In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I thought I would share some love for several of the vendors here on the forum. I have recently picked up a number of items from several folks and am excited to show off their great products!

First up is the TATO Gear Stand I just got in the mail today from Dutch/TATO Gear. First impression: WOW!

Things I like:
1. It's EASY: Two tripods, one center pole, stake it down, hang your hammock.
2. It's TALL: I hung my new 12 ft. SLD Trail Lair on it with no issues. The first photo shows the Trail Lair with the tripods at maximum height. Plenty of room underneath. I then lowered each tripod leg two positions, and it still gave me 6 to 8 inches of clearance for an UQ/UQP.
3. It's WIDE: Even with a 12 ft. hammock the tripods don't really get in the way of accessing the hammock. My Trail Lair is a DL with Wide material, so I can really get a pretty deep diagonal lay. As a side sleeper who moves and adjusts positions, I can stay clear of the tripods and still squiggle and squirm and use all of the width of the hammock as necessary for comfort.
4. Tarp OPTIONS: I can lay the tarp over the center bar, attach it just under the center bar, attach it to my suspension, or event use my hammock ridgeline for various heights/angles/ setups.
5. It's CONSISTENT: I think this is the secret sauce for any of the stands. Once you dial in your specific comfort settings for the hammock itself, that part of the process becomes "Set it and Forget it." You are adjusting the legs or angles for the terrain, but the hangle and height function in concert the set distance apart and your comfort.

Things to consider:
1. It's HEAVY: No-brainer here, but this is not going over the mountain. It is sturdy, but comes at a cost in weight. I am a car camper, or better yet, a "glammocker." I don't mind loading the minivan with lots of extra creature comforts.
2. It's TIPSY: I can see why it might "kite" or sail with a hammock attached. I did not stake it down (artificial turf in my backyard) and it rocked a bit during setup. It comes with 4 stakes. It may have already been discussed on the Forum why, but I would like to have all the legs staked down. Super double extra safe nuclear option.
3. It's WIDE: It takes up a good bit of room, so if you are glammocking and the site you have is pretty small, this might dominate the space.

Overall, I am excited to put it to use. I will update with a field report next month.

Best to you!

IMG_2402.jpgIMG_2404.jpgIMG_2403.jpgIMG_2405.jpgIMG_2407.jpgIMG_2408.jpg