My first hammock is an 11ft, 74-inch wide hammock made of 1.6 HyperD XL (from Hemlock Mountain Outdoors; a custom CoyotePack/RedTail hybrid). I find it incredibly comfortable, both for lounging and for sleeping. I then bought a regular-width Chameleon in Hexon 1.6 because my partner and I are both short and lightweight (5'/115# & 5'6"/145#), and most of what I had read implied regular width would be sufficient. However, I very rarely get a good night's sleep in the Chameleon. Even lounging in it is nowhere near as comfortable as in the wider HyperD hammock.
We live on 5 acres of woods, and I use our hammocks a lot, for lounging but specifically, for sleeping. My partner joins me sometimes, using our Beetle Buckle spreader bar setup under Dutch Winter Wide tarp. And when he does, I sleep on the Chameleon since I'm smaller, and no matter how many times I try, I can't get as comfortable. (He only spent 1 night on the Chameleon and was too uncomfortable to try again). Basically, the sweet spot for comfort is much harder to find for us in the 58in width of the Chameleon.
What I don't know is how much of the comfort difference is the width (which I suspect is a lot) and how much does the difference in the type of fabric adds to that.
Nonetheless, I've concluded I need to buy a wider hammock (DIY is out of the question) and probably sell the regular Chameleon, unless we keep it for backpacking. But the wide Chameleon is only 68in wide when made of Hexon 1.6. Dutchware Gear also offers the Chameleon Wide in NylonD W 1.7. BTW, I'm not considering lighter fabrics because I want the option of snuggling or sitting together in the same hammock.
I love the "perks" of the Chameleon (vision zipper, removable/exchangeable bugnet/top cover, multiple quilt hooks, multiple D-rings inside and out, etc). So, I'd prefer a wide Chameleon over other manufacturers, unless there's a way to reproduce all of those features.
Actual questions:
Is the NylonD W 1.7 similar to the 1.6 HyperD XL in feel and stretch?
Since the NylonD W 1.7 material is wider than the Hexon W 1.6, will the finished hammock be wider than 68in or still end up at 68in? (I have emailed Dutchware Gear and await an answer). Since I don't know what our optimal width is, but I know we're both comfortable in the 74in hammock, I'm figuring the wider the better.
I basically want the comfort of the other hammock (74 inches and 1.6 HyperD W) with all the "perks" of a Chameleon, and trying to figure out how close I can get to that. Any suggestions/information would be greatly appreciated.
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