Ok I've sold enough stuff and saved enough money to get a hammock and I've narrowed down my search to JRB bridge hammock and WB Double hammock. I'm asking those of you who have had both hammocks what do you like and don't. I like the bridge but not the spreader bars that I have to carry and it only comes in black. I like the Warbonnet double but I'm worried about my calfs getting cramps or feet going to sleep. I'm a side sleeper too.
"If your not outraged, then your not paying attention"
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Sorry breaking your rules regarding owning both but I did have an issue with calf cramps in the Hennessey Hammock Expedition and Scout models.... When I got the Warbonnet BB the foot box eliminated my calf cramps.
For what it's worth...
I don't own the JRB either. I do/have owned 3 WBBB, 1 WB Traveller and a Switchback.
I love my blackbirds - very comfortable. Two things I don't like - net hangs low (to me), and you can only enter from one side.
Switchback fixes both of those problems - however, it takes longer to setup and you lose the footbox.
These are really two very different hammock systems. If there's any way to try both (maybe at a nearby hang), that would be ideal because your body will quickly tell you which one it likes! And other people's opinions won't matter as much as what your own body tells you
Having said that, I happen to have owned both. I'll say up front that while its an excellent hammock for many people, I sold my JRB Bridge and now use the Warbonnet exclusively.
My perceptions of the two hammocks:
JRB Advantages:
Flatter lay
Slightly easier to get a better "seal" between underquilt and hammock
WB Advantages:
Much more elbow room
More built-in storage room (with the shelf)
More flexibility in tarp selection (some tarps aren't big enough to cover the squared-off head and foot of the bridge)
You said you're a side sleeper as am I. I've slept on my side in both hammocks. I like to tuck my knees up quit a bit while on my side and the JRB didn't really have enough width to make this comfortable. That was probably the single biggest reason I sold it.
Good luck on your choice! And its really great to have so many good choices from such great hammock builders too!!!
David
The road goes ever on and on Down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, And I must follow, if I can, Pursuing it with weary feet, Until it joins some larger way, Where many paths and errands meet. And whither then? I cannot say.
-Frodo Baggins, The Fellowship of the Ring
Had a JRB. Use a WB 1.1 single. Both fine products. Experienced a bit of shoulder squeeze with the JRB. Stock as from the makers WB 1.1 single is significantly lighter than the JRB.
Noel V.
I'm a dedicated bridge user. I get sick of the spreader bars as well, but it's a double edge sword. The spreader bars allow for a comfortable lay. If a flat, hassle free, comfortable lay is important to you then get a bridge. If you like to fuss with UQs then get a gathered end.
I'm a side-sleeper but I like to pull my knees up. I can do this in the WBBB but not in my JRB Bridge. If you sleep pretty straight but on your side, I think the JRB wins hands down.
I also got some shoulder roll in the JRB. It's a little different than the shoulder squeeze from an end-gathered hammock, but it's a little uncomfortable when I'm on my back. I think a pad would fix most of it, if you use pads instead of UQs.
The JRB is VERY flat from head to foot, though. I hang the WBBB with my feet a little higher than the head, and every now and then I get cold feet. I haven't tested the JRB in cold weather, but my feet were the same height as my head and it was comfortable so I don't think that would have been a problem.
The JRB is easier to use as a lounger but you have to be inside the hammock. You just lean against the end panel...I think there's a pick on their website of Smee reading a book like that. Much easier than in a gathered end hammock.
The other side of that is that the WBBB is easier to use as a chair for putting on your boots in the morning and cooking.
Both great hammocks. My hammocking style leads me to the WBBB over bridge models, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the JRB if it fits yours. Really a quality piece of gear.
I'm about to sell mine if you're interested.
“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall when the wise are banished from the public councils because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.” ~Judge Joseph Story
- My site: http://www.tothewoods.net/
- Designer, Jeff's Gear Hammock / Pack Cover by JRB
IMPOSSIBLE JUST TAKES LONGER
I have owned and used both and my personal preference is my blackbird and traveller. In my bridge I felt too much shoulder squeeze and it was very wobbly when you sat up(like a very unstable kayak). Also one of the spreader bars fell out of my pack on a 5 day trip which rendered the hammock useless. For some reason the WBBB is very spacious, I joke around that Brandon has somehow figured out how to sew a "wormhole" to another more spacious universe into his hammock. Of course it's all personal preference, but the WBBB is the most popular hammock for a number of reasons. Actually I have been using my WB Traveller most of the time lately. Lighter and very comfy. Hope this helps.
Angelo
I own a BB, but only sleep in bridge hammocks. I'll sell the 1.1 dbl layer BB soon I think since it is not getting used.
I am slightly puzzled by the number of times that I hear people can not pull their knees up for sleeping in a tucked position in a bridge hammock. I do it all the time. I don't start out in this sleeping position, but I often curl up when I want to go back to sleep for an extra half hour or so near dawn.
My bridge hammocks have been DIY, not JRB. And my hammocks are narrower than the JRB, so what works for me should in many cases work for others. I find that if I rotate my knees upwards towards the hammock edge (but still within the bottom insulation), this gives me the nice lower back stretch of the tucked side-sleeping position. As always YMMV and HYOH.
Originally Posted by FireFlyburns
I'm asking those of you who have had both hammocks what do you like and don't. I like the bridge but not the spreader bars that I have to carry and it only comes in black. I like the Warbonnet double but I'm worried about my calfs getting cramps or feet going to sleep. I'm a side sleeper too.It is hard to answer this question, as I still go back and forth between a pref for the BNBH and gathered end(GE) hammocks in general.
I have calf pressure problems in the WBBB about as bad as I do in any GE hammock. The BMBH solves this problem hands down better than any GE hammock except maybe the HH Safari, which basically does not have the problem, very close to the BMBH in this regard, which has zero problems with calf pressure. Or knee hyper-extension, for that matter. After that is my Claytor No Net, then Speer then HH ULExplorer. ( I am speaking here only of lack of calf pressure). Then the WBBB and other GE hammocks. Though I list an order here, except for the huge Safari, and MAYBE the Claytor, none of the GE hammocks are good enough for me in this regard. It does not take much calf pressure to interfere with sleep. Probably, with all of them, I am going to end up with something under my knees, which pretty much solves the problem. But, in a perfect world, I'd rather not have to fool with that. For solving this problem, and leg comfort in general ( UNLESS you REQUIRE fetal position) the BMBH is king of the road, for me. No contest.
OTOH: The WBBB is, except for the calf pressure problem, MAYBE the best of the GE hammocks for over all comfort and convenience. And I suspect, but am not yet sure, that my GE hammocks- in general- may have more shoulder comfort than the BMBH, at least when on my side. I am not talking about so called "shoulder squeeze". That BMBH "problem" is really only applicable to back sleeping. And it is more like my shoulders are slightly rolled forward, but not actually squeezed, as in "pressure". Bottom line, it is still way comfortable. In fact, flat on my back in a BMBH (with a good pillow or with head against the end caps) is over all ( counting leg comfort) most comfortable for me. But I am thinking the WBBB is more comfortable for my shoulders when ON MY SIDE. Any one else have an opinion on this?
And of course, if you must have full fetal, the BMBH ( or another GE) is your only option, not the BMBH. The shelf is wonderfully handy, the net and zipper are great, there is plenty of head room net wise(if sides are pulled out, ) and plenty of shoulder room. It is easier (like all GEs) to close down the ends of a tarp because you don't have to deal with spreader bars rubbing the tarp.
I really do love the draft free, giant sleeping bag approach of a Pea Pod, which can not be used with a BMBH. It is not the best with a WBBB either(but is almost perfect with a Claytor No Net), but will work. However, nothing is easier to use, or as fool proof, as a JRB MW UQ on a BMBH. There are really no adjustments needed, just hang it on there by the suspension. That works GREAT But a pod is not an option with a bridge.
Tough choice, if you ask me.
Final point: The BMBH is, HANDS DOWN, the best hammock for use with a pad, IMO. And I was playing with my thick, 25" wide Thermarest self inflating pad in the BMBH the other day. I meant to get some pictures, but didn't. It reminded me: when flat on my back, there was space between my shoulders and hammock sides. No shoulder "roll", certainly no "squeeze". I could lay my hands and arms down flat by my sides. AND I COULD LAY FETAL. I would try this with a 26" wide CCF pad if I had one.
Either hammock is great, with a dif set of pros and cons.
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