Hello, I am a brand new member on these forums. I am also new to hammock adventuring and all of its goodness. In a few weeks I'm going away on my first backpacking trip and I wanted to find a hammock to sleep in instead of a tent. I'm going away to the Manistee North Country for two nights and I want to try my hand at hammock camping. So thanks to Google I have been floating around here and some other places in search of a good hammock.
The right fit for me needed to be a reasonable fit and of decent quality. I recently purchased a Hennessy A-sym Explorer through Amazon which I didn't like very much and I couldn't justify the cost of. It was a great hammock but it just wasn't for me. It was too heavy and bulky and I just wanted something more simple and bare bones. Plus the price was just too high for me as a beginner. I figure I'll save my monies until I get super serious and decide that I need all of the included accessories. I returned the Hennessy and was just about to pull the trigger on an ENO DN (simpler, of quality, fun colors, and well-liked) when I was informed of a local hammock maker.
My grandparents told me about an article they read in the newspaper a couple weeks ago. Our local press wrote an article about a freelance field biologist in the area who started a small business making hammocks. She just opened this month. I quickly jumped from the article to her website. On there I found some nice looking hammocks for a really low entry price.
Anna's Hammocks remind me of a cross between the cheap Grand Trunk Ultralight and the nicer ENO Doublenest ($20 for the former and $50-70 for the latter). Made of a high strength Taslan fabric, they measure 9' by 5' which is a little bit shorter and a little bit wider than the Grand Trunk UL. Also unlike the cheaper Grand Trunk UL, this has that certain finish and quality you can only find in a handcrafted product. It feels strong, durable, and most importantly loved. It definitely doesn't feel cheap. It feels like somebody put thought and care into what they were stitching. I do wish it was a bit on the bigger side, like the ENO DN, but it's still a great size for me and I can't wait for my first trip. At a little over a pound, this should do the trick.
This hammock came stuffed in an attached pocket with an attached set of polyester or nylon ropes running through the end channels. I might change out the ropes for something else. Also the stuffable pocket is just that, it doesn't have a drawstring or any way to fasten closed. A solution might be a stuff sack or maybe even a strap or fastener like "velcro". For me and my needs I love that just starting out I found a great, no-frills, locally made hammock for less than $50. Now if I want I can mod it in the future any way I please. Anyway, just thought I would share my experience.
Through my experience I had the pleasure of meeting Anna, her husband John, and their baby girl in person and they were very nice. They gave me tips on how to set up and take care of the hammock. We also chatted about their future ideas for their products. I guess John has mosquito netting attached to his hammock and Anna has had many requests for a camo color. She will do custom orders if you send her a request via e-mail. You can check out their website here www.annashammocks.com and let me know what you think.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks