10' vs 11' hammock

[Dcolon13]

That's how I decided on mine--just fold and whip at the length you want.

[ocnlogan]

Tried a smaller 8-9ft hammock first, wasn't comfortable.

I have two 11ft 8in hammocks, and find them very comfortable. I guess because of that I've not really experimented with much shorter ones.

My hammocks are all whipped though, so it would be easy to try a different length. In fact that's why I made them as large as I did, so if I wanted I could shorten them. I guess I just haven't yet.

[Liberty Guy]

I'm only 5'6 and have a couple of hammocks. The short ones are great to lounge around in, maybe take a nap in the back yard but for a good night sleep while camping I like my 11' - I just lay better and don't feel crowded.

[dakotaross]

I'm 5'10", I have two hammocks, 10.5' and 11'... I like the shorter one a little more. I'm sure it's not all about length, though.

[OneClick]

I'm sure it's not all about length, though.

I agree. The grand trunk parachute I picked up has a great fabric. Heavy, but a little stretchy which just cradles you right. It's like a memory foam hammock.

[sqidmark]

I'm wondering if it would be advantageous to take a longer channel hammock and tie the ends in knots to effectively shorten it, just to see what the difference in length makes, all other things being equal. Well, it wouldn't be truly equal due to the different gathering method which could introduce variables all it's own. Would a test like this be fairly representative though?

Yeah, I'm replying to my own post. Maybe this test will be of some value to somebody else.

I took my 11' hexon 1.0, tied the fabric into a knot at one end to bring it down to 10'. Hung the 1.6 (11'8") next to it and jumped back and forth numerous times, spending at least 10 min each time. Sure, different material matters, but the diff in length became obvious, especially with 18" diff.

The shorter hammock feels more "bowl-like" side to side. Both feet and head became much more elevated due to the side "ramps". And yes I corrected the sag to compensate for length diff. The 11'8" allowed for a much flatter lay without question. I can only assume that the relative diff between 10' and actual 11' is less pronounced than this test.

I wanted my wife to try the difference but due to back issues she can't lay in the 1.0. I took her hexon 2.4 (11'6") and tied it to 10'. I still had the 1.6 next to it. I tried it and felt the same way as with the 1.0, the only significant diff being the better lumbar support of 2.4. She got in and basically described the same bowl feeling I had with the 1.0. She slept in it Fri night and was not pleased. I untied it for last night and she was much much happier.

Now I'm not saying the 10' was uncomfortable, still better than the ground, but the difference in relative comfort between the two lengths, for us, is undeniable. Even in our longer hammocks I use an under-inflated pillow under my knees. In a 10 footer I'd have to fully inflate the same pillow to prevent that hyper extension sensation. Since my wife was clearly displeased with the shorter length and we plan to double hang under one tarp, there is no point in me going shorter.

On the other hand, if were going to go for a solo weekend and I wished to be as light and compact as possible, i wouldn't hesitate to make a 10' hexon 1.0 and 10' hex tarp for myself. I doubt that I'll ever spend a night in the 8'6" GT Ultra though. Our granddaughters will have fun with it.

[Jayson]

I started with a Hennessy expedition...10foot or so then a WB Blackbird at 10 foot. Switched to an 11 foot diy and am now using a 9ish foot diy. Comfort for me was basically the same in all. I like the lightness and modularity of my 9' diy with seperate bug sock. I am 5'10" 175lbs.