DW Chameleon or Hennessy Safari XL?

[Agroupuk]

Hi all.

im in the uk so neither of these are easy to get at a decent price so I need some help before I buy.

I am a side sleeper (yes I’m aware of bridge hammocks but that’s another discussion lol) and I can sleep almost ok in my 11 foot Onewind. But not 100% ok. I find myself waking up a lot to move.

I figured it was time I spent a little more for something and have looked into both of these hammocks. They are my top 2 choices that I can get here in the uk.

has anyone used both and can weigh in on how flat a lay they are and which might be better and why? It would really help me make a decision. This will be a year rounder hammock for me so I want to invest wisely.

any help appreciated!!

edd

[cougarmeat]

edd - your first post. Welcome to the forum.

It will help if you tell us your height and approximate weight. The reasons are - when you move into the 200lbs+ range, you are getting close to the upper limit of many single-layer (SL) hammocks. If so, there will probably be more stretch than in a double-layer (DL) hammock. When you move beyond 6 ft. in height, then 11 ft is a minimum and some seek out a 12 ft. hammock. I'm mentioning 11 ft because sometimes a vendor will call a 10.5 ft hammock "11 feet". Sometimes an "XL" designation means the hammock is wider, not longer. But adding length and/or width both increases the ability to orient your body diagonally.

Do you use a pillow, placed under a knee - some find that more comfortable.

The eyebrow raised on your question, "... how flat a lay they are ..." because that depends much more on how you set them up rather than the hammock itself.

So - about what angle do your hammock suspension straps come off the tree? Or what is the physical length of the hammock - measure it, not give the manufacturer's size - and what is the distance between the hammock ends when it is set up? Do you prefer head left and feet right or head right and feet left? That will tell us you are going for a diagonal lie rather than parallel with the hammock.

Many people who are side sleepers in a bed find it quite comfortable sleeping on their back in a hammock. Think on this - when you are on your side in a bed, you have a pillow under your head to support the distance between your lower shoulder and the mattress. Without that pillow, you'd have a kink in your neck by morning. But - because you have a pillow, it is probably not comfortable sleeping on your back in a bed because the pillow can lift your head too high, putting pressure on your neck. So you develop, "I can't sleep on my back."-itis

In a hammock, the hammock body supports your head when you are on your back. So sleeping on your back is much more comfortable. That said, I can sleep on my side, fetal up, in a gathered-end hammock but only in the early morning because all the muscles and joints have relaxed during the night.

I'm not trying to talk you out of a new hammock; I hear that some of us have more than one. It's just that I'm not sure a new hammock will solve the issue you are having.

I'd suggest taking short naps in your hammock. It takes TIH (time in hammock) for your body to learn it is not a bed. Make sure you hang it with about an 83% difference between the actual physical length and the distance between the ends when it is set up. For an actual 11 ft. hammock, that would be just over 9 ft. That is not an absolute setting - some like it a little more, some a little less.

Make sure the foot end of the hammock is about 6 to 8 inches higher than the head end. That slight difference keeps you from sliding towards the foot end at night. One manufacturer, WarBonnet, suggests around an 18-inch difference but their hammocks have a special "foot box" extension on the foot end side to accommodate that extreme difference.

[russelj2]

I'm 6' 1" 265 pounds and I own 3 Hennessey Safaris and sleep great in all of them. I do wish they had zippers on both sides to adjust an under quilt, but their pads are pretty good too

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

[Slackdaddy]

Edit: he has a Chameleon 11' wide

My son (6'-4", 225) has used a Safari for a few years and just got a 11' Chameleon wide (68" wide), He was only spent 1 night in the Chameleon but said he was not as comfortable as the Safari.
The Safari is 12' x 59" wide,, the Chameleon is 11' x 68" wide.
I think the extra foot length makes the Safari more forgiving on the setup and dial in,, I think once my son gets some pointers and dials in the Chameleon he will be fine.
another thing,, The Safari is a beast,, he was strictly car camping and kayak camping with it,, not something you are backpacking with.

[Saltfly]

Look at a SLD 12’ double layer trail lair in a wide cut. Absolutely super comfortable


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Thomana]

“I'm not trying to talk you out of a new hammock; I hear that some of us have more than one.”

Totally off topic, but that near produced a ‘spit-take’ as i read it.

[Agroupuk]

Thanks all,

I ended up actually going for a Hennessy Explorer 4 Season system instead. I decided the Safari might be just a touch to big for me really (im 5' 62 btw)
Im still going to end up buying the other anyway i guess - presently own about 7 hammock including a Eno Skyloft (so i could see if I like lay flats)

Just purchased the Onetigris Tegimen hammock hot tent - so that's the next thing to try out

Anyway - thanks for all the help guys and gals!