I have been an avid reader of Hammock Forum since sometime around 2013, but only became a member last year and posted for the first time today. I have been hammock camping for 4 or 5 years now absolutely love it.
Most of my gear is laughable by HF standards. Yes, I still hang with the first ENO setup I bought. Their gear works...and it helps I have a family member who works at an outdoor store who sold me ENO at their cost (less than 1/2 price). I do sport the DD light weight stand that just seems like it is an impossibility.... I am looking forward to elevating my hammock game this year.
This event is what caused me to become an active member:
Spent the night at a State Park last Saturday night with my brother-in-law. He wanted to do a simple cold weather test of his new sleep system before doing a Colorado hike this summer.
We set up camp at 10pm and quickly retreated to our sleeping accommodations to get out of the cold. The night was calm and the sky was crystal clear. I looked forward to falling asleep looking at the stars. Sometime after midnight the wind started...and never let up. A few hours later the wind was gusting to 40mph. I was being rocked side to side in the hammock it felt like I was going to be tossed on to the ground. I was thankful I scanned the tree canopy for widowmakers before selecting my hang site when the wind started howling. In a last ditch effort to get some sleep, I strung up my tarp; hopeful it would deflect some of the wind. It didn't since I was too far off the ground. At this time my brother-in-law was outside his tent tightening the guy lines on his tent, as it was trying to make an escape. The wind continued to beat on our lightweight fabric shelters until day break. I have camped through thunderstorms, but I had never experienced anything quite like that.
Despite the terrible night sleep, the sunrise we witnessed made the howling wind seem trivial. The sky was phenomenal. This is why we do what we do
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Originally Posted by njredneck
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