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  1. #1
    New Member Vela A.'s Avatar
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    Last minute second thoughts

    I'm all set to buy a Warbonnet Blackbird. Can't wait! But every now and then I see a $20 hammock an wonder why I'm not just getting one of those and a bug net. I'm sure they aren't a comfortable and amazing. I would appreciate it if you would all tell me this too. Because I'm cheap and I would rather only spend $20. But I want a great hammock for my AT thru hike! So.... why shouldn't I buy a cheap hammock?
    Don't think, just go

  2. #2
    Senior Member
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    $20 is a good try to start with, you might actually like it and stick with it for a while. If you don't like it, you lose not much, in my experience, cheap (correction-> inexpensive) one also serve as my poor man's UQ once I progress to other model before I invest a real UQ, and then they(yes, multiple of them) became loaner, gift.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Womble's Avatar
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    Last minute second thoughts

    My first reflection would be 'you get what you pay for'. If you get a hammock including suspension for $20 it can only be industrial made in far east. Cottage-made in Far West will cost abt 40-50$. I'm not American, but I generally think that if one can support local production at an extra cost of 2-3 fastfood meals, it should be done...

    I would love to support local productions - if they'd exist...

  4. #4
    Senior Member hutzelbein's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Womble View Post
    My first reflection would be 'you get what you pay for'.
    This. The $20 hammock is just a rectangular piece of fabric with channels on both ends. I have never seen one in that price class that came with a usable suspension system. Adding a comparable suspension would mean spending at least another $20. Most parachute hammocks have less than ideal dimensions (meaning they are short and often too wide), and are quite heavy for what they are. You would also need to add a bug net, which will add more $$$ and oz.

    Compare this to the Blackbird, which is a real camping hammock and comes with a very good suspension. The dimensions of the Blackbird are ideal for most people - long enough unless you're tall, and just wide enough to provide comfort but not too wide to add unnecessary weight. You can pick the fabric strength depending on your weight - not a one-size-for-all solution. You have the option of a double layer. Personally, I love the footbox and find it adds comfort - I wish I could get a no-net hammock with footbox. Then there's the shelf, too, which is very nice to have. No ridgeline organizer can hold what I put on my shelf - and the shelf is much easier to use. And of course there's the integrated bug net, which saves you weight over a bug sock.

    In my opinion, the Blackbird is a great deal if you compare it to other hammocks with similar features. But if you don't need the features, a $20 hammock will of course suffice.

  5. #5
    HangingOut's Avatar
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    Go with the WBBB and one of two things will happen. You will probably thank yourself later or you will sell it for almost what you paid for the premium product.

    Quote Originally Posted by hutzelbein View Post
    Personally, I love the footbox and find it adds comfort - I wish I could get a no-net hammock with footbox.
    Like the footbox? Just sew a triangular piece of fabric down there like the Warbonnet guy does. You don't need a bug net to make a footbox work, just gather the top of it a bit with elastic or a Knotty Mod type gather. I have done that to all my open hammocks. Actually works quite nice.

  6. #6
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Womble View Post
    My first reflection would be 'you get what you pay for'.
    And you pay a lot more for Swiss-Army knife hammocks, loaded with features that I don't want or need: peak bags, ridgeline organizers, gear shelves, overcovers, hammock tie-outs and zippers. Some people think those features increase their comfort, but I just think they increase my pack weight. Swiss-Army-knife hammocks also define the way you lay, and if you don't wanna lay that way, then it's time to buy a new hammock. I frequently loan my hammocks to friends and family who are new to hammocking, so a simple, gathered-end lets them lay the way they want. I especially hate zippers because they make me feel claustrophobic, do not allow a quick escape, and stuff always seems to get caught in them. I've also experienced calf ridge in every hammock I've tried with an integrated bugnet, but have never experienced it in a simple, gathered-end.

    I won't do cheesy, made-in-China $20 hammocks (usually too short), but I'll do an 11 ft. Dutch PolyD 1.4 hammock or a BIAS Hiker Lite for $33. Add a Dutch Fronkey-style bugnet for $45 and I'm set. I'm much more interested in which fabrics are comfortable than which features are, and I can try new fabrics affordably with a modular approach. Replacement cost is also considerably lower.

    The majority of hammockers prefer integrated bugnets because the zipper makes them feel more secure against bugs, but I've been using Fronkey-style bottom-entry bugnets and feel they're much more effective. With integrated bugnets, I'd get in the hammock and the mosquitoes would get in with me, then I'd zip up and try to kill them before they got me - I don't have that problem with bottom-entry bugnets. Bottom-entry bugnets are also easier for beginners to use. Nobody's ever damaged a bottom-entry bugnet I loaned them, but they've damaged my integrated bugnets by sitting on them or getting the fabric caught in the zipper.

    Finally, the majority of my camping is done outside of bug season, which means I can leave the bugnet at home.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  7. #7
    Senior Member hutzelbein's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr View Post
    And you pay a lot more for Swiss-Army knife hammocks, loaded with features that I don't want or need: peak bags, ridgeline organizers, gear shelves, overcovers, hammock tie-outs and zippers.
    Funny, the only knife I carry on hikes is a Swiss Army knife. When I bought it, I made sure that it had exactly those tools that I know I (frequently) use. Same goes for my Blackbird. The features might be lost on some people, but I have tried all kinds of hammocks, including several no-net plus bug sock versions, BIAS being one of them, and I keep coming back to my BB. I use all the features and don't consider them unnecessary. I need a bug net - an integrated one saves me weight, and since I would never go without one, the stand-alone feature that a sock provides would be lost on me. I want/need access to quite a bit of stuff at night; some I could store outside my hammock, like my water bottle - but things like my e-reader or my layer-up clothes or my meds I wouldn't want lying on the ground to prevent them from getting dirty/wet/carried away by animals or humans and have them available to me without being fully awake. The shelf is the best solution for me.

    So I simply don't agree with the opinion that "Swiss Army" style is generally a bad idea or inferior to more modular solutions. It depends on what you need and what you want. What you consider an advantage with your set-up, I consider a disadvantage. So know yourself and pick your set-up accordingly. And it never hurts to try a couple of hammocks and own more than one

    And with regards to cost: an integrated hammock costs about the same as a comparable no-net hammock plus bug sock. Depending on the manufacturer one or the other might come out a bit cheaper, but the difference is not that great.

    Quote Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr View Post
    Swiss-Army-knife hammocks also define the way you lay, and if you don't wanna lay that way, then it's time to buy a new hammock.
    Some people only need/want to lay in one direction - so the "feature" to be able to lay both ways is useless for them. I tried lying head left, feet right, and it feels weird. Like writing with the wrong hand. It's just another feature - either you need/want it, or you don't. Pick what suits your needs best.

    Quote Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr View Post
    I've also experienced calf ridge in every hammock I've tried with an integrated bugnet, but have never experienced it in a simple, gathered-end.
    I have had calf ridges in all types of gathered end hammocks - integrated and no-nets. I always found the BB's foot box helpful for avoiding the dreaded ridge.

  8. #8
    Senior Member Womble's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr View Post
    Dutch PolyD 1.4 hammock or a BIAS Hiker Lite for $33.
    Add a suspension to it and you are at $70 or $75 with Papasmurf, but yes these are the kind of examples I was promoting...

  9. #9
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Womble View Post
    My first reflection would be 'you get what you pay for'.
    At almost 34 years old, I'm still trying to pound this into my head. I'm getting close, but I still deviate now and then

    This is a great example. I love my WBBB. I recently bought a Taveler model to lighten up, but it's just not the same.

    After all, this whole forum is about hammocking; it pays to have a nice, sturdy, comfortable hammock. I'm not saying you can't get that for $20, but it's one of the areas where you may not want to try and get away for cheap.

  10. #10
    Senior Member Bubba's Avatar
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    I can understand the concern over cost but my take is if you are going to be using it on a thru hike you'll want something comfortable and well made. A good night's sleep goes a long way towards the next day's hike. If you were only going to be a casual hammock camper a cheaper hammock would be fine but the cost of a BB weighed against 150 nights on the trail is worth it IMO. Good luck on your decision.
    Last edited by Bubba; 02-02-2015 at 07:53.
    Don't let life get in the way of living.

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