If you had $300 to get started...

[Jproaster]

Thanks all. And to be honest, i thought there would be a couple BBird and other suggestions; well, there is a couple HH.

Anyhow, the bias looks good.

But, (and im sorry for the noob status quesions),
What is the best width?
Knotty mod? I sleep best on my right side, if that helps.
Double layer color? Does that mean the hammock is dbl layered only?
Edit: i suppose the dbl layer choice is understood when choosing color.
72 or 100 inch suspension?
And I dont know what is best otherwise in the other choices.

And other tarp suggetions are welcome. I will spend a little more on this; dont want to just get by.

Thanks,
John

[grok]

+1 to Fish. The tarp and quilts are the hardest to DIY. $300 is a drop in the bucket to what you will spend if you get the fever The setup for my first hang cost me about $30. (1.1 ripstop from the $1 bin at wallyworld. bugnet from army surplus. Tarp was a silny poncho from army surplus, oh and repurposed rope, and alluminum nails for stakes. I don't count my Heini cooking pot because I bought it for the beer Cost is totaly dependant on your penchant for the factor.

[Brute1100]

Thanks all. And to be honest, i thought there would be a couple BBird and other suggestions; well, there is a couple HH.

Anyhow, the bias looks good.

But, (and im sorry for the noob status quesions),
What is the best width?wider is generally better assuming you can take the weight...
Knotty mod? I sleep best on my right side, if that helps. i would get the mod but you don't have to... if your not familiar with the knotty mod just search for it on here and learn it... their way of doing it is TOP NOTCH...
Double layer color? Does that mean the hammock is dbl layered only? the WWM is available in double layer... you don't NEED to get it double layer... and i wouldn't, it defeats the point of a light thin hammock that won't cook you in the summer...
Edit: i suppose the dbl layer choice is understood when choosing color.
72 or 100 inch suspension? most people find that 6' is fine in suspension...
And I dont know what is best otherwise in the other choices.

And other tarp suggetions are welcome. I will spend a little more on this; dont want to just get by.

Thanks,
John

if i was going to only have ONE tarp... it would be something bigger like the superfly from Wilderness logics... i have one on the way and if you look around in peoples little info bar on the right it is the most popular tarp around... big tarp with doors to close off if weather turns south... but you do pay the weight penalty, its almost double what the tadpole is once its rigged up...

[Opus87]

I started with a GTUL for $19.99, then got the GT SkeeterBeater Pro off Amazon for $56. Use the Harbour Freight Straps for $4 and used to use Whoopie Slings, but, now using the Linelocker and toggle.
So that is $60 out of pocket so far. Got a Leighlo 30* UQ for $140 to replace the PLUQ and CCF Pad and got a Warbonnet Mambajamba tarp for $120. That replaces the Tyvek tarp I used to use.
$320 and still need to get tarp ridgeline and guylines, but, I will be a lot lighter than what I started with a year ago.
I was very warm and comfortable with what I had and well under $100, till, I had to carry it on my back and it was bulky in the pack.
I am using a Sierra Design 30* Ridgerunner down bag for a TQ, and will use a PLUQ for mid-Summer hikes.
Good luck in your endevours! I thoroughly am hooked on Hammock Hiking.

Have Fun,

Lenny

[Bakes]

Save yourself the trouble and just get a WB ridge runner and the best tarp you can find. I assume $300 is your shelter budget not your everything budget. You are not going to touch anything resembling the rest of your gear (sleep bag, backpack, layering, gadgets etc) for $300. Anyways, start with what is my opinion the best hammock I have ever been in and go from there. For reference I have a boatload of hammocks (Hennessy safari, eno DN, eno SN, bear mountain bridge, tree boat) and my ridge runner is my favorite so far.

[breyman]

I would go...
Butt in a sling weight weenie micro
Butt in a sling buginator bug net
Wilderness logics tadpole
And that would leave you $100ish that you could go to www.underquilts.com and buy a topquilt shell and some down and stuff it...
And a $7 CCF pad from Walmart and you should be good to 40*...
Then save a little more and buy some down underquilt...

This list is solid and pretty similar to what I would do - if I had to start 100% from scratch.

Most folks have (or have access to) a sleeping bag, though. If you can scrounge up a decent one, I'd go with that and then use the $100 to buy and make a www.underquilts.com UQ instead. Much more comfortable than a pad.

[Catavarie]

Thanks all. And to be honest, i thought there would be a couple BBird and other suggestions; well, there is a couple HH.

Anyhow, the bias looks good.

But, (and im sorry for the noob status quesions),
What is the best width?
Knotty mod? I sleep best on my right side, if that helps.
Double layer color? Does that mean the hammock is dbl layered only?
Edit: i suppose the dbl layer choice is understood when choosing color.
72 or 100 inch suspension?
And I dont know what is best otherwise in the other choices.

And other tarp suggetions are welcome. I will spend a little more on this; dont want to just get by.

Thanks,
John

Well you did limit hammock options a little by putting your budget at $300. Now if all you need is just the hammock and you have a suitable tarp and don't mind using your sleeping bag and pad then you have your choice of basically all the hammocks avialable out there except for some of the Clarks and the Exped Ergo Combi.

In my opinion the short list for the best top end hammocks out there currently in no particular order:

• Warbonnet Black Bird
• Warbonnet Ridge Runner
• Dream Hammock Danger Bird
• Dream Hammocks Darien UL
• Jacks BMBH
• Jack BMBH-UL

Just to appease the Hennessy lovers out there. They make a fine hammock, I just feel that it is currently not the best hammock for the money, unless you have mobility issues that make entering and exiting a regular hammock difficult to near impossible, then the bottom entry is worth its weight in gold.

As for your other questions, most of it is going to depend on you. If you want an extreme diagonal then you want as wide a hammock as you can get. If on the other hand you like to be pretty close to inline with your hammock and sleep at a very shallow diagonal then a more narrow hammock will work.

The knotty mod is a length of shockcord run in the side hem to help take up slack and prevent floppy sides which occur in most gathered end hammocks. Some find that it helps to keep their TQ in the hammock at the foot end as well, so that they are not chasing the quilt out of the hammock all night.

Dbl layer means that the hammock is made of two layers stacked ontop of each other. Often there is a slit along the side left open so that one can slide a sleeping pad between the layers if they wish. This often helps to prevent the pad from slipping during the night as well.

Suspension length is going to depend on where you are camping. The most common seems to be 6 foot whoopies with 6 foot tree straps though some places you can get by with shorter and some places you need much longer.

[jbrianb]

Thanks all. And to be honest, i thought there would be a couple BBird and other suggestions; well, there is a couple HH.

Anyhow, the bias looks good.

But, (and im sorry for the noob status quesions),
What is the best width?
Knotty mod? I sleep best on my right side, if that helps.
Double layer color? Does that mean the hammock is dbl layered only?
Edit: i suppose the dbl layer choice is understood when choosing color.
72 or 100 inch suspension?
And I dont know what is best otherwise in the other choices.

And other tarp suggetions are welcome. I will spend a little more on this; dont want to just get by.

Thanks,
John

Width? Depends. Here are our width recommendations:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77141104@N02/8489448357/

Knotty: It holds the pillow in, keeps fabric from billowing and creates a "poor man's footbox." Not necessary, but nice if you're tired of your top quilt landing on the ground.

Double Layer: Does two things 1) keeps your under pad from sliding around because it inserts between the layers and 2) gives your hammock additional weight capacity for strength/durability. Color choices are there so you can customize it to your tastes. A pad or quilt will be necessary to keep your back warm when it gets below 70 degrees. Hammocks without insulation get cold. All our double layers have an opening for a pad.

72" vs. 100" suspension: I've often called these "eastern" and "western" options. For eastern hardwood forests, 72" should be plenty. If you're out west in the big country, 100" might be nice. Some go with 100" and leave the whoopies at home. I think 80 percent of us can make do with 72" straps as long as we have whoopies

Color choices: Mostly a matter of personal preference. Some say bugs like darker hammock colors. Some like colors that are easy to find in the woods. Some like colors that aren't easy to find. Some like their hammocks to match their tarps. Some don't care.

[Jproaster]

Thanks or the extra info- very helpful. Gonna sleep on it or now.

John

[Cappy2cap]

Ive owned two Hennessey Hammocks with included tarps and snakeskins. These hammocks are perfect for backpacking. The Ultralite Backpacker weighs about 2 lbs and the snakeskins make them a cinch to setup. cant go wrong. and you'll have enough left over for the HH supershelter (for extra warmth) if needed.