Wilderness Logics Light Owl
Let me start by saying that dealing with Marty was a dream. I ordered the Light Owl on Oct 6 and it was delivered on Oct 13. You can't ask for faster "no special delivery" service from a cottage shop than that. Now, on Oct 13, the wife and I were in NOLA, and the kids grabbed the box off the porch and brought it in the house (and didn't tell me it was here:sneaky:). I sent Marty an email Thursday evening (Oct 20) asking if the hammock would be here before the TX hang, and he called me Friday morning (Oct 21) and provided all of the delivery data and tracking number. A call to the youngest and I find out the hammock had been at the house for a week... dangit.
And Marty threw in a free pillow. It's nice. I used it already:D.
On to the hammock. Here's a shot of the pillow, Light Owl hammock, and the TtTTG 1.9SL netless hammock for comparisons. I put my iPhone on the pillow to give some idea of actual size. I do not have a scale, so I don't have actual weights for either hammock. Note: Dale includes his full size bishop bag with the 1.9SL netless hammock so the size may look large compared to the Light Owl. Packed down tight, the netless SB is a bit smaller than the Light Owl.
http://shaneandpamela.com/cpg/albums...b_DSCF3037.JPG
When I opened the box from Wilderness Logics, I saw the black two-ended stuff sack and a set of tree straps. I opened up the stuff sack and pulled out the coyote-brown Light Owl hammock. It is a gathered end hammock with no pull outs or pockets. The hammock is made of two layers of 1.1oz ripstop, with an opening between the layers for you to insert a pad if you so choose. Marty has attached orange 7/64" Amsteel whoopie slings to each end as the suspension. The whoopies even include an idiot bead so I can't pull the loop through and ruin the whoopie.
Out to the yard...
I wrapped the straps around my oaks, used a couple of small biners as toggles, and hung the Light Owl.
http://shaneandpamela.com/cpg/albums...b_DSCF3021.JPG http://shaneandpamela.com/cpg/albums...b_DSCF3022.JPG
(The hammock was hung a little too tight in the 2nd picture. I loosened the whoopies to somewhere between 25-30 degrees and the lay was much better.)
I played with the hang angle on the Light Owl, beginning near 20 degrees and finally got a nice lie somewhere closer to 30 degrees. I did not tighten up the draw cords for either the head or foot pouch to begin with. The hammock was UBER-comfortable. Zero shoulder squeeze and zero calf ridge. (I really feared a calf ridge issue when I saw the gathered ends.) The hammock is quite a bit wider than the Switchback, so there was a bit more "wall" to the right side on the head end. Without the foot end draw cord tightened the wall is not bothersome.
http://shaneandpamela.com/cpg/albums...b_DSCF3024.JPG http://shaneandpamela.com/cpg/albums...b_DSCF3027.JPG
Once I was comfortable in the hammock without either end draw cord tightened, I began playing with the foot end draw cord. (Let me stop here and make a comment on the build of the hammock. I think the draw cords should moved towards the center of the hammock about 3 inches from where they are currently installed. I'm 6' and with both ends tightened, I was still too short to get all the way into the "pouches" created.) The idea of creating a pseudo-foobox works. It's not as defined as a WBBB footbox, but there is a pocket created for your feet. That's the positive. The negative is that the wall of fabric on the right side of the hammock grows a lot, completely blocking your view to the right.
http://shaneandpamela.com/cpg/albums...b_DSCF3028.JPG
When I tightened up the head end draw cord as well, the left side of the hammock also became a wall of fabric, essentially blocking any view accept skyward. That said, the hammock just got a bit more comfortable. My plan is this: For lounging during the day, the draw cords will be left loose so the view can be enjoyed. When it's evening and time for some Z's, I'll tighten up the draw cords, get really diagonal and dream away.
I did attempt to lie on both left and right sides. To my surprise, I was able to lay on both sides with similar comfort to a Switchback.
Here is a comparison of the Light Owl (no draw cords tightened) and the netless Switchback as far as available viewing. First picture is the Light Owl. Second picture is the netless SB.
http://shaneandpamela.com/cpg/albums...b_DSCF3024.JPG http://shaneandpamela.com/cpg/albums...b_DSCF3034.JPG
I'd like to say that I could pick one hammock over the other as far as comfort goes, but at this point I cannot. I'll need to conduct further research:cool:. Maybe next weekend... I'll bring both to the TX hang in a few weeks so anyone wanting to try them out can.
Marty, that is one fine hammock you sent me. Thanks!
Go Rangers! JUST WIN!!! (sorry, had to throw that in... going baseball crazy here... my wife is at the game and I'm here at home testing hammocks... who wins?)
