1.2 Robic XL Hybrid is HERE! We Promise.

[goobie]

Great, and very thorough, info JB. Thank you, sounds like my 1.2 Raven should fit my tastes quite well.

[Trail Troll]

So now that this has been out there a bit, I'd like some more opinions on it if they're out there. I'm very happy with my hexon 1.6, I just wasn't happy with my placement of my knotty mods. (My fault) I just got some hyper D 1.6 and made an awesome hammock for my son, and love the feel of it. I've been wanting to test the waters on a wide fabric and have been looking at the 1.7 for a while, but now the 1.2 is out I'm thinking of trying it. At 205_220 is this a viable option for me? I don't much care for a firm mattress, but too soft will cause problems for my back injury. Should I give it a shot or find another wide fabric?

[sqidmark]

I have a whole assortment of ailments including injuries from so many years ago that often come back to haunt me. Back, shoulders, knees and ankles to name a few. Often these things come and go with the wind, sometimes one or more will stick around for a while. This makes it very difficult to nail down exactly what works for me and what doesn't.

Because of those ailments I haven't been able to enjoy the benefits of ultra light fabrics. The combination of butt sink and shoulder squeeze has proven too much to bear for more than 2 consecutive nights. I'm only about 150+.

At times even the various 1.6 fabrics did not suit me. For a while, HyperD 1.6 was good, but eventually that proved to be unsupportive where I needed it the most.

I bounce back and forth between GE's and bridges, including the RR and Just Bill's Lux bridge. In fact it was Bill's enthusiasm for hybrid 1.7 that caught my attention, so I became interested in making a GE out of it but I wanted to know a bit more. I contacted him, explained my situation and wound up as one of his testers.

Anyhow, I made an 11' GE and it quickly became my favorite. It's flexible yet firm, somehow simultaneously offering just the right amount of stretch and support right where I need it. When RBTR offered the new hybrid 1.2 I was very skeptical, I figured this will never work for me. I bought 4yds at the intro price. I should have bought more, but who could have know that it would work so well for me.

Just like it's older sibling 1.7, 1.2 has proven to be a near miracle for me. I has noticeably more stretch than 1.7 but somehow it's still very supportive and does not induce excessive shoulder squeeze. Recently I proved this to myself by easily sleeping in it for 7 consecutive nights without issue.

Previously I made a hexon 1.6 wide at about 70". At 5'4" I just didn't find any benefit for the extra width. I made the hybrid 1.7 at 62", which I felt was much better but still excessive, even with dual knotty mods. I made my hybrid 1.2 at 60", which I've found to be about perfect for me.

Hybrid 1.7 has become my go-to when ailments pop up, but I'm quite certain that hybrid 1.2 has become my backpacking fabric of choice.

If you don't want to risk a bunch of cash on a commercial hammock, just buy 4yds and whip the ends if you're not able to sew it yourself. It'll work just as well and you'll know by your own experience if it works for you.

[Trail Troll]

Thanks sqidmark, it's my hopes to make a good backpacking hammock. From what others have said it wouldnt benefit me to go too wide since I'm only 5'6", so I was thinking around 62", with knotty mods at the foot end.