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  1. #1
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    Not entirely comfortable - What to try next?

    So I’ve had an 11ft Chameleon in Hexon 1.0 for about 4-5 months, and I’ve set it up about 20x. I’m not entirely happy with how comfortable I can get in it - Currently I prefer sleeping on the ground on my Ether Lite XT pad.

    I feel that the Chameleon maybe has too much sag, the ridgeline is too short, the fabric is too stretchy, or it’s not wide enough (or some combination of all these things). I feel like my butt sinks too much when I try to lay flat, and that my head is propped up too much along the side ridge of the fabric (yes I have tried laying on all different kinds of diagonals and extremes). The Chameleon often feels most comfortable when the ridgeline is guitar string tight.

    At home, I am a firm mattress lover and mostly a back sleeper. The biggest thing is that I hate how the Chameleon props my head up no matter what angle I lay at. I know a bridge hammock would help this a lot, but I am concerned about introducing shoulder squeeze into the equation, and would like to try to stick with the simplicity of gathered-end hammocks for now. I’m mostly looking for something to emulate the firm flat lay of the ground, when there’s no flat ground to sleep on.

    Currently I’m looking at trying a Blackbird, Blackbird XLC, and DreamHammock Sparrow, as those are all highly recommended. Not sure if any of these would solve the issue though.

    Thoughts?

  2. #2
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    I should add that I am 5’8, 150 lbs. Fairly slim with wide shoulders.

  3. #3
    LowTech's Avatar
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    If you're using the chameleon netless you could try an adjustable ridgeline. That would let you play w/ the sag amount w/o having to spend a lot of coin.

    "Sent w/o me knowing"

  4. #4
    Senior Member
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    Have you played with hanging the foot end higher than the head end, or vice versa? A foot and a half would not be too much. I like my feet higher because if not, I tend to slide toward my feet otherwise and I get more of a calf ridge. But if you want your head not to be propped up, then maybe the opposite for you?

    Also, you can definitely play with the length of the ridge line. A couple inches can make a big difference.

  5. #5
    Phantom Grappler's Avatar
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    I’m comfortable in 1.6 Hexon wide hammock 12x6
    YMMV Your mileage may vary
    Possibly reduce width from 72 inches to 66 inches
    A fixed hammock ridgeline of 83% of 12 feet
    About a ten foot fixed hammock ridgeline

    Sometimes a sweatshirt or small pillow can be placed behind knees, to combat knee hyperextension.

    Good luck reaching hammock nirvana

  6. #6
    brohawk's Avatar
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    I know you were concerned about shoulder squeeze but since I went to a RR bridge I never looked back. I have no shoulder squeeze and can sleep in any position better than a gathered end.
    Some days I can't tell whether I found a rope or lost a horse...

  7. #7
    Senior Member
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    At 5'11'', 180 lbs, I can sleep comfortably in my (original) Blackbird with or without a pillow - it doesn't prop my head up too high. I get just a bit of shoulder squeeze sometimes, but usually just have to slide or tilt to one side to alleviate it. Might be worth a try at a hang somewhere.

  8. #8
    FLTurtle's Avatar
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    I'm wondering if the Hexon 1.0 is the issue...you say its too stretchy. Maybe you need a heavier weight fabric with a heavier weight rating to reduce material stretch.

  9. #9

    Join Date
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    If I am on my back, I use no pillow. The fabric provides enough to keep my head from rolling about. On my side (which is most of the time), I use a half inflated pillow. I find I want very little head support other than the hammock itself.

    Fabric stretch can matter. I think my XLC is a little to stretchy and looking at getting a lightweight double layer to test. I got a chameleon recently for my kid and I got it with hexon 1.2 so I could use it as well (I’m about 220). And I find the lack of stretch might be more comfortable. Though what is more comfortable when one first lays their head down vs. what is more comfortable at 2AM I have found to be different.

    I frequently suggest doing what I did. And I can't find the thread anymore. But I saw someone once suggest doing a 2wk dedicated indoor lay in your bedroom. I made a setup for this using some scrap wood and eyebolts. Though Dutch sells a really sweet setup for not that much money($40). https://dutchwaregear.com/product/ad...e-wall-anchor/

    Basically you set it up in your bedroom and if at 2AM you are uncomfortable you just get up and get in bed. And the next night you tweak something. Be it tension or angle. I found it very useful for me to understand what works for me.

    side note - I asked WB about sending my hammock back to be made into a double layer and they suggested buying a traveler model with a custom upgrade to have it fir the XLC system. Which was pretty reasonable. I will do this after the holidays. My spending on myself takes a bit of a break this time of year…

    More edits - The ridge line should be somewhat tight. If it has any sag, it is not doing anything
    Last edited by Sean McC; 11-06-2022 at 23:50.

  10. #10
    Senior Member
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    msk,

    Just a thought. If you think the hammock fabric is too stretchy/not firm enough, try the lay with a cheap, closed cell foam pad. They add a lot of firmness. It may give you an idea if that is what you are searching for. Also as mentioned, play with the ridgeline length. Make it longer or shorter..Im thinking in your case you may want it longer.

    Dont give up. Its way worth it to figure it out.

    Bob

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