Originally Posted by
Iceiceguy
Just got the stand delivered. Set it up in my family room with an ENO Singlenest. First impression....the good: build quality is really, really good. Much more solid than I expected in terms of the frame. The aluminum tubes are beefier than I expected them to be with a really nice finish on them. The frame is rated to 400 lbs so I'm sure they had to use some solid stock to make this work. It is all of the listed 22 lbs and you would definitely not want to hike with this thing. Took me about 3 minutes to set it up on my first try. I was impressed how easy this was to put together. Easy to hang the hammock so set up was really a breeze. The entire frame folds down into a bag about the size of a camp chair bag which is heavy canvas with a liner. I expect this bag will last a while based on how it is built. The frame itself has a sort of beautiful simplicity to it which was part of the appeal for me. Very clean lines, no wires and legs and cross-bars all over the place. Just a clean arc. Using this as a chair is also a fantastic option that I have tried out. You basically slide to one end, the frame stands up in the air behind you and you have a really comfortable hammock chair to sit in. This position was more comfortable than I thought it would be.
Other feedback: I'm a rookie hammock hanger but have figured out that the hang angle creates pressure points in different places and the hammock takes on a different feel depending on how you hang it. With a stand that is low (I would consider this a "low" stand), you have will need to have the "right" kind of hammock so you find a good hang angle and yet not touch the ground. I am able to find a comfortable balance point but that puts the bottom of my ENO about 2-4 inches off the ground but to be honest, I think the ENO is not ideal for this stand (more about that below). Just fine for hanging out in but if you were going to sleep with an underquilt, you may have some issues with the quilt touching the ground depending on the hammock you are using, hang angle and your weight.
The standard frame will accommodate a hammock from about 9' to 10' or maybe just a little over 10'. I'm trying this with an ENO Singlenest (9'4" of actual fairly stretchy hammock plus continuous loops on each end plus a carabiner) and I definitely would not want to have any shorter of a hammock or it would be way too tight. I think a 10' hammock with a little less stretch (rip-stop fabric) would be the perfect fit (as Boonedox indicates on their website) but may require a bit of fiddling with the continuous loops to get it just how you want it from an angle point of view. Boonedox sells 1' extensions (which I will be ordering for use with my SLD Lair.
In summary, this was exactly what I was looking for in a stand. Compact when disassembled, very durable, simple/clean lines, easy to assemble and really well built. Its not cheap, but I am really impressed with the build quality. I do think that in general, you get what you pay for and this stand seems to line up with that philosophy. Looking forward to using it in my backyard this weekend, on the end of a dock next weekend and all winter long in my family room. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I'll try to answer them as best I can. Thanks!
Dan
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