A Question About Doubles

[MarkusB]

As you will notice from the number of my postings I am very new to this new and wonderous hobby. I purchased a ENO Double and tried to sleep in it on my metal stand. I could not get a diagonal lay and I had trouble getting out of the darned thing. I also experienced shoulder squeeze and really couldn't get comfortable to sleep all night.

Someone mentioned that the ENO was a "short" hammock and that getting the proper hang was more difficult. So I loaned my ENO to a friend (smaller and lighter) and I was looking at a Double Bliss - a full 6-feet wide..

In the review of the Double Bliss the reviewer mentioned that he had trouble getting out of the hammock. He even had a younger experienced guide try the hammock and the same thing happened ( Its good to know that I am not so old and fat and that things like this happen to other people as well).

So before I pull the trigger on another $65 can anyone offer any suggestions about why I can't get out of these things? I am 6.0 and 230lbs - all the hammocks I am looking at are doubles and rated between 350 and 400lbs.

I want to blame my stand because I don't think I am getting the 30* angle required. I also want to blame the chains on the stands I do not have a sophisticated suspension system yet.

[XSrcing]

Having only hung a few times I'm still learning, but it does take a little practice to learn how to maneuver in these things. I'd say get it set up properly and try some more.

[samsara]

I'm 6'2" 220 lbs and I sleep every night in an ENO DN attached to my DIY TurtleDog stand. I would say that you need to spend some time getting your hammock dialed in rather than trying to buy one that fits the first time you try it. It takes a while to figure out how to get these things dialed in and "sleep the entire night" comfy but once you do it is like riding a bike... you get good at doing it in other hammocks and in varied conditions.

It is also more difficult to get a hammock dialed in on a stand (and some stands just won't hang a hammock correctly). Make sure you get close to the 30 degree angle, keep the foot end higher than the head end (I keep mine almost a foot higher and it looks like you would almost be sleeping upside down but it works), and then spend a lot of time moving around to find the sweet spot. Little differences in position make a big change in how these things feel. Get your angle, move your feet to pull the side out, move your butt a little bit from one side to the other, scoot your body more towards the head end, etc. Try a little bit of everything and keep working at it until you find a fairly flat and comfortable lay.

I have found my DN to be a great lounging hammock and a wonderful nightly sleeper. I can get an almost flat lay (not quite as good as my WBBB) and it is very comfy for sleeping on either side. I also did a suspension mod (mini-spreader bars by Red O'Leary) that really make it even more comfortable and expand the sweet spot.

For getting out... scoot to one side, swing your feet out, reach down towards your foot end and grab some fabric to pull yourself up. Another option (I use this on my WBBB) is to put on a permanent ridgeline and put a prussik loop on the ridgeline that you slide down towards your feet when you are ready to get up and use that to pull yourself up.

Best of luck and keep trying, it will come eventually

Dave

P.S. More width isn't necessarily going to give you more comfort... it is length that pays the best dividends for getting your flat lay.

[dejoha]

You're close, but probably not close enough to come to my hammock demo tonight in Flagstaff

I'm going to have an ENO Double on display, along with a few other hammocks. Going _wider_ isn't the ticket. A _longer_ hammock will vastly improve the comfort of a hammock giving the same width.

Other tips to try: The ENO Double benefits from a deep sag, even deeper than some other hammocks because of its width. Backyard hammock stands are not designed for this and you end up pitching it too tight and bring the hammock gunnels too tight, like a canoe, and you get shoulder squeeze. Yes, your stand is to blame. No question.

Send me a PM and I can get you some other recommendations for pitching that will help, along with some other hammocks that may "dial in" a lot faster than the ENO.

[gunner76]

While I don't camp out in my ENO DN, I have spent many an afternoon doing detailed hammock studies (taking a nap) in mine. Very comfortable. The only reason I don't camp out in it is that is very buggy here so for overnights I use my BB.

[old4hats]

I find that it is more difficult for me to get out if I have hung my hammock too low to the ground, oh, and I am your size.

[deerfu]

Your stand has got to be the problem. The commercial stands are not really suited for hanging the eno. Try it from 2 trees with a deep sag in the hammock and see what happens

[MAD777]

Your stand has got to be the problem. The commercial stands are not really suited for hanging the eno. Try it from 2 trees with a deep sag in the hammock and see what happens

I totally agree! You have a stand made for those "fish net" hammocks made of rope with the wide spreader bar at each end. That won't hang a camping hammock properly. I know; I have one in my backyard!

[Bubba]

I find my ENO's create more of a bath tub effect than my other hammock due to the material. A couple of tips about getting out that work for me since I'm a big guy:

When lying in it, shimmy your butt close to edge before you swing your legs out.

Another thing to try is to sit up and put each foot down on each side of the hammock so you are straddling it and lean forward like you are getting out of a chair grabbing hte hammock to help yourself up if needed.