Outdoor Gear Lab tests Hammocks - funny quotes...

**JacobAllison** · 03-23-2015, 01:46

Outdoor Gear Lab usually does really quite nice reviews of various products... but I'm not 100% sure they've got it right with their review of hammocks.

http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Hammoc...field=#compare

To be clear, this review is almost a year old, but one of the reasons I'm commenting is that they have some choice quotes from the manufacturer of the hammock I currently use and am completely unsatisfied with. (Both in terms of design, construction, materials, and customer service...)

And when hanging on a slope, its best to keep your head higher than your feet. A slight angle downward is ok but can result in you sliding downhill in the hammock; the closest to level you can get, the better.

And no. Even in the hammocks his company designed this makes me wind up in a puddle at the bottom of the hammock.

In regions where morning dew or bugs are common, an enclosed system is nice-

Too bad the Adventurer's Deluxe hammock has such a tight topcover that if you try and lay on even a 10º diagonal and close it it'll be impossible...

Referring back to the rigging aspect, the tension of the straps and distance between the hanging points will affect the tightness of the hammock. With shorter distance and more sagging, you will have less support, comparable to a very soft mattress. With a wider span and taught webbing lines, you will achieve support comparable to a firm mattress.

I haven't had a chance to try more than two hammocks, but is this ever true? I suppose if by 'tighter' you mean 'pulled absolutely tight with 1-5º of sag', maybe... But I thought material has much more to do with stretch and 'softness'.

The reviews of the hammocks themselves (and most of their pictures) do show that OGL knows how to hang a hammock, for the most part... It's unfortunate that they didn't cover any of the better insulation options, they didn't mention that 5mm paracord is extremely risky to trees (and to you!), and that they didn't mention tarps (Except for the Hennessy Expedition, which includes one.)

As for Bakpocket's hammock... I could write an entire review about their Adventurer's Deluxe. But it can be summed up with; 'Don't buy it.' If you really want a mass produced hammock, Kammock or Eno would be better choices.

**irondog** · 04-25-2015, 12:17

"And when hanging on a slope, its best to keep your head higher than your feet. A slight angle downward is ok but can result in you sliding downhill in the hammock..."

So? What's the big problem, THERE? Every time I go sliding downhill in MY hammock, I'll ALWAYS keep my head at least a little higher than my feet. Saves me lots of trouble with knots & bruises, and helps me with steering. Apparently, you're not yet experienced in Hammock Downhill Sliding. I'm not surprised. It's not for most folks.

**cjayflo** · 04-25-2015, 13:27

I like outdoor gear labs quite a bit. They kill me though when they compare peaches to grapes. Why use one company's ultralight version then knock another company's not ultralight version for being too heavy? They also tend to stay within a few companies and not compare as many different brands as possible. With that said though I have not found their picks to be too far off from my own choices in gear.

**Zilla** · 04-25-2015, 13:36

In my opinion Outdoor gear lab just likes to hear thenselves talk,i dont think they really do thier research and are off base more than not,,, but that's just my opinion!!

**Ridge_Dog** · 04-25-2015, 15:50

It would be nice to include American made cottage vendors into the mix of reviews. They miss the mark and it seems very skewed.

**lostagain** · 05-27-2015, 23:06

Ridge_Dog...the number one pick was the Warbonnet Blackbird.

Gotta agree with the OP on this, and also with the fact that Outdoor Gear Review usually does good reviews on equipment. But, I'd have to say when it comes to hammocks, they're a little short in the field or choices. Why include an entry from Warbonnet and Hennesey when everyone of the others is mass market sold and produced? And at that you pick the double layer and not a single layer which is what all the others are. I also find it a bit dubious that they said the setup for the Warbonnet was "time consuming" to setup, when they used whoopies. I guess for the if you don't care about the trees, and all you want to do is pull out of pouch/bag and throw the rope around a tree and tie off, then yeah, properly hanging a hammock is time consuming.

**Ridge_Dog** · 06-01-2015, 21:32

Originally Posted by lostagain

Ridge_Dog...the number one pick was the Warbonnet Blackbird.

Gotta agree with the OP on this, and also with the fact that Outdoor Gear Review usually does good reviews on equipment. But, I'd have to say when it comes to hammocks, they're a little short in the field or choices. Why include an entry from Warbonnet and Hennesey when everyone of the others is mass market sold and produced? And at that you pick the double layer and not a single layer which is what all the others are. I also find it a bit dubious that they said the setup for the Warbonnet was "time consuming" to setup, when they used whoopies. I guess for the if you don't care about the trees, and all you want to do is pull out of pouch/bag and throw the rope around a tree and tie off, then yeah, properly hanging a hammock is time consuming.

OK. ....soooo I missed the WBBB being number 1.

I still have to say, and agree, that if they have one cottage vendor they could have more. Guess they have to pay the bills.

**MississipVol** · 06-03-2015, 09:53

I agree its not the best ratings and some of the comments seem dubious but at least they are including some of the cottage manufacturers. I'm sure a lot of people became acquainted with Warbonnet that had never heard of them.

**MiriRose** · 06-03-2015, 11:29

This is not as bad as previous Outdoor Gear Lab hammock overviews, if you can believe that. It's disappeared from their website, but you can read the HammockForums thread about it here: https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...Is-this-a-joke and see an archived copy on the Internet Wayback Machine here: http://web.archive.org/web/201310041...ammock-Reviews
Take-away quotes:

"In general we find that several of the tested models, especially when strung tight (a necessity to get rid of extra sag that will result in back pain in the morning), have a tight center ridge line and/or tight sides that wrap up around us, pouring our mass into the center and creating quite a claustrophobic sleeping experience."

"We fully acknowledge that sleeping in a hammock is most definitely not for everyone. In fact, we strongly recommend against it for anyone with general back or neck pain,"

**MiriRose** · 06-03-2015, 11:32

Originally Posted by JacobAllison

As for Bakpocket's hammock... I could write an entire review about their Adventurer's Deluxe. But it can be summed up with; 'Don't buy it.' If you really want a mass produced hammock, Kammock or Eno would be better choices.

Oh my gosh, I just went and checked it out. Do the sides seriously *zip* together?