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  1. #1
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    getting back into hanging

    So i was an avid hammock camper until about 2 years ago and life got in the way. So I now have free time and better funding for gear than back then. I went the MYOG route last time and greatly enjoyed the projects and made every thing from tarps, hammocks, whoopies, bag covers, bug nets and all. I still have all my gear but would like to upgrade some of the stuff or remake some stuff. For example my hammock I made was 10 foot and while it’s comfy and works I think I would benefit from a 11 to 11.5 hammock and it would be more comfy. But from looking at the market it seems hanging gear has gotten much more economical than back then.

    My question is for ones that have made your own gear then have also bought gear do you regret your purchases and still use the made gear or is the bought gear superior than the gear you made? Granted I know this is kinda dependent on the skills of the maker from a quality stand point. But would still like to hear your input on the topic.

  2. #2
    Senior Member
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    MYOG is for:
    - pride of ownership
    - making something the market doesn't currently offer
    - inventing creative new swear words

    MYOG is NOT for:
    - saving money
    - saving time
    - making a better quality product than cottage vendors already do

    That said, i like the things i bought premium (HG top quilt, Warbonnet BB / Edge tarp, Ti cooking pot) and still use the things i made (12' hammock, clew UQ, Gemini UQ, prototype spandex UQ, pot cozy, alcohol stove).

    There is one thing i regret: purchasing certain junk-level gear when i got started (cheap backpack, cheap sleeping bag, heavy clothing). If that's what it takes to get you outdoors, that's fine. But buying junk will most likely lead to regrets and end up costing more than if you had just bought the Good One to begin with (certain exclusions apply).

  3. #3
    Senior Member Smckinney0031's Avatar
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    Feb 2018
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    London Ky
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    Quote Originally Posted by leiavoia View Post
    MYOG is for:
    - pride of ownership
    - making something the market doesn't currently offer
    - inventing creative new swear words

    MYOG is NOT for:
    - saving money
    - saving time
    - making a better quality product than cottage vendors already do

    That said, i like the things i bought premium (HG top quilt, Warbonnet BB / Edge tarp, Ti cooking pot) and still use the things i made (12' hammock, clew UQ, Gemini UQ, prototype spandex UQ, pot cozy, alcohol stove).

    There is one thing i regret: purchasing certain junk-level gear when i got started (cheap backpack, cheap sleeping bag, heavy clothing). If that's what it takes to get you outdoors, that's fine. But buying junk will most likely lead to regrets and end up costing more than if you had just bought the Good One to begin with (certain exclusions apply).
    Buying junk is what starts this addiction in most cases. So many said buy once cry once, but I didnt want to wait the time it took to save, so now I have a lot of good junk, and even better gear

    Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

  4. #4
    Senior Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by leiavoia View Post
    MYOG is for:
    - pride of ownership
    - making something the market doesn't currently offer
    - inventing creative new swear words

    MYOG is NOT for:
    - saving money
    - saving time
    - making a better quality product than cottage vendors already do

    That said, i like the things i bought premium (HG top quilt, Warbonnet BB / Edge tarp, Ti cooking pot) and still use the things i made (12' hammock, clew UQ, Gemini UQ, prototype spandex UQ, pot cozy, alcohol stove).

    There is one thing i regret: purchasing certain junk-level gear when i got started (cheap backpack, cheap sleeping bag, heavy clothing). If that's what it takes to get you outdoors, that's fine. But buying junk will most likely lead to regrets and end up costing more than if you had just bought the Good One to begin with (certain exclusions apply).
    I completely understand the pride and swearing. And I also did make stuff not currently available such as my tandem bug net
    https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...t=cereal+killa
    I know you don't really save money on hammocks... but tq and uq you can. And DIY is a lot of trail and error.. and the time to build and time to test adds up.

    I guess my question for you is if you had to choose between you diy 12 foot or the BB which would you grab? and what reason would you grab that one? is it denpendant on the trip? weight? features? ease of use? Pride?

  5. #5
    cougarmeat's Avatar
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    I want to speak up a bit for cheap gear. Unpopular, I know. But here's my take ... when starting something new, be it hammock camping, archery, kayaking, etc. I've seldom known what I wanted. Specifically in Archery (FETA/Olympic competition), I could have purchased a top-o-line bow. But my informal coach, Merlin, thought it was too much bow for me and suggested I get the next tier down. He said I'd know when I was "outshooting the bow" - meaning my results were being limited by my gear, not my skill. At the end of the summer, it was time to step up. And by that time, I had a very good idea of what I wanted next.

    So with hammocks and other camping gear - packs, tarps, cooking gear - until a person does it for a while, they may not understand the difference/characteristics/nuance of an alcohol, canisteror white gas, or twigs and wood stove. So there's a learning curve. And it's mostly based on experience and it doesn't take top level gear to get that experience.

    In fact, it's probably a good thing to experience some gear failure. It makes one more aware of what natural forces to watch out for, to respect. Also, what gear might need a little ... weight weenies hid your eyes ... redundancy.

    It's great if you can afford top line. But it's better, if money is an issue, that you get something and get started. Will that be more expensive in the long run - probably. But though "money spent" is important, it's not MOST important. And some of that less than top line gear can be sold with the financial loss being part of the cost of education. Or kept as "loaner" gear to be used if someone is less than gentle with your $300 tarp and wants to string it up 3 feet from a cracking fire.

    When I travel out of the country, I bring a hammock. But I don't bring one of my prized camping hammocks. I bring one of those "less than top-o-line" Amazon or KickStarter hammocks. If it gets "borrowed" by a local or the airlines, it is not so much a loss.

    When I first started out, a girlfriend bought us this new book, 101 hikes in Oregon, and wanted to go camping. I didn't have a backpack - I had a canvas duffle bag. And I didn't have hiking shoes - I had regular, lace up, leather shoes. And one of those 5 lb. cotton-isque hardware store sleeping bags. And I'm waking (hiking) down the trail in my street shoes carrying a duffle bag in one hand and a rolled up sleeping bag in the other. And I had a VERY GOOD TIME.

    So, you can buy top of the line gear right away, but if you are starting out, you might not know what you really want/prefer. Most of what you read in the forum is a suggestion, not a rule (except not to put a shear force on mortared cement blocks as a hammock support - and to check for widow makers). So people can recommend what they have or what they leave behind. But the real learning/fun (yes, fun) comes when you get out there and start making your own mistakes. One time the GPS fell off my kayak spray skirt because a rock surprised me and I edged the boat to miss it. The GPS is now in 5 ft of water. But it's Waldo Lake, one of the top 10 purest lakes in the world. So I can see it and get out of my boat to retrieve it. Note to self: It is very difficult to reach a depth of 5 feet while still wearing your PFD (life jacket). You act, you learn, you take the next step.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by cougarmeat View Post
    everything cougarmeat said
    I agree and had similar experiences with other activities. You don't know the difference between good and bad until you have some experience with the bad.

    However, I'm looking at it from a safety issue at times. For example, taking the wrong or untested pair of shoes will lead to pain. I've watched people (and self) agonize through miles of torture for just wearing bad shoes. It isn't fun. Same goes for backpacks that don't fit anyone well (painful), sleeping bags that don't actually keep you warm (brrr....), and cook kits that clearly were not designed for cooking ("nice burn scar you got there!"), etc.

    One benefit to lower-tier gear is that it makes good loaner material for n00bs. Then they can experience the difference between good and bad for themselves ;-)

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by TN Cereal Killa View Post
    I guess my question for you is if you had to choose between you diy 12 foot or the BB which would you grab? and what reason would you grab that one? is it denpendant on the trip? weight? features? ease of use? Pride?
    Pros and cons. BB has better fit and finish and more features. The bare-bones DIY hammock is longer and more comfortable but doesn't have the integrated goodies.

    I usually bring the BB for myself but the calf ridge is just awful on that one. ... But it has a nice bugnet and shelf ... so ... *shrug*

  8. #8
    Senior Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by leiavoia View Post
    Pros and cons. BB has better fit and finish and more features. The bare-bones DIY hammock is longer and more comfortable but doesn't have the integrated goodies.

    I usually bring the BB for myself but the calf ridge is just awful on that one. ... But it has a nice bugnet and shelf ... so ... *shrug*
    Thanks for the input.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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