Fat Boy Dumping His Hammock--What Now?

[chrislrob]

I've owned a Eureka Chrysalis bridge-style Hammock for years. Loved it. But 2 years ago, I made the mistake of grabbing the spreader pole above my head while turning over, and it bent in half... On my first winter camp... Not a good night. But okay. Mistakes were made. I researched on the forum and ordered a replacement pole that was three pieces. Been using it occassionally since, with no problems. Last weekend I went camping in the Shawnee National Forest, here in Illinois. Beautiful, even though it rained most of the weekend. Two minutes after climbling into my hammock and out of the rain, the replacement pole had a catastrophic fail. It was a sudden snapping at the center joined ends that sent the pole whipping past my face. I spent a second carefully checking to ensure my eyeball hadn't been torn out. And that's it. I'm done with this hammock. Ready for a change, anyway. I spent the night in my car.

So after seriously considering going to the ground, I've decided that I need a new hammock.

Because of that, I need your help. I'm 6'1, 260 lbs.

--I'm a three-season camper
--I want to go lighter*. With straps and carabiners, I was at about 5 lbs in my Chrysalis.
--I want to avoid shoulder-squeeze. But accept that I don't necessarily need a bridge to do that.
--I have limited funds.
--I accept that I'm going to need an underquilt and am resisting buying a new sleeping bag since I probably need a topquilt, BUT...I have limited funds.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

*I realized last year that I was a backpacker that wasn't backpacking much because there was so much IN my backpack that it had stopped being fun. So, no more 35+ lb packs for me. And if you're wondering, that was for 2-3 day trips! In summer!2015-04-19 18.20.56.jpg

[Rolloff]

Dutch has excellent price points right now. I'd at least give him a call.

BIAS is another. SLD or Simply Light Designs can fix you up, all for around the same price points and weights light enough to qualify.

Dream, Wilderness Logistics, Warbonnet, just take a look at our vendors section, can all put you into their signature models for a bit more, and Papa Smuff basically makes every single unit custom to order, all for extremely reasonable pricing.

Now that you know what you don't want contact a few of the vendors and let them know. They know their products, can and will do what it takes to get you into something that suits your needs.

[chrislrob]

Thanks for the reply! Going to take your advice. A little out of the loop--never even heard of SLD. Haven't been nearly as involved as I'd like.

[gunner76]

While Dutch makes some great hammocks I find them a bit too narrow for me at 6ft 2 & 275+lbs. I have been using a BB 1.7 DL for 5 years and lately I have also been using an ENVY S DL from Hammeck in the ACU Camo which is 64+ inches wide. Both are very comfortable and I find the ENVY S to have a massive amount of room inside to move around in.

[chrislrob]

Wow. We have very similar builds. The BB is the first hammock that came to mind when I thought about a new hammock. I'll take a look at the Envy S. Thanks. How's the lay for you? Can you get fairly flat?

[gunner76]

Can you get fairly flat?

I feel like I get a slight flatter lay in the BB but I am still extremely comfortable in the ENVY S. I have more room in the ENVY S but I like the shelf in the BB. Hard to say which is a better hammock as the two hammocks are built differently. I don't think you would go wrong with either one.

Picture of my ENVY S at the Umstead Park Hang. I did use a UQ and TQ but I never did have to deploy the tarp past the way you see it in the picture.

[daneaustin3]

If you can diy you can save some cash. I did a complete setup for my son for $250. That's hammock, uq, tq, tarp and suspension. All good to about 30*.

[chrislrob]

Thanks. I've done some DIY gear, but have given up on the idea of really sewing anything. I'm thinking a Jarbridge UQ to start. Maybe buy a used one and use with my current sleeping bag as topquilt and my Grand Trunk UL, just to get an idea of how it feels. Then add on a good topquilt and a BB or some other hammock in the coming months.

[Mrknot]

Thanks. I've done some DIY gear, but have given up on the idea of really sewing anything. I'm thinking a Jarbridge UQ to start. Maybe buy a used one and use with my current sleeping bag as topquilt and my Grand Trunk UL, just to get an idea of how it feels. Then add on a good topquilt and a BB or some other hammock in the coming months.

Just curious,
How does your GT UL work for you?
It's only rated up to 200 lbs...
I bought a couple of them for my daughters and I've been afraid to even look at them for fear of instant explosion :-)
You and I are about the same size, more or less...

[chrislrob]

Just curious,
How does your GT UL work for you?
It's only rated up to 200 lbs...
I bought a couple of them for my daughters and I've been afraid to even look at them for fear of instant explosion :-)
You and I are about the same size, more or less...

In truth, I've never slept in it overnight. And I never hang it high. But I've been in it many more times than my camping hammock. Never a problem. It is my number one summertime, outdoor, party favor! I bring it to a bbq and people always react like I brought a pony for the kids to ride! And this link: http://www.amazon.com/Grand-Trunk-GT.../dp/B001AIBJSI says it's rated to 250 pounds.