For me it was the pure novelty of it all. Such intrigue I have never before (or after) met in the world of outdoors recreation. Once I got a taste my devotion was fueled, and though the novelty persists it is no longer a driving force!
For me it was the pure novelty of it all. Such intrigue I have never before (or after) met in the world of outdoors recreation. Once I got a taste my devotion was fueled, and though the novelty persists it is no longer a driving force!
I bought a tent for 300 bucks. Went backpacking....woke up with a sore back AFTER i got there with a sore back from having to carry that heavy sucker into the woods. It was horrible!
Went back to my local outdoors/camping shop and saw Eagle's Nest Outfitters hammocks. I thought "Now there's an idea".
I bought one, camped, was awesome but had a cold butt. Bought a pad, camped, was great.
Now when I get my underquilt I'll be in hammocking nirvana!
i went with a buddy of mine to burells ford he had his warbonnet hammock and i had picked up a grand trunk the year before but never used it. took me one tripp and i was hooked now i cant get enough
Looking back, I should have seen it coming. I must have been about 10 or 12. I got an old heavy vinyl blanket/tablecloth/whatever it was and bunched up the ends. I wrapped strong (thankfully) wire around the ends and around two trees in the backyard. I used it probably 10-20 times and it eventually weathered.
Jump forward 15 years to a divorce. I let her have everything and she let us have a $300 do-it-ourselves divorce. Almost unheard of, I know. Anyhow, I always figured people like going on vacations. I figured why not live like a vacation? So instead of getting another "traditional" bed I got a jumbo mayan hammock from Ramonas Hammocks online (no longer in business, aww) and hung it up with 4 long bolts on each side into wall studs. I think I was the first person to hang one indoors with stud mounts (and not the big giant single eye bolt) and told her what I did. A few years later, the website had a "how to" and testimonials of people hanging them in their dorms using the same method.
Jump forward another 10 years and I now have multiple Mayan hammocks and multiple stands of which I hope to share pics of soon, as one of them deserves its story to be told to others of how not to built a stand with metal brackets.
Hmmm good question
Well for me it is I have always wanted to try hammock camping
and just went and pick one up now I wish I had done years ago
I got an Eno single nest
And used it on a 4 four day trip and now as a hanger I am hooked
Well, I'll swallow my pride and confess - basically I got tired of sleepless nights in a tent, tossing and turning on crappy little "self-inflating" pads that weren't worth the energy expended lugging them around. Brought along a hammock on one trip just to lounge-in during the day (still set up the tent/pad/bag combo) and found it so comfortable that I ended up never using the tent and slept in the hammock that entire trip.
Then I graduated to setting up a really small tent as an emergency shelter in case the weather got really bad (and to stow my clothes/gear while I was away from the campsite dayhiking).
Eventually I evolved to adding a tarp and the rest is history.
Along the way I tried a Hennessey Hammock, but my slight claustrophobic tendencies made that endeavor not very enjoyable. I enjoy the open-air, and since I tend to go up in elevation and/or latitude for most of my summer camping trips, the bugs aren't enough of an issue to warrant the netting.
KD
I'm not a hanger yet, but I'm not to far, from being a hanger. Ordered a Warbonnet Blackbird, Superfly an UQ two days ago. I'm really looking forward to trying all this gear out.
What made me a hanger?
Comfort
Less weight
Easy setup
Quick setup
I became a hanger after seeing some scouts in my troop start hammock camping. It looked really cool so I bought a Hennessy before a trip and have enjoyed it ever since. It's a lot lighter and more comfy as well as easy to set up.
My hammock experiences started when I was camping in the Spanish Pyrenees for 6 weeks as part of my geology degree. We drove from the UK in a Mini and could only take so much stuff, so decided that we'd buy bulky stuff like garden furniture when we were out there. My mates bought cheapy garden chairs and I bought myself a hammock. Needless to say, once I hung that thing and got in it I was hooked! If I wasn't in the pool at the campsite I was in my hammock. I did try to sleep in it, but the campsite was seriously windy at night and I got really cold underneath.
Two years later and I'm itching for the outdoors again, now I spend all my time with computers. I enjoy mountain biking when I can get out and wanted a camping system that I could take on the trails with me. After looking around at bivvy bags and ultra-light gear I stumbled on the HH website and remembered how good my hammock in Spain was. But being a dirty student, the cost was pretty prohibitive for me. I mentioned HH's to a friend and he said why not DIY? I bit of internet searching lead me here (where I've been lurking for a bit) and now I'm waiting for my fabric to arrive! Hopefully I'll have my hammock built this week and be able to take it on the family holiday. If not, I'll just take the sewing machine with me and finish it there!
saw some of shugs vids, and saw the romance in hanging. been hooked ever since. THANKS SHUG!!!
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