The bridge hammock looks cool and it certainly looks like it would be comfortable....but now that people have tried them and the hype has calmed down...are they comfortable?
I am thinking of making a DIY Bridge hammock but I don't want to spend the time and $$$ on it only to find out that the thing isn't all that!
I think they are comfortable if you like laying flat, on your side, or on your stomach.
The biggest downfall I see with them is still the tarp shape. There are a couple ideas on this.
Is that too much to ask? Girls with frikkin' lasers on their heads?
The hanger formly known as "hammock engineer".
I tried Grizz's bridge hammock at the RRG hang out. I thought it was very comfortable. Since I finished my quilt I will be starting on my bridge hammock soon so I will give a report once I've spent more time in it.
“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." -Terry Pratchett
and they're comfortable curled up with knees high, if the hammock is wide enough (mine are). Bridges aren't so good for standing on your head thoughOriginally Posted by hammock engineer
of course I might be accused of being biased here.The biggest downfall I see with them is still the tarp shape. There are a couple ideas on this.
Downfall is a bit strong, limitation or constraint is better IMNSHO. It is harder to hang with the tarp close in. It is possible. With the help of some grip-clips, lots of cord, and extra stakes I've gotten my MacCat Deluxe in as close as is physically possible around my bridge, for complete two-sided protection.
I think the bridge design leads to a hammock that is a lot more constraining in the side-to-side direction. In my HH the hammock has to be wide enough so that I can get on a diagonal. So that width which is needed for the diagonal contributes to a more spacious feeling space side-to-side.
Some on HF tried the commercial version, and either sold them or sent them back. Various reasons. The commercial version is too narrow for big guys. It feels different to lay in it. It's shape can even encourage a different laying pattern. I can't sleep on my side in my HH but that's my favorite position in the bridge.
your mileage may vary. What I see so far is a largely bimodal response to the bridge. Those that like it really really like it. Those that don't....I'll let them speak for themselves...
Grizz
Grizz makes some excellent points. I agree that the JRB bridge that I own is best suited for slender built folks. Even Pan has admitted that.
I have never slept on my back well in a hammock or bed, but the JRB bridge let's me do it very comfortably. No way on my stomach. Some time this decade I will finish my DIY bridge hammock. Spreader bar issues which I think I now have figured out thanks to the last update Grizz gave on his instructions.
"Every day above ground is a good day"
Except for the width issue with the commercial model ( which I belive is going to be corrected in a few months), I don't think I have heard from any one who didn't like them. I certainly liked the one I tried EXCEPT for the width. Kind of like a jacket that I really like, but does not fit. And to make it worse, I couldn't completely enjoy the "lay on your side" attributes, because it was not wide enough for me for me to pull my knees (all the way) up to fetal. Again, a width problem. And even that problem was just barely a problem, that would be solved by a couple inches additional width. I could just almost get by.
Other than that, I can only think of one other reason I would not like it. It won't work with my PeaPod. But I could sell the PeaPod and just shove a pad in that pad pocket and be done with it. Or, break down and buy an underquilt. Do Snugfits work with Bridge hammocks?
Last edited by BillyBob58; 02-20-2008 at 17:08.
Also, I'm wondering how well wider spreader bars solves the width issue. What I mean by that is: I noticed when in the bridge, especially without a pad, it formed a "V" shape from the top edges to the bottom. I'm pretty sure this accounted for some of the shoulder squeeze sensation I got. If you make it wider at the top with wider spreader bars, does that really do the job, since it will still be a "V" shape? Of course, I guess the walls of the "V" would not be as steep, so yhat would help some. But how much?
And I found a thick Thermarest pad helped flatten this "V" shape a good bit.
I don't believe the Jacks are gonna correct the hammock. Just make available a bigger size option as far I was told. It says on the Speer site that the Snugfit does not fit spreader bar hammocks. I have no idea why.
"Every day above ground is a good day"
I imagine that the reference there is to back-yard string hammocks with wooden spreaders.
I am speculating, but I think a snug-fit would be easily fitted to a bridge hammock. The reason I think this is that I've fitted a Potomac UQ to my bridge. This UQ is narrow at head and foot, and is suspended under the hammock by pulling shock cord (connected at the corners) out to the suspension line and attaching it there with prussik knots. As far as shape goes the snugfit approximates the Potomac, much more so than the rectangular JRB quilts. I think what will happen if you suspended a snugfit by attaching its suspension lines to the ring at the apex of the bridge suspension triangle, or closer to the tree on the single suspension line, is that it will snug up around the contours of the hammock occupant.
Now if Ed would like to send me a sngufit to do some field testing just to confirm this theory, I'd happily obilge
Grizz
Quite a lot, actually.
I made a change to my design to use a narrower width of fabric, which when you think about it is equivalent to lengthening the speader bars. A reduction of about 1' in width made a very very perceptible difference in the "squeeze".
Grizz
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