My new XLC came yesterday! When the package arrived I thought it was cat food actually, since I'd gotten a delivery notification for that, and the XLC wasn't supposed to arrive until the next day. When I picked up the package though, it was awfully light for 12 cans of cat food!
I set it up last night in my basement and... I'm in love! It is *so* comfortable. It's more comfortable than my Ridgerunner even. I love my Dream Hammock Sparrow, which has served me well for years, but honestly, the foot box in the XLC can't be beat. I just can't believe how quick and easy it is to get the perfect lay. I also like the Dreamtex fabric a lot. I really made some errors when purchasing my Sparrow, like I got a double-layer, which I didn't even end up making use of (I got double-layer because I use the double-layer in my Ridgerunner), and got Hexon 1.6 for the inner fabric and 2.4 for the outer fabric, so it's really stiff. I honestly don't know what I was thinking with that. But man, I lay in my XLC last night and it was everything I could want and more from a gathered end hammock.
I also think the shelf will come in handy. One problem I always had with the Sparrow was that there was no place to store big things, and my attempts at using a gear hammock were never very successful. This is not to insult the Sparrow - it is a really great hammock, and I actually like its zippers better than the zippers on the XLC. I also like the variety of colors and ability to customize with Dream Hammock, like choosing color accents. I also think I'm going to have to stake out the bugnet on the XLC to keep it off my face, which I didn't have to do with the Sparrow. I will also miss my peak shelf. But after getting the XLC I don't see myself using my Sparrow again, just because of the difference in comfort. I'm sure the problem was me, but I always seemed to have an issue with my Sparrow where the ridge-line was very tight, and if I adjusted my hang to get a looser ridge-line, I found the hammock to be uncomfortable. The XLC set up exactly how I would have expected though, with the right amount of ridge-line tension translating into a comfortable lay. I also like the buckles for the suspension, which have been updated since I bought my Ridgerunner. I tried different suspension options with my Sparrow, but the Warbonnet buckles are my favorite - very easy to adjust, and I don't worry about them slipping. I'm really looking forward to getting out and using this hammock. Crossing my fingers for a July 4th sale so I can pick up a Wooki. It would be a nice distraction from the fireworks being cancelled.
I did not, alas, get the color samples I had requested (for helping with decisions on future quilts, underquilt protector, top cover and tarp), so I'll contact Warbonnet about that to see whether they can send them. I also got a small mystery stuff sac - I'm not sure what's it's meant to be used for. A stuff sac for the pillow I purchased? It seems too small for that. Any ideas? (I'll post a picture)
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