What made you a "hanger"?

**chiefams** · 01-30-2009, 15:12

I'm in college and one of my buddies when we were camping whipped a HH and I thought that seemed pretty cool and interesting, but then didnt even think about it for a few months. Then I saw another hammock when i went camping again and I got jealous, so I went online and looked at a few and decided on the ENO singlenest and slapstraps for the simplicity, price, weight strength (240 lbs yikes). Plus I could set it up anywhere on campus and brag about it. I have never gone back and I have slowly started gaining more and more things for it (mostly because of the writing of everyone here on this site). I am still a poor college student but everyone envies me when I go camping.

**lori** · 01-31-2009, 21:48

I spent years not camping or backpacking, and getting back into it was a rough road. I spent a week car camping and day hiking down the California coast one December. The dome tent was good enough, but I just couldn't get it in the right spot - there are some primo spots on the coast, too, some of them carefully graded to be flat as possible. But I kept managing to pitch the dang tent on the slightest slope, and waking the next morning curled up in the far corner of the tent, off my thermarest and freezing.

Now that I sleep in a hammock I get all kinds of doubt and dubiousness from seasoned hikers who keep pointing at alpine trails in the Sierra Nevada. I keep reminding them that on those trails, I'll be hauling a Ridgerest and the tarp will be along regardless, so no problems. The rest of the trip I'll be sleeping like a baby while my hiking buddies are at war with their dome tents, making up for the few times I had to go to ground. I don't have to worry about hiking in Yosemite to some designated backcountry camp and finding that all the tent spaces are taken; I pitched over a spot full of granite boulders at Rancheria Falls when the campground was full. I spent a night in the hammock last December snug and dry while rain fell on my tarp and not on me, my gear, or the nice dry spot under my hammock where (unlike my tent dwelling companions) I could stand up and pull on clothes and shoes. Knocking down and packing up is no longer an exercise in futility, trying to keep things dry.

People who ask questions get a two minute commercial from me, my no-longer-aching hip and my hatred of sleeping on the ground, I'm afraid. But the fact that my gear didn't come from REI or Big Five makes them suspicious and wary, except for the very few who are surprised and delighted by the creativity of it.

**Kayakado** · 02-02-2009, 16:15

I bought a hammock while in the Yucatan in the early 1970s. We found lots of hotel rooms with hammock hooks and lots of beaches with palm trees. It was heaven. When I returned home, I slept in it in the summers. I still have it and put it up on occaision. It is made up of very thin shiny fabric strings that don't like rough terrains. A few years ago a friend brought a few ENOs to our yearly camping trip. The next year a few of us bought and brought our own ENOs. Now almost everyone has one. Each year the tents get fewer and fewer. A few years ago, before ENO offered a more elaborate set-up, I added a ridgeline with clothespins to hang a painters drop cloth as a shelter. It was certainly a light rig and the clear plastic had great visibility. It did not however, solve the bug problem. I needed to lather generously with cactus juice. Enter the HH.... The ENO still goes as a daytime lounger. The HH becomes my night time retreat -- warm, dry and bug free.

**te-wa** · 02-02-2009, 18:03

man, the ability to sit under your tarp, just your tarp alone strung up about 7' high and guyed out as far as you can get it - while its pouring down rain and all your campmates are confined to their tiny, sagging tarptents... and you, well you've managed to light a small campfire right there under your tarp as you sit on your pad drinking coffee and eating chocolate. that didnt make me a hanger, but it'll sure keep me one.

**froldt** · 02-03-2009, 06:53

I've been a hanger since I can remember... I just didn't know it yet. I've always had one of those walmart mesh hammocks, and even slept in it one night while camping. Froze all night long!
After a few more outings of leaving the hammock to go to bed on the ground while camping, I decided there had to be a way that I could make it work. Lo and behold, I stumbled across this site. I wasn't the only one! Not only that, but I could make my own. *gasp* Did it get any better than this? Of course it did... I could make all of my gear (all I knew of at the time was my stove) and a-sewing I went.

My wife and I used our home-mades on the backpacking trip during our honeymoon (during the second week) and won't be turning back. They've been tested on the porch down to about 20 F, and with bugs in the field. Good to go so far. Now, I've got a few more things to make, I'm just gonna go get some fabric...

**phaserrifle** · 02-03-2009, 12:47

I started along with the rest of my explorer scout troop, when our leader came up with the idea of making hammocks as a project. I'm not sure where he got the idea. one of the places he cited when we where planning the hammocks was this place, so I took a look around, and ended up joining. although I'm not a regular visitor, I pop in from time to time.

since we started using hammocks, I've seen several other groups using them localy. we may have started something

**Grinder** · 02-03-2009, 12:54

I'm embarassed to say that the Hennessy Hammock promotional picture of the hammock in the bag held in a palm alongside the entire system hanging is what first drew me in.

It turned out there were a few more details actually hang successfully.

grinder

**Alan** · 02-04-2009, 11:47

I found the world of hammocks in searching for a better solution than carrying a tent while out on kayak trips.

**SuperTramp** · 02-06-2009, 23:06

for me it was a picture-while googling images of tarps and bivies i came accross an image of a HH strung accross 2 trees on the side of a steep hill-i thought it was the coolest thing i ever saw (i had never even heard of hammock camping before).i went and bought one after alittle research and advice and am so glad i did.

**HitchHiking** · 02-09-2009, 04:01

Hi Everyone. A new hammocker from down under here. I started hammocking because of the light weight. That was the biggest issue for myself. But quickly I began to discover how awesome it really was. not only convenient but extremely comfy and practicable. quick up quick down light weight lets me get more exploring done.
Nothing else for me now.
Cheers
HH