This is a forum of innovators

I like this group because of the challenging innovations and constant current of new ideas. It has a good balance of newbies and folks of all experience levels. As opposed to other groups, the trekkers group has only one way of doing things and they resent new ideas, the hammockers have a limited number of ideas and write over and over about the same ideas about hammocks and never talk about packs, stoves or clothes. The Portland hikers don't even hardly mention gear at all. The Mt Whitney group would rather write about baseball than stay on any serious topic, and they are inundated by people without a clue who want to summit without gear or skills. Trailspace is a good group, but it is very top heavy with a huge percentage of senior campers, but the material is varied and you get good information there. The people at trailspace care about each other maybe even more than this group.

But like I say, this group has many wonderful people and constant new ideas and innovations to think about.
Jim

I find they all have their own personality, all different. Depends on what crowd joins in. Good mix here, not much interest in trip reports.

I can tell you don't ever visit the hammock forum, cause right now there are threads about food, packs, and stoves going - not to mention all the ways you can use whoopie slings.

Still, this is definitely one of the nicer forums, and I do appreciate it.

Amen, Lori! Those guys are always tinkering with something and coming up with new ideas. Some stick, some don't but they're not afraid to try.

I also got some great links to DO cooking.

And, it seems there's a hang going on somewhere just about every weekend (or close to it).

There's one this weekend at Davy Crocket National Forest, but I won't get to attend. We've got another activity going on that I'll be able to post about after it happens.

Tango61

Lori
thats what I'm talking about, how much can you say about whoopie slings and tarps? I don't see a lot of innovation there.
Jim

What is a whoopie sling? Is that anything like a whoopie cushion?

yeah but they won't let you talk about kayaking with a hammock as it is considered off topic but food, packs and stoves are on topic..go figure

Heck, why not kayaking? There's folks asking about tents, for heaven's sake. Maybe post in the random thoughts thread? we're talking about unemployment in there....

Hammockers didn't name 'em, it's actually borrowed from the arborists. Google it sometime - don't get sticker shock, the ones the arborists sell are way more expensive for some reason.

You don't see the innovation cause you aren't a hammocker, maybe. For those of us who get tired of lugging 20 feet of strapping and rings, it's a darn nice option to have.

Frankly, there's just not a lot of innovation in the backpacking world - just fine tuning what's already there. And maybe them's fighting words, but all we ever do is play out a million variations of a sack on the back with a collection of gear that varies in material composition and size, but it's always more or less the same. The stove geeks want to wave their hands about how the titanium stove is different than the aluminum one, the tent geeks want to show off the difference between the Epic sewn to the bugnetting and the silnylon, the pack geeks want to go on about cuben pack vs sil vs cordura...

I like not needing to detach the #$%^^ ropes from the tree to adjust the position of the hammock under the tarp when it starts raining and it's obvious the head end is an inch too far. That's enough innovation to make me happy. It's all I can really expect - how much are you going to expect the basic formula of fabric between trees to change?

It's all micro-innovation until the antigravity backpack shows up.

I have asked before. They said they would do it in the members forum only. If you can talk about everything else then why not kayak hammock camping. I got told to stop bringing it up by a moderator.

I posted a thread about the National Parks Series and it got moved to the members only forum. I can't even post on it now

That might be me talking about tents

Kinda like when I subcribed to BPer mag years ago, after a couple years, they've covered it all. In fact, some mini location reports got rerun. Just give me the dirt on any new stuff. I go to a stove forum now for some different topics. Can't believe all they talk about is camping/bping stoves and how to fix them. They post photos of their stoves like it was their just graduated from college kid.:)

Well, I'm sure there are a ton of people who can't figure out why folks would be so het up about white gas vs. isopro vs alcohol - "aren't they all the same?"

Over on Backpacker magazine forum it looks like there are mainstream backpacker folks slowly dipping toes in the alcohol stove pool - one guy can't figure out why his stove (a bud can cut down into a cup) doesn't boil water well. He's on the first rung of the ladder that will take him to advanced alcohol stove physics if he keeps climbing... and when it comes down to it, you practically do need a lot of physics to get why the number of holes, air gaps/vents and so on have to be just so... all to get that perfect burn with max fuel conservation.

So yeah - all stoves are the same, except different. All hammocks are the same, except different. And to us innovators that's just a laugh - if they were all the same why would any of the stove/hammock/pack geeks bother? And why wouldn't the guy trying to fit a full backpacking kit into a summit pack be able to do that without sore shoulders? It's just a pack, right? If the gear fits why won't it work? He'll take the REI guy's word for it over the say-so of folks on the internet any day! The REI experts know best, right?

I'm sure if someone starts talking to me about all the innovations in climbing gear, I'd be all, duh, isn't it just ropes and little metal thingies? (cue eye roll)

I think this forum focuses on technique rather than gear. I have not slept in a tent in several years and no longer shop for tents. I am not qualified to answer questions about the latest and greatest tent.

The depth and breath of knowledge and experience on this board is stunning. We can tell a noobie what to look for in a pack, but may not be stay current on the retail market.

The hammock forum people are innovative. They have moved hammock gear forward very quickly. Bottom insulation and suspension changes everyday.

Perhaps I misread the thread in which you are referring,but i thought the issue was a dedicated subforum about kayak hammocking which the mods said no to?

Ewker,
Please post something about kayak ham mocking :), maybe on the canoe forum. I am always thinking about making a tent cover for my canoe.
Jim

I am not a thru hiker. I came on this forum to learn how to lighten my load, after a 28 year gap in my backpacking history. I quickly learned that I can no longer sleep on the ground, with my CCF pad. I started looking for alternatives and I beleive it was Bigfoot's post on this site, with his Warbonnet Blackbird and his winter tarp, that sent me looking.

When it comes to innovation, IMO those hammock guys are off the charts. Many are not ultralight or even light, but they don't claim to be. You want to see innovation check out this topic DIY Hammock Stand. Or McEntire's Prairie Travoismade from bamboo poles. Most the time, they post very elaborate diagrams or step-bystep photos of their projects. It makes me want to go buy the stuff and attempt it myself.

I stopped looking at hammockforums for a while because I thought I had read it all, and they weren't changing much. Then, a couple weeks ago I decide to give them a look..and.. ...A WHOLE NEW SUSPENSION SYSTEM!!. And it is a leap from anything before.

So, I see them as very innovative. Definitely more than we are here.