Holiday season issues

[SmokeyBugle]

No one in my family understands the hammocking life that I have grown to love, except my wife, at least I have her on my side. Close friends and family have asked for a list of gift ideas for me but all I can think of is gear I want to try out. The problem is when I tell them "I've had my eye on dutch's new Sidesling, ooo and a pair of titanium dutchclips since I lost one packing up my hammock on the last trip, or 4 yards of the xenon wide because I want to try my hand at making a new tarp" I just get a laugh from them like I'm crazy. I'M NOT CRAZY!

The issue is that I don't like telling them that I would rather money so I can get the oddities from the small vendors because I know they want to get me the actual object but the things I actually want are either so specific it's a weird thing to ask for (ha, 4 yards of fabric), or so expensive that I feel like a burden to even bring it up. I wish that I could send a wishlist to them that they could then buy off of that way we both get what we want.

what do y'all think. Am I being to pedantic?

[OneClick]

Yeah cash is king, but I get people do like having an actual item to wrap up. My family gave into the cash/gift card thing. But at that point we're basically just a bunch of commies, money simply switching hands. There's really no point but we turn a blind eye.

So maybe Dutch and the other vendors need a gift card option; at least it's one step up from cash!

[old4hats]

You sound quiet reasonable to me, but I'm another hanger who gets looked at sideways as well!

[One-Sky]

Nah, not at all! Send them the links of the items that are on your "wish list," and let them choose. A win, win for all!

[GreatBigDave]

Hmmmm, I wonder if ATTroll would be willing to put up a vendor neutral hammock gift registry?

[pgibson]

vendors need a gift card option;

Arrowhead Equipment Gift Certificate for your favorite camping and backpacking gear.png

https://www.arrowhead-equipment.com/.../GiftCard.html


Cough, Cough


LOL


But really I feel you. I have always had a hard time. I know EXACTLY the thing/things that I want/neeeeed and it's always driven my wife and family nuts. X jacket in Y color and size. This stove, or this Hat. Years ago I started giving my wife a list with links because I am "hard to shop for"...I don't think I am hard to shop for, just know what I want and what I don't. They don't make to big of a deal about oddball camping gear to much. She is far more ambiguous and never gives me a list..sometimes one or two general ideas of things. I get in a lot of trouble because she sucks at being secretive and I usually get the delivery at the door and or she just sucks at hiding and I find things stashed in every day spots around the house. But I love her.

[Floridahanger]

Weird is in the eye of the beholder.

I suppose if I thought about it, my extended family may think it, but who's thinking about them Perfectly normal to me.

Many of the Vendors have coupons you can purchase. Not the reloadable CC style of gift card, but that would be cool to see in the Supermarket. A complete Gift Card section for campers full of our Cottage Vendors.

Another choice is you can tell them to get you the reloadable CC from Walmart so you can use that at multiple Vendors.

[dkurfiss]

Links to what I want I send out a set to each person but also tell them I much prefer $$.

[TrailSlug]

I must be lucky. I send links to what I want from Ditch and Warbonnet, and others and my family likes this as it makes it easy to get what I want and eliminating the stress of them trying to figure out what to get.

[sloanie]

In the last couple years I've started using a site called GiftHero.com... you can either put generic requests on your wish list, or you can link to specific items on any store, and there's a little place for you to put notes for things such as quantity, size, color, etc. People can mark a gift as purchased so that others don't buy the same thing (but of course it doesn't tell the owner of the wishlist if it's been bought... not that you couldn't get around that if you really wanted to look.)

Just a thought. I put an item from EE on my GiftHero list along with all the options that needed to be selected.