; knives galore; and of course stoves and cord.

Have a small baggy of extras in case something breaks or is lost. (cord can take care of almost any of that )

When a snake drops down on your tarp it'll just slide off. Don't freak out while watching it slowly slide off your semi porch mode tarp with your flash light shinning on it. That one unnerves your fellow hangers too.

The pretty coloured biners are cord are my kryptonite too. They probably take up the bulk of my "just in case extras" ... y'know, the room in your pack that's supposed to be kept for a first aid kit or emergency rations. Those colours sure are prettier.

And the snake thing- I'm certainly glad I live in the UK The only scary thing in the woods are squashed worms. Oh, and those weird noises the deer make

[JimJ]

Ok ya'll have convinced me. I just ordered a New River UQ to go with my yet-to-be-delivered WBBB 1.7 dbl, and Superfly.

I'm trying to set myself up for success by buying well thought of gear up front.

I am also comforted by the fact that the "for sale" forum indicates it would take me less than a day to sell any item in the kit if it doesn't work for me!