Town's End Luxury Bridge Tester Wanted (BIG GUY Bridge)

[Johnny Gunz]

I'll chime in as the other guy who put a pole through the side. It launched like a javelin! Anyway, Bill patched it and it's held very well with the Hex 70. I started to be unable to sleep on my back and it looks like sleep apnea may be at least part of the reason. Bill's Big/Luxe bridge allows true side sleeping. I went from lousy sleeping in a GE lately to great nights in the Biggy Deluxe. The bar over the head is weird at first, but no longer an issue for me, even using a Big Agnes LW pad, which puts me even closer to it. The bug net is a winner as well. My UGQ XL full-length UQ fit the Biggy Deluxe well using a short piece of shock cord over the RL and connected to the D rings on the UQ to snug it up in the middle. The whole enchilada fit wonderfully under my WB Superfly with an outside pole mod with room to spare. It really is a great hammock and Bill is a truly awesome guy I'll try to get pics up at some point.

BTW, I'm only around 190, but 6'2"+ for reference.

[scoffman]

What is the pack size and weight of these BIG GUY Bridge hammocks? I weigh in at 6 foot 4 inches and 375 lbs in my birthday suit. I've got a 25 mile 3 nighter with another two nights at a base camp trip on 12-15 June 2017. I wonder if this could be an option for that trip. What about the meet halfway option? Let me know.

[Johnny Gunz]

Some pics of an early prototype and Bill's bug net from a recent trip. The WB Superfly is in foot end porch mode for the view and breeze, not extra room.

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[Johnny Gunz]

What is the pack size and weight of these BIG GUY Bridge hammocks? I weigh in at 6 foot 4 inches and 375 lbs in my birthday suit. I've got a 25 mile 3 nighter with another two nights at a base camp trip on 12-15 June 2017. I wonder if this could be an option for that trip. What about the meet halfway option? Let me know.

I can't say exactly. Mine is not heavy at all. The poles add some weight, but they're light as well. Mainly, I think the pole length/bulk will be more of an concern for some long distance hikers than weight.

[Just Bill]

What is the pack size and weight of these BIG GUY Bridge hammocks? I weigh in at 6 foot 4 inches and 375 lbs in my birthday suit. I've got a 25 mile 3 nighter with another two nights at a base camp trip on 12-15 June 2017. I wonder if this could be an option for that trip. What about the meet halfway option? Let me know.

Micro Bridge is 9.75 ounces (Not for sale)
Medium is 1lb 4 ounces
Luxury Single 1.7Hybrid XL is 1lb 9.5
Luxury Single 2.2 Hex 70 is 1lb 14oz
Luxury Double 1.7 Hybrid XL is 2lbs 4 oz.
That doesn't include tree straps, whoopies, biners, or bug net. The Micro and medium does not include an ARL in that weight.

I will likely drop the single layer hex 70's in the future... as the single Hybrid 1.7 is probably good to 222-250. But the Hex70 can go to 275-300... but at that point might as well switch to the double.
And these are STRUTURAL double layers. So it's not a pad sleeve. I do have some plans to add a pad sleeve (ideally detachable like an UQ protector) at some point.

I forgot to take a tape to them last night (I have a day job so can't check right now)- but they do all have the poles to deal with.
All but the medium have at least one 26" pole in the set. I am working on a three piece set for the Luxury Single layers for users under 250lbs for a cleaner breakdown so that the poles could be stored inside a pack more easily.

There are some side by side pics of the bridges in this folder: https://1drv.ms/f/s!Apygyt54yYPwg48atvi04-yf_qgMSA
Roughly though- the dimensions of the biggest one are 26" long, roughly 2-3" thick and 8.5" wide. The stuff sack is a slightly curved shape though and doubles as a RL bag.
Best frame of reference- it's about the bulk of a 1" Therma-rest self inflator (foam) pad.

That said: if pack space were tight. You could easily pack the suspension separately, the bridge body itself is roughly an inch bigger diameter than a Nalgene bottle if rolled up on it's own. You could then store the poles in the stuff sack; strapped to your pack or internally. The RL tabs on the sack should be used to secure the poles if stored externally. Many 50L+ packs are 30" tall, but having the breakdown set for the Lux would better work with a smaller 30-40L pack so that's why I'm pursuing that option.

Back to you personally-
You are likely to run into similar problems as Mountainhanger at that size. So I would hesitate to recommend this for your upcoming trip. Heck- when you have a big trip coming up any new gear period is a risk not worth it IMO. So even if we got one to you in time I wouldn't count on it for a backcountry trip where you don't have any other options. I personally find bridges easier than GE hammocks to use... but there is a learning curve and tinkering needed for everyone...especially with hammocks.

Tim (mountainhanger) did offer above to converse with anyone who might be at the edges of size as he was. At 375lbs you would be the heaviest occupant by a bit... but my bigger concern would be physical size limiting your experience.
There is enough room for somebody up to about 60" (waist or belly) in the middle and there is a clear 26"/27 of width in cross section at the center. (There is a pic in there of a weighted Large Neo-air pad (26" pad))
Tim's shoulder size is roughly 82" if I wrapped a tape around his triceps at the shoulder area.

I'm certainly willing to look into it or try it if it's close... My hope is to develop a better sense of a couple critical numbers like those that will help tell us all what makes sense and what doesn't.

I want to say 6'6" or so is the tallest user and 5'2 or so the shortest.
120lbs to 365lbs so far on the testing.
Perhaps Tim could share his pant size?
A number we didn't pull on Tim was the width of his shoulders in cross section... but I think wrapping a tape around as we did is more accurate.

The other thing to remember- if you are all belly, you're going to find the bridge tippy and/or uncomfortable. Tim is just big everywhere but he's basically a scaled up version of me. Point being... when we first explored this idea I had a strong suspicion that this bridge would work for "lumberjacks" (big dudes like Tim) but probably not work well for "Italian Uncles" who are 5' tall and 300+lbs.
Bridges by their nature have an hourglass shape to them to work well so they do favor broad shoulders and narrower hips. So an athletic (broad shoulder narrow waist) or rectangular (roughly even shoulder and waist) shape is best. A pear or round shape body type, especially above 300lbs, will likely be less comfortable to unusable.

My bridges are have shallower arcs to give you the support, flatter lay, and make them easier to get in and out for folks of any size. Getting in and out was a challenge that specifically came up in design
When you are in it your center of mass is basically level with the suspension (sides)... so it's a cross between a soft bed and a cot as far as getting back out.
However all those things make a bridge tippier, so to counter-act that I also have a different style of suspension than other recessed bar bridges use when you employ the ARL. It's partly because of this that the Apex to Apex (RL length) is relatively short.

But at some point if you are more belly than bulk your center of gravity will rise and you will likely find it uncomfortable or too tippy. You may also find the bridge wears faster or doesn't sleep as well because you are point loading the center. As big as Tim is physically... his weight distribution is pretty good from a designers perspective... like I said just a scaled up version of myself really.

Sorry if I'm rambling... From the start of this I wanted to remain clear, open and honest about what can and can't be done. Now that we're doing it though... next step is to figure out these dimensional limits rather than just the weight.
For the most part, regardless of shape... folks up to 300lbs have been decently to exceptionally happy. After 300lbs though is when we start to see the concern shift from weight to body shape.
On the other side of the scale- my wife is the exception in preferring the double layer at 120lbs as she likes a firm to hard mattress, but most folks closer to 200 seem to like the single layer as the double is too firm.

One option that does "add" to the bridge is using a sleeping pad. Specifically the Exped HL duo series. I originally had this bridge designed as a personal hammock for my small son and I... A "person and a half bridge" using this pad.
There are some pictures in the folder with that pad and the thing for bigger guys to pay attention to is that the pad is wider than the bridge at the center. So if you are a wide guy... the pad extends the width of the sleeping area and gives your arms somewhere to go and would reduce any chance of the edges biting you. Because the bridge is shallow- you won't feel like a Taco getting folded in the pad. It's a bit more like a GE experience.

Some of the testers are also using 30" wide pads from other brands, but I think the Exped has some clear advantages because of the insulation type as well as the slightly oversized baffles along the edges. The Duo model also has two separate air chambers so if you are a side sleeper you can leave one side full up (like a backstop) along your back and soften the other side you are facing.

Tim also found that employing "the chair trick" I show in the medium bridge instruction packet; the geometry of the bridge changes and creates a slight twist in the bridge and feels like side sleeping even if you aren't truly rolled on your side.

[Beemermcr]

I'll chime in as the other guy who put a pole through the side. It launched like a javelin! Anyway, Bill patched it and it's held very well with the Hex 70. I started to be unable to sleep on my back and it looks like sleep apnea may be at least part of the reason. Bill's Big/Luxe bridge allows true side sleeping. I went from lousy sleeping in a GE lately to great nights in the Biggy Deluxe. The bar over the head is weird at first, but no longer an issue for me, even using a Big Agnes LW pad, which puts me even closer to it. The bug net is a winner as well. My UGQ XL full-length UQ fit the Biggy Deluxe well using a short piece of shock cord over the RL and connected to the D rings on the UQ to snug it up in the middle. The whole enchilada fit wonderfully under my WB Superfly with an outside pole mod with room to spare. It really is a great hammock and Bill is a truly awesome guy I'll try to get pics up at some point.

BTW, I'm only around 190, but 6'2"+ for reference.

Javelin is a great description!

[Just Bill]

Javelin is a great description!

Hmmm....

I wonder if I can market "crossbow mode" to the bushcraft customers as an emergency feature.

[Johnny Gunz]

Hmmm....

I wonder if I can market "crossbow mode" to the bushcraft customers as an emergency feature.

Emergency bear burrito defense system interestingly, on a three night camping trip using my UQ, which I believed contributed to the launch, I never had a problem the poles stayed in place well. So, I'm forced to conclude I was the problem

[Beemermcr]

Mine was Operator Error - I checked when i set up (a daily ritual) put in the TQ and pillows and plopped down - LAUNCH!!
Now I check every time before sitting.

[Just Bill]

Yar- before I moved I had a semi-permanent setup in the backyard and slept outside most nights of the week out there.
I came home well after dark and was tired, the bridge was up so I went to bed and heard a weird pop. The foot end pole had slipped from the hammock getting blown around in the wind all day.

I let that one go a good 30-60 days too. It's easy to not do... but easy to do, lol.

The worst one I had was testing the limits of SUL rigs with the micro bridge. This being before the days of Kevlar I was pushing straps smaller and smaller as that was the heaviest piece remaining. I was around 190 then and got down to 3/4" grosgrain. I was in the micro bridge just long enough to lay down, settle, get comfy and start to dream of my new insane Xtreme UL suspension... then somebody punched me in my face and I was on the ground with a sore back and bruised bum.

The head end grosgrain snapped and shot the head pole right into the bridge of my nose. Didn't break it but I had a good cut there and still have a tiny scar on my nose.
But on the plus side; I literally found the bottom of suspension components.