$200 in plus turtledog stands and I have almost full gear for four people. It is affordable if you are willing to repurpose other gear or go heavier than ultralight.
I would like to clarify that I think this is a great article, and that I was not knocking anything it said. I was simply making light of how easy it is to spend a wad of money getting your hammock set up nicely.
Owl made a good point. When I started purchasing all of my hammock gear, I already had extensive tent camping gear. So in my mind, all of this expense was in additional to that. However, if I calculate the cost of my tent, sleeping bag, bag liner, ground pad, etc, there would not be as much difference.
Also, several people have made another good observation. I quoted affordability as the #1 reason...it was #10.
More leaders and scouts in my troop are making the switch to hammocks. It's quite appealing. I haven't slept in a tent for nearly 2 years. I even fabricated a Turtledog stand to use when we camped at Cape Hatteras last weekend.
It never ends. Lol
My channel www.youtube.com/jstevens2010
Never ends, that's true. I'm pretty well set up, certainly don't *need* anything else, well maybe a bug net..... In my case, a few years ago I replaced our heavy car camping tent for a lighter, 2 man, backpacking tent. REI Passage 2 on sale for $99, right about 5 lbs all in. It's been used about a dozen times and is a great tent. Over the past 18 months, however, I have spent a bit over $200 outfitting my son and I in hammocks, that together weigh the same as the $99 tent. We are using our existing pads and sleeping bags for insulation. So cheaper, not really, but the comfort level is well worth the money spent so far. We both agreed after our last trip that it's the best night sleep we've had on a camping trip.
Obviously, that affordability does not take into Dutch and his fortress of goodies.
Thanks for pointing that one out. I'm trying to get a buddy of mine, local SM, to give hammocks a swing.
73 de W4BKR
Not all who wander are lost... - J.R.R. Tolkein
...Besides, if we get lost, we just pull in somewheres and ask directions - Captain Ron
The ever striving gram weenie...always updated with the next trip
That sums it up for me. Since switching to a hammock: back, hip and shoulder pain...gone. Spacial restrictions of a mummy bag...gone.
I have spent...I mean invested...a lot of money on down quilts and a cuben tarp, but I made it fine with a ground pad and Hennessy tarp in the beginning. However, I couldn't backpack in cold weather with that setup. It was just too bulky and heavy.
Just for giggles, I did a few quick searches to compile a very light and cheap hammock setup for a newbie. This is similar to how I started, although the brands were slightly different. I used my starter setup for a few years and was very comfortable. Of course we can always spend more to get the "best" and/or to camp in more extreme conditions.
Grand Trunk UltraLight Hammock
http://www.amazon.com/Grand-Trunk-Ul.../dp/B001AIHB76
cost: $20
weight: 12 oz
8x10 Blue poly tarp
http://www.amazon.com/Multi-Purpose-.../dp/B005DMLAIQ
cost: $10
weight: 15.2 oz
Marmot Trestle 30 Sleeping Bag
http://www.rei.com/product/828305/ma...0-sleeping-bag
cost: $99
weight: 3lb 7oz
Gossamer Gear wide ccf pad
http://gossamergear.com/sleeping/thi...tion-pads.html
cost: $39
weight: 12.2 oz
Total Cost: $168
Total weight: 94.4 oz (5.9lbs)
"There's a whisper on the night-wind, there's a star agleam to guide us, And the Wild is calling, calling . . . let us go." -from "The Call of the Wild" by Robert Service
My Trail log: http://ducttapeadk.blogspot.com/
When it comes to camping gear, EBAY is my friend. I got a Hennessey Hammock and hex tarp, both used of course, for about $80.00, and use a couple of Thermarest pads for my bottom insulation and my sleeping bag zipped open for my top quilt. I have been comfortable at temps down to 10 degrees. This is something a Scout can do. They sell $20.00 dollar hammocks at the trading post of our council summer camp, and I tend to see more and more scouts using them for the week of summer camp. I think that it is this forum that encourages the huge amounts to be spent for gear, as people see what the next guy uses and a sort of lust rises in their hearts.
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