I'd been in a few hammocks when I was camping with the "Y" umptifrat (umptifrat= more than I care to think about! ) years ago but they were what I now know are lousy (rope) hammocks. I knew that they were/are used in other parts of the world so I figured that I should revisit them. After spending many days reading about them and reminiscing about my camping days I've decided to take the plunge and DIY some gear since I have this champagne taste but I'm on a water budget. You can probably find me asking questions on the DIY forums.