I don't know where to start.

[wbJohn]

I'm only 61 but recently started hanging. From your description, you are used to a "bridge" hammock. They seem like a great option but, as others have pointed out, a gathered end hammock used properly will be more comfortable than almost any other system. I just bought a Dutchware Chameleon Wide as I'm six feet tall and weigh 240. Look at the diy options for an 11 foot gathered end hammock. As others have suggested, go to a group hang and try out a bunch.

Good luck and thanks for your service.

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[Sailor]

You go camping, you join the MC, you take your chances. We're the same gen--getting old, you take your chances. No matter how much you study, remember what felt good 50 years ago, etc., you won't know what you like now till you've tried it, learned from it, and made a few changes. Warbonnet makes hammocks for your frame size. You will lie diagonally in these hammocks, which will take some practice to find what's right for you. It comes with a bug net, push back for sky view when not needed. Synthetic tarp if it rains, separate purchase, look around first. You'll end up with a top quilt and an under quilt, but to start with, buy a pad for warmth under you and a sleeping bag on top...but after you've fooled around a bit, you'll like the down quilts, but not the cost. You'll love being off the ground and how nice a hammock makes your back feel...for me, better than a bed. And you can make your morning coffee without getting up. You might even start the bad habit of camping out in the back yard. Inch into this...buy a hammock only, and learn about it during summer afternoons, and then add to it...and welcome to the hobby of hammocking, which is, by definition, the laziest hobby in the world.

[Braden]

Hennessy has the Jungle Safari Zip to fit you. I have one. I love it.

[Dlrocm]

Here's a gathered end hammock that might suit your wants:

http://www.simplylightdesigns.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/22_55/products_id/133

Jared, who owns the company, can use any fabric you want. you'd probably want a double layer 1.9 , of a single layer of hexon 2.4. both of those are rated to 400lbs.

[rweb82]

If you could get Just Bill to make you one of his Big Guy Bridge hammocks, that would be right up your alley. It's a bridge hammock made for heavier folks. Everyone who has one seems to love it. Unfortunately, Bill has so many other projects going on at the moment, he can't focus on making hammocks right now.

That said, I love my Dream Hammock Raven. You can customize the fabrics to fit your weight and preference with regards to stretch/firmness. The visibility is really good too. I'd also recommend their symmetrical Sparrow for visibility. Lastly, check out Simply Light Designs Trail Lair. It is also loved by many, and offers really good visibility.

[Andy "Bull" Bullock]

Start with your bank account and a budget! Lol. Or like the rest of us you’ll be hammock rich and money poor.


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[sidneyhornblower]

There's a double layer 12 foot Tree Runner in the For Sale forum for $99 at the time of this posting. If you sew or know someone who does, hammock kits are available from Ripstop by the Roll, Dutchware Gear and probably others. As several have suggested, going with either a double layer of 1.9 or 2.4 should give you an abundance of margin in terms of weight rating. Those fabrics should stretch less than lighter ones as well. I think the hammock in the for sale forum is a double layer of 1.6, so I'm not familiar with the amount of stretch to be expected.

One other helpful thing to look at might be a book: The Ultimate Hang by Derek Hansen.

[fal_shooter]

Do you have any examples of these bucket-shaped hammocks you're trying to avoid? It's not a common complaint. You'll often hear recommendations here on HF to sleep on the diagonal, but beginners usually sleep straight (what is usually called a banana lay). The ENO website has pictures of thousands of people laying banana style!

Attachment 166113

https://www.eaglesnestoutfittersinc.com/photo-gallery/

When the fabric stretches and I put my 350 pound bottom in that fabric the results are often what I call the "bucket effect" or the "Venus flytrap result". I'm new to commercial hammocks so I don't know what the official term may be is in the hammock world. When I look up I want to see more than hammock sides. It's a common problem for me. it happens with canvas camp chairs also. They are comfortable when you sit in them but it's hell to get out of them. It's never graceful.

[SilvrSurfr]

When the fabric stretches and I put my 350 pound bottom in that fabric the results are often what I call the "bucket effect" or the "Venus flytrap result". I'm new to commercial hammocks so I don't know what the official term may be is in the hammock world. When I look up I want to see more than hammock sides. It's a common problem for me. it happens with canvas camp chairs also. They are comfortable when you sit in them but it's hell to get out of them. It's never graceful.

So if you haven't used a hammock since the M1966 in Vietnam, then you are basing your experience of the "bucket effect" on the M1966? I don't know if that's a valid concern with today's hammocks.

I do know a couple of people with more generous girth who cannot get in, or out, of a standard gathered-end hammock. They've adapted to using the classic "bottom-entry" Hennessy Hammock. As someone mentioned earlier, you could look into something like the Hennessy Safari Deluxe Classic, which has bottom entry and supports weight of up to 350 lbs.

https://hennessyhammock.com/products...e-asym-classic

At $219, it's affordable, and comes with bugnet and tarp. I doubt it's the most comfortable hammock (my HH Expedtion Asym Zip certainly wasn't), but it has to be a heck of a lot more comfortable than an M1966 Jungle Hammock.

[Loonatic]

There are quite a few hammock advancements in this century. If you keep an open mind, you may very well find something that works a lot better than what was on the market in the Vietnam War era. I got into hammocking this year because I couldn't sleep in a tent, but I wanted to get back outdoors. I now sleep every night in a Dutchware netless. I sleep so well in it that it doesn't matter if I can see out from the sides. I fall asleep right away and sleep soundly all night long, something that was quite foreign to me in the recent past.