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  1. #1
    New Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2020
    Location
    Minnesota
    Posts
    3

    In MN - anybody with both a Chameleon and a Blackbird XLC?

    I hang about 20 nights a year, in all seasons. After five years in my ENO starter hammock I am more than ready to upgrade, and most of my research says I belong in either a Chameleon or the XLC next. I’ve never seen either in person, and COVID has canceled all the hangs where I might normally have been able to check them out. So maybe this will pan out...

    I’m in the north metro and will happily travel for the chance to actually see and feel these hammocks. Does anyone around me have both, plus the willingness to show them off? I’d be interested in seeing others too, but these are the two I have it most narrowed down to.

  2. #2
    Senior Member kattdogg's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Stockbridge, WI
    Hammock
    DH Sparrow
    Tarp
    HG Dyneema
    Insulation
    LL-40/HG 0
    Suspension
    Becket hitch!
    Posts
    641
    Well if you do not want to wait the best thing about both of these hammocks is they have a pretty fast resale timeline if you get one and decide its not for you, but depending on your height, there is not much difference in the lays. I love both my Sparrow from dream hammock and my blackbird xlc. Heck why not get both, once you get one hammock you will want more.

    You will also notice a pretty good difference going from an eno to any 11ft hammock.
    To only step where others have stepped means not to have your own adventures. Live, Love, and Adventure so you may leave your own foot prints!

  3. #3
    FLTurtle's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Orlando FL
    Hammock
    DW Chameleon, WB Eldorado
    Tarp
    Thunder/Superfly
    Insulation
    HG 20/40
    Suspension
    DW Beetle Buckles
    Posts
    1,110
    Isn't there some Shug guy that lives up there? I think he has a few.

    Kidding aside, I have the lighter alternatives of the Chameleon (Half Zip) and BB XLC (Eldorado). You'll need to give them a try (due to the different fabrics) to find what you're looking for. We can give some advice, but it's all up to your personal preferences.

    There is a difference in how you hang the DW Chameleon vs. the WB BB XLC -- the foot end in the WB needs to be higher than the DW (and I think other hammocks). I made this mistake when I first started used my Eldorado and had calf ridge issues.

    The Half Zip is Hexon 1.6 and kinda stretchy but feels more like cloth than the 70d (non Dreamtex) Eldorado. I prefer the DW over the WB. Who knows, if I had the Dreamtex fabric maybe I would prefer the WB. My hiking buddy has the same WB hammock...he prefers the fabric in that over my Half Zip. He says it's too stretchy.

    So, I still have the WB but I use it as a loaner.

  4. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    Wisconsin
    Posts
    528
    I have a Blackbird XLC and have owned a Chameleon. Two completely different kind on lays, so listen up! The Chameleon has a lot more sag than the BB, while the lay on the BB is a lot stiffer. An easy way tell this is to lay in both hammocks. You’ll see that the ridge line on the Chameleon is quite a ways from you face, while on the BB is a lot closer (I have a lightweight double layer BB XLC). If you test both, you will probably determine that the Chameleon is the more comfortable of the two but, on using both consistently, I actually like the BB better. One note, if you are going to go with a Chameleon, I would recommend the Dream Hammock Darien instead. It’s cheaper and lighter than the Chameleon. My Darien is 11’ long, 58” wide in HyperD 1.6. It weighs 19 ounces and is the most comfortable hammock in my collection (I’m 6’1”, 210 lbs). That being said, when weight is not an issue, I almost always choose the BB. I love the shelf and how the tie-outs are set high, so they don’t interfere with my underquilt.


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  5. #5
    FLTurtle's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    Orlando FL
    Hammock
    DW Chameleon, WB Eldorado
    Tarp
    Thunder/Superfly
    Insulation
    HG 20/40
    Suspension
    DW Beetle Buckles
    Posts
    1,110
    I love the shelf and how the tie-outs are set high, so they don’t interfere with my underquilt.
    Yeah, I do like how the tie outs work better on the WB for keeping the bugnet off my face.

  6. #6
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    MN
    Posts
    2,454
    There have been a couple of posts above that reference fabric. THAT is going to be as important in making your choice as brand is. Same model in two different fabrics is pretty much two different hammocks.

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