At the risk of being branded a heretic......
I went to the FL hang wanting to try out the Blackbird and was hoping I wasn't going to fall in lust.
Guess what? All the reasons why I chose the Switchback over the BB turned out to be valid. I like being able to tie the net completely out of the way, like being able to have my head in either direction (and even switch around while inside), love the spreader bars that push out the net and make it seem cavernous inside.
Only thing I don't like is that it is way too long (and, therefore has unneeded weight and volume) for a 5-footer. I'm looking at the light hiker (from same maker as Switchback) but although it says 6 oz lighter, they don't give the dimensions of the packed size. Being short, I have a smaller pack (Miniposa) and wanted something less bulky. (No problem for kayak camping).
When I tried out the BB, I did not like the mandatory position, which also created a wall on my right side. Another thing is that the BB fabric felt more papery and less soft than the taffeta? on my SB.
But here's the kicker....I gave demonstrations to several hangers and 3 of them (at least 2 had BBs) said they wanted to get an SB. I did a good job of show-and-tell, pointing out all the features. So, Dale, if you got an uptake in "hits" and inquiries this week, you'll know why.
I would like more info on the Light Hiker. Anyone have one?
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