REI's new gathered end hammock - what do you want to know?

[snwcmpr]

A local mountaineering shop, in Asheville, a salesman said that he tried a hammock once. Not a good experience. Not going to do THAT again. An experienced outdoors person.
They only sell ENO, but all of the other gear is top of the line.

Personally, I have had a steep learning curve getting comfortable in a hammock. I now use a bridge. I did not give up. How many here have joined and given up, never to be heard of again?

On the ground, a good pad, a good bag, and a good tent are much easier to find in the common stores. Exped, Western Mountaineering, Hilleberg. Thermarest, Feathered Friends, TNF. ETC.
Seriously, you can go the local store in town and be somewhat comfortable backpacking with what you buy in the store.

A good hammock setup takes some effort, like just coming here and reading and asking questions. You can go to a hang and find some help. But, they are not in a store that you can go look at and buy. And most people are not going to drop 200 dollars on a hammock, just the hammock, they have not seen, when you can buy an ENO or a Hennessy at REI or other stores.

Hammocks are not mainstream YET. Shug's videos are helping. There are comments about him on the truck forum I am on. A truck forum!! It is in the camping section, but ...... They discuss hanging off the truck.

Ken in NC

[TxAggie]

A local mountaineering shop, in Asheville, a salesman said that he tried a hammock once. Not a good experience. Not going to do THAT again. An experienced outdoors person.
They only sell ENO, but all of the other gear is top of the line.

Personally, I have had a steep learning curve getting comfortable in a hammock. I now use a bridge. I did not give up. How many here have joined and given up, never to be heard of again?

On the ground, a good pad, a good bag, and a good tent are much easier to find in the common stores. Exped, Western Mountaineering, Hilleberg. Thermarest, Feathered Friends, TNF. ETC.
Seriously, you can go the local store in town and be somewhat comfortable backpacking with what you buy in the store.

A good hammock setup takes some effort, like just coming here and reading and asking questions. You can go to a hang and find some help. But, they are not in a store that you can go look at and buy. And most people are not going to drop 200 dollars on a hammock, just the hammock, they have not seen, when you can buy an ENO or a Hennessy at REI or other stores.

Hammocks are not mainstream YET. Shug's videos are helping. There are comments about him on the truck forum I am on. A truck forum!! It is in the camping section, but ...... They discuss hanging off the truck.

Ken in NC

Very true. It’s easy to throw up a modern free-standing tent, drop a pad on the ground, and dive into a sleeping bag.

By that token: how many people gave up on backpacking because they had a cheap, heavy tent/pad/sleeping bag only to discover they were uncomfortable sleeping on the ground? People try to say “hammocking is expensive and requires too much work to figure out.” The same holds true for sleeping well and light in a tent, there are just more options available and they’re more prevalent. A lightweight tent comparably in weight to a tarp and hammock setup is very expensive (ever check the prices on Zpacks tents?) same goes for a quality inflatable pad that’s the same weight and comfort as a 20* underquilt. But when was the last time you walked into Academy/REI/Dicks and saw and underquilt? Probably never, but you see a half dozen pads that cost $150.

Tenting has been around forever, people are familiar with it. Modern camping hammocks are still relatively new. It’s just a matter of exposure really.


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[Kroma]

It really depends on HYOY. Heck, I consider my Exped Ergo and WBBB XLC to be relegated to the back yard / truck camping scene as they are way to heavy for my backpacking purposes. But that is were the Hammocktent Gamma UL and SL DH Raven come into their niche.

REI is listing this as for backpacking on the product page. It also states a 250 pound weight limit. We all know you can get a basic netted hammock that supports 250 pounds from our favorite cottage vendors and come in at 13-18 ounces AND less cash than REI’s attempt at a gathered end. It seems designed to disappoint people about hammocks in general.

[abatis49]

I have found most of the employees at our local sports stores have not a clue. They have hammocks, but no tarps or under quilts in stock. When you attempt to discuss hanging with them it is like buying a first rate beef steak at a non-english speaking bagel shop. Hammock hanging is on the up swing and maybe REI will evolve into the market. I still like buying from the home venders. These folks talk hammocks. Looking forward to more information on the REI setup.

[snwcmpr]

Very true. It’s easy to throw up a modern free-standing tent, drop a pad on the ground, and dive into a sleeping bag.

By that token: how many people gave up on backpacking because they had a cheap, heavy tent/pad/sleeping bag only to discover they were uncomfortable sleeping on the ground? People try to say “hammocking is expensive and requires too much work to figure out.” The same holds true for sleeping well and light in a tent, there are just more options available and they’re more prevalent. A lightweight tent comparably in weight to a tarp and hammock setup is very expensive (ever check the prices on Zpacks tents?) same goes for a quality inflatable pad that’s the same weight and comfort as a 20* underquilt. But when was the last time you walked into Academy/REI/Dicks and saw and underquilt? Probably never, but you see a half dozen pads that cost $150.

Tenting has been around forever, people are familiar with it. Modern camping hammocks are still relatively new. It’s just a matter of exposure really.


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True, I agree.

How far back does one need to go to have experienced tenting the way hammocks are now? I am thinking back to the 1950s or earlier. There have been mountaineering expeditions to the highest mountains on earth for more than a hundred years. Stoves, tents, pads, and bags have developed long enough that in the 50s/60s we could have a good time. And we knew that if we did not have a good time there was equipment we could exchange it for that would work.

Am I correct to say that the forefathers of hammock camping as we know it today are still with us?

Ken in NC

[TxAggie]

True, I agree.

How far back does one need to go to have experienced tenting the way hammocks are now? I am thinking back to the 1950s or earlier. There have been mountaineering expeditions to the highest mountains on earth for more than a hundred years. Stoves, tents, pads, and bags have developed long enough that in the 50s/60s we could have a good time. And we knew that if we did not have a good time there was equipment we could exchange it for that would work.

Am I correct to say that the forefathers of hammock camping as we know it today are still with us?

Ken in NC

As far as camping hammocks go, I completely agree with you. Hennessy, Clarke, Dutch, the Smurfs, too many me to remember offhand, but true Hammock camping has really only been a viable option for what, a dozen years? Maybe 20. Hammock specific tarps and underquilts were the real game changers. Newer lightweight suspension systems as well to a lesser degree.


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[cougarmeat]

Just a note for accuracy, REI also carries Kammok and Hennessy gear, in addition to ENO.

I listened to their Hammock presentation and, as I suspected, though the presenter (these days a policy - change? - requires the presenter be an REI employee) might have know more than he let on, it seemed he "had" to push the ENO product line. At one time, I considered a presentation at REI but stopped that direction when I found out 1) I probably had to be an REI employee 2) I'd probably have to emphasize ENO (and Hennessy).

When I am in the store, and someone has a hammock question, some of the staff who know me, invite me over to answer the question.

If I were a young man, I'd consider opening my own "Ground Zero" store - but couldn't figure out how to sell "cottage industry" products as potential customers could buy from the vendors directly. And I couldn't imagine that vendors being able to allow much of a discount to a "seller" and many of the products are custom made with color/fabric/layer choices.

On the other hand, as a retiree, I'd only need enough profit to pay for storefront rent and license fees, etc.

Perhaps a MeetUp group would be a more reasonable start.

[SilvrSurfr]

Will this be as successful as the REI Evergrn Downtime Hammock - started out for sale at $150 but soon was available at $30 and is now no longer offered?

https://www.rei.com/product/882922/e...wntime-hammock

It sure looks like they put as much effort into designing this hammock as they did the Evergrn Downtime Hammock, and it will probably be as successful.

[dakotaross]

REI is listing this as for backpacking on the product page. It also states a 250 pound weight limit. We all know you can get a basic netted hammock that supports 250 pounds from our favorite cottage vendors and come in at 13-18 ounces AND less cash than REI’s attempt at a gathered end. It seems designed to disappoint people about hammocks in general.

Are you forgetting about the tarp? Seems to me the weight on this thing is coming in right about where all other netted hammocks are. Of course, I don’t know what the weight of the individual hammock is, just the total package including tarp.

As far as REI is concerned, I think they’re in a difficult position, though it’s of their own doing. How do you keep contracts with those other hammock vendors and then come out with your own product that doesn’t cannibalize those sales? Or at least does so in a way that’s enough of a differentiation that other vendors don’t have a cow?

Very interested in the review, though I expect this product is over engineered as a result of too many inputs, including steering clear of potential patent issues with various others netted hammock makes, as well as what corporate marketing has to say about what will sell.


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[TxAggie]

Are you forgetting about the tarp? Seems to me the weight on this thing is coming in right about where all other netted hammocks are. Of course, I don’t know what the weight of the individual hammock is, just the total package including tarp.

Good point, my hammock and tarp setup without stakes comes in right at 42 ounces. Granted, this is with a Superfly instead of a small hex tarp, but still this is not heavy at all.

And since it’s already geared to use a pad (which most REI shoppers likely already have), at just Under 3 lbs and $200, it’s easily one of the lightest and least expensive Shelter options at the store. The nearest competitor would be the Hennessy Ultralight, but it has a smaller tarpans is $50 more. I don’t know how much it weighs though.

Maybe they cut it in such a way that when using a pad it doesn’t banana on you as much as traditional hammocks. I guess we’ll see.