What made you a "hanger"?

[dagsan]

Greetings, all. I've been reading these forums for a couple of months now, learning everything I can about hammocks.

By way of introduction, I'm a senior woman with lumbar scoliosis that has worsened considerably with age, otherwise healthy and active. Sleep has been an issue for years, largely because of back pain. Various mattress types, toppers, etc, have been of very limited help. Then I read an article somewhere about how sleeping in a hammock is very good for back pain and bought my first hammock with an indoor stand. The bed is gone and I haven't looked back.

Now I'm into experimenting with making different types, the latest being a Navy canvas hammock, with a bridge hammock planned after that. The way I figure it, I stand a much better chance of eventually ending up with the perfect hammock for me, by making and customizing my own. This site has been a huge help in my "hanger" history, for which I'm grateful.

[Medicpathetic]

What made me a hanger? In short, the ground. As I got older tent sleeping started to hurt more and I realized it was a better way. I mean, if hammocks were good enough to sleep on the moon with then they should be good enough for a camping trip.

[Richard1726]

1973 I got tired of trying to find a clear space to set up my small two person tent, certainly could be termed lazy. Started with a softball, when packed, net style nylon hammock. I’ve set up in the most unlikely places, over streams, side of steep slopes, Bermuda, Sardinia, MTN Vesuvius, Peru, all under a ridge line with a large piece of 4mil clear plastic held in place with a few close-pins. I now mostly bike camp with more modern equipment. So hammock camping since 1973 to present.

[cdnred]

We've been tent camping most of our lives but I ran into issues with sleeping on the ground plus having a hard time to get out of the tent the next morning. I always hated having to find an open site that was suitable for tenting, clearing all the debris away, sleeping on the hard ground and then struggling to get out of the tent the next morning.

Bought a pop-up camper to solve some of those issues but now that I'm retired, I'm looking at getting into overnite hiking as a hobby. The camper is too big to lug along on trails and I still have the issue with sleeping on the ground so I started to look into hammocking. Found HF website and have been browsing, reading all the comments and articles. From what I've read, it appears that hammocking would be a great solution for us both. I had purchased an ENO DN (haven't even had a chance to try it out) but after reading here, I'm coming to the conclusion that it's great as an entry level hammock but there are way better options out there for what we want and so the research goes on. I'm looking for a setup where we can share the same tarp and bug net between 2 hammocks. What I've learned is that "DutchWare" will soon have one available that would be ideal for the both of us, hopefully by next spring it'll finally be out so we can put a package together.

Happy Trails

[BradA72]

For me it was trying to find a way to camp that was more comfortable. Getting off the ground and out of a tent wasn’t much fun as my hips got older. I also don’t like the confining space in a tent, prefer a bit of a view.
And I have to admit, I enjoy fiddling with a hammock and accessories to make it just right.

[JCWoodard]

I begin hammock camping last summer (2018) after over 55 years of tent camping, starting in Boy Scouts. I noticed that I wasn’t sleeping as well on the ground and decided to give hammocking a try. REI was offering their Quarter Dome bridge hammock at a good sale price and the idea of getting a fairly complete setup for less than $125 was pretty appealing. I also brought the REI QD under quilt for the hammock. I had already made the transition to a Jacksrbetter Sierra Sniveler top quilt, so I was set to go. The first outing with the new rig was a 4 night motorcycle camping trip. The first night was not that restful; hadn’t dialed in the setup I guess, but by the 4th night, I was sleeping better. Still wasn’t sure if hammock camping was for me though.

I learned of this forum and through it and various other online sources (thanks Shug), I decided to take the plunge and try a gathered end hammock. After a lot of reading, this Spring, I purchased a Chameleon from Dutch with a bug net and top cover, and a peak loft, a Sheltowee 20 degree UQ, and a HG Journey winter tarp. What a difference that made. I’ve been out on several backpacking and motorcycle trips in all kinds of weather and I sleep better than I do at home in bed most nights. I can’t say that I’ll never sleep on the ground again, but given a preference, I’ll take my Chameleon any day.

[unionmanbirch]

A couple years ago I read a touring post on Bike Forums about hammock camping. I had been a long-time bike tourist and tent camper, but to be honest I had never even thought about using a hammock for camping. Sleeping in a tent had been getting harder and harder on my back and I was barely getting any sleep so I decided to buy a used hammock and give it a try last summer. What a revelation! Hanging in a hammock is so much better than struggling on the ground I haven't unpacked my tent since. I have some good trees to hang from in a small wooded area out back which would never work with a tent. I tried out some winter hanging last year. I spent six nights out below freezing with a low of 17. Hammock Forums has been extremely helpful and I've read a bunch of posts on vapor barriers and want to experiment with colder temps this year. Hanging has given me another hobby besides cycling to spend too much time and money on.

[LoonGirl]

Moved to Kentucky and started kayaking and camping - been camping in trailers or tents most of my life. A friend showed up on a trip with a hammock and that was it.
I tried it once on a trip with an emergency blanket under me to stay warm and haven't gone back.
What really sealed it was a trip to Georgia in June and it was 101 almost everyday. I had thrown the hammocks in the car for fun and we wound up sleeping in them 4 days out of 7. Soooo, much cooler than the tent.
I'm working on my winter gear at the moment and trying backpacking.

[mistone]

Wanted to try something new Hammock immediately took over the tent camping and the rest is history!

[Smckinney0031]

Moved to Kentucky and started kayaking and camping - been camping in trailers or tents most of my life. A friend showed up on a trip with a hammock and that was it.
I tried it once on a trip with an emergency blanket under me to stay warm and haven't gone back.
What really sealed it was a trip to Georgia in June and it was 101 almost everyday. I had thrown the hammocks in the car for fun and we wound up sleeping in them 4 days out of 7. Soooo, much cooler than the tent.
I'm working on my winter gear at the moment and trying backpacking.

Hey! I am also in Kentucky and we love to kayak/camp!!! Welcome to the group!

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