Out Door Gear Review video

[slowhike]

Video 8.5 minutes.

My opinions...
He starts out saying that one of the biggest, most popular reasons people use a hammock is mobility issues and back pain.
While this is a reason for some, I hear more about comfort, and far better than laying on a matt on the ground for a lot of people. Also, not having to craw in and out of a tent, especially if there's rain, mud or snow. Not worry if your tent floor might have a pin hole or leaking seam.

At 2:50 "Hammocks over the years have become less popular. Spending a lot of time on the AT, it has been years since I have seen one."
I disagree.

At 3:15, "Not for cold, has a very narrow window of use."
Not true.

"Tent lighter."
Yes, it can be, but not as much as he makes it out to be. And, you have to factor in the superior sleep that many people get in a hammock. Not everyone's body allows them to sleep well on the ground, even with a thick, insulated air mat.

5:10, "No good place to store gear."
There are lots of options for storing and protecting gear.

5:20, "Not easy to reach stove like in a tent."
Not true.

5:40, "In NC the woods are very thick and finding a place to set up can be extremely difficult."
Rarely has this been the case.

6:10, "Staying warm can be extremely difficult."
Not true.

6:50, "Very limited space shelter"
Depends on your tarp, hammock and storage options.

7:07, "No where to put small stuff, phones, chargers, etc."
There are a variety of options for keeping the small stuff handy.

7:20, "These pros and cons are causing hammocks to become less and less popular. A fact. A fact."
Not what I am seeing.

It seems to me that many cottage gear companies are struggling to meet demands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ahJXM9-DCA

[Eclectic]

I agree with you point by point. Especially about the crawling in the mud.

And ‘no place to put the little stuff.’ Seriously?! The hammock ridgeline can’t be beat. It keeps everything suspended and easily accessible instead of lost on a tent floor getting stepped on.

[slowhike]

Yes, and some hammocks come with side pockets or add ons for storage at the head or foot end.
And there are gear slings and more.

[FLTurtle]

I commented on his one tigris hammock camp and review he did with his girl. He was complaining about the weight and that a tent was way lighter. I went through his gear list...was all like 2 lbs each for the hammock, tarp, underquilt and topquilt. They complained it took over an hour to setup...then in the comments he says his Hennessey setup takes like 5 minutes, that none of this gear was ready to go and they had to attach all the lines. I mean, I guess if you one of them people that just goes out with brand new stuff in the packaging. He nuked the comment

I think his comments about seeing more tents than hammocks and that hammocks are becoming less popular...these videos were during the pandemic when people were looking for anything to do. Of course, the goto is a tent...but I think a sizable group that stick with camping start looking for lighter/better alternatives. I mean, even with my early on hammock setup, it was still lighter and less bulky then all my Coleman camping gear. I had a 50F (if even) Coleman sleeping bag that filled my 65L Osprey Atmos. Now, the Atmos is too large for my 5 day hikes...I use it as a loander and a beer hauler for weekend camping.

[peeeeetey]

I watch Luke every week and he has a fortune invested in ground gear. He rarely uses a hammock. I can only imagine what his pack weighs with all the other stuff he carries. He does his own thing and has his audience. I have bought some of the stuff he has shown. Most of his winter videos appear to be in the Whitetop and Mt Rogers area in Va. We have camped in one of his spots on Whitetop under the towers. He does his thing and we do ours! We have a ground dweller or two in our Linville Gorge Rat group we camp with. We love them just the same. Sometimes we sleep in the car. We have a special setup just for that but the hammocks are always nearby.

[iceman857]

Would it be safe to say that Luke's channel is one of the most popular YouTube channels for gear reviews? If that's the case, then it's too bad he has such a tilted view of hammocks. What it likely means is that he is "influencing" gear choices unwittingly, and future campers may never even consider a hammock setup. If I ever run into Luke on the trail (which is likely given I hike in the areas he's in), I will GIVE him my entire setup right there and then and even set it up for him.

Seriously though - I know he gets a lot of negative comments (what YouTuber doesn't?) but hopefully a reasoned, respectful response would elicit a thoughtful reaction from him. I agree with everything Slowhike has said, and really appreciate that he took the time to go point-by-point. Wonder if Luke would respond to a thoughtful approach like this.

[Hang Williams]

It's an old video, so no point in engaging with the guy on it. In general, I get the impression he's the type of guy who sends food back at Applebee's. In life, you tend to get what you pay for and his videos are free to watch so you're only investing your time.

[cougarmeat]

One commonality I see in many "comparison" videos is they include the weight of the TQ and UQ in the hammock setup. But they don't include their sleeping bag in the tent setup weight.

[cmc4free]

A tent system (tent + stakes/guylines + sleeping pad + sleeping bag or TQ) can be lighter than a hammock system (hammock + suspension + pad or UQ + TQ + tarp/suspension/stakes/guylines) or vice versa.

It's probably accurate that the lightest possible 1P tent system will weigh less than the lightest possible hammock system. The lightest tents are so-called trekking pole tents, for which the weight of the pole(s) may not be included if the assumption is the hiker will be carrying at least one of those anyway. For people who hike without trekking poles, they could instead purchase a dedicated aluminum or carbon fiber pole to provide the structure for the tent, and those are both smaller and lighter than a trekking pole. The weight of trekking pole(s) should be counted toward the hiker's base weight, but may not be included in the shelter weight if they were going to be carried anyway. Dedicated tent pole(s) should be counted toward the shelter weight.

But what does it matter? Use what you prefer. Other people will use what they prefer. Base weight is a personal preference and perhaps a goal, but it is not a contest.

Many YouTube videos are intentionally controversial in order to amass more views and comments.

[iceman857]

One commonality I see in many "comparison" videos is they include the weight of the TQ and UQ in the hammock setup. But they don't include their sleeping bag in the tent setup weight.

It's really not that hard to make the comparison if you just consider the weight of 2 of the big 3 items (i.e., sleep system and shelter). That way, you're including the weight of all accessories such as stakes, cordage, storage items, random accessories, etc. The sleep system for ground sleeping includes two items (i.e., pad and quilt/bag) and hammock includes UQ (or pad)/TQ. It isn't that hard, really. YouTubers are just lazy.