Hi.
Intrigued by lightweight hiking/camping I found out about the hammock-vs-tent concept maybe 2 years ago, but I was put off by the price. (Student)
Last summer I was going on a climbing trip to the Pyrenees and while browsing through an outdoor shop to make sure I had everything, I stumbled upon This for like 30€. Knowing it was probably crap, I still bought it and used it a couple of nights during the climbing trip on a regular commercial campsite. Bit chilly as I had no specific gear, only the hammock and a sleeping bag. Also, the ridge line was rigged badly so the net lay on my face and I got some mosquito bites on my cheeks...
But I slept better than on the ground and that morning was beautiful, waking to the rising sun in the mountains, I don't think I'll forget that anytime soon.
I went on a winter hike a couple of weeks ago with a regular tent and my back and knees were destroyed by day 3... I've since then vowed not to sleep on the ground again. (only 1 exception, if I ever get the chance to sleep on hay in a farmers stable again, thats definately happening! )
I'm gonna stick with the cheap hammock I have now and try to mod something decent out of it with a DIY UQ and tarp, but in the back of my mind, I want to make my own hammock. And its something very specific. For long, multiday climbing routes, climbers sleep on the wall in suspended tents called portaledges. Looks fun but those things are expensive and bulky, you need to climb the route AND bring along the ledge. I'm thinking a well thought-out DIY hammock could do way better for less than 1/10 of the cost. I don't like the idea that my climbing is bottlenecked by the gear budget...
Enough rambling, here's my hello and introduction and if any other climber reads this, your thoughts please. Am I crazy or genius (or both)?
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