Its been about 9 months since I bought the REI hammock and posted a review here (see https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...Hammock-Review). I have had it out quite a bit since then, including last night in the Olympic Mountains. So I thought I would provide a brief second review after a more though testing period.
The Pros:
- I find the hammock to be very comfortable. I am 6' 1" and about 190 lbs. I also have a Blackbird and a Traveler, but find this hammock much more comfortable to sleep in. I have heard several people complain about the narrowness of the REI hammock, but it has not been an issue for me, maybe because it's the only bridge I have ever been in. Outside of the first time I crawled into it I have not used a pad, using an UQ instead. I spend some time on my back, but more often I am curled up on one side or the other.
- It is easy to set up and take down. All of the fittings work well and are easy to use.
- I have been able to modify the suspension on my Hammock Gear UQ's to fasten up under the hammock. And I get a much better seal than I ever managed to obtain with the Blackbird.
- I really like it
The Cons:
- The tarp. I have gotten by with the stock tarp until last night. While it is small, it does work OK so long as there is little wind. But last night it was snowing and the wind was blowing. It was not fun. I enjoyed the trip, but a tarp with better coverage would have averted near disaster. Open to any suggestions there.
- The suspension. I think the stock suspension is probably OK so long as you are dealing with small trees that are spaced correctly. However that seldom happens with the big Douglas Firs in the Olympics. I have replaced the whoopie sling / strap combination with the tree huggers from my Blackbird along with some Dutch Hook thingy's. That works much better.
- Not a big deal, but it could use some additional storage inside. The two pockets are good, but if you hang anything from the interior loops it pulls the fly screen down onto your head.
- I bought the REI UQ for the hammock, and it is well built and easy to attach. But there is not a lot to it. They say it is good down to 30 degrees, but that is hard to imagine. I use it just to supplement my winter quilt.
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