HAMMOCK
CAMPING NEWS for December 2002--First Issue!
Here you will find the latest hammock camping News and Ideas from Ed Speer, including industry-related event listings, new products, trip reports, reviews, hammocking tips, links to more information, and much more. This F-R-E-E e-newsletter is a great way to share hammock camping information with the outdoors world; thus submissions or links from others are accepted subject to editorial review. We don't accept advertising. We don't share or sell your email address. To subscribe send email to: Hanmmock_Camping_News-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Or sign up online at:
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IN THIS ISSUE FROM SPEER HAMMOCKS
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1----------------------------HAMMOCK
CAMPING NEWS-----------------------------
A. WELCOME to the very first
issue of Hammock Camping News. We've
started this newsletter in order to share the good news with as many interested
people as possible. The explosive use
of camping hammocks over the past few years is a testament to their rapidly
growing popularity. Almost every
over-night hiker we meet on trails now has heard about and is interested in the
new camping hammocks (or they soon are after talking to us)! The promise of greater comfort and camping
convenience has already caught the attention of many outdoors people, including
our customers! This F-R-E-E
e-newsletter is intended share new information and to help spread the good news
throughout the camping world.
B. SPEER HAMMOCKS finishes
its' first year in business. What a
year it has been! We started the
company in January and began manufacturing and selling hammocks based on Ed's trail-tested
designs in April. Starting our first
business venture has been educational, fun and a lot of hard work. Getting two web sites up and running was
only one of the many first-time challenges for us. However, the enthusiastic response from our customers has been
greatly welcomed, and actually a bit overwhelming. In addition to our six hammock models, our Pea Pod Sleeping Bag,
which can completely encircle the hammock for superior warmth, has also been
very well received. On top of all this,
Ed wrote and published the first ever book on hammock camping! And now we have started this
newsletter! Amazingly, we still managed
to get out on numerous 1 to 5 day hikes.
All in all, it's been a great year at Speer Hammocks.
C. NEW BOOK PUBLISHED! Hammock Camping: The Complete Guide To
Greater Comfort, Convenience and Freedom by Ed Speer has just been
published by Speer Hammocks. The book
is at the printer now and the first copies are expected the first week of
December.
The book is based on Ed's
many years of hammock camping around the world and his experiences making and
designing his own hammocks. In addition
to key chapters on How To Stay Warm In A Hammock and How To Make Your Own
Hammock, the book contains numerous entries from Ed's trail journals that show
just how hammocks can be used in actual wilderness settings. The book is well documented with numerous
photos, drawings and tables of information.
For those not inclined to make a hammock, one chapter presents brief
reviews of all the commercially available camping hammocks. Appendices give valuable information on Ed's
hammocking tips, hammock manufactures, The Leave No Trace organization, and web
links to additional hammock information.
This book is sure to be a hit.
Advance orders are now being taken at http://www.HammockCamping.com
D. NEW WEB SITES just posted
online. Speer Hammocks, Inc posted
their new web site concerning the company and its' products at: http://www.SpeerHammocks.com. The site contains images of Speer hammocks
in use with the bug net, rain canopy, and Pea Pod Sleeping Bag. Product descriptions and ordering
instructions are included.
Another new site has been
posted at: http://www.HammockCamping.com. This site is a general exchange of hammock
camping news and information. Excerpts
from Ed's new book are featured here, as well as F-R-E-E copies of these
newsletters. The site includes
instructions for ordering Ed's book.
Anyone wishing to post information on this site should contact us at: Ed@SpeerHammocks.com.
E. CENTER OF GRAVITY latest
company to offer custom-made camping hammocks.
This New York-based company is apparently just getting started, but
their first product sounds like a winner.
The S3 Suspended Sleeping System combines a hammock, pack, and sleeping
bag into one piece of gear! For a user
review click http://www.backpacking.net/gear-reviews/sss;
contact Jay the owner at: (315) 687-3724 or cgravity@dreamscape.com. Expect to hear more from this company later.
F. HAMMOCKS ARE CHANGING HOW
AMERICA CAMPS
Speer Hammocks issued the
following news release:
Hammocks are Changing
How We Camp
There’s good news for the majority of campers who find they can’t get a good night’s sleep on the ground—hammocks! Today, the rapidly growing interest in camping hammocks is being driven by the promise of greater comfort and convenience. The lucky ones who have already switched are enthusiastically spreading the word.
Camping hammocks offer an irresistible alternative to tents, according to Ed Speer, author of Hammock Camping, The Complete Guide to Greater Comfort, Convenience and Freedom ($19.95). Several manufacturers now offer suitable hammocks for the adventure traveler. While these are reviewed, a separate chapter provides everything you need to make your own hammock. With modern materials like solid nylon fabrics, no-see-um bug netting, and a waterproof rain canopy, these camping hammocks offer complete shelter. Some weigh considerably less than comparable tents. In most forested areas, they can quickly and easily are setup over slopping, uneven, wet, rocky, or brushy ground. Most also function as bivy sacks beneath the rain canopy on the ground when suitable trees are not available.
Everyone’s first reaction is “I can’t believe it’s so comfortable.” Their second reaction is thoughts about the millions of new places it can be used! Of course, hammock campers also avoid the nightly creepy crawlers on the ground, such as snakes and spiders, reports Speer.
Speer’s trail-tested advice for staying warm in a hammock include hiding from the wind and using extra-wide sleep pads. He also suggests moving the sleeping bag to the outside of the hammock so the user doesn’t crush the insulation. Following Speer’s advice, these hammocks easily offer three-season use and can safely replace tents in all but the most extreme conditions.
While advocating the widespread use of camping hammocks, Speer stresses the importance of safety and environmentally wise backcountry practices. The ability to disperse campers into the forest and avoid further abuse at overused tent campsites is another major advantage of hammock camping. With their newfound freedom, hammock campers are urged to set a good example and follow the Leave No Trace Principles of Outdoor Ethics.
Speer is the foremost wilderness expert on camping hammocks. He is a life-long outdoors enthusiast with thousands of miles of wilderness travel by foot and paddle. Speer made his first camping hammock in 1988 for a 1,600-mile solo kayak trip along the west coast of British Columbia and Alaska. He has since refined and used his hammock in backcountry locations throughout North and South America, as well as Africa. In the past three years alone, he has hiked 5,000 miles on the Appalachian Trail using his unique hammock camping system.
For
more information, contact Speer Hammocks, Inc. 34-C Clear Creek Road, Marion,
NC 28752-6407 (828) 724-4444 http://www.SpeerHammocks.com
or http://www.HammockCamping.com.
2-----------------How To
Make Your Own Hammock Workshop------------------------
Ed gave a one-hour workshop
on How to Make Your Own Hammock at the 21st Annual ALDHA Gathering
in Athens, WV in late October. The event
included demos on choosing fabrics, tying end knots, and attaching hanging
straps. Handouts with excerpts from the
new book Hammock Camping; The Complete Guide To Greater Comfort,
Convenience and Freedom complemented the demos. "This was my first workshop and the
large crowd and good response was unexpected.
Many people shared their experiences and I learned a lot. I will probably offer an expanded workshop
next year", reports Ed. Plan to
attend this F-R-E-E workshop at next years' Gathering in Hanover, NH!
3-----------------------------TRIP
REPORTS (Hammocks In Use)--------------------------
A. Linville Gorge Wilderness
Area, North Carolina 9Nov2002
In this steep rocky gorge,
there are few flat places suitable for tents or tarps. I've set up my hammock
on a slopping rock ledge above a 40-foot drop off. It's a beautiful spot beside a small brook that free falls over a
20-foot drop; the river is 150 feet below and the sound of the rapids lull me
to sleep.
Two hikers with flashlights show
up at 10 pm looking for a tent site.
It's been raining for two hours.
They spot my tarp and come over to see it there's room for their tent. When they get close, they ask how can I
sleep on such a steep slope. I explain
I'm in a hammock beneath the tarp. They
leave to continue their search, but it will be several more hours of rough
hiking before they find a suitable site--they are not happy campers. I roll over and drift back to sleep as the
rain pounds the tarp.
Ed "Not To Worry"
Speer
B. Foothills Trail, South
Carolina & North Carolina 27Nov2002
I expect temps right at
freezing tonight and have brought my Pea Pod, sleeping pad and summer sleeping
bag. I hiked until dark and then made a
dry camp in dense trees on the side of a ridge. I sleep warm.
28Nov 2002
Tonight is a bit colder and
a moderate wind is blowing out of the northwest. I set up my hammock in a small cirque-like basin on the southeast
side of Chattooga Ridge. I'm about 300
feet below the ridge crest and can hear the wind in the trees up there; yet I
am in total calm. The ground is steep
and the hammock is set up over a large log.
I collect some of the dry leaves on the ground and pack them between the
Pea Pod and the hammock; they add about 1/2 inch of additional insulation and I
stay toasty warm all night. The stars
are bright tonight, so I do not use the rain canopy; I lay awake for hours
watching them. The first rays of the
morning sun wake me.
Ed "Not To Worry"
Speer
4------------------------------------HAMMOCKING
TIPS-----------------------------------------
From the book: Hammock
Camping
Buying A
Hammock
· Choose
a solid fabric hammock for proper suspension, weight distribution, comfort and
safety
· Choose
a hammock with bug net and rain canopy
· Choose
a hammock with an extra large rain canopy for dependable, convenient and secure
wilderness use
· Consider
a hammock with a rain canopy large enough to offer storm protection when
pitched as stand-up shelter
· Military-type
jungle hammocks may lack the comfort necessary for long-term use
· String
net hammocks may lack long-term comfort
· Avoid
hammocks with spreader bars if they raise the user too close to the tip-over
point
· Avoid
or return any hammock that tips over or feels like it will
· Consider
the weight of hammock, rain canopy and bug net; heavy units may be
inappropriate for uses like long-distance hiking
· Study
the reviews in Chapter 7, "How To Buy a Hammock"
· Review
manufactures literature including the Internet sites given in Chapter 7 and
Appendix 3
· Some
hammocks may come with rain canopies that lack guidelines or require additional
waterproofing
· Remember,
hammock comfort in general is dependent on length. Longer is more comfortable,
so avoid short hammocks
· Choose
a hammock with interior length at least 2 feet longer than your height for best
comfort (stretched-cot type hammocks may not need this extra length)
· For
safety, choose a hammock suitable for your weight
· For
serious wilderness use, consider a hammock that also conveniently sets up on
the ground as a tarp and bivy sack
· Consider
a hammock with removable bug net for the increased-warmth use of a sleeping bag
around the hammock
· Consider
a removable bug net for using the hammock as a lounge chair
· Consider
a removable bug net for weight savings during bug-free season
· Consider
a removable rain canopy for improved views when not needed
· Consider
the actual usefulness of extra items like interior pockets, bottom pockets,
interior pad retainers, wind shells, bottom entry, zippers, etc.
· Some
extra features may be desirable for some uses, for instance car camping, cabin
or backyard users may not be as concerned about weight and storm protection as
long-term wilderness trekkers
· Hammocks
for children may need extra material strength for safety
5---------------------------HAMMOCK
CAMPING RESOURCES----------------------------
From the book: Hammock
Camping
Camping Hammock
Manufacturers
The following is a list of manufacturers that make and sell
camping hammocks (only secure, comfortable and complete hammocks with bug net
and rain canopy are included).
Speer Hammocks, Inc.
34 Clear
Creek Road
Marion, NC
28752-6407
828-724-4444
Email: mailto:info@speerhammocks.com
Hennessy Hammock Co.
637
Southwind Road
Galiano
Island, BC
Canada, V0N
1P0
888-539-2930
http://www.hennessyhammock.com/
Email: mailto:info@hennessyhammock.com
Clark Outdoor Products
4637 South 300 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84107
800-468-4635
Email: mailto:info@junglehammock.com
Lawson
Hammock Co.
PO Box
12602
Raleigh, NC
27605
919-829-7076
http://www.lawsonhammockco.com/
http://www.tbcinc.com/hammocks/hamindex.html
Crazy Creek Products
PO Box 1050
1401 South Broadway
Red Lodge, MT 59068
800-331-0304
Email: mailto:chairs@crazycreek.com
Terrelogic, Inc.
477 Brunswick Ave.
Toronto, Ontario
Canada, M5R 2Z6
888-693-7923
Email: mailto:mdj@terrelogic.com
Laid Back Designs, Ltd.
Suite 160, Unit 3
304 Stone Road
Guelph, Ontario
Canada N1G 4W4
800-465-7519
http://www.travelsource.com/travelstore/lbd/lbd.html
Email: mailto:sammyd@mgl.ca
New Tribe, Inc.
5517 Riverbanks Road
Grants Pass, OR 97527
866-223-3371
541-476-5804
Email: mailto:newtribe@cdsnet.net
Four Season Hammocks
1236 Oxborough Lane
Fort Collins, CO 80525
877-282-7145
Email: mailto:mrhammock@verinet.com
Siam Hammock
Tawatchai Jaranai (Eff)
80/2 Prachachuen Road 33
Ladyao Jatujak Bangkok 10900 Thailand
+66-1869-8988
Email: mailto:f_goodfeeling@yahoo.com
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Thanks for your time and
happy hammocking
Ed "Not To Worry"
Speer
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