a beginner hammock simply belongs to or is being used by a beginner. expert hammocks are a myth and therefore commonly used by bigfoot, unicorns and chupacabre at their annual mythical creature hang. or perhaps, an expert hammock is simply one being used by someone who has dialed in their sleep/shelter system to best meet their needs? Our awesome industry of cottage vendors make "custom" hammocks which are no more or less difficult to use than an off the shelf hammock. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it HYOH.