It's time to buy a hammock, but the huge range of options has given me decision paralysis. I've literally spent 20 hours over the last few days researching hammocks on the Internet, and hardly feel I'm any closer to pulling the trigger now than I was before. My tentative goal is to make a purchase before this evening ends, but I don't want to be rash.
Some off-the-cuff thoughts:
If it wasn't for my height, I might well have already settled on the WBBB. I'm 6'6", maybe 6'7". From searching this forum, it appears that just about all of my fellow tall campers who've tried this hammock love it, but there have been a couple of exceptions. How much room are we really talking about for a guy of my length? I have plenty of experience camping in a one-man tent that's just barely long and wide enough to accommodate me, as long as I don't shift at all, and never want to go there again. I want to feel that I have more than ample room--that even if I were six inches taller, I wouldn't be bumping into anything.
Am I being too fussy? Well, maybe that'd be the case if I were only planning on sleeping in the hammock. But for me, hammocking will to a large extent be the whole point of the journeys, not just a stop on the path. I envision myself reading and writing in the thing all day, going out for maybe an hour-long stroll in the woods in the evening, then hopping right back in at dusk to sleep. Comfort is paramount. I generally only hike as far into the wilderness as I must to feel confident I won't see other people, and am quite fit and strong anyway, so gear weight is no object.
Is there a hammock that's known for being especially good for sitting up in? One of Raul Perez's videos shows the WBBB being used in this way, and Raul seems to like it, but with the Blackbird, you lose the protection of the bug net when you do this, as the net is integrated with the hammock. I was thinking that with the Traveler and a separate bug net which encases the whole setup, you could sit up and still have protection from insects. Has anyone tried this? I really liked the Traveler setup that AmJustDuane showed off in his YouTube videos. And if I got the Traveler, I wouldn't have to worry about buying a bug net for many months, with the cold weather about to set in.
Very tall people: How would you compare the Traveler to the Blackbird in terms of accommodating your length? I know the overall dimensions of the two are the same, but wonder what difference the lack of an integrated bug net and foot box on the Traveler really makes when the rubber hits the road.
There's a great deal more than this kicking around in my head, but I think I've peppered you guys with enough questions for the moment. I'll just start the thread and go from there. Glad to be here.
By the way, I've focused entirely on Warbonnet hammocks because WB's what I'm leaning toward, but feel free to make any other suggestions.
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Originally Posted by Tendertoe
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