Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 21
  1. #11
    New Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2023
    Location
    Swansea ma
    Posts
    3
    thanks for the info I'll call dutchware for there opinion. I'm coming from a 12 x 14 wall tent with 8 foot cooking area with wood stove so this is all new to me

  2. #12
    curlymaple42's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    Limerick, ME
    Hammock
    WalhallaCustom11'
    Tarp
    Walhalla Winter
    Insulation
    LL0°,CRO20°
    Suspension
    CL's/Buckles/Etc
    Posts
    2,200
    I second Tollermama's suggestion! Join us for the Spring Hang in Ashby, MA!!! You can check out all kinds of different hammocks people have and we are having a raffle as well where you can win gear!
    www.wildcherrywoodworks.com (my business)
    www.mainechopstick.com (my other business)
    www.4alloutdoors.org (a friend's site I do reviews for)
    www.curlymaplechronicles.blogspot.com (my personal blog)

  3. #13
    Senior Member tollermama's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Ashfield, MA
    Hammock
    Chameleon
    Tarp
    Superfly
    Insulation
    HG 20 deg UQ, TQ
    Suspension
    webbing
    Posts
    617
    Quote Originally Posted by Erk82 View Post
    thanks for the info I'll call dutchware for there opinion. I'm coming from a 12 x 14 wall tent with 8 foot cooking area with wood stove so this is all new to me
    HA! going from that to a hammock is like moving into a tiny home. HA Ha!

  4. #14
    New Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2023
    Location
    Swansea ma
    Posts
    3
    i know but i now have heart issues took me 4 hours to set it up this fall it use to take one and i thought i was going to drop doing it need to cut back alot

  5. #15
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Central Oregon
    Posts
    394
    @Erk82,

    Welcome. Its a great group here. Very friendly and helpful.

    I went with a 11 foot, wide as possible, double layer, "Raven" from Dream Hammock. As mentioned above, the double layer allows a pad to be inserted between the layers. I did this to save money, initially, to see if hammocking was something Id get into. The pad between layers replaced having to buy the underquilt. I used a sleeping bag I already had from tent camping/backpacking, as the top quilt. First nite in a hammock = 10 hours of sleep. Sold......

    Watch Shugs videos on pads, double layers, top quilts and underquilts. It will save u an incredible amount of time trying to put it all together.

    Get the bug net option. Or if you are able, make your own. Im not sewing inclined.

    As Shug said, enjoy the quest. Its worth it.

    Bob

  6. #16

    Join Date
    Apr 2021
    Location
    Bloomington, Illinois
    Hammock
    Superior Hammock / Dutch / Majestic
    Tarp
    Superior Shelter
    Insulation
    Superior Hammock
    Suspension
    SuperiorSuspension
    Posts
    90
    Welcome to the forums!! I also am a bigger guy and actually used single layer hammocks until recently. I now have a Superior Gear Hammock and a Dutch Chameleon. I don't think you could go wrong with either set up. The Chameleon has the ability to have an underquilt snapped up all around the bottom and the Superior Gear has a built in Underquilt. One of the items that most have issues is adjusting your underquilt.

    Secondly, you said Mosquitoes-- Well having camped in upper Minnesota several times I can appreciate that. When I started I used an ENO Hammock and had an ENO Bug Quilt, which worked until my back was against the mosquito net since I sagged down so much. So then I got an under quilt, but they still got me on the elbows as I was stretched out on the side. Just because you have an bugnet does not make it bug proof, what I learned was multiple layers below me stop those pesky things from biting. Then making sure I'm not up against the net will make sure that I'm not bit through the side. Again, all solved when I went to the Superior Gear and Dutch Chameleon but it was an itchy learning curve for sure.

    There is so much great stuff out there, have fun and enjoy the journey! Oh... and watch Shug's videos. He's got a ton of great knowledge to pass on.

  7. #17
    New Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2023
    Location
    Swansea ma
    Posts
    3
    Quote Originally Posted by Bdh96 View Post
    Welcome to the forums!! I also am a bigger guy and actually used single layer hammocks until recently. I now have a Superior Gear Hammock and a Dutch Chameleon. I don't think you could go wrong with either set up. The Chameleon has the ability to have an underquilt snapped up all around the bottom and the Superior Gear has a built in Underquilt. One of the items that most have issues is adjusting your underquilt.Secondly, you said Mosquitoes-- Well having camped in upper Minnesota several times I can appreciate that. When I started I used an ENO Hammock and had an ENO Bug Quilt, which worked until my back was against the mosquito net since I sagged down so much. So then I got an under quilt, but they still got me on the elbows as I was stretched out on the side. Just because you have an bugnet does not make it bug proof, what I learned was multiple layers below me stop those pesky things from biting. Then making sure I'm not up against the net will make sure that I'm not bit through the side. Again, all solved when I went to the Superior Gear and Dutch Chameleon but it was an itchy learning curve for sure.

    There is so much great stuff out there, have fun and enjoy the journey! Oh... and watch Shug's videos. He's got a ton of great knowledge to pass on.
    thanks Bdh96 you helped me make a decision.I'm going to order a chameleon two layer 1.6 hexon with a symmetrical moonlight top cover.i will have to use my old cabelas =20 sleepimg bag with a pad between layers and a blue tarp untill i can aford a new one.

  8. #18
    Senior Member oldsoldier's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    MA
    Hammock
    Warbonnet Ridgerunner
    Tarp
    WB Cloudburst
    Insulation
    AHE Ridge Creek UQ
    Suspension
    buckles
    Posts
    476
    I will ALSO highly recommend attending the NEHHA this spring. That group has been around for many, many years. I used to go every year but, sadly, life has taken me along many, many different paths. But, there is a lot of folks who attend, and you can see a wide variety of different setups. And, there is likely a century of knowledge to draw from.
    Whatever you do though, if you attend:
    Do NOT ever try the goat stew, if offered!!!

  9. #19

    Join Date
    Apr 2021
    Location
    Bloomington, Illinois
    Hammock
    Superior Hammock / Dutch / Majestic
    Tarp
    Superior Shelter
    Insulation
    Superior Hammock
    Suspension
    SuperiorSuspension
    Posts
    90
    You're so welcome. I wish you the best with your hangs.

    Definitely watch some Shug and Adventures with the Marine videos on YouTube you will thank me later.

  10. #20
    dakotaross's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Chamblee, GA
    Hammock
    SuperiorGear or Dutch netless
    Tarp
    custom pentagon
    Insulation
    down hammock or UQ
    Suspension
    Dutch Mantis
    Posts
    3,081
    Images
    19
    For a relative noob, I think you've made a good find with the Dutch Chameleon. However, since you mention mosquitoes and cost, I'd like to throw a shout out to the Hennessy Safari classic, which by the way is on sale.

    First, the classic bottom entry is the best for mosquitoes. Hang a light on the interior ridgeline and watch them congregate at the net while you slip into the hammock from below. Understood if that sounds odd, but its a tried and true design. For many, Hennessy was our first entry into the hobby, mostly because they were the only ones with an integrated setup which included the tarp. Many of us tired of the bottom entry when either we just wanted to sit and lounge like a chair, or when we were unable to adjust an UQ suspension from inside. For many of us who don't worry too much about bugs since we're mostly in the mountains where its cool enough at night to ward them off, or for cold season campers, top loading hammock with zippered nets became en vogue. I will note that Dutch now employs the maker of the original Hennessy mod, which is to add zippers to the top netting of the classic bottom entry hammock - at a time when the en vogue thing for top entry got started and whereby many of us had a Hennessy hammock.

    Regarding cost, for the hammock and tarp as a pkg, the Hennessy will run you half as much as the Dutch pkg. The Chameleon is a more modern product and is designed based on years of experience in what hangers want in their hammock rig. Lots of options, accessories, etc. In general, the sleep you get in one should be about the same. There will always be those who say this is better than that, but its a very personal hobby in terms of what works and what doesn't. While you might expect the Chameleon to be better being that its a more modern product, there is nothing that says it will be. Personally, I would rather see you fret less with regard to cost, get something reasonable and get outside, where you'll find out what works for you. I would say it like this... you can pay twice as much for a pair of boots that will likely last you 3-4 times as long as cheaper ones IF they fit you well. Personally, I'd rather spend less money now on trail shoes that fit like runners which I know I'll never have any issues with, except that they will wear out faster and I'll eventually spend more over the years buying those type of boots/shoes. And for most of us hangers, its not buy once and you're done.

    I would not recommend the zip version of the Hennessy's even though they are the same hammock. Dutch has some other netted hammocks that are basically the same thing, so you're just not saving as much there. I personally don't use a net anymore. But I live in the south where bugs would stay out of areas I normally camp, which I don't typically camp at lakes, ponds, backyards, etc. We certainly have bugs here, but my understanding is that the NE is different with regard to bugs and how you have to deal with them. With a top-loading zip hammock, you'll be getting in and out of the hammock with the swarm around you, so there will always be the issue of a few of them getting in. It can happen with the bottom entry, but again, employ the light at the top method and you should have no issue at all.

    p.s. I used my tent camping pad for years in the Hennessy, you can at least do that in the interim while you're getting out and learning about your new hobby. Same with your current sleeping bag, and I suggest you unzip it and use it as more of a blanket.
    "I wonder if anyone else has an ear so tuned and sharpened as I have, to detect the music, not of the spheres, but of earth, subtleties of major and minor chord that the wind strikes upon the tree branches. Have you ever heard the earth breathe... ?"
    - Kate Chopin

  • + New Posts
  • Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast

    Similar Threads

    1. Total Noob Needs Help!
      By hammocknoob67 in forum Bottom Insulation
      Replies: 11
      Last Post: 12-19-2018, 00:17
    2. Total noob!!!
      By Floridaboy676 in forum Introduce Yourself
      Replies: 11
      Last Post: 04-07-2018, 06:21
    3. Not a total noob from CT
      By HeyBob in forum Introduce Yourself
      Replies: 1
      Last Post: 03-01-2016, 19:06
    4. Hello from a total noob
      By Miquel Westano in forum Introduce Yourself
      Replies: 3
      Last Post: 11-08-2015, 07:26
    5. Need help here (Total noob)
      By Wotnext in forum Long distance travel with a hammock
      Replies: 8
      Last Post: 09-23-2013, 04:58

    Bookmarks

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •