Hammock = Nylon coffin....(How to find enough comfort to sleep)
I’m new to hammocking, or more specifically it has taken me YEARS to find a hammock worth considering so I wouldn’t consider myself a hammocker yet.
I’ve tried offerings from The Travel Hammock, Speer, Jungle, Mosquito, and Hennessey. None worked and ultimately I dismissed hammocking as a non-option for me with part of the problem being my size – 6’6” and 280 pounds.
Just as I was convinced nothing would work, the Blackbird came along. Although I’m not thrilled with needing to use the heaviest one to support my big ole body as I’m a lightweight backpacker by nature, the bottom line is that the Blackbird is phenomenal and it is constructed appropriately for my dimensions.
Unfortunately – I tried to sleep in it and just can’t. I simply can’t “sleep”. It is comfortable for laying, sitting, and lounging around – but I just can’t seem to get comfortable enough for actual sleeping. Let’s face it, I can’t use it if I can’t sleep.
I have adjusted the ridgeline to various positions and find it easy to lay flat. I find that there is enough room, although I’m not used to having silnylon surrounding me and touching my head, feet, and shoulders constantly. My gripe is that there is always something squishing me or otherwise making my body bend ever so slightly in ways I don’t like. No matter what I do, I’m always slightly off my comfort position and everything I do impacts something else (i.e. pushing out my leg, raising my arm, etc.). It’s like the “pea under the mattress” fairytale where everything is perfect, but I just can’t sleep.
With that said, is this just an issue with hammocking as a whole or am I doing something wrong? Is there a way to increase my comfort or should I just suck it up and either get used to being in a nylon coffin or go back to the ground? Basically - I'm "trying" to be a hammocker but I don't know if it will work.
I’m so proud of the Blackbird because it is a **** good product, but in the end either it works or it doesn’t and I fear being the only person on planet earth who might just return it.
Thanks for your comments.