Dream Hammock general questions

**attroll** · 03-17-2015, 18:17

I am thinking about getting a Dream Hammock to try. I am looking at the Thunderbird to try out but I am not sure if this is the Dream Hammock for me. I have some questions that I hope some can help me with.

The web site is too confusing because there are just too many hammocks and options to choose from. All I want is a good lightweight double layer hammock with bug netting that will let me lay diagonal with a lot of room but not make me feel like I am wrapped in a cocoon.

1. Is the Thunderbird the right hammock for me? Or does anyone recommend another type.
2. I am thinking 10 feet in length should be plenty for me? I am open for opinions?
3. The width is what is so confusing. I have the choices of 55’ to 72’. Holly cow, which would I pick and why would I want 72’?
4. What is meant by the Overcover?

**JacobAllison** · 03-17-2015, 18:44

Height and weight would be useful for people to help you determine length choices. A wider hammock allows you to lay on more of a diagonal.

The overcover is hammock fabric which goes all the way up to the Ridgeline. It helps block wind and retain heat. Not waterproof, you'll still need a tarp.

**Gresh** · 03-17-2015, 18:48

1. Depending on your height, I'd recommend either the Thunderbird or the NightHawk. The major difference here is zipper accessibility. On the Thunderbird, you're gonna reach pretty far above your head to get at the zipper pull. At 6'4", that's not a problem for me but somebody any shorter would have to climb up there. The Nighthawk offers the ability to have the zipper pull significantly closer. Also, of course, the NightHawk is permanently vented (which I find to be worthwhile).

2. Again, I'm gonna point at the issue of height. I'm in an 11' Dream Hammock which suits me just fine. If you're by and large happy with the length of your current hammock, I'd probably stick around something like that.

3. ONCE AGAIN, we'll look at height. On the diagonal, a 72" hammock IS A MUST for me. I slept in a friend's before I made the decision to pull the trigger on a Dream Hammock, and his is a 62" (if my memory serves me correctly) and it simply wasn't alright. My head was on the bug netting as well as my left shin. A wider hammock eliminated this problem COMPLETELY.

4. This one has nothing to do with my height. The overcover is a bit of fabric that can be zipped into the hammock body in place of the integrated net (lots of hammocks have this option, so I'm gonna assume you're familiar with the concept). When in place, it'll create kind of a microclimate in the hammock itself (much like a winter sock would) and increase the interior temperature by 5-10 degrees (in my experience). If you're gonna do any cold weather camping, which I imagine you'd do in the Great White North, you'd be well advised to spring for a hammock with an overcover option.

This is all based on my experiences with various Dream Hammocks and your mileage my vary. For lightweight options on the double layer, you really can't get any better than 1.0 HyperD, for my money. If an overcover isn't your thing (you're just not sold on it) then a Roaming Gnome might be your best option - all the benefits that come from a Dream Hammock but it's just a simple integrated net hammock. As far as the website, each hammock model offers a different set of options - that's up to you to explore and experience on your own. For what it's worth, the BIGGEST draw for me to Dream Hammock was the customability of the hammocks, and while that may sometimes make the site interface clunky or confusing (which I've noticed is the case for a lot, if not all, of the cottage vendors - web design is NOT their forte...amazing gear is) it's absolutely worth it to muddle through. Randy is amazing at answering questions if you're confused about anything, and of course you can do what you've done right here - take your questions to the community at large.

...besides, is the really such a thing as "too many hammocks to choose from"?

**Baby Huey** · 03-17-2015, 19:04

+1 to What Gresh said. I am 6'4" as well and love the 72" wide. It is up to you and your lay though. I have heard some people say that 72" leaves too much loose fabric around their face for their lay style so it is one of those subjective opinion thingies.

**Gresh** · 03-17-2015, 19:10

Originally Posted by Baby Huey

+1 to What Gresh said. I am 6'4" as well and love the 72" wide. It is up to you and your lay though. I have heard some people say that 72" leaves too much loose fabric around their face for their lay style so it is one of those subjective opinion thingies.

With the side tieouts, I've never had that problem...but like I said, that's just my experience.

**altruistguy** · 03-17-2015, 19:25

I'm 6'1". I've got an 11' x 72" Dangerbird. I find that the 72" is dramatically too wide for me. There's just WAY too much material on the sides when I'm diagonal. Some suggest that the wider hammock allows them to become more diagonal. But with 72" of width, I can literally almost get to a 90° angle! And that's not diagonal -- that's perpendicular. Nobody sleeps that way. If you are shorter than Shaquille O'Neal, and your laying angle is somewhere around 30° to 40° (which I presume is what most folks do), 72" should be WAY more than you need.

Because of my unhappiness with the 72" width of my existing Dangerbird, I've recently ordered a new Nighthawk both to check out its new design and to get a more appropriate 60" width.

**attroll** · 03-17-2015, 19:46

I am about 5’8”. I currently own several different types of hammocks but none of them are Dream Hammocks. The diagonal hammock that I own are 10’ long by 63” wide and it suits me fine and I lie at a diagonal just fine and have no issues. With this said.
1. Do I need to go more than 63” with a Dream Hammock? If so why and how much?

I want to figure this out before I order one. I have no one in my area that has a Dream Hammock to try out and I don’t want to order the wrong size. They are too expensive to order and find out it was not the size for me after I have receive it.

Thanks Gresh, I will consider the NightHawk once I decide on the size that suites me.

**Gresh** · 03-17-2015, 20:33

Troll, I played E-mail ping pong with Randy for almost a year before I pulled the trigger on mine because of that EXACT same mentality. That said, Palmetto State Hangers has four Dream Hammocks in our loaner gear program - not sure off the top of my head of the width but I can measure and for you (making an exception here) I'd be willing to send you one to try for a week or so.

**OutandBack** · 03-17-2015, 20:47

Hi Rick,
I own two Dream hammocks one for winter and one for summer. I am 5'8" 190#.
Both of my hammocks are SL 11'x60" and they are perfect for me.
The one tip I will suggest is get enough zipper pulls so you are not reaching to the sky to get in and out.