Here are a few pics of my first hang, which I did overnight in my in-laws' front yard, I was down there with the family anyway, and my yard has no good trees/poles/other stuff to hang from. Here are the details to my current noob rig:
HAMMOCK: Grand Trunk Ultralight ($20 on Amazon) with the s-hooks on the ends replaced with two load-bearing rings on either end ($4 at Home Depot)
TARP: Cheap-o poly tarp ($12 at Wal-Mart) guyed out with 550 cord.
SUSPENSION: I took some trailer ratchet straps that I never use (free from my garage), removed the ratchet, used the strap with one hook on the end to attach to the trees, fed the other end through the two steel rings on the end, and tied it off with a slippery half hitch.
INSULATION: I borrowed a sleeping bag from my in-laws for this hang, but I also have a modular army mummy bag and sleeping mat that I plan on using for future hangs (cost me 14 years of military service).
The goal was to test whether I would be comfortable sleeping in the hammock and whether my improvised suspension would hold up to that kind of use, and I think I won on both counts. Not only was it really comfortable, but my sore back felt better the next day than it had for a few weeks prior. I still need to figure out certain adjustments to really dial it in, but I'm sold on hammock camping!
P.S. If anyone can point me at some threads that can help me figure out how to adjust the hammock for different comfort aspects, especially what to do about a taut center line and floppy sides, I'd really appreciate it.
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Originally Posted by Short White Guy
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