Advice please, I am uncomfortable!

[diego]

So in the past I have camped in a eno double nest with a self inflating thermarest pad and I have been slightly comfortable at times and at others VERY comfortable.

I just got a WBBB and tried it out for the first time overnight. I was NOT comfortable. I hung the head lower than the feet like Brandon says to do. Maybe it was not low enough? My head was close to the top end of the hammock. THere was a small ridge that applied pressure to the side of my leg just below the knee all night and I woke up several times thinking my foot felt oddly warm, not realizing it was numb until I discovered that I could not dorsiflex my foot (common peroneal nerve was compressed!).

One cause of this could be that I have always used the self inflating thermarest pad in the past which levels the area under my leg out and does not allow this to happen in the ENO. This time I did not use the pad and instead used an underquilt.

Another possibility is that I am one of those people that needs the 11 foot hammock (WBBBXLT)? It seems that most people are very comfortable in the WBBB. I am 5'10" and 170 lbs. My WBBB is 1.1 double layer.

I am still not able to get a consistant hang and maybe that is part of the problem as well. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Diego

[DRobertson]

try putting a small pillow under your knees. that helps me!

[SnrMoment]

I had the same problem with my WBBB 1.1 single. Great hammock, but I could not get rid of the calf ridge no matter what I tried. I'm an inch shorter than you and was a few pounds lighter at the time. Tried an 11 footer without a ridge line and never went back to a ten footer.
I seem to need a lot of sag in the hammock, and will get a calf ridge if I have it set too tight. You might try your WB without the ridge line attached, then start tightening it up with an adjustable RL to perfect the amount of say you need.

[Firetruck]

Try laying head right and feet left. If it works for you, you could use the footbox for another storage compartment. That's what I did when I had the calf pressure. I prefer to sleep that way anyway.

[BillyBob58]

You have discovered a common problem with this hammock and/or gathered ends hammocks and the diagonal lie in general. You will find lots of threads on the subject here, and lots of tips that help varying degrees for various folks.

Your most certain way of curing this is to return or sell this hammock and get a bridge hammock. A lot of folks who change over- but not all- find bridge hammocks more comfortable over all. But more comfy over all or not, I have not heard of any one who has that calf pressure issue with any bridge h.

Other than that, probably a big sack or pillow under your knees with or without a leg pad is your best bet. I see you have already tried hanging the foot higher with no luck. Some people have great luck with 11 ft hammocks. I tried one that most folks swore had zero pressure. The minute I laid down in it, calf pressure. Not much, but some. You can spend a lot of time trying to escape that irritant, or some certain non-bridge hammock MIGHT cure it for you, but a bridge is about the only guarantee with this problem. Of course, bridge hammocks have their own issues, and some folks don't like any of them. But I find the JRB BMBH UL very comfy over all, some others find the WB RR much more comfy ( that is still debatable for me, but not for some) but you will need a much larger tarp.

Or, how do you like side sleeping in the WBBB? That usually side steps that one problem.

[Storytellertn]

Try laying head right and feet left. If it works for you, you could use the footbox for another storage compartment. That's what I did when I had the calf pressure. I prefer to sleep that way anyway.

I like your Signature quote. Paul is one of my favorites.

[hutzelbein]

A lot of people have problems with the Blackbird initially. Please don't let this deter you from trying to get it right. It takes a while to find the right way to hang it. To make matters more difficult, there is no "perfect" way to hang it - you need to find your own way. Let me just tell you, once you find the sweet spot, there is no other hammock that is more comfortable.

Hanging the head end a bit lower than the foot end is a good start. However, don't overdo it, otherwise you might create new problems. A little bit goes a long way. I (5'4") hang it so that I can reach out with my right arm and just about touch the head end of the Blackbird. You will need to find out which distance works for you.

I found there are 2 important factors for me to get a pefect lay:

1. I have to hang the Blackbird a bit tighter than Brandon suggests in his video. I can still flex the ridgeline a bit, but not 90°.

2. I lay a *lot* more inline than in other hammocks. I can't say it exactly, but I would guess 20°-30° off the centerline. By the way, this is a big bonus for hanging a full-length underquilt. It's much easier to fit than with a more diagonal lay.

If I'm still getting a ridge under my legs, I just move my butt a bit. Usually it helps to move it towards the ridge (for me that would be to the right - I don't mean down). I believe that every hammock has a ridge, but if the ridge is under the butt or the torso, you don't really feel it.

I tried a few other hammocks; all my gathered ends are 11' plus a Ridgerunner bridge hammock - and there is none that has the same flat and comfy lay.

So do yourself a favour, and give it a couple of months to figure out how to hang it before you sell it. The Blackbird is well worth the effort!

[Storytellertn]

Great feedback. I'm excited yo get my new WBBB.

[Mumbles]

I have found that bringing my heels tucked up to my rear, then sliding my heels down and out to the footbox "plows" the gathered wrinkles or ridges out of the middle of the hammock. Much more comfortable for me after I have done this.

[Cali]

I owned a WBBB 1.1 DL back in 2011 when I first started hammock camping. I had issues with it and could not get comfortable, so I sold it. Fast forward to 2013 and I bought another WBBB 1.1 DL from the for sale forum. I wanted to try it again because so many folks love it. I hung it so I could flex the ridgeline 90* and I put the head end a little lower (hung on a hammock stand). I find it very comfortable, and am wondering what I was doing wrong back in 2011. I have it on my screened in porch and have been sleeping in it off and on for about two weeks now.
Keep working with yours and tweak it to where it is just right for you. Make sure you remember what you did right once you get it that way, so you can do it every time.

Also, if you feel a bit of ridge, slide down more into the footbox to see if that helps, and +1 on the pillow under your knees.