Sticker Shock

[draco_1967]

I'm totally with you on this. I also camp off of my motorcycle. Last year was my first trip with a hammock. I have the woot special hammock, and I used an Ozark Trail pad and a cheap but pretty dang warm synthetic mummy bag. My tarp is a Noah's Tarp 12 (which is great!). It worked well enough down to 26*. I supplemented my bottom insulation with my riding jacket to keep my shoulders warm. This Christmas I bought myself a UGQ 20* UQ, and the difference in comfort (being able to move and readjust easily vs pad), warmth, and packing size is 100% worth it. I haven't ever really had a high-end tent/pad/sleeping bag combo before though, so I didn't feel like I was buying redundant gear. My plan is to eventually start DIYing my gear, starting with a tarp that packs smaller than the Noah's 12.

[genixia]

The cost of a 800FP down 0 degree TQ and UQ set from our cottage vendors is comparable with that of high end ground dweller gear. A good hammock setup is comparable to the cost of mid range ground pads, and tarps to tents. I think you'd have a shock trying to get into high end ground dwelling gear too. Quality goose down is expensive.

I just priced out an undergroundquilts.com 0f quilt set. I specified a full length TQ, 800FP with 5oz overstuff; and a 55" wide 78" long TQ with 3oz overstuff and it came to a shade under $570. You have a selection of colors for both the interior and exterior fabrics (if my math is correct, 147 selectable combinations) , you can tweak the length of each to be longer or shorter to suit your needs, and you can make the TQ narrower or tapered if you're one of those lucky people whose waistline hasn't caught up with them yet. You can even change the footbox type. Their customer service is highly respected, and you'll get gear that is personalized to you. I dare say you could find comparable offerings from other vendors you'll find here.

The cheapest 0f 800FP down sleeping bag at rei.com (Mountain Hardwear Phantom +0, regular length) is $580. MH won't have a clue who you are and wouldn't care less to find out. It comes in red.

[bravoniner]

I guess I should mention that I already have a hammock on the way. I went with a Grand Trunk Skeeter Beater Pro because of the bug net, which I think will be a must here in Coastal Georgia, plus I can flip it over and use it as a double layer in the winter. I bought it before seeing some of the quality work from some of our members here. Right now even some of the budget tarps are out of my price range. I'm looking at the Kelty Noah 12, but even that might have to wait for pay day.

Tarp-
I just got the kelty noah 12 and compared to the price of some of the others it is a great savings. Beyond worth the money for a starter tarp. $70 for a 12x12 compared to $200 and up. With some minor sewing skills you could easily sew on velcro for removable doors.
Underquilt-
look for the poncho liner underquilt DIY. I use a poncho liner in the Army all the time and they are plenty warm. I'm going to do mine with 2 and climashield sandwiched between for New York winters. $12-25 a poncho liner and roughly $25 for the climashield.
Suspension-
It can be cheap. check dutchware for straps $6 a set. Buy whoopies or make them to save money. $12 a set or $5 for 25 feet of amsteel and make them your self.
Top quilt-
Use an old mummy bag. Use the bottom like a foot box and lay it over you just like a top quilt.
Bug net-
You have that covered with the SBP.

Anything I'm missing guys?

[IRONFISH45]

I'm new to this whole hammock thing and have found it to be quite entertaining so far, but why is everything so expensive!?!?! I'm one of those guys where if I'm going to do something I want to do it right, but with these prices I'm going to be forced to come up with alternate solutions. I'd love to run out and grab a nice UQ, or super light weight and durable tarp, but instead I'll be making a run to Harbor Freight to pick up wool blankets and a cheap poly tarp...I guess this is how DIYers are born...

SURPRISE! DIY IS NOT REALLY CHEAP! Most of us DIY because we like to, normally it does not save money. There are ways to get started, as others have suggested, Dutch hammocks, maybe a DIY tarp, if you already own or have access to a thread injector and have some basic thread injecting skills and room to work. Yes, accidents do happen, sew two things together that should not be sewn together is one common problem. Several of us have put a needle into our finger sewing in a tight place, things like that happen.

Read though some of the prior posts find creative ways to stretch your $ and find the gear that suits your needs. By the way most of us have several hammocks, why? Because we keep tuning in what we like, taste almost always changes as we grow.

[hang em high]

A good tent and 2 sleeping bags (one 3 season and one winter) and a pad can easily set you back $600 or more and you're sleeping on the ground. I have less than that invested in 4 seasons of pure comfort.

[hutzelbein]

Tarp-
I just got the kelty noah 12 and compared to the price of some of the others it is a great savings. Beyond worth the money for a starter tarp. $70 for a 12x12 compared to $200 and up. With some minor sewing skills you could easily sew on velcro for removable doors.

If you don't mind the weight and bulk, the Noah 12 is a good tarp and it will save you some money. But I don't know any silnylon tarps that cost $200 and up. Most winter tarps from the cottage gear vendors are between $130 and $150. Of course they are not 12' x 12', but I have never needed a tarp that's 12' wide.

[sidneyhornblower]

There's a heck of a lot of good advice in this thread already. Not sure I can contribute the same caliber, but I haven't seen this specific suggestion yet so....

For about $160 or so you could get a Hennessey and have essentially a complete system minus insulation. You'd have the hammock, suspension including tree straps, bug net and tarp. The assumption is that you already have a sleeping bag and maybe even a pad since you indicate you've camped before (I think). Use what you already own to stay warm while you research what you want. If you don't have a pad, my suggestion is a CCF cheapo so you can cut it in two pieces (fits better in the hammock that way). I have my pad wrapped in a DIY SPE (segmented pad extender). The other alternative is a PLUQ (poncho liner under quilt) but I'm not quite as confident of my pluqing as I am of my padding.

I've taken that exact pad setup down to 30 F with extra layers of clothing. It's cool but workable. Down to 40 it's no problem at all.
It lets me get better at hammocking while I save for what I really want.

[DuctTape]

Before all the cottage vendors existed, us hammockers either learned to utilize what was available and/or made our own. The expensive options didnt exist. My first year Iused a single layer traveller hammock, my sleeping bag, truck window sunshade and the rainfly from my eureka timberline tent. Cost was minimal due to having most on hand. My first diy was a silnylon tarp, then I purchased a "better" hammock. My gear has changed more over the years, but I was plenty comfortable and happy back in the day, so I didnt need to get newer stuff. The best part of those earlier years is I learned a lot about different items and how they worked together for me. When one is requiredto improvize, the experience is a great teacher. I gues my rambling point is, one doesnt need to buy the ferrari to travel and enjoy the ride. Sure the ferrari is awesome, but it isnt necessary.

[Wkerber]

If you have access to a sewing machine and can sew a straight line, have a little time and patience, you can save yourself a few bucks and know that you made your entire setup. I just finished a silnylon tarp with a 12 ft ridge line for a total cost of around $55. I did it over 2 weekends while I watching football on TV. Since you're in the south like me, you can get by on all but the few coldest days of the year with a quilt set made out of 5.0 climashield and 1.1 nylon. You can knock out a hammock in a few hours and a fronkey-styled bugnet in about the same.
If you don't have the time or sewing machine, I'd go the sleeping pad and sleeping bag route. I slept fine using it for awhile. I just did all the DIY gear to entertain myself. Lot of people spend a lot of money on gear just because they want it and there's nothing wrong with that, if that's how you want to spend you $$.

[cataraftgirl]

I just got a new ground set-up for the times when trees/hammock aren't possible.
Sierra Designs Lightning 2 person UL tent on sale $200 + Exped Synmat 7 pad $140 = $340

Hammock (Trek Light double) + tarp (WL Big Daddy 144 RL) + UQ (AHE Jarbidge from the HF For Sale Forum) = $280

TQ/sleeping bag are a toss up so I didn't count them in the cost.