Hanging with a large K9.

[WILLOWSMOM]

Hi, I am Sally, Willow is my Medical Alert Service Dog.
I see Hennessy has zippers on their hammocks now days. I am thinking about trading my unused Expedition for something with a zipper.

Question 1: Are the zippers reliable? I think perhaps a zipper would make for easier exits. I do not think there would be enough room to kick open the seam with Willow and myself inside the hammock. I would also like to be able to see the sky on a clear dry night if we ever get one. I assume I could fold back the No-see-um netting on the side zip model.

Question 2: I am not sure which model I want to upgrade to. Willow reached her adult size this winter she is over 100 pounds. I also gained weight recovering from shoulder and knee surgery.
My ENO double worked for naps last year, however we are over the weight limit, I would think, and a nap is one thing and a full 8 hours is another. I sleep cold she sleeps warm.
What kind of problem might we have with the very ample hammocks besides the weight issue?

I thought of making a hammock for Willow and leaving her under my hammock. I do not think that will work. I worry she might wander, and also the bears are more apt to bother us if she is outside of my sleeping situation. Bears seem to be drawn by dogs, so far we have not had serious problems as long as the dog is kept very close.

Thank you for your constructive suggestions. SS

[kobold]

there are also the 2qzq zipper mods; i am thinking about it myself for the hh survivor

[sandykayak]

You might want to look at the standard Switchback hammock. The net is zippered on both sides and can be tied up and out of the way.

I'm 5' and had one...it was huge. I called it the Taj Mahal.

I've now traded down the Switchback LightHiker (8" shorter) - the mini-Taj.

super comfortable and I think you and K9 will do fine. You need the heavier weight double.

do a search on this forum and go to the Tree to Trail sub-forum.

[ChrisH]

1. The zipper on my DJ is extremely reliable and functions very easy with just one hand. It's a large zipper but with that size and weight you gain durablity and ease of use. Tom always thought zippers would be the failure point on hammocks so he went with the bottom entry until the market demanded it. I think he put oversize zippers on his hammocks so they would be the last thing to break.

2. The Deep Jungle XL is a double layer hammock(which I would recommend for you and your dog) and it has a weight rating of 300lb. The Safari Deluxe Zip is a single layer hammock and it's HH's largest hammock. It has a weight rating of 350lbs and is said to be HH's most comfortable hammock as well.

I really didn't like the zipper on my WBB after using my DJ for a while, it was just too small and you had to use two hands to operate it. It's really, really nice to be able to zip/unzip the hammock with one hand. I have never layed in a Safari but my DJ is one comfy hammock!

Hope that helps!

[easyriver]

Hmmm, sounds to me like you got a self-propelled side-quilt!!!!

(Is that a new term???)

[KP]

That's a lot of dog to try sleeping all night in a hammock. Sort of like sleeping 2 people in a hammock. Like you said a nap is one thing and sleeping for the night is another. I have a 33 lb Cattle Dog and even though I do keep her in the WBBB with me, sleeping well is not an option since I prefer to sleep on my side and stomach. But, I manage to get enough sleep to keep doing it over and over.
I know that if my little dog were much bigger/heavier than she is I would have chosen to just let her sleep on her bed on the ground or I would just go back to sleeping in a tent as I've done for other reasons. If you do leave the dog on on the ground just tie her up so that she can't wander off.

There is a guy on the forum that has a large dog that hangs in his own hammock. I can't remember his name but if you do a search you should be able to find the post with a picture of the set-up with his dog in the dog hammock. Very cool.

I agree that dogs have a tendancy to attract certain wildlife but so far the only wildlife that have been attracted to her scent are the coyotes at night. Totally annoying and nerve racking because I know that they want to make a meal of her. Luckily they are more afraid of me when I yell at them than their taste for a little dog.

If you figure out the right hammock that works for both of you please let me know. I'm very interested.

Good luck to you and Willow

[ChrisH]

I'm not sure what thread Sherpa is talking about but Krissa has a DIY Project thread open and she posted a pic of her dog in it's own hammock. Post number 48 in the following thread....

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...t=27319&page=5

[Lonely Raven]

100lbs is a lot of dog to sleep with.

My Pit Bull is 50lbs and pretty small (very dense little girl), and 50lbs is enough to throw the balance of my Blackbird off a bit.

I don't mean in a "tippy" (side to side) sort of way, but more like the head to foot balance changes depending on where she sleeps. So I might wake up all slid to the top or the bottom of the hammock with the puppy.

I imagine 100lbs of dog would change how the hammock hangs, and would probably need to be adjusted for with the suspension.

[PuckerFactor]

I've slept with my 60lb. GSD mix in the hammock, and I've found that it opens the hammock up a little, almost like I imagine tieouts would. I agree with Lonely Raven, it definitely does change how things lay, but in my case, it's for the better.

PF

forgot to mention, I use a double 1.1 DIY hammock, and I've noticed the hammock has a bit more stretch with us both in it, so be sure the combined weight of the 2 of you is withing the recommendations for whatever hammock you use.

[KP]

I'm not sure what thread Sherpa is talking about but Krissa has a DIY Project thread open and she posted a pic of her dog in it's own hammock. Post number 48 in the following thread....

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...t=27319&page=5

Here's the link to the thread that shows WV's dog hanging from his own hammock.

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...t=camping+dogs