The Housefly

[toygun]

Looks like ENO has finally introduced a decently sized tarp for a decently suggested retail price... nice colors too. Good job ENO.



http://www.eaglesnestoutfittersinc.c.../HOUSEFLY.html

[OldRagFreeze]

A bit heavier than a Superfly, smaller than a Superfly and more expensive than a Superfly...

Still much better than most mass produced tarps out now though.

[HomeMadeHiker]

10 x 10-6 @ 27oz not bad
$140 not great.
Glad ENO is trying to keep up the Joneses.

[2eez4life]

It's the marketing that fetches the price tag, lets be real. They are in all the REI's which we all know is expensive.

[Gresh]

For the beginning hanger (let's face it, we all were at one point) ENO puts out a pretty decent product.

Overpriced? Maybe as compared to what we have available from the cottage industry but when you consider that the least profitable product the cottage industry produces is tarps, it's not unreasonable to expect that a mass-produced consumer product targeted at a beginner audience might be a bit higher priced with fewer "options" (such as panel pulls or a pole mod). Unlike our cottage industry, ENO is dealing in bulk rather than in smaller amounts (or so I'll assume).

Am I in the market for one of these? Very possibly, as I can see it easily fitting in with my "spare" kit which is mostly ENO gear anyway (as I keep my "spare" kit simple and easily available from retailers so if a new hanger wants to try it, it's easy to find and readily accessible locally).

For anything larger than an ENO Doublenest, maybe this wouldn't work so great with it's 10' ridgeline, but for a beginner's kit I'd say that ENO has done bloody well with this particular product (especially in light of their latest underquilt/topquilt offerings).

[iRokk]

Gresh, you seem a bit more understanding of ENO there. But we have to assume that a company like them has done the research and knows what else is available to consumers and at what price, don't we? If that is the case it almost seems like they are preying on consumers' ignorance of what their other options are.

[SkunkApe]

iRokk, in every hobby I have ever partaken in, learning the brands of the other geeks is always a benefit. Most people will be like, "I think I will try hammocking" and head on down to their outfitters or REI. It's not preying. They make a good product. They are only competing with other products in their relm, not the world. Their relm being retail stores.
That's why the internet is so great. You don't research, you pay the tax. Do a little research and you get a Warbonnet.

[Cali]

A bit heavier than a Superfly, smaller than a Superfly and more expensive than a Superfly...

Still much better than most mass produced tarps out now though.

I agree with OldRagFreeze, why get an ENO when you can get a better deal from a cottage vendor.

Gresh, when you let your friends try your hammock gear, let them know about the cottage vendors and how much better their gear is than the bulk retail stuff. Educate them about the best route to take. They will thank you for it.

[Squidbilly82]

ENO has hit a niche market with all the young kids that no absolutely nothing about hammock camping. With that being said all the hammocks are essentially being bought by parents that no absolutely nothing about it as well. So the market that ENO has hit upon has taken them off to become a large company. If people are buying the gear they put out and have no knowledge of how to find anything else ie Hammock forums then they will pay what it takes to make their children not run around the house and pout all day. So with ENO coming out with more viable gear for hammock camping maybe people will find out about cottage vendors when the google hammock tarps.

[Vecsus]

New forum member here and one of the things I've admired most is the spirit of HYOH on most threads. That sentiment is lacking in this thread. Just like the mountain bike forum. Used to moderate, too many people rip on the mass-market companies. Sure, cottage is great but before I ordered two custom bike frames I worked my way through the big name companies. That process showed me what I liked and didn't like. By the time I was ready for niche market stuff I knew what I wanted.

I have one hammock, an ENO double nest with an eno bug net and eno tarp. And yes, I got them from REI with an annual dividend check. There was no way I was going to lurk this forum before knowing if I was even going to like sleeping in a hammock. I suspect that most hangers started as an impulse.

Make fun of " kids that know nothing about hammock camping" all you want but you were not born with an entire forum's worth of hammock knowledge in your head. People aren't going to spend weeks learning how to make asym hammocks, cuban tarps, and down underquilts for their first hang.