I was always told that Scotch is an acquired taste. I spent significant time trying to acquire it while drinking cheap Scotch, but I remained uncomfortable. I finally drank some good Scotch and I was so pleased. The lesson here is that if I started off drinking good Scotch, I would have acquired the taste immediately. Would it be the same for Hammocks? You be the judge.Originally Posted by TominMN
ahhh...the complexity of a piece of cloth and rope....but hopefully tree straps instead of rope.
Something so simple is truly daunting. Really. Not trying to be a smart alec. It perplexes many that try to get into it.
Shug
Hammock Whisperer.
Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven
I think it is worth confirming your assumption that most hammocks are truly just a rectangle because sometimes it really does seem like people believe otherwise when it is. There are actually very few exceptions even amongst all of the most recommended hammocks you see here on this forum. The only two that I can recall are the Streamliner by ‘Simply Light Designs’, and the Ninox by ‘Sierra Madre Research’. However, even the Streamliner and the Ninox are simply changing the geometry of the end channels that get gathered up by the suspension at the “peaks”. The Streamliner takes it a step further by giving the long sides a catenary cut.
The truth is that the differences are found just about everywhere else though. Cheap hammocks use less modern fabrics and are usually a 3-panel design which introduces two long seams down the length of the body. It’s neat how it allows for a 2-tone color scheme, but that’s the only upside other than being cheaper to buy. The seams are less comfortable and introduce points of failure. The less modern material itself is not as lightweight, not as nice feeling, and you don’t get any choice in the matter of how stretchy or firm it is. With the modern fabrics, they are wider (up to 72” I believe), they come in various weights so that you can dial in the support for different people who are different sizes, and have far more color choices available.
Cheap, mass produced hammocks are typically about 9 feet long and most adults here prefer them to be 11 foot long. Length is a very influential variable with hammocks. Width is too, but much less so. Just aim for about 60” if you’re about 6 feet tall.
Ridgelines are another big improvement over cheap hammocks. They help maintain a comfortable lay over a range of hang conditions. They are also great for hanging a light and storage devices.
Some of the benefits of these more expensive hammocks also include endless customization. They are usually made to order by hand, so it’s not a huge chore for them to make it a little differently for a small fee. All you have to do is email them or give them a call to do so.
FYI: An “asymmetrical hammock” is referring to a hammock with a zippered bugnet that has the net cut into a shape that is optimized for either a feet right or feet left orientation. The hammock body is still “just a rectangle. Do not lay in the opposite direction with the net zipped up, but take the net off and it’s safe to do so. Most folks stay in one orientation all the time, so it makes sense to get one if that’s the case. It’s a little lighter and the drape is less floppy due to less material being used.
Small companies are always going to be much less consistent regarding pricing from one to another in any industry because they do many things differently.
Your observations are correct. However there are factors that drive cost. #1 is cost of Labor. The cottage industry manufacturers represented heavily here have high labor and benefit costs that cannot be amortized over a larger work force. This drives their cost of production. Further, as has been discussed, the smaller manufacturers bring value to their product by customization, fabric choice, Lots of color choices, Single layer, double layer, length options, hooks, loops, and even custom printed fabric patterns. The inventory costs of maintaining these options also add cost.
One final factor is the economy of scale. The big factories with low labor costs can churn out 100,000+ hammock a month. The size of supply will drive down the cost. On the flip side, a small company will raise or keep prices higher to manage incoming orders to a level they feel they can handle. For example one company here held a "Black Friday" sale. It took them until early March to get the orders out. They still run a 6-8 week backlog on new orders. If they lowered prices, then they could go out of business by having too much, and not being able to meet customer expectations. An example of this is a small vendor in Great Briton who apparently is so bad on delivery times (6 months+) and poor communication that hammock business gets several negative ticked off customer posts even here.
Most of your question was already answered by Adam Smith.
No, not all hammocks are created equal. Sure, the basic shape is similar - just like all houses have walls, windows, doors and a roof. But comfort and "add-ons" are different and have a big influence on the price. The most important factors to me are:
- length
- width
- fabric stretch
- sag
- design of the top
Additionally there is obviously a different cost of production, depending on where you make the hammocks.
The key differences between a Hennessy hammock and a Warbonnet hammock are:
- HH hammocks are noticeably more narrow
- the design of the top takes away even more space with HH, while it adds space with WB
- HH hammocks are built like tanks and are unneccessary heavy as a result
- HH hammocks use a PU-coated parts, and sooner or later the PU-coating comes off
- HH produces in China - WB produces is the US
There are additional details, but these are the most important ones to me. They translate into far superior comfort to me, which is why I would always spend the extra money on WB. But tastes are different, and some get better comfort with a HH.
I don't know who started that myth, but I have completely taken apart a Warbonnet hammock, and the body definitely is a rectangle. The magic lies in the sag (which is very shallow, compared to all other hammocks I have seen) and the cut of the top (footbox, shelf).
Nevermind me. Just a noob enjoying the show. I can't say I didn't have a similar thought when I first started researching hammock options.
If I can bring my grain of salt here, I would say that you can also buy a sophisticated expensive hammock and find out in the end that you prefer the humble rectangular cloth, as you say. And I am sure that is the case of many experienced hammockers.
So my advice would be to buy 11 foot hammock from Dutch at $50, and be happy with it because that is really the best thing there is.
Having a hammock the right size and with a light material if you like to hike is to me the most important thing. And these two parameters are usually not encountered in mass-produced hammocks as pointed out by others in the thread. But you see, a $50 hammock is not something I would call expensive, and still top quality.
Start cheap and build up till you're comfortable was my path. Unfortunately I spent a lot of money finding that sweet spot and then I enjoyed spending that money so much I bought more hammocks.What ever floats your boat if my motto.
What is the sag?
Sag is how tight you can hang the hammock body before the ridgeline prevents it to become tighter. It is determined by the ridgeline length - hammock body length ratio. Most hammocks have an 83% ridgeline, which gives them a lot of sag. Warbonnet hammocks have more of an 89% ridgeline length, which makes them very shallow.
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