Brand?

[FLTurtle]

Coleman. Hands down.

[OCDave]

Avoid settling on ONE favorite. Personally, I get a charge out of how many different US cottage vendors are represented in my backpack or canoe pack on every single trip. Challenge yourself to top my number...

Warbonnet Outdoors
Hammock Gear
Mountain Goat
2QZQ
Butt-in-a-Sling
Z-Packs
Wilderness Logics
ULA equipment
Cooke Custom Sewing
Arrowhead equipment
Dream Hammocks
Dutchware Gear
Minibull designs
Whoopie Slings.com
Bank's Fry-bake
Northstar canoe
Agawa Canyon

From Ontario- Fishell Paddles and Badger Paddles

About 3/4 of the above companies, I know the owner's first name and more than 1/2 I have spoke to or e-mailed directedly with questions or clarifications before or after ordering.

[sidneyhornblower]

Avoid settling on ONE favorite. Personally, I get a charge out of how many different US cottage vendors are represented in my backpack...

What OCDave said. Several years back, once I figured this hammock addiction was going to stick, I told somebody that my ultimate goal was to own and use gear from as many DIFFERENT vendors as possible. While I've made a dent in the list I've got a long way to go.

[tessiea]

Don’t forget about ENO


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[TominMN]

Avoid settling on ONE favorite. Personally, I get a charge out of how many different US cottage vendors are represented in my backpack or canoe pack on every single trip. Challenge yourself to top my number...

…

Northstar canoe
...

Didn't know that Ted makes any hammocking gear! (couldn't help myself) Hadn't ever thought of him as a cottage vendor but you're probably right. And, like you, my gear comes from a multitude of concerns and I wouldn't have it any other way.

[TominMN]

Don’t forget about ENO

Please, can't I?

[Unknowing outdoorsman]

Please, can't I?

Exactly

[Yarome]

Please, can't I?

What's wrong with ENO? (I'm using their latest edition atlas's). Haven't landed on my tuchus yet, but should I be worried?

[ahursey530]

Exactly

Don't bash ENO too badly. As a scoutmaster I see ENO hammocks as a gateway for young kids to get into hammocking. They can buy the whole setup at a local outdoor store. They fit in them nicely and complain little until the temp drops to the high 50's (and that's using a sleeping bag, no underquilt. In a pinch I can go to just about any outdoor store and get a nice (albeit a bit heavy) set of Atlas Straps if I need a strap. My son still uses his Atlas straps with Dutch Clips and Mantis on his CL's with his Eldorado.
Then, when they get a little older and start noticing the scoutmasters setup and how comfortable it is they can't wait for Christmas so they can order that cottage vendor hammock!

[Dvankirk]

What OCDave said. Several years back, once I figured this hammock addiction was going to stick, I told somebody that my ultimate goal was to own and use gear from as many DIFFERENT vendors as possible. While I've made a dent in the list I've got a long way to go.

I was the same way. A few years ago, I was about to make a comment about how great a particular vendor was, but I really didn't have enough gear from other manufacturers to justify that kind of response. I now have 8 hammocks from 5 different cottage vendors, underquilts from 5 different companies, and a room filled with other gear. I can say that all of the cottage vendors represented on HF put out quality gear. I have my preferences for sure, but I agree that the best way to know what fits your needs and style is to see them for yourself. Being that you won't find most of this stuff in stores, a group hang lets you see a lot of different gear at one place (or you can always swing by my house).