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  1. #1
    Senior Member Mustardman's Avatar
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    Spindrift Sock thoughts

    So, this morning, MrsMustardman and I set up the Spindrift sock along with our Ridgerunner bridge hammock, and tried it out. Again, not having spent a night with it yet, I won't attempt a full review, but I'll give my early, initial thoughts.

    The good:
    • It is really spacious
    • It blocks wind quite well
    • It's nice and warm
    • It packs small and fits into the stock Ridgerunner Bishop Bag while still on the hammock


    The not-so-good:
    • It's a pain in the neck to put on
    • It really isn't necessary to make the user switch shockcord from the netting to the sock. For the insignificent cost and weight penalty, I really think another set of cords and hooks should be included.
    • The grommets are just barely big enough to fit the amsteel suspension through - using just a slightly larger size would be a massive improvement.



    Really, the design of the sock is quite nice, and the cost is reasonable. It does a heck of a good job of blocking wind and really would help with keeping you warmer. I could even see using it as an underquilt replacement on nights where it's relatively warm, but breezy enough that your back gets chilled in a bare hammock.

    That said, the design where you have to completely disassemble the suspension and feed it through the grommets is every bit as annoying as I feared it would be. If you plan to leave the sock on the hammock for your entire trip, it's fine, but if you want to be able to add or remove the sock as you see fit, for different weather conditions, it would be a major hassle in the field.

    We've already talked about modding the sock to have a long velcro slot so the suspension could be fed through without disassembling it, or at bare minimum, replacing the grommets with larger grommets so it's easier to feed the suspension through the holes. The current design certainly seals up quite well, and that was probably the entire point, but I'd prefer something just a bit easier to put on.

  2. #2
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mustardman View Post
    So, this morning, MrsMustardman and I set up the Spindrift sock along with our Ridgerunner bridge hammock, and tried it out. Again, not having spent a night with it yet, I won't attempt a full review, but I'll give my early, initial thoughts.

    The good:
    • It is really spacious
    • It blocks wind quite well
    • It's nice and warm
    • It packs small and fits into the stock Ridgerunner Bishop Bag while still on the hammock


    The not-so-good:
    • It's a pain in the neck to put on
    • It really isn't necessary to make the user switch shockcord from the netting to the sock. For the insignificent cost and weight penalty, I really think another set of cords and hooks should be included.
    • The grommets are just barely big enough to fit the amsteel suspension through - using just a slightly larger size would be a massive improvement.



    Really, the design of the sock is quite nice, and the cost is reasonable. It does a heck of a good job of blocking wind and really would help with keeping you warmer. I could even see using it as an underquilt replacement on nights where it's relatively warm, but breezy enough that your back gets chilled in a bare hammock.

    That said, the design where you have to completely disassemble the suspension and feed it through the grommets is every bit as annoying as I feared it would be. If you plan to leave the sock on the hammock for your entire trip, it's fine, but if you want to be able to add or remove the sock as you see fit, for different weather conditions, it would be a major hassle in the field.

    We've already talked about modding the sock to have a long velcro slot so the suspension could be fed through without disassembling it, or at bare minimum, replacing the grommets with larger grommets so it's easier to feed the suspension through the holes. The current design certainly seals up quite well, and that was probably the entire point, but I'd prefer something just a bit easier to put on.
    There was a hassle like that with the original HHSS. You had to untie from the tree and thread the ropes through the UC and/or OC on each end. Unless of course you did all of this in the house on the floor before you ever even hung it up. And, once I got it on, it stayed on until it was just too hot for anything. But the newer versions, which just wrap around the ends of a hanging hammock- all with great ease - are much appreciated!

  3. #3
    Senior Member
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    Thank you for the review.

    How breathable does the material seem? Do you think the UQ will get soaked overnight?

    I have avoided a full enclosure due to condensation concerns. But the many positive reviews of using a "pea pod" style for winter camping keeps me looking in that direction.

    Two years ago a person I was camping with, had a sock enclosure for his gathered end hammock and the inside/outside temperature difference he was measuring were amazing.
    Love my JRB BMB

  4. #4
    Senior Member chewbacca's Avatar
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    I like to see if I could modify this somehow to fit my BMBH

  5. #5
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    Received my RR today and already eyeballing the Spindrift. May wait a couple months and see what others say, but I see this as a great accessory. Now if that nano-particle water repellent would come out...

  6. #6
    Senior Member Mustardman's Avatar
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    It seemed pretty breathable - we set it up in the morning when it was still somewhat humid from the sprinklers and whatnot, and left it set up as the sun rose and it warmed up quite a bit. It never felt stuffy or anything like that. I can't really give any indication of how condensation will work until I get some genuinely cold weather, but it felt breathable enough. It would also be easy enough to vent it as needed with the huge zippered door.

  7. #7
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    yeah, still wondering what the consensus is about the install. getting the amsteel through the grommit holes gets a little easier after you've done it a couple times and know how tight it is, or you can use anything with a tip to poke it through like a small stick or your keys or something

    i ended up deciding that i figured the sock would be a seasonal use item and thus you'd install it for a whole trip or a whole winter season and thus the instal would be done at home on the living room floor or whatever and that weight and price would be saved by not having long slot at both ends. i knew there would be concerns here. i don't like the idea of several feet of velcro really, but if folks are wanting instal/remove on a repeated basis that would certainly be easier, i'm still thinking most will use it seasonally and it will not need to be adding/removing it all the time

  8. #8
    Senior Member Mustardman's Avatar
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    I actually have a set of grommets at home that are just a bit bigger than the ones that came on the Spindrift - I might try swapping them out and seeing if that relieves some of my annoyance with the install process. We installed it outside, with the hammock on a stand, and it was definitely a two-person job to do it without letting the hammock drag on the ground.

    The other thought I had would be very small, very light, very powerful magnets sewn into the fabric to make an opening. I've seen a few companies have come out with tents that use these recently, and they seem to work quite well. Heck, even an overlapping flap that can be tied in place might work. Something to eliminate the need to screw around with suspension would be a big plus in my eyes.

  9. #9
    Senior Member chewbacca's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by warbonnetguy View Post
    yeah, still wondering what the consensus is about the install. getting the amsteel through the grommit holes gets a little easier after you've done it a couple times and know how tight it is, or you can use anything with a tip to poke it through like a small stick or your keys or something

    i ended up deciding that i figured the sock would be a seasonal use item and thus you'd install it for a whole trip or a whole winter season and thus the instal would be done at home on the living room floor or whatever and that weight and price would be saved by not having long slot at both ends. i knew there would be concerns here. i don't like the idea of several feet of velcro really, but if folks are wanting instal/remove on a repeated basis that would certainly be easier, i'm still thinking most will use it seasonally and it will not need to be adding/removing it all the time
    If you made a velcro version, I would think it would open up the the sock to a bigger market, as it could be potentially used with other hammocks.

  10. #10
    VATriker's Avatar
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    Chewbacca,

    I am with you on this. If there was a velcro/omnitape version I would buy it (in a heartbeat) to use with my BMBH. I am assuming the dimensions of the SPINDRIFT would allow use with a BMBH.

    So, can a SPINDRIFT sock be adapted (by a user) for use with a BMBH? I think dimensions of the sock are the limiting factor.

    VATriker

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