HangCon '18 is on the books!

[Spiguyver]

The full video is now up! Go enjoy it and relive the awesomeness that was HangCon 2018!

[Floridahanger]

Just finished watching the vid, Spiguyver.

Great job on capturing a lot of what makes HangCon such a success. And yes, Sunday night Supper is a layed back fun time and Monday morning is unbelievably relaxed in such a beautiful setting. Almost a shame that so many folk cannot stay due to traveling constraints.

And also thank you for taking us on a tour of a lot of folks sites. It's been since Florida Hang 3 (HangCon 2018 is FH8) since I've been able to make a "Tour of Homes" and see other's setups. Maybe that will be a focus of mine for next year, a planned "Tour of Homes".

[Timberrr]

Just watched all of the videos...
...WOW...

Thank you everyone for sharing your experience, and sharing your perspective!
And thank you for acknowledging the contributions of our vendors - without whom HangCon would be something less than it is.

Thank you everyone who came to HangCon for a few minutes or a few days. You are what HangCon is about. And you are officially part of the family now, so you're all invited to HangCon '19. Mark your calendars: January 18-21, 2019! See you there!!

[Spiguyver]

Just watched all of the videos...
...WOW...

Thank you everyone for sharing your experience, and sharing your perspective!
And thank you for acknowledging the contributions of our vendors - without whom HangCon would be something less than it is.

Thank you everyone who came to HangCon for a few minutes or a few days. You are what HangCon is about. And you are officially part of the family now, so you're all invited to HangCon '19. Mark your calendars: January 18-21, 2019! See you there!!

Thanks for all the hard work you guys put in, and a special thank you for allowing me the interview!

[stanbiker]

Awesome photos. Looks like a fun weekend! Where did you find the small thermometer?

[greidam]

Thank you Sugarland Distilling Company for your contribution to the raffle table. My lucky number claimed one of your goodie boxes. I'm sorry I didn't have a chance to look you up and thank you before I left. I'm still on my way home, but I look forward to sampling my prize when I get there.

You are very welcome. Sorry we didn't get to meet. PM me if you ever make your way to Gatlinburg for a tour of the distillery.

[greidam]

Hello everybody,

I finally discovered the post trip thread. I thought it was a bit strange nobody was posting anything after the trip. Anyway, Jen and I had an amazing time and loved meeting so many wonderful people. A really big thank you to Timber, Gumbo, and your minions that helped you pull it all together. It truly is impressive how you organize and execute an event that can accomodate so many people so harmoniously. Our only regret was not being able to meet everybody. After watching some of the videos, we realize how many people we didn't get to meet. We spent a lot of time during the days tinkering with our setup in trying to make a single person tarp work for a two hammock setup. Thanks so much to Dutch, Alex and the crew. The Double Dutch is the perfect solution for couples. Without it, I'm not sure Jen would hammock camp with me again, but being able to sleep side-by-side, comfortably, and under a joint bug net, gave her the security to sleep soundly and enjoy the experience. Now I can't wait to work with Ripstop By the Roll and UGQ to fix our tarp situation.

Thanks for all the kind words about the shine. It was a pleasure to be able to share it and thanks for all the "stories in every jar." However, I do appologize to anybody that may have been disturbed by the stories being told, and made, a little too loud and long into the night.

If anybody finds themselves wandering through Gatlinburg, TN, please let me know so I can say hi and personally show you around.

We hope to see everybody again next year. If anybody has any other hangs to recommend, definitely let me know. Particularly if they are in TN or relatively close.

[Floridahanger]

Awesome photos. Looks like a fun weekend! Where did you find the small thermometer?

It was an awesome weekend. Or most of a week for me. This hang is not to be missed.

The thermometer is probably from Walmart. That's where I few of us got ours, $5. For less than $10, you can get the double that has the transmitter and receiver for inside/outside temps.

Hello everybody,

I finally discovered the post trip thread. I thought it was a bit strange nobody was posting anything after the trip. Anyway, Jen and I had an amazing time and loved meeting so many wonderful people. A really big thank you to Timber, Gumbo, and your minions that helped you pull it all together. It truly is impressive how you organize and execute an event that can accomodate so many people so harmoniously. Our only regret was not being able to meet everybody. After watching some of the videos, we realize how many people we didn't get to meet. We spent a lot of time during the days tinkering with our setup in trying to make a single person tarp work for a two hammock setup. Thanks so much to Dutch, Alex and the crew. The Double Dutch is the perfect solution for couples. Without it, I'm not sure Jen would hammock camp with me again, but being able to sleep side-by-side, comfortably, and under a joint bug net, gave her the security to sleep soundly and enjoy the experience. Now I can't wait to work with Ripstop By the Roll and UGQ to fix our tarp situation.

Thanks for all the kind words about the shine. It was a pleasure to be able to share it and thanks for all the "stories in every jar." However, I do appologize to anybody that may have been disturbed by the stories being told, and made, a little too loud and long into the night.

If anybody finds themselves wandering through Gatlinburg, TN, please let me know so I can say hi and personally show you around.

We hope to see everybody again next year. If anybody has any other hangs to recommend, definitely let me know. Particularly if they are in TN or relatively close.

Greg and Jen, it was sure a great time visiting with yall and I'm so glad you got to stay and enjoy together what the hang is all about. That double under one net sure did look extremely comfortable.

One day, you're gonna have to tell us about your trip to the other side of the lake. I'll make a nice cozy fire and we can share a little shine while you tell us all about it.

[ChinoUSMC]

This was not only my first HangCon, but also my very first hang. The last time I went camping was back in Boy Scouts in ’91. I did some research for a year, bought some gear (hammock, cooking supplies, and other miscellaneous items) during that time. I even bought an under quilt, thinking I would be prepared for this trip. I practiced setting up my HH Survivalist (bottom entry), 2” tree straps, and the Monsoon Tarp, but it was set up in perfection conditions… which would be my mistake. I’ll explain in a moment. Since I’m a beacon to nearly all mosquitoes, I opted for bottom entry. I also got the Jack’s R Better 20* UQ, specifically designed for that hammock (bottom entry). My backup tarp is the Kelty Noah 12’.

I arrived Thursday afternoon. I found a spot I thought was good enough to set up, not realizing the spot I picked used to be where horses were staged when the last camping group came through. The area was mixed with hay and some horse fertilizer. Since I would be off the ground, it was not a big deal. After my setup, I went to sign up and introduce myself to Timber, Gumbo, and met several others (please forgive me as I have not remembered everyone’s names.

Now to the good part. It rained. It wasn’t for several minutes, but a couple of hours (on/off). After the rain let up, I went back to my hammock. The second I got in and applied weight to it, my butt slowly hit the floor. I was… well… floored. I did not understand how this could have happened. I went back to the mess hall and asked around for advice. Lil’ Ricky and several others came over, analyzed my setup, and asked me several questions. Turned out the factory suspension was prone to stretch when wet, much to my dissatisfaction. After some debate, Lil’ Ricky helped me out by adding a modification of Dutch buckles and straps, just to get me off the ground for the night. Sure enough, it worked. It was a little cold that evening, but I did not feel like setting up an under quilt at 0300 hours.

The next morning, I went to the mess hall and thanked Lil’ Ricky for the assistance. That’s where I met Dutch. Dutch heard about my problem and offered to teach me how to make whoopie slings. Granted, it’s a weird name for a suspension line, and I’ve heard the name before, but I knew nothing about them. Dutch showed me the steps (granted my first time, I forgot some of the steps already), and in 10 minutes, I had two whoopie slings. He told me to grab my hammock and bring it to the mess hall. After I came back, he took out the wet suspension lines and replaced them with the whoopie slings. He also offered me the first use of the Mantis buckles and the new black/blue Spider Web tree straps. I was amazed at how easy it was to set up everything. I got back in the HH, albeit cautiously, and was thrilled at how solid the setup was. I could not thank Dutch enough for helping me out with the setup. I had another hammocker(sp?) tell me my trail name could be “Grounder” or “Ground Pounder,” but it was given as a suggestion. After my setup, I took the time to mix and mingle with some great people. As night time grew near, it was getting colder. I attached the underquilt and went to sleep. I woke up in the middle of the night for a head call (navy/Marine thermology for bathroom). Sleeping in a regular bed, I rarely make head calls. In the hammock… that’s a different story. I found myself going more often, sometimes twice in one night. So I woke up, listening to the heavy snores from my neighbors (I thought it was a bear at first). As soon as I exited out of the HH bottom entry, the hook-n-loop separation was very loud, enough so that my neighbors stopped snoring. If that wasn’t bad enough, I had to separate the bottom entry to the Jacks’R’Better, making another loud ripping sound. I had to do this twice in one night. The next In addition to that, the Monsoon Tarp with the hook-in-loop blast doors also made the same ripping sounds that traveled in the still, quiet night. The next morning, I realized I was not thrilled with the hook-in-loop fashion. I sought advice from experienced hammockers again. During the conversations, I realized my hammock was smaller than most, and compared to other setups in camp, my tarp was very small as well. I was told Dutch had the Chameleon hammock setup, and I was egged on by others on site to get one. The power of persuasion got me to drop on the new hammock. I tore down everything Hennessey, and replaced it with the Chameleon and the Kelty setup. I also attached the JRB UQ, just to get me through the night. Well, it kind of did, to a point. The temperatures dropped below 30* and I was partially cold in my feet and head. I realized the JRB was designed for the smaller HH. The next night called for similar temperatures, and I could not stay for one more night, sadly.

It was truly an experience, but I was disappointed to spend so much time adjusting, readjusting, modifying, only to turn around and buy a new hammock and readjust again. I never got the chance to test the rest of my gear or spend more time getting to know everyone there. On the flip side, it was better to figure out my failures during HangCon ’18, with experience hangers than finding out during a solo hang in the woods for the weekend. Aside from the hiccups from my setup, I had a great time. I got to place faces with the online names, ran into a retired Capt from the agency I work with (small world), made new friends, and experienced the generosity of those willing to help others in need. I am looking forward to HangCon ’19.

I forgot to mention the food. The food was excellent, and I have to mention the coconut oatmeal, bear scat dessert, and the shrimp were my favorite dishes.

Special thanks again to Timber and Gumbo, Lil’Ricky, Dutch (many, many thanks), T-Rex and the Mikes’, my fellow Marines I’ve met, and to those names that I couldn’t remember, but I’d recognize your faces again when I see them next time. You all have made my very first hang (and first HangCon) a wonderful experience.

Semper Fi!


Sat night/Sun morning. It got down to 29* in my area, according to Garmin’s external Temperature Sensor. My truck said it was 27*


My original setup with HH Survivalist w/ Monsoon




My pack cover with frost on it


My new Chameleon Setup


30-something degrees at the time.


My new suspension, thanks to Dutch.


Really good chili with extra hot sauce.


My awesome neighbors, even though some of them sounded like bears overnight. Lol.

[PapaSmurf]

Thank you very much to Floridahanger for taking all us rookies on the Dream Hammock crew on our very first kayaking trip up at Silver Springs. In the past, we've always been too bust to go on this trip, but Floridahanger invited us down a day early and promised us a day filled with fun, monkeys & gators. We had loads of fun and saw 6 gators during our paddle, but unfortunately we missed the monkeys this year. Looks like we're just gonna have to go back and try again next year!