Hello New to idea of hanging.

**ctchrisf** · 07-02-2011, 22:48

Wow I never had a clue. I was reading through one of my favorite forums ADVrider http://www.advrider.com/forums/showt...=631074&page=5

and fall on a hammock camping thread.

This looks great.

I know this is going to be super annoying but I'm asking for a head start here.

I do BMW motorcycle rallies, sport touring, might do some canoe camping.

I'm a big guy 6'2" 260 lbs. Side sleeper, mild apnea/snorer

Weight of gear is not an issue, compact packing it to some degree, how about one saddlebag worth.

Looking for a comfortable sleep body is not happy on the ground.

Would like a nice roomy hammock with large fly or two for motorcycle gear.
thought to use a tent footprint under one of tarps for storage.

Bang for buck I'm no rich man but will spend an extra 20-40 bucks if it is really worth it.

30 degrees coldest going to camp out prefer 40+

300 bucks a reasonable starting point ?

Hope I didn't annoy to much just looking to steal some hard earned experience/knowledge

Many thanks in advance

Christian

**3club** · 07-03-2011, 00:29

If you don't want to spend a lot of $, I hope you're willing to spend some time. It doesn't cost much to make your own.

I did my first long distance hammock camping trip on my bicycle, fit everything into my saddlebags. My first homemade hammock was just a bedsheet and two pieces of rope. You can go as basic or fancy as you want.

I just found this forum myself about a month ago, and I've already learned tons. There's tons of great info and even more great people!

Welcome!

**bchboy1206** · 07-03-2011, 00:56

Hey Welcome Christian, I am a member of the ADVForums also, just haven't been doing too much riding on the KLR. Right now I am just hiking until I get my gear dialed in then I will start going out on my KLR.
Anyway, there is so much info and varying opinions here I just decided to go with the gear that seemed most popular, yes and a little more expensive for the most part. I would say most of the gear members speak of here is good quality stuff you just have to decide what fits your need and wallet...
Sorry I couldn't help you any further than that but I am a shorter guy so I researched large tarps or roomy hammocks but you will probably enjoy it. BTW, DIY will save you big bucks when it comes time for quilts and such.

JimT

**Catavarie** · 07-03-2011, 04:36

Welcome to the wide, wonderful world of hanging.

Like any hobby, you can spend as much money as you want for state of the art equipment, or you can spend much, much less in return for a bit more time either DIYing or doing some serious amounts of research. The bare minimum you need is a hammock and a tarp to cover it. You can use a pad and sleeping bag, or a top quilt(TQ/OQ) and under quilt (UQ). You can buy a $300 hammock with all the bells and whistles, a $50 hammock that is basic yet just as comfortable, or you can DIY one to fit you exactly like a fine Italian suit for around $25. A warning though, DIY quickly becomes addicting.

**gunner76** · 07-03-2011, 07:54

welcome to the madness

Be sure to watch all of Shug's videos on hammock hanging.

Lots of great gear out there and no one hammock and or setup is right for everyone. With that said, consider the BlackBird hammock as it is an excellent hammock and if it turns out you do not like it you can sell on the forum for almost full price and usually within a day.

Try to get to hammock hang in your area or get up with some other hangers in your area to pick their brains and see how they set up (we love to show off our toys).

Once you get your gear, do a couple of practice hangs to make sure you know how to set up your gear and it works the way you want it to. Nothing worse than to be out on the road and finding out your gear does not work the way it should.

Then get out there and have fun.

**Boomer** · 07-03-2011, 16:29

ctchrisf, welcome to the HFs.

As you'll probably learn, hammocking isn't necessarily cheaper then tenting, just more comfortable and many times easier to find a place to sleep. I have a friend that does BMW touring. He got an ENO Doublenest, which is an inexpensive starting point. He puts it in his bike carrier with his sleeping bag. He's looking to upgrade to a hammock with a bug net that's attached.

A popular one here for your size and weight is the Warbonnet Blackbird 1.7 double layer. Get the "adjustable webbing suspension" as it's easy to learn to set up. You can put a pad between the double bottom layers and it won't shift around as much as if you layed on it directly. You said that you're a side sleeper and this hammock accomodate it:

http://warbonnetoutdoors.com/blackbirds.php

Watch Brandon's "Set Up" videos and Shug's videos:

http://warbonnetoutdoors.com/setup.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7NZV...34CB958AF6AD23

You can get an inexpensive tarp to start with, like his Asym-diamond or Edge - or even a cheap wallyworld $10 blue tarp. You can also use a 25" wide wallyworld CCF pad to start, but you'll likely want to get an 'underquilt' (UQ) at some point if you want to get down into the 30*s.

Look around somemore and ask questions. I lurked around for a year before I joined and started asking. I learned faster when I started asking questions.

**ctchrisf** · 07-03-2011, 22:32

Thanks for the warm welcome.

I don't think I'll do much sowing unless its real primitive stuff. I will defiantly check out the blackbird. Already that one seems to stand out.

Ya watched Shuggs 9 into videos, Love em. He had me hanging on every word explaining shock cord and dutch clips.

is there a check list of lines and hardware figure 9, S clips etc that the you all would consider need to have in your kit.

Like 50' xyz line, 4 carabiners, 4x10' shock cord, 6 stakes?

still a bit over whelming

**Shug** · 07-04-2011, 10:56

A Whooooo Buddy welcome.
It is a lot to take in.....just start going at it....made mistakes but make note of them. Successes too.
Your outside....it is a win/win.
Shug

**3club** · 07-04-2011, 11:14

Originally Posted by ctchrisf

is there a check list of lines and hardware figure 9, S clips etc that the you all would consider need to have in your kit.

Like 50' xyz line, 4 carabiners, 4x10' shock cord, 6 stakes?

Short answer: no. Since there are so many options, nothing is "need to have" for everyone.

For example, neither my hammock nor my rain fly tarp use any stakes, but those items are essential is some other peoples' kits.

My hammock kit contains: 1 hammock, 2 tree straps (bought from autozone). That's it. underquilt, bugnet, and suspension are all permanently integrated in the hammock. To set it up, I wrap the straps around two trees, find a couple sticks to make marlin spike hitches, and hand the hammock. Done.

So you see, your "need to have" list will be your own. That's what makes this way of life such an exciting adventure. HYOH! (Hang Your Own Hammock)

Oh, I guess there is one thing that all our kits have in common: Hammock!

**ctchrisf** · 07-05-2011, 22:22

Hrmmm sheet and rope for first hammock huh? And a cheapo fly screen, 12x16 blue tarp ? where do you buy raw materials to make a basic hammock?

Ok here is a starter, What kinds of ropes should I look for. I don't want to end on my butt in the middle of the night, And I'm not the best with knots. I generally figure it out in the end but easy to tie would be good. (figure 9 thing sounds good). how much should i look to pay ?

I like the reflective lines and shock cord ideas.
think I saw a 100' of reflective 1/4" para cord for 20 bucks. is that a deal or expensive?

Got some work to do.