I have a ENO DN and an ENO SN, both got me and my son into hammocks. A bad hang is still better than sleeping on the ground. We have upgraded to Hammecks and they are just much more comfortable than the ENO's, and much lighter. The ENO's will be our guest hammocks, or gear hammocks.
There is a grain of truth in this opinion. The shorter the hammock, the more it benefits from a shallower suspension angle. The longer the hammock, the more comfortable a steeper hang angle. I believe that the ~30° angle rule applies specifically to hammocks of a 10'-11' length. I get a better lay when I hang my 10' WBBB (it's actually a bit shorter than 10') with about 25°. I hang my 11' hammocks with an angle of 30°-35° in order to get to the sweet spot. If you look at Brazilian hammocks, which are 13' and up, you will see that they are hung with an angle of 45° or more. Then look at pictures of DD Hammocks or equally short hammocks, and you'll see that the angle is closer to 20° or lower. I tested it, and it really *is* way more comfortable than 30°.
However, my question to the ENO expert would be: how many other hammocks have you tested? How long were they? What fabrics were they made of? The ENO really is nothing special. It's a simple channel end hammock made from a heavy nylon taffeta. If that's what you like - great. But I bet, 95% of ENO users would not stick with their short hammock (for sleeping, not just lounging) after using an 11' hammock made from a comparable fabric for a couple of nights. I don't know why most of the "parachute hammock" makers are this stingy with their hammock lengths. A couple of inches would make a huge difference and wouldn't cost the world. They could even sell it as something "new" and "groundbreaking". What people on this forum take offense with mostly is that ENOs are very short and pretty expensive for what they are. If ENO would sell 10'-11' hammocks for the same price, it would probably be recommended (together with a light suspension) here.
The guy is partially correct from the experience I have with them- by getting less of a hang angle with the eno's, they do seem to allow you to lay flatter and are relatively comfortable. I think the way that you are allowed to get away with this is because the type of material they use is so stretchy. When I used an eno, I would usually only use about a 20 degree hang angle and found that it was relatively comfortable (I'm 6'2). I moved away from eno's, not because of a comfort factor, but because I was afraid their material would tear completely through too easily. All that said, I think a 0 angle is way too much stress on the hammock and suspension.
Great feedback
Love this forum.
Oddly - there are those out there that speak about this forum as a monolith of snobs - so I learned from 2 people on that same thread .... I was like - whhaaaateva
“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.”
Curious to know how the zero degree ENO-ites rig up a UQ and get it dialed in. Think about that one... ENOs were my first foray into the hammock world. Had both a single and double. Double was my personal favorite when I only had those two. Have since moved to DIY'ing all my hammocks. A couple of deserving young scouts now have my old ENOs.
I had not considered that question - I suppose you could rig up things to give verticals lift for UQ....?
“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.”
Not sure how they'd do that. Consider the UQ has to cradle the hammock and provide some upward lift. Additionally, both the head and foot ends need cinched to close them off and prevent drafts from getting between the UQ and hammock body. If the hammock is hung with very little sag, that equates to the head and foot areas having a very small radius/diameter. Also, keep in mind if you cinch up the head and foot end of a UQ too much, it actually creates gaps that allow drafts in.UQ fitment.pdf
Although I did use about a 15-20 degree angle on my eno, I'll say this with certainty- It was MUCH easier to adjust my underquilt with the eno than with any other hammock I've ever used. I attribute it to two things.. First, the eno is so short, you are laying almost completely in line with the underquilt (as opposed to on an angle with longer hammocks) which invariably makes the underquilt easier to get perfectly lines up with the hammock and your body. Secondly, the parachute material is so stretchy that eno hammocks are made of, when you get in the hammock, you sink down and are almost cradeled by your underquilt (as opposed to having to pull the under quilt up to you with most other fabrics). Say what you want about the eno, but UQ alignment is not one of their week points...Originally Posted by FLScouthanger
Totally understandable at 15-20 degrees angle. But the discussion was related to 0 degrees. Having used ENOs for 8+ years (yes, I am a fan of them), it is agreed that it's not too difficult to get a UQ dialed in with 15+ degrees of angle. Although I've personally never tried it, and no longer have any ENOs to test the theory on, it still makes me to wonder how a UQ would properly fit at that shallow an angle.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks