I stumbled across a Shug Emery video on youtube. Laughed my head off and watched several more. Decided to give it a try and bought a WBBB XLC with a Superfly and the rest is history. I came out of a really nice Marmot tent and I don't ever see myself climbing into that thing again in my life, LOL.
That was pretty much the final event that got me into it as well... I wasn't even looking for anything hammock-related when I found his channel, but we can see the outcome of that. Haha... Also, I'm "coming out" of an MSR Hubba Hubba NX that I picked up last winter. It's been a fantastic tent, but I think life in the hammock may surpass that comfort. Happy hanging!Originally Posted by Ron S
During my alternative civilian service we made a holiday camp in Italy. One night I feel asleep in the hammock after having some wine and woke up the next morning, had a perfect sleep. I continued to sleep in the hammock for another two weeks during this trip. twenty years later I looked for some lightweight yet comfortable way to spend the nights on a hiking trip, and remembered the gorgeous hammock nights in Italy. Shug and some other guys did the rest.
Simple,
I am old and decrepit and sleeping on the ground now requires a thick air mattress. A hammock is much lighter and extremely comfortable. I like the gathered end type as it is harder to fall out of.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]“It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong.”
Abraham Lincoln
Well, I have been watching the videos of hammock forum's very own Shug for about a year and a half now, and switched to hammocks about the same time. I was searching out ways to get together with new people and go camping/backpacking with and gain some knowledge of the noble art of hammocking. I asked Shug and he wisely replied with this site, so I joined and have been loving it!
After my first trip camping in a two person tent (i.e. one person plus his gear. Somehow there were two of us AND our gear in there.) I saw an advertisement for a Hennessey hammock and decided to buy it. Well it took about two trips before I dialed it in. First trip my hammock fell to the ground in the middle of a rain storm, and the second one I had cold butt syndrome. These days I'm using a Dutchware setup and loving it. As long as there are trees I'll be hanging.
Jason from Outdoor Adventures, Sintax77, and a first-class Clown, Shug of the Third Person.
I wild camped for years turning my nose up at hammocking, preferring to keep a low profile and a minimal footprint by using a bivy bag or bivy/small tarp setup. Laying on the ground doesn't bother me as we have no serious animals or bugs here in the UK that can get inside your sleeping bag and cause havoc. My camping buddy started using a hammock and let me have a hang, naturally I was skeptical but had a go, straight away I noticed how comfortable it felt so decided to make one first before taking the plunge and buying one, just incase I didn't take to it. There was also a spot in my local woods where the terrrain was too steep for ground dwelling but offered nice views of the surrounding area, so it seemed like a good idea and my hammock adventure began. Looking back I wish I had gotten into hammocking sooner, there are definitely benefits but also some minor negatives, like not being as stealthy as other methods of camping, a lack of trees and being able to pitch in wind swept locations. I look at hammocking like another skill I can use depending on the circumstances and places where I want to go camping. I love ground dwelling but hammocking has found a special place in my heart. Damian.
1) when I saw CryOfTheWild's setup, it was amazing and made a lot of sense.
2) getting off the ground where moisture tends to be at the cost of carrying an extra pound in the form of the hammock was a nobrainer to me.
I still think of keeping all my setup dual-purpose, good for ground camping as well as for tree hugging, just in case I couldn't find 2 trees in Wisconsin...
I kept seeing Shug's videos of comfortable camping in below freezing temperatures and the British Bushcrafters high and dry hanging while the rain came down in sheets and thought I'd give it a try. I found gathered end hammocks at Academy on clearance for $4.00 so I bought 3. Sewed two together as a sunshade and relaxed in the third one. I was hooked pretty quick and started upgrading.
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