Why a bridge vs. a flat hammock

**Paprika bohlmann** · 10-31-2011, 22:58

I was looking into building a bridge hammock but came across the old military jungle hammocks and other flat types of light weight hammocks with bars on the same plain (not sure of the right word) as where you lay. is the main advantage of bridge hammocks are better balance? Why would I rather have a bridge over a flat hammock? I look forward to hearing from you bridge builders as to why you chose the bridge over a flat hammock. Please correct me if you know the official name of flat hammock.

I've provided a link to a picture of a "flat" hammock.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-...thread_id=3030

**Paprika bohlmann** · 10-31-2011, 23:07

**GrizzlyAdams** · 10-31-2011, 23:20

calling it flat doesn't make it flat. If you say a dog's tail is a leg, how many legs does a dog have??? Four. A tail isn't a leg no matter what you call it.

Now this may be a comfortable hammock for back sleeping, but clearly the upper torso is elevated above the lower torso. Try laying on your stomach and you'll be paying for your chiropractor's new addition on his house.

The bridge hammock suspension is FUNDAMENTALLY different. It is on the sides, and only the sides. This makes a trough through which no suspension tension passes, whereas in the "flat" hammock the suspension tension is passing through the hammock body.

I'm not knocking the other design. Could be comfortable and possibly even be less constraining for side sleeping. But it ain't _flat_ in the way a bridge hammock can be, and if that matters to you, the bridge is the way to go.

**NewtonGT** · 10-31-2011, 23:56

Originally Posted by GrizzlyAdams

calling it flat doesn't make it flat. If you say a dog's tail is a leg, how many legs does a dog have??? Four. A tail isn't a leg no matter what you call it.

Now this may be a comfortable hammock for back sleeping, but clearly the upper torso is elevated above the lower torso. Try laying on your stomach and you'll be paying for your chiropractor's new addition on his house.

The bridge hammock suspension is FUNDAMENTALLY different. It is on the sides, and only the sides. This makes a trough through which no suspension tension passes, whereas in the "flat" hammock the suspension tension is passing through the hammock body.

I'm not knocking the other design. Could be comfortable and possibly even be less constraining for side sleeping. But it ain't _flat_ in the way a bridge hammock can be, and if that matters to you, the bridge is the way to go.

haha what he said, they are very different and I think the bridge is the way you wanna go.

**BER** · 11-01-2011, 02:54

Yes to what Grizz has said. The "flat" hammock will bannana once you load it because it has no suspension along the sides. It will also be tippy because your center of gravity is higher relative to the spreader bars than it is in a bridge.

**nothermark** · 11-01-2011, 06:25

I think what they are trying to tell you is that when you lay on an end bar hammock the middle goes down relative to the ends so you get the classic banana shape to your body. Bodies only bend well in certain directions. In addition the end bars make it tippy and easy to fall off of. The bridge hammock equivalent is the canvas stretcher with side poles you drop down into below the poles so no banana, no sudden roll off problems. The end bars in both hammocks keep the sides from squeezing in but for the flat hammock they are also the suspension. In the bridge hammock the suspension is the sides of the hammock not the ends.

**Mikums** · 11-01-2011, 10:04

Originally Posted by BER

Yes to what Grizz has said. The "flat" hammock will bannana once you load it because it has no suspension along the sides. It will also be tippy because your center of gravity is higher relative to the spreader bars than it is in a bridge.

This is why I had to modify my Lawson BRCH

**dejoha** · 11-01-2011, 10:15

+1 on BER

Spreader bar hammocks, what you call "flat hammocks" are also very tippy because the center of gravity is so high. In the evolution of hammocks, the more traditional "banana" or end-gathered design was taken and "spread flat" with bars on each end. As Grizzly said, this did not make the bed flat when you lay on it, and it also eliminates the ability to get on the so-called "Brazilian" or diagonal lay.

Spreader bar hammocks are also known as beach hammocks, backyard hammocks, net hammocks, etc. You most often see them made from rope with a cross weave. After napping in one of these hammocks you often get "waffle back." I don't know many people who can sleep a long time in one of these because you naturally curve like a banana and you cannot get a good, flat lay.

There are a few camping hammocks that use the spreader bar design, like the Lawson, and many people find that they have to guy out the sides so they don't tip over.

The old military jungle hammocks with spreader bars had similar problems (they were also notable for being small, cramped, and waterproof, and soldiers would wake up in a pool of sweat or water!).

You can sleep ergonomically flat in an end-gathered hammock, but it doesn't work for everyone. In some ways, I think it is a learned trait (the natives of Central and South America have been doing it for centuries, but we are relatively new at it). When hung with a deep curve, these hammocks are very balanced and it is nearly impossible to fall out of them.

Bridge hammocks are a breakthrough. They use spreader bars, but since it uses a trough design as Grizzly said, you are really resting under the suspension. Bridge hammocks have a true head-to-foot "flat" lay, but depending on the width, you can feel the curve in your shoulders. You won't tip out of a bridge like you would in a spreader bar.

Another "flat" hammock you may want to look into is the Ergo Hammock by EXPED.

**Shewie** · 11-01-2011, 10:23

Originally Posted by BER

Yes to what Grizz has said. The "flat" hammock will bannana once you load it because it has no suspension along the sides. It will also be tippy because your center of gravity is higher relative to the spreader bars than it is in a bridge.

Definitely tippy, been there done that, had the bruise to prove it

**Paprika bohlmann** · 11-01-2011, 14:58

I shall not ever again refer to a beach hammock, or the many other names, as the flat hammock again and I won't confuse a dog tail for a dog leg.

I figured that the beach hammocks were more tippy but I didn't know how it slept, so thank you guys for your insights. it's good to have this forum as a resource, so much knowledge and bruises to light my path.