SectionHiker.com Backpacking Gear Reviews and FAQs 
Backpacking hammocks are a great alternative to camping in a tent in the right conditions but there’s a steep learning curve to gearing up and learning how to be comfortable across a wide range of temperatures. While you can educate yourself about all the different types of hammocks, top quilts, bottom quilts, tarps and suspension systems, knots, and titanium whats-its, it can be a very time-consuming process if you’re not friends with a bunch of expert hammock gurus who can help you avoid buying gear that doesn’t work the way you want it to. Ask me how I know….
If you want to avoid the frustration of teaching hammocking to yourself, you need the new and expanded second edition of the Ultimate Hang: Hammock Camping Illustrated by author and illustrator Derek Hansen. This book is phenomenal. Richly illustrated, it should be titled the Hammock Encyclopedia because it has a drawing illustrating every type of hammock, quilt, tarp, knot, and titanium suspension whats-it you can possibly use, with detailed information about the pros and cons of different option and how to use them. When I first opened this new edition, my jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe the amount of detail Derek’s packed into this edition, the hundred of illustrations, and the breadth of information provided. This book is a classic and an absolute treasure-trove of hammock know-how for beginners and experts.
I’ve known Derek for the past five years and he is one of the most modest but knowledgeable people I know on the topic of hammock camping and backpacking. A former Scoutmaster and Leave No Trace Master Educator, the Ultimate Hang explains how to enjoy hammock camping and backpacking in a way that minimizes your environmental footprint while preserving the wilderness for others to enjoy.
Derek has always had a passion for the DIY side of hammocking and this latest edition of the Ultimate Hang illustrates the basic stitches and hems that are used for building you own hammocks and hammock gear. He also includes plans for the following simple projects, which can save you a lot of money and get you hooked on making your own gear.
- Gathered-end Hammock
- Basic Jungle Hammock
- Asymmetric Jungle Hammock
- Mayan Hammock
- WW II Navy Hammock
- Poncho Liner Under Quilt
- Synthetic Under Quilt
- Down Under Quilt
- Top Quilt
- Weather Shield
- Gear Hammock
- Double-sided Stuff Sack
- Ridgeline Organizer
- Boot Gaiters
- Wristies and Gorilla Gloves
- Mittens and Mitten Covers
- 3-Person Hammock Stand
All this in a book that’s large enough for a coffee table and will amaze your parents and house guests!
Buy the Ultimate Hang (2nd edition) by Derek Hansen:
For more by Derek Hansen, check out his posts on SectionHiker:
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Disclosure: Derek Hansen provided the author with a free book for this review.
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ATTENTION: Use caution when buying this on Amazon. I just placed an order for the kindle edition and they delivered the first edition of the book, not the new one pictured above. I returned it for a credit and will wait a few days to see if the Ultimate Hang 2 is actually available for deliver.
I used the Kindle to place the order and it showed the page on Amazon for Ultimate Hang 2, but when I clicked to place the order I received the first version instead.
I forwarded your comment to Derek Hansen.
Thanks for the heads up. The links that Philip has in his post work perfectly and send you directly to the right edition and format.
The problem is that the first edition is marked as the primary edition on amazon.com so it defaults to that every time. They tell me they can’t change it because it is automated. You have to click on “other formats and editions” to find the 2017 edition.
Yes, i used the kindle button on Phillips site and it took me to the Ultimate Hang 2 page on Amazon Books but then when I placed the order Amazon sent me the first edition which I returned for a credit and they have issued the credit.
Just now I searched Amazon Books for The Ultimate Hang 2 and it took me to the page of the first version.
I cannot find Volume 2 anywhere on Amazon.
Clearly Amazon needs to fix this, otherwise people won’t be able to find your new book on Amazon book search.
If Amazon can’t fix it then the only way I see to fix the problem is change the new book name slightly (more than just adding the number 2).
For my own books when we bring out a second or third edition we change the sub-title or we use Revised Edition. The other solution we have used on a couple of my books is to take the First Edition off Amazon until the Second Edition gets established, then put the First Edition back on Amazon with a slightly different sub-title.
I wish you the best of luck with Hang 2 and I’m looking forward to reading it once it is available on Amazon.
I just did a Amazon Books name search for Derek Hansen and only the First Version comes up in the search. Take a look at Andrew Skurka´s books at https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Andrew+Skurka&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3AAndrew+Skurka
He changed the name of Ultimate Gear Guide by adding ¨Second Edition¨. Perhaps that will work as Ultimate Hang Second Edition. Just a thought. Good luck.
Andy Lee Outdoors
I found the revised version as a paperback on Amazon, however, the electronic ones were all the original. I went ahead and ordered the paperback. I prefer reading real paper anyway.