What made you a "hanger"?

[Dcolon13]

I think it was all the DIY possibilities that got me into it. I also enjoy all the little details involved in the "art" of hammocking, from cord specs to knots, to hardware, etc
--just setting up a tent isn't nearly as gratifying!

[xMagnolia]

I spent 8 nights sleeping on slabs of rock/boulders in the Boundary Waters Wildernerness Canoe Area. I slipped off my pad, my hips were bruised, and I couldn't keep my bag where I needed it. I knew there had to be a better way.

Charlotte.

[JW Davis]

I got my first hammock as a graduation present in May. I've been addicted since. I swing every chance I get.

[scoutmom]

Since I have 2 sons, one much older, in scouts. I have been a tent camper for years. Moved to hammock to reduce gear/ weight and have a better night's sleep. I am stIll trying to get the right hang, but have found any hang is better than throwing out my back with carrying a queen size air mattress for the tent.

[Dudetrek]

Had some rough nights from setting up camp in a bad spot when I first started backpacking. Heavy rain would leave me lying in a puddle, rocky ground would keep me tossing and turning all night on my Z-lite pad, and sometimes I'd have to continue hiking long into the night just to find a level, durable surface to set up my tent on. Mom got a Eno singlenest hammock for Xmas the next year and my quality of sleep immediately and drastically improved. I was able to set up almost anywhere I wanted, never had to worry about the problems I used to have, and even saved some weight in my pack from switching from a 2 person tent to a hammock/tarp setup. I have seen the light and am never looking back

[Insanely Bad]

I started hanging pretty recently mostly just to pass some time except recently I've decided to incorporate it into my hiking as it would actually lighten my load a good bit.

I love the idea of not having to sleep on the hard uneven ground at night and that when I'm awake the first thing I can do is slip on my shoes and get my morning stared without having to crawl my way out of a tent and try to slide my shoes on before actually going about my day.

I'm still trying to get every thing started however as I just recently got my under quilt as a gift. Now all I need is my tarp and a better suspension system and I'll be set for life!

[vtrek]

Had a buddy who convinced me to give it a try. (He had back problems and had converted two years earlier). At first I wasn't convinced because I wasn't able to lay on my stomach as I usually do. Once I got a bridge hammock I became a happy hanger. I never had problems sleeping in tents, but did have to hunt a lot for a suitable place to set up and sometimes had to settle on less than ideal spots because that's all I could find. Now it doesn't matter, I've hung over uneven ground, brush and even a dry brook and still have slept well!

[TimeOutdoors]

Forgetfullness made me a hanger. I usually keep my backpack ready except for my sleeping bag so when I decided last minute to head up to the Damascus Virginia for an overnight trip on the Virginia Creeper bike trail I grabbed my bag and my pack and hit the road. On the way I remembered I had loaned my tent to someone so I did not have it in my pack. (I knew it seemed lighter) Anyway, I stopped by an outfitter in Damascus and saw my first Hennessy Hammock. This was back in 2006. Long story short, I bought the hammock and feel in love with it (but not the tarp that came with it). I soon upgraded to a larger tarp and have been a hammock camper every since. I switched to Warbonnet this year and it even increased my love for hammock camping.

[Earl55]

I started doing a back country hiking trip with my cousins and friends every about 5 years ago, and I started out with the basic essentials. The tent I was using was a off the shelf wal mart tent. Who cared we were in college and out in the woods. But my pack weighed so much. The next year my cousin said he had got a camp hammock for xmas and I did some research. Seemed like a great Idea.

I've never really slept great on the ground . Always woke up with a sore back. I invested in a hammock and took it with me the next year. No I didnt buy a tarp or bug net because I wasnt even sure if I would like the hammock. Picked up a 12x12 tarp from lowes to use as a rain fly. First night out after you get over the thought of something biting your underside I was out like a light. PS the Tarp worked great it stormed so hard one night didn't get wet at all.

The next year I Invested in a pro fly rain tarp and a guardian bug net. Everything worked fantastic and I thought my setup was complete. It was june and we were in the Adirondacks Mtns and one night the weather got real cold. Dropped into the 30's and no insulation. I about turned into a ice cube. Needless to say lesson was learned.

Now its winter and for xmas got myself a incubator 20 from hammock gear. I successfully tested it in January. The temps were around 25 and I was golden.

I think I finally have a setup that will work for almost any situation and now I'm ready for the Tetons this July...

[Scarecrow]

For as long as I can remember, I had always slept in tents and used either cots or air mats in the sleep systems that were issued to me when I was younger. When I got into my 20's and started acquiring my own set of camping gear, I started off just flopping my sleeping bag directly on the floor of my tent. It wasn't all that bad back then as I was staying in campgrounds where the ground was generally flat and clear of rocks and whatnot. Once I began backpacking in the summer of 2014, I realized quickly that a good sleeping pad was in order if I was going to get a decent night's rest in these backpacking campsites where things are a bit more rugged. So I got an air pad to use in my tent, and for the most part, all was well until I started camping in places where my tent was never level no matter where I pitched it. After multiple nights of trying to sleep on mild slopes, only to wake up a few times throughout the night sliding off my pad and into the foot end of the tent, I thought "there's gotta be a better way".

I remembered back to my very first backpacking trip. A friend of mine on that trip had a hammock tent that he used that weekend. Out of the 5 of us on that trip, he was the only one with a hammock tent, and he seemed to be the only one who actually got some good sleep while the rest of us ground dwellers were looking rather groggy and not so well rested in the morning. As I hadn't tried hammocks though, I couldn't quite understand how sleeping in one would be anymore comfortable than what I had been using. So, months passed by as I kept using my tent and air pad, and over and over again, I'd run into the same old issues.

Well, while I've been researching various products for backpacking and watching reviews on YouTube, I kept seeing more and more people using hammocks, and it got me thinking about that friend of mine as well as my ongoing sleep system issues. I figured "maybe I'll give hammocks a try. It can't be any worse than what I've been doing, and if nothing else, it'll at least provide a spot for me to lounge around during the day". So I read up on a few different models that were in my price range a few weeks ago, found one that seemed like the best fit for me, and made the purchase. Ended up getting a Grand Trunk Skeeter Beeter Pro along with a pair of Rallt hammock straps, and some Black Diamond carabiners rated for climbing. As of right now, I'm working on getting everything else together so that I can do some proper hammock camping in this thing, but the wheels are in motion. I guess you could say I'm still in the process of completely becoming a hanger, but it seems pretty definite at this point that I will be 100% converted once I get my hammock system finalized. I did get a chance last weekend to lay in this thing for a moment while I was out on a day hike, but it was short-lived since it had just begun to rain. For that moment of hanging though in a double nest of parachute nylon, I got a real good idea just how comfortable this thing's gonna be. So much in fact that I really didn't want to get up, even though I was getting soaked laying there in the rain. Good times await :-)