For me it wasn't the hammock that was the issue it was dialing in the sleeping bag/under quilt/pad dynamic.
Still working on that actually.
For me it wasn't the hammock that was the issue it was dialing in the sleeping bag/under quilt/pad dynamic.
Still working on that actually.
My first was a Hennessy Explorer Delux Zip. Dumped the suspension first thing for whoopies. Good for a couple year & started buying others. Still love the HH & was comfy but, wanted options. Double layer, nestless etc. Got over 20 hammocks now. Switch all but one to straps & buckles.
GE is my favorite but, I lost my bladder to cancer over 3 year ago & have to use a night drainage bag. The GE hammocks were to high on the sides for it to work. Switched to the RR for the cut away sides which work great. I have gotten accustom to the bridge now & am very comfortable & pleased with it. Wife laid in it & I bought her the new complete outfit from Warbonnet. Hammock, 20° under quilt & a 13' Super Shelter. She loves it.
@ almost 68 I guess the RR will be my last Hammock. Not camping is not an option & I will not quit as long as I can do it. Hoping to live long enough to wear it out. Got 4 Grandboys that use my GE hammocks. As they marry off each will receive 2 complete hammock set ups as part of their wedding gifts for them & their spouses.
Robert
3rd year hammock camping and I'm on my 3rd hammock. Still have the first two.
1st hammock I thought was a 11'er but I misread the description. It's 118" (9.8') x 78" (6.5') With the extra width I slept really well on the diagonal, but had little to no visibility of the surroundings. I had a separate bugnet with an integrated gear hammock. One night, I tripped and fell and ripped the bugnet. (alcohol was not involved, I was half asleep during night time tree watering sessions) Hammock was a Reehut Amazon $13 special. I still have it, I fold the sides in and use it as a lounging hammock. I also added a ridgeline to it.
2nd hammock - a 114"x55" diagonal design GOFORWILD Amazon hammock with a ridgeline and an integrated hammock (~$20 at time of purchase). Buying a hammock with net was less $ than replacing the torn bugnet above. I still sleep well in this one. Although since it's narrower and the bugnet is attached, I have had my face against the bugnet and have woken up with bugbites on my face. Also with the integrated bugnet, it's not as easy to adjust my underquilt and I switch back to my previous hammock during the colder outings so I can switch from an underquilt to a hammock pod. I really like the visibility that this hammock offers me out the sides.
3rd hammock - a Ridge Outdoors 360 Pinnacle (~$65). The upgraded version with the separate double ended stuff sack, the upgraded ridgeline and the fully removeable net. Bought it because I wanted a fully removable bugnet and wanted a 11' hammock. I do notice a calf ridge more often with this hammock but it's easily removed by bringing one foot up to about the knee of the other leg and then sliding it the foot across the hammock as I extend my leg. Visibility isn't as good as hammock #2 but much better than #1. Having net zippers on both sides makes getting in/out on either side easy and I can easily stick my hand out to adjust the UQ. I also like that I can remove the net and use a hammock pod with it easily. I think I may still with this hammock for a while and upgrade the suspension, add a peak shelf and replace the ridge organizer.
Is #3 the perfect hammock for me? No, but it's my favorite so far. #1 is now used for lounging on day hikes or outings to the park. #2 is used for lounging in my yard since it has a bugnet. Will also be used as a loaner if someone wants to join me on trip and needs some equipment.
- Clyde
No one really knows. You’re always just one more away from finding the perfect one.
—
You’re no Steve Climber, but Steve Climber is!
God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools. --John Muir
I, too, have a veritable hammock armada. It’s not just different STYLES and types of hammocks that tempt me, but different fabrics as well. And like others have said, which hammock I grab is very dependent on the particular situation. Is it for lounging in the park or car camping or multi-day hiking trips or a kayak trip...is it the dead of winter or is it summer? Different hammocks shine in different scenarios!
If I could only keep ONE of my hammocks, it’d be my Simply Light Designs Trail Lair. But I had hammocks I absolutely LOVED and never thought could be improved upon before I got my Trail Lair.
My all time favorite hammock fabric is Hexon 1.6 followed closely by Hexon 1.0. There was another manufacturer’s fabric that had a similar feel to Hexon, but it quickly dropped from favor with me after I had some early wear issues with it in some gear I made.
Really, it is far more than discovering what type of hammock you like (bridge? 90 degree? gathered end?) or what size and style you like best of your preferred type...because even hammocks of the same category, same style, same brand, and same model will feel significantly different depending on which fabric they are made with.
It’s a continual journey of discovery! And if you think you’ve arrived and found the PERFECT one, you’re just happily mistaken because there’s always more tweaks and innovations coming down the pike!!!
Still working on it myself. It sounds like the assumed perspective is you are constant and just the hammocks change. I’m guessing, over time, the hammocker also changes what feels good to them. So you have two moving variables; the human and the hammock. Then you have seasons/weather, trip duration, and transportation method (hiking, paddling) With all those in flux, if any particular hammock wears the crown of “best”, it would only be for a window of time.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
Guess 3 tries for me. Went from cheap ebay hammock to hennessy explorer to warbonnet blackbird. Didn't like the wb now I just use the hennessy.
I have no idea if I found my “right” hammock.
What I do know is my gal bought me an Amazon 9’ something hammock. I played with it for quite a few months, never camped in it but I lounged here and there for quite a few hangs until I decided that my 6’ 2” frame was too long for a comfortable lay. Even though I could fall asleep, I wanted to try an 11” GE hammock.
I ended up getting a wide 11” double layer 1.6 and it’s very comfortable. After 30+ outings now, I’ve adapted to how it works and I’m pretty stoked to go camping when ever I can.
I’m thinking of getting a single layer to lighten my backpack base weight, but I may never do that. I am hoping to go to a hang soon to compare notes with some more seasoned hangers. Maybe I’ll find something that addresses a few nit picky things that I just work around.
Then again, maybe those nit picky things are actually features! 😀
Nailed it on purchase #1 about a decade ago with a 1.1 double layer Warbonnet Blackbird, with straps and Camp Nano biners. I've tried a few other Warbonnets since, but don't care for the newer style cut (shoulder shifted to head end) and extra mesh in the current crop of Blackbirds. The first one I bought is still my favorite, and it's still going strong. My most recent trip with it was just a couple of weekends ago. I have two originals like that and I'm not sure what I'll do if/when they wear out. Perhaps I could ask WB to build me a Blackbird "Classic". ???
I'm still trying even though I know it's the first I bought. An unobtainium 90 degree from Hammocktent.com that is now out of business.
I've been messing with gathered ends the last couple years and the HT90 hasn't gotten much love. Slept in it the last 7 nights and wonder why I try anything else. Mostly, it's my love/hate relationship with the pad...
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