Hammock Shopping Questions

**flyefysch** · 06-25-2009, 21:12

Hi All. I'm just starting to explore the possibility of buying a hammock and was looking for advice. I've done some research and watched a few videos on youtube - shug, athiking1, and a few others - talking about the wonders of hammock camping and am definitely interested. I am 6'1" and about 175 lbs. I don't get out in the woods as much as I'd like to, but I do want to be sure that I can count on my equipment when I do head out. I came across the byer moskito hammock and it seemed like a good place to start. I'm trying to be as frugal as possible and the price seemed right for what it had to offer.

However, I don't want to buy something like the moskito or a similar set up only to find that I haven't really saved any $ because I can't use it. Am I better off saving up a little more $ or will the moskito work well enough for me to be comfortable and give me a nice hammock camping experience?

Any advice/guidance is greatly appreciated.

**Roadtorque** · 06-25-2009, 22:44

"Well enough" means different things to different people. I bought a cheap hammock to test the waters. After finding I liked it I bought a nicer one. The byer will work "well enough" but might not be your best bet for long term, heavy use. If you are a believer in the term "you get what you pay for" that might explain why the byer is $40 bucks and most commercial hammocks users on this forum own are well over $100. Describe to us what you will do with your hammock, how often you will use it, and features that are important to you (bug net, top loader, light weight) and we can provide better guidance. Welcome to the forum

**sclittlefield** · 06-26-2009, 06:56

Also, check out this thread: Hammock Setups by Price Range

**lori** · 06-26-2009, 07:04

Welcome to the forum.

The Byer seemed to me to increase likelihood of hopeless tangling of the end ropes. There's that old saying, what can go wrong, will go wrong - I think someone has cursed me with this, so like to keep my gear pretty simple and goof proof.

there are any number of ways to get a good hammock for cheap - look in the 4 sale forum, look on google shopping - I see the travel hammock is on sale at Campmor for twenty bucks....

Also take into consideration that any hammock automatically works better than a tent, to our way of thinking.

Check out the forums for the different types of hammocks, I believe there's one for the Byer.

**Just Jeff** · 06-26-2009, 21:26

I bought some Byer Moskito hammocks and found them completely unusable. The material and lines stretched so much that I never felt stable or comfortable in the hammock. And the lines got tangled on the first setup...which may have affected the lay of the hammock somewhat.

Just one opinion - I'd stay away from that model.

**MedicineMan** · 06-26-2009, 22:16

I use the Byer Moskito hammocks for storage of down quilts/sleeping bags/parkas,etc. They do well in that role giving the items room to expand and loft and plenty of air circulation.