The Mysterious Drive to "Upgrade"

[Lonely Raven]

Guitar Gear, Motorcycle Gear, Camping Gear, Computer Gear, Gun Gear (which includes bullet making gear and gear for carrying your gear), Camera Gear...ugh. Even if I were a millionaire, it would just push me into higher levels of gear.

[Knotty]

Well, I mentioned the shelf, and this inexplicable feeling that the WBBB footbox would make for a flatter lay...and that the integrated bug net makes it easier...but I don't really know. What is it about the WBBB or any other option that makes it "better"? Or am I just a victim of gear lust???

Brandon has stated that the footbox DOES NOT affect the lay of the hammock.

Now that one of the motivators has been removed, maybe you can control your gear lust.

...but probably not.

[dvisic]

Brandon has stated that the footbox DOES NOT affect the lay of the hammock.

Now that one of the motivators has been removed, maybe you can control your gear lust.

...but probably not.

What's the point of the footbox, then, if not to make it easier to lie on the diagonal, and thus get a flatter lay?

[Just Jeff]

Re: the footbox.

If you whip or gather your hammock so the long edges are flappy, it's easier to lay flat. But it's also easier for your feet to flop out, especially if you're using a pad. The footbox doesn't affect the lay directly, but it allows the hammock to keep the advtanges of those flappy edges (flatter lay) and takes away the disadvantages (stuff flopping out).

[beep]

What's the point of the footbox, then, if not to make it easier to lie on the diagonal, and thus get a flatter lay?

The function of the footbox is focused on what happens to the hammock fabric above the foot area. The extra material there (the footbox) enables the upper netting and fabric to adjust for the deformation of the fabric caused by the feet in the diagonal lay position. It took me a while to understand this, and my understanding was helped by lying in a WB Traveler. In the Traveler (no "footbox" but identical "bottom" to that of the WBBB, my feet go almost out of the hammock. In other words, the best diagonal lay for me has my feet right up to the edge of the fabric. In the Blackbird, Brandon allows for this and builds a top cover with some additional fabric so that you're not overstressing the upper part of the hammock.

I hope that helps, though it may not.

[dvisic]

I have an ENO DN with whoopie slings instead of the stock rope and 'biners, run through the channel at the end. Is this functionally the same as whipped/gathered, or different?

[Knotty]

There are multiple ways of whipping a gathered end hammock. The method you describe and the one I show in my instructions aren't technically whippings but I guess we use the term since it does secure the fabric at the end of a hammock.

To answer your question, I think running the suspension directly thru the end channel of the Eno will produce a similar lay to the method I show and use up less fabric. However, the method Brandon (Warbonnet) developed, and shown in my instructions, is arguably stronger since it doesn't stress the stitching.

A couple of links on rope whipping for those interested:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whipping_knot
www.ropeworks.biz/reader/whipping.pdf