Praise for the WL Night Owl

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04-13-2012, 03:08
hutzelbein

Praise for the WL Night Owl

I have been trying to hang indoors for 10 months now, with different hammocks, and failed. My first try was a Ticket to the Moon kingsized hammock. I love the hammock fabric, but I could never get a flat lay no matter what I tried. I then tried to use my Warbonnet Blackbird, which had served me great outdoors. The lay was flat with the BB, but I couldn't get rid of the calf ridge (which I never had outdoors). The same was true for the Warbonnet Traveler, which provided a lovely flat lay, but also a very uncomfortable calf ridge. I have no idea why, because the ridge vanishes outdoors - my guess is, that it has to do with the suspension length, because that was the only thing I could not change. The ridge was a bit better when I added hammock springs to the suspension, but not enough to sleep comfortably.

I also tried a Brazilian hammock, but although I picked the longest one I could find, the lay was nowhere as flat as with the Warbonnet hammocks. Not flat enough for me to sleep in it. I also had problems with my underquilts. The lay got more curved when using an underquilt, although I bought a huge one specifically for use with the Brazilian.

My last try was to order a Wilderness Logics Night Owl, and I received it a couple of days ago. I'm very happy to say that all my problems seem to be solved now. The Night Owl seems to be a very forgiving hammock: I hung it without a ridgeline, and with different suspension angles - it was comfortable no matter the angle. Probably the level of comfort differs, but compared to all the miserable hangs before, it doesn't matter. The lay feels a bit different to the Warbonnet, but not better or worse. However, the calf ridge is gone almost completely (there is a slight bit of pressure depending on how I lie in the hammock, but not comparable to the Warbonnets), and I also like the high walls, which prevent my feet and head from going over the edge accidentally (happend a couple of times in the Traveler). I think that the Night Owl will be my everyday home hammock from now on. I wish WL would offer a cotton or linnen Owl model, which would be nicer to touch and would not create static electricity. But it would not matter to me with regards to warmth: I couldn't sleep without an underquilt, even in the Brazilian hammock, no matter the temperatures.

I would highly recommend the WL Owl for anybody fighting with calf ridges and needing a flat lay.
04-13-2012, 10:29
Deadphans

I have been hearing excellent things about the Owl. As for WL I have one of his tarps and it is excellent. I love that piece of gear.

So can I get this straight real fast? You are saying that when your WB was rigged outside in the woods, you did not have the calf ridge? When it was inside you did have the calf ridge? I ask because I recently sold my HH and got a WB for this very reason, the calf ridge in the HH was too much for me (still waiting on the WB to arrive so I haven't tried it out myself yet).
04-13-2012, 11:19
BillyBob58

Quote:

Originally Posted by hutzelbein

My last try was to order a Wilderness Logics Night Owl, and I received it a couple of days ago. I'm very happy to say that all my problems seem to be solved now. The Night Owl seems to be a very forgiving hammock: I hung it without a ridgeline, and with different suspension angles - it was comfortable no matter the angle. Probably the level of comfort differs, but compared to all the miserable hangs before, it doesn't matter. The lay feels a bit different to the Warbonnet, but not better or worse. However, the calf ridge is gone almost completely (there is a slight bit of pressure depending on how I lie in the hammock, but not comparable to the Warbonnets),....

Pretty much exactly my experience so far with a Light Owl. Relative to other non-bridge hammocks, I find it one of the best as far as avoiding the calf pressure problems. Like you, I find a slight bit of pressure depending on how I lie in the hammock. I can always find a spot with either tolerable or zero pressure. I place it 2nd only to my bridge and Safari in this regard, and about equal to my Claytor No Net and Speer. And my HH Explorer UL pretty close also, but not quite. Any way, it is a really nice hammock for overall comfort.
04-13-2012, 13:53
hutzelbein

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deadphans

So can I get this straight real fast? You are saying that when your WB was rigged outside in the woods, you did not have the calf ridge? When it was inside you did have the calf ridge? I ask because I recently sold my HH and got a WB for this very reason, the calf ridge in the HH was too much for me (still waiting on the WB to arrive so I haven't tried it out myself yet).

Yes. I slept in my Blackbird outdoors for about 10 months or so. I can't remember having had a calf ridge of that magnitude. It only developed when I tried hanging indoors, although the hang was theoretically perfect (30° angle, ridgeline tight etc.). Another thing I noticed was, that all hammocks felt a lot more elastic outdoors. The only thing that changed was the length of the suspension. Even with tight hangs, I always had to use a lot of webbing to go around the trees. I guess that the average distance between anchor points outdoors was something like 6m, which doesn't include the webbing that goes around the trees. Indoors, I could only use pad eyes, and the distance between the two attachment points is 4,30m. No additional webbing. Incorporating hammock springs into the suspension improved things, but not enough.

The Warbonnets are fine hammocks, and my Blackbird stays my camping hammock. However, you should be prepared to take some time to figure out how to hang your WB. Practice makes perfect. It took me about 4 months or so to get the light bulb moment. The lay was nice before, but afterwards it was perfect.