I have the hammock gear incubator and the superfly tarp. Prettty sure I can make both of those workout with the ridgerunner. Curiosity gonna get me, gonna order the ridgerunner I think
I have the hammock gear incubator and the superfly tarp. Prettty sure I can make both of those workout with the ridgerunner. Curiosity gonna get me, gonna order the ridgerunner I think
You may be able to make the Incubator work but your best bet is to get the under quilt made for the RR and that's the Lynx. It has 4 connection clips and that's all there is to it. It hugs the hammock like a Mom holds her new born.Originally Posted by Kona dawg
I love my GE hammocks but I too get the setup wrong. My RR is a lot easier for me. The wife and kids find it easier as well. I'd try the RR next if I where you.
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I agree with trail slug and kitsapcowboy and skymallcorn. I have no experience with the Chameleon (have owned a Warbonnet Blackbird, a JRB Bear Mountain Bridge, and a Warbonnet XLC), but I can say that the RR is dead simple to hang, is comfortable, has no calf ridge. Most gathered end hammocks have too much fiddle factor. RR minimizes this. And if you get a Lynx under quilt, it eliminates the under quilt fiddle factor, too. For simplicity, the RR suits my needs.
I've been 220, with the XLC, and just couldn't get the right lay on it.
Brandon took it back, and sold me a new double layer ridge runner in its place. Night and day! What a difference.
Like Rex explained, It's a different animal, for sure, and it will take about one to two nights in it, to understand the side-swing tippiness, but by day 3, you're an old hand at it.
Best of success
"What's the best gift you can give a kid?
Happily married parents!"
There really is not much of a learning curve, it just feels different than a gathered end hammock. It also takes some time to get used to setting up correctly, since it's best hung at a shallower angle than a traditional hammock. You also have to make sure you have a large enough tarp to clear the spreader bars.
Regarding WB, I purchased a Yeti underquilt from them a while back, used it a few times and felt it was a bit too small for my needs. I sent it back and received a full refund. It was in new condition. This was a few years ago, so I would email Brandon and confirm that their return policy is still in place.
One final thought, if you wanted to stick with a gathered end hammock, I recommend you try a wide model. My Treerunner is 1.6 HyperD XL, 72 inches wide. The calf ridge is still there, but it's so minor you hardly notice. I think the Treerunner was around $70. Make sure you add the knotty mod.
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+1 on ridgerunner if you've already done all The shug says. I too have the rr and am close to your size, I love it. I still enjoy my gathered ends too, but the rr always ends up getting used. I tried the incubator on there and struggled with cold spots. So I pulled the trigger on the lynx. I recently bought an Arrowhead equipment ridge creek that was for sale on here, but I have yet to try it out. It's only $130. But if you already have a ground pad, you might try that first.
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I have been in your almost exact position. I first bought a Blackbird a few years ago and never seemed to be able to get it dialed in. Was definitely bothered by calf ridge. So I went ahead and bought a RR too so I could compare the two. After my first night in it, I was sold on the RR and spent most of the next 2 years exclusively in the RR. At the time, it was the best night's sleep I had ever had in a hammock. This year after doing a trip with a newbie friend to whom I let use my RR, I was back in the Blackbird for several nights. I spent some extra time in the yard trying different adjustments (make sure your RL is not too tight) before the trip and used a slightly longer piece of foam under my legs while sleeping. The combination of the two solved the problem of calf ridge that I had initially experienced with the Blackbird. In the last month I have spent about 8 nights in the Blackbird and am back to loving it. Just needed the time (and the foam helped) to get it right. I also had the opportunity to spend a few minutes in a fellow HF member's Chameleon this weekend. It is definitely pretty slick and I could see maybe adding one to my collection. In sum, the RR is a great hammock and one of the easiest to get a very comfortable sleep in. I could continue to use mine and be eternally happy. I'm glad though that I have been able to "dial in" the Blackbird and use the foam to solve the calf ridge so I can carry slightly less weight now. I'd go with the RR and if it doesn't seem to be the "one", send it back to WBB or sell it here for almost what you paid for it probably.
Can you post a pic of the foam pad? Do you mean just like a 2 x 2 blue foam in the foot area? How does it not slide around being such a small piece? Thanks
I took an old Ridgerest foam pad that I had already cut down for my kids to use when they were smaller. It is 3 feet long and 15 inches wide. (It also doubles as my sit pad in camp.) I usually fold it in half so it ends up being around 18" x 15". Both of my feet fit perfectly on top of it and it slides right into the foot box. I have not had too much of a problem with it sliding around while sleeping, but I tend to not move much at all when sleeping. That 18" (sometimes it ends up being a little longer if I don't fold it perfectly in half) has so far protected me against the calf ridge that used to drive me crazy and also helps with warmth as I use a 3/4 WB UQ for the BB (I use an Enlightened Equipment UQ for my RR). I also found that really being able to grab the RL and being able to make it bend with my hand to ensure it wasn't too tight has seemed to help with the bunching of the hammock fabric that seemed to contribute to the calf ridge problem. I spent 6 nights in it last week and couldn't be happier now with the Blackbird. I still love my RR too, though. If the description above isn't enough, let me know and I can post a picture - but it is literally just an old Ridgerest foam pad that has been cut down.
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