I was invited to go backpacking with some guys from Church and while doing some research found Frozen had done a hike through Linville Gorge where I was going. I watched his hammock instructional videos and was hooked! I now dread going back to the tent on deep winter scout trips and am working to make my own top and under quilts. Thanks to this forum and the Catsplat calculator I should never have to go back to a tent again, unless I go out west where there are not trees to support me!
I am from Austin Texas and I fisrt started hanging when my moms job gave her a hammock and she gave it to me I only used that one ever so often but I've started to get more into recently due to the Rona.
Hi all!
I've been hiking for about 25 years, and over the years I have wanted to reduce the weight of my backpack. That was the first point why I started looking at the hammocks.
My first hammock was a simple, lightweight Nahanny hammock with their own tarp. This was good one, but after few night I found some weakness. In summary that is not for night sleep (for me) but good for take a rest.
Later I could try a Mosqiuto hammock and I knew this would good for me. Then (~12 years ago) I bought one and have been sleeping on the hikes ever since.
The weight is a bit more than a lightweight tent, but I loved the other benefits: I could sleep on any terrain, I can look out, no bugs, ants
I've improved suspensions and now I'd like to make my own underquilt.
It all started when a friend decided to invite me on a camping trip to the hoh rain forest. Started with a tent and one of my friends mentioned something about hammock camping and so I gave it a look and after a couple of times waking up with my back in pain I decided it was time to get a hammock. Bought an SMR ninox and I got hooked when I took my first lay in it. Never slept so good. It allows me to enjoy the outdoors rather then regret it in the morning. It was the best decision I ever made.
A buddy of mine was suffering many cold nights trying to hammock while the rest of us slept in our tents laughing at his trials and errors , until he figured it out, then he was the one laughing at us on the ground , or rolling up our tents in a downpour coming out all soggy while he was dry underneath a tarp breaking down his gear.
New to hammocking. My son got me interested.
I was a Boy Scout and later a Scout Master, I'm 69 years old, retired from the USMC (I have practiced being miserable and perfected it). I'm looking forward to backpacking and relaxing in comfort.
Can anyone tell me where One Wind Hammock equipment is manufactured?
Never Too Late to be a Newbe
I was already familiar with comfort of the bunched end hammock if lain in properly. Recently I started seeing people out in them on occasion (usually mtn bikers or the sort with bright colors and frequently lights). But it got me curious enough to start poking around. I am old, but not so old I cannot learn new tricks if they look like they might actually be a good idea. So then I did a bunch of reading.
But this will not all make sense without my background in the outdoors and backpacking. I was raised in Oregon, camping, but it was car camping (or trailer). We went out with family but no one backpacked. My Dad had one that may have been used once. My parents moved way out into the coast range when I was in the third grade. So I grew up in a rural world without real TV access (party line for phone. I’m 52). So I spent a lot of time in the hills. And those really can go a long way depending on which way you are walking. I got to college and found people who backpack. Though mostly kind of haphazardly. But I liked it. I also ended up with a job at one point (>2 yrs) where I was a forestry surveyor. As a combination of these I ended up off trail when exploring new spots more than many (map + compass + good weather = no problem).
Lots of time passes. And I am more resurgent in my backcountry. But people are crowding me. Too many people are out these days. I moved to cots when I got my first canoe years ago. Though the canoe space is getting crowded with all the paddle boarders. So I need to get further away. Though I partially moved to canoe+cot because I was getting tired of sleeping on the ground.
Enter the hammock. Basically I want to be comfortable and not have people in my nature. I want to camp where three thousand other people have not beaten down all of the vegetation. That is why I am now a hanger.
And maybe do a through hike. I had one planned when I got out of college and never did it. Regret it. And I know there will be a lot of people on any through hike and that is part of the experience. That will be different.
FWIW, I am not a hermit. I work for a global company and in the past I have spent a large amount of time in Europe and SE Asia. I just do not like people in my nature...
Last edited by Sean McC; 08-07-2021 at 23:30.
Friend of a friend called us ground dwellers on a camping trip. Got a cheap ebay hammock and that was it. Now I love my Hennessy Explorer. Old school one from back in the day, when i bought it I sent it off to someone on here to add zippers to it.
I got interested in hammocks when my wife bought a couple cheap ones for the beach, and I was fascinated to the point of obsession lol. Being an avid backpacker at the time I was delighted to learn that people use these things out there too and down the rabbit hole I went. Now I'm a gear nerd who annoys my friends at parties lol
Bookmarks