If you could turn back time...

[Tortie]

Pads suck, skimpy tarps suck, and too-short hammocks suck.

I have definitely heard enough of this sentiment to be on the band wagon. One time I tried my inflatable on the inside and didn't hate it, but didn't love it either. However, I did modify a pod with a pad on top to experiment and crash in the yard. That surprisingly worked out really well, but I don't think that its a common system. At least I haven't seen anyone else here try it yet.

Welcome to hammocking and HammockForums, from Florida.

Yup, a tarp with doors is for me, AND I have been wanting to like a Asym or Hex tarp.

That, and I wish a Fronkey bugnet was available when I first started. Maybe a Half-Wit style bugnet is next to see which I like better.

Thanks for the warm welcome!
I feel like the benefit of doors would cover the cost and weight for me. The last thing that I want is to be under prepared. Bugnets are something I haven't done much looking into yet, although I do like the wbbb xlc.

I now have JRB quilts and would buy them all over again.

Knots. I learned to tie a bunch of different ones and while I still use them, I wish I had just moved on to Dutchware earlier. Would have saved me a whole lot of learning curve with my knots.

Almost got the Mt. Washington 4, but hesitated and missed the sale I do like that JRB have a great reputation and are located so close to me. Now I'm torn between JRB, Enlightened equipment, and HG all would be the full length 0 deg.
I do have a few knots down, mostly for kites and general bushcraft, but I definitely intend on keeping Dutch in business.

Your going to spend more but you won't find any more quality than the vendors listed in this forum. Most of these guys (families) will even email and answer phones on the weekend. That's service you can't find anywhere else.
Second regret is buying without taking weight into account. I purchased so much Gear when I started out based on reviews, looks and price that I never really noticed how heavy everything is till you added it all up for a trip. Since then I've become such a 'gram weenie' but in the end my hiking experience is so much better without the heavy pack. Biggest advice is save up for quality Gear, use the vendors on the forum, don't be afraid to ask questions and most of all...Have fun with it. I enjoy the Hammock community and love spending time personalizing and talking Gear.
Oh, and follow Shugs videos

100% my game plan. Cottage vendors are the first place I'm looking to give my business to.
When I was younger, I did a good deal of hiking and backpacking with my mom. Then it was mostly car camping and even stealth van camping (I do hang inside my van though). Now I have got to get back out there. I'm not ready to cut my toothbrush yet, but I'm not trying to haul the kitchen sink either.
And yes, I have learned a ton from watching that crazy carnie.

I bought the Mamajamba tarp rather than just buying a Superfly, thinking I would just add the door kit later for the winter... Didn't realize the advantage of the door coverage when the tarp is set up in porch mode.

See, I kept thinking about the doors for more versatile protection from wind, rain and snow and now you just gave it another plus I had completely forgotten about. Thanks!

I still consider myself new, but I do wish I had gotten tarp snake skins when I got the tarp. My sister wouldn't have been as entertained during windy set ups, but my life would have been easier.

I liked the idea of them for ease of setup and organization, but that seals the deal. I just had a vision of getting whipped in the eye with some zingit tie downs.

Big tarp for cold or stormynight to postage stamp to just keep dew & spiders off.

Does it really help all that much with the dew if you aren't all buttoned up?

IF I STARTED TODAY, knowing what i know now, i would go.....

Dutch 11 foot hammock w/ ridgeline.
Dutch web/clip/whoopee-hook/spider suspension
12 foot cuben tarp.
0* full length UQ and TQ
3lb or less pack

So this is pretty much *exactly* what I am looking to get at the moment. Doors on the Tarp, and I'm not sure about the suspension. I've been sorting through the different options from Dutch and I'm just not sure about all of the pros and cons for each yet. I've seen videos on how the different titanium goodies work, just not what the best setup would best for me.
Later I would also like to get a bridge hammock, maybe a RR and a WBBB XLC.

I wish (and it's still on my list) that I had gone to a group hang. Since everything is so personal, it requires some trial, which for me came in the form of some DIY tablecloths, and more purchases (many of which have since been sold or given away). How else would I know if I prefer a stretchier or stiffer hammock body fabric? Even a group hang wouldn't be the perfect answer since I find it generally requires a couple of days to figure out how you truly feel about the purchase, but I think it could have taken at least SOME of the initial guesswork away.

Hopefully I can get out there to a few this year. Another member (in my intro post)mentioned one a few hours away from me a week from now. I have to get ready for a convention the following weekend so I don't know that I can make it, but I am really going to try!

put Dutchware on your favorites list and you can't go wrong!!

its a cult, I'm sure of it!

[slbear]

I started out with a HH hex fly, then a superfly, or was it the Zpacks asym diamond. In any case I have a HG standard cuben tarp with doors awaiting it's maiden voyage.

I never tried a pad, but I have tried a PLUQ and a DIY UQ, followed by a Phoenix and now an HG incubator.

I could have gone straight to my last purchases, but like others will hold onto some of my intermediate gear. It will get good use by my son or when I don't need a full tarp or UQ. Some of my first purchases were to spend the minimal amount to try hammock camping. Maybe I could skip those with hindsight or better if I could have borrowed from a fellow hammocker. At least now I might help someone else along the same path.

[Tortie]

I have a lot of gear and few regrets. I made some bad purchases on the for sale forum. I don't seem to part with anything though. I have a new Shelltawee Boone hammock that has become my goto hammock for winter.

In the past I have seen friends and family get burned on online classified purchases so I rarely will take to risk. This goes with my learn from others mistakes theme and I like to buy second hand items almost exclusively in person. Its just easier/safer all around.
I haven't seen the Shelltawee boone yet. Now I have to check it out!
Thanks for all for the gear by the way. I don't have any just yet, but I will!

Like some of the posts above I don't know that I would have changed much. Every purchase was part of my learning experience and there is a lot of value in that, at least to me. I do wish I had discovered Dutchwaregear.com sooner. My first hammock was an ENO DN (which I still have).....
They make great lounging hammocks when car camping and I don't have to worry about my kids destroying my nice hammocks now.

Once I settle on a few different rigs my niece and nephew will be able to use my few ENO setups. Keep the natives from swinging on the new kit.

I enjoyed and am still enjoying the fun of hammock trials and tribulations. Same goes for stoves, backpacks, camp and hiking clothes, boots, meals, cameras, doo-dads and whatnots and all the accoutrement collected through the comfort quest. Money and time well spent. Fun, excercise, places revealed, self discovery, mad money spent, life changing. Would not change a thing.
Shug the Sap

How do we know what works, if we don't try? I am looking forward to every step (and stumble) along the way.
And tonight on Hammock forums, a romanticized retrospective of one mans hammocking journey featuring Shug the Sap...
Seriously though, thank you so very much for putting all of the time and energy into making your videos so entertaining and informative. They pulled me down the rabbit hole of camp hammocks and made me miss my R key toting carnie folk even more.

Great. Now no one needs to read this forum! You've said it all!

Welcome to the forum!

I have to say, I a buy once, cry once kind of gal too, and what I did was just read and reread everything, repeatedly, comparing it to what I know about me, and noted which things said resonated with me. I have used a sleeping bag peapod style for two years (tried the pad I had laying around once after the first year - never again, not for me) and am waiting on a new underquilt that I know I'll love because I tried someone else's.
Happy Hanging!

Great minds think alike! Thank you the warm welcome. I'm picking apart everyones gear and methods so I can keep trying out new things.

[KiwiMark]

If I could turn back time I would have not bought my expensive tent and instead started on the path to hammock camping a bit earlier.

But when I decided to try out hammock camping I bought a Yukon hammock on special for $20 because it was vital for me to learn if I liked sleeping in a hammock before diving into the rabbit hole. I can't see how it makes sense to spend hundreds without first establishing if you like hanging in a hammock.
Luckily it turned out that I was a person that finds hanging more comfortable, especially since I have never had a good restful night in a tent.

Now I am very happy with my Warbonnet hammock (BB XLC) and tarp (Superfly) as well as with my Hammock Gear UQ (Incubator 20). I have no regrets at all over those purchases but I still have more stuff to buy, for example I really want an Incubator 40 for warmer weather hanging - I made a PLUQ but it packs considerably bigger than my Incubator 20 while being less warm. I don't really need a lot more than that though, maybe a few more titanium goodies from Dutch but mostly I've got my setup pretty good.

[gargoyle]

Two hooks in the wall.
A convenient place to practice at home has done me more good than any other gear. I could nap, fit new hammocks and quilts, even deploy tarps. Hanging indoors can be done several ways. Hook into the walls or ceiling (if structurally sound) or a stand. Indoors, I had a dedicated sleeper. But it was simple to unclip that hammock and toss in a new version. And lots of fun!! And countless naps..

I cant recommend a stand or home hanging spot enough. Hanging outside in suburban situations is a struggle with barking dogs and cars passing by, etc.. But it does give you some practical outdoor experience.
The simplicity of "hey, its nice out..I'm gonna hang today" or "oh goodie, a rainstorm, I can test my tarp set up" without having to drive to the woods is priceless.

Did I mention naps?..
Create your own home hammock haven.

[BanjoPicker]

Now I hope at least one of you has Cher stuck in their head.

Well, I guess it was me. I.HATE.YOU

[Ozipit]

Well, I guess it was me. I.HATE.YOU

...Annnd there it is in my head all day also...

I started out here about a month or so ago but lurked for a while.. I did and continue to study bushcraft. It is awesome to walk through the woods and harvest a meal for the night or greens. mushrooms and other fungi to add to that meal you plan on cooking. I learned about buying twice and paying the price very well during this challenge with bushcrafting and I have now graduated to hammock camping by making the jump this fall.. Seemed a natural progression to me.. I aim to blend the two genres because once a bushcrafter, always a bushcrafter... Just a whole LOT lighter now!

George Washington Sears was the original ultralight back packer... His "tramping" stories and outdoor adventures were legend back in the day.. A true MUST READ... Even for all of us here .. You will love his philosophy and gear (or, lack of) that he carried,

With all of that said, I owe Shug some thanks and wish he would do more videos .. Hickory and him are hysterical to watch and those trip vids are my favs.. I also owe you all a HUGE "thank you" for threads like this.. Like I said, I refuse to "reinvent the wheel" and studied all of your posts. I also agree with getting cottage industry products. I went with the WBB XLC and HG 0 degree all wrapped up in a 2QZQ QP .. all Epsilon Multicam (blame that on my military background )

I am in the process of deciding what HG Cuben tarp I want and what works best for my needs with an 11 foot hammock (room to move/weather etc).. Really looking hard at the HG Winter Palace in camo but I can't decide the proper length.. Some say a 12 footer is too long because of selecting proper distance between trees but trees are plentiful here in the Adirondack mountains as well as deep cold and snow.. I plan on using this setup for deep hunting trips into the mts during fall and it can get pretty cold up there.. But the main focus is getting out there into "the piney woods" and doing some serious backpacking on some of the great trails we have in this great United States..

Look forward to your advice and, like I said MORE SHUG VIDEOS!! lol .. with Hickory also pleas!

[Shug]

...Annnd there it is in my head all day also...

I started out here about a month or so ago but lurked for a while.. I did and continue to study bushcraft. It is awesome to walk through the woods and harvest a meal for the night or greens. mushrooms and other fungi to add to that meal you plan on cooking. I learned about buying twice and paying the price very well during this challenge with bushcrafting and I have now graduated to hammock camping by making the jump this fall.. Seemed a natural progression to me.. I aim to blend the two genres because once a bushcrafter, always a bushcrafter... Just a whole LOT lighter now!

George Washington Sears was the original ultralight back packer... His "tramping" stories and outdoor adventures were legend back in the day.. A true MUST READ... Even for all of us here .. You will love his philosophy and gear (or, lack of) that he carried,

With all of that said, I owe Shug some thanks and wish he would do more videos .. Hickory and him are hysterical to watch and those trip vids are my favs.. I also owe you all a HUGE "thank you" for threads like this.. Like I said, I refuse to "reinvent the wheel" and studied all of your posts. I also agree with getting cottage industry products. I went with the WBB XLC and HG 0 degree all wrapped up in a 2QZQ QP .. all Epsilon Multicam (blame that on my military background )

I am in the process of deciding what HG Cuben tarp I want and what works best for my needs with an 11 foot hammock (room to move/weather etc).. Really looking hard at the HG Winter Palace in camo but I can't decide the proper length.. Some say a 12 footer is too long because of selecting proper distance between trees but trees are plentiful here in the Adirondack mountains as well as deep cold and snow.. I plan on using this setup for deep hunting trips into the mts during fall and it can get pretty cold up there.. But the main focus is getting out there into "the piney woods" and doing some serious backpacking on some of the great trails we have in this great United States..

Look forward to your advice and, like I said MORE SHUG VIDEOS!! lol .. with Hickory also pleas!

Hey.....I have 406 videos out there....doing all I can for a lollygagger.
Hickery and I only get together once a year so that is that on that.
Many here....https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...m-lIoauJ4p6uNt and https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...A47C8FBAB9C49A
OK, back to the point of this thread. Time moves forward.
Carry forth,
Shug the Overworked

[AlanH]

Well just got an 11 ft hammock from Dutch and figured out I needed a bigger tarp. Went with a Superfly and now I'm in the you have everything you need doghouse. I started with ENO still use them and like them. I rarely sell anything because you never know when you might need it in four or five years. Have to second the motion on Shug videos and would like to see a video of what's in Dutch's gear locker, Peter Nyeburg could do another video too along with a couple dozen more people here. The only thing I regret not getting is enough nights in the hammock.
Take care,
Al

[Elementalscape]

Time is an illusion - lunch time, doubly so..

A friend showed me his Hennessy. I had to have one, and my girl obliged one christmas a few years back.
I never really checked anything else out, did next to no research. I was unaware of this forum, Shug, etc.
Also, I had never sewn anything, especially 20' zippers.
This forum got me to dive into DIY pretty deep, and it's been very rewarding.
The hammocks I've made far exceed my Hennessy in terms of comfort and options, and serve up a real sense of accomplishment.