Sparrow or Raven?

[SirGorgeTheRed]

I have the Dream Hammock Raven and I absolutely love it. It has withstood my abuse and use on the trail.
Like all of us, I'm always looking, gazing, lusting for new gear. For those that have the sparrow, have you compared it against a Raven? I know a sparrow has so much options for storage and such but...is the lay dramatically improved compared to a Raven?
I've watch videos on the comparisons but have not seen anything other than personal preferences saying the Sparrow is more comfortable.
I appreciate any insight in advance.

[rweb82]

While I do not have the Sparrow, I do have both the Raven and Darien (which is an asym lay). By most measures, the Darien should feel basically the same as an asym Sparrow. What I can tell you is the asym bugnet does not provide any real difference in terms of comfort. My Darien is a little wider than my Raven (65" compared to 58"). The added width does make bit of a difference down by my feet, as do the side pullouts. In the Darien, I don't have the hammock body pressing on the side of my foot, like I do with the Raven. That said, if my Raven was wider- and if I had opted for the side pullouts, this would be equal.

In my opinion, the difference between the Raven and any of the other DH models comes down to customization, available options, and weight. I don't think you'd find any significant difference in comfort between the models, fabric choice/length/width all being equal.

[OlTrailDog]

I have had a Raven and currently have a Sparrow. As a nightly hanger I have spent many many nights in the Sparrow. The Raven was an asym and the Sparrow is a sym. I wouldn't go back to an asym, albeit I do own a WBBB XLC asym as a SL to help fill the backpack hammock niche. Bot the Raven and Sparrow are/were DL.

I definitely like the bug net on the Sparrow better and I like the sym vs the asym because I am able, and do, shift about in all manner of positions during the night. Nothing wrong with being happy with the Raven. It came down to the bugnet and symmetrical features of the Sparrow.

[rweb82]

I have had a Raven and currently have a Sparrow. As a nightly hanger I have spent many many nights in the Sparrow. The Raven was an asym and the Sparrow is a sym. I wouldn't go back to an asym, albeit I do own a WBBB XLC asym as a SL to help fill the backpack hammock niche. Bot the Raven and Sparrow are/were DL.

I definitely like the bug net on the Sparrow better and I like the sym vs the asym because I am able, and do, shift about in all manner of positions during the night. Nothing wrong with being happy with the Raven. It came down to the bugnet and symmetrical features of the Sparrow.

If you don't mind me asking, how did you get an asym Raven? Is yours a one-off design from the Smurfs?

Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk

[OlTrailDog]

Good question. Now that I am thinking about it it is possible it is a sym Raven because the bug net is completely separate. The difference between asym and sym being the bug net or topcover. It was my first GE hammock and I always laid in it reverse.

[blackdoghang]

Old thread I know. But...
The Sparrow is the top-of-the-line. For me the main benefits are the bugnet is completely removable and you can get a top-cover for winter which really helps the comfort level. (Make a nice little cocoon like a bivvy tent) You can also customize the vents in the top cover to your liking. Having the flexibility of the net, the cover, or nothing, is a good thing.