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  1. #1
    New Member
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    The Paddlers Dream Hammock...Doesn't exist!

    It's been a frustrating search. Most everything is geared towards backpacking needs/wants. Size and weight are good qualities but paddlers are not ounce concious. The boat carries the weight except on portages. A compact package is important but, certainly not in the limits of a backpack. Maybe there isn't a big enough market, but if you look at all the paddle craft moving down the highway on top of vehicles, I feel it's a market that hasn't been addressed properly and presents a real opportunity for those skilled craftsmen/women building hammocks.
    I'm NOT a DIY hammock builder, nor do I care to be one. I'm frustrated because I'm a big guy (6'5" x 260lbs) and old enough (61 yrs) to value comfort and convenience. I'm a life long backwoods 4 season camper. I've skied into the Michigan winter woods with a pulk and emerged 9 days later with a smile. But....I don't care to do that anymore. Today most all of my camping is done out of paddle craft, most notably a sea kayak or solo canoe. I paddle anywhere from the Everglades to Isle Royale and love it. As I prepare for retiremnt (5/31/2014!!!!) and the luxury of time to do what I love most, I intend to do a lot more of it. I'm tired of crawling in and out of small two man (really one man!) tents, and the size of my sleeping pad has steadily grown over the years (now a 30" x 77" x 3" body mapped) to the point it no longer fits in a hatch.
    Enter my new interest is hammock camping. What I want in a "hammock" is an incorporated bug net and the ability to deploy on the ground as well as hang from trees and made in the USA. The reality of paddling is that 30% of the time, available trees can be a problem. Beaches, sand bars etc. are common camp sites. Plenty of room to sprawl out but often no convenient trees. Rocky forrested coastlines scream hammock camp. I don't want to carry both a hammock and a tent.
    If you've spent any time camping you know the value of a good tarp, and there are an infinate variety available so that is not what I'm looking for. There are plenty of 10' hammocks with incorporated bug nets, unfortunately those hammocks are too small for my comfort and don't adapt well to a ground setup. Those with an incorporated tarp/fly (HH) are out of the question unless you want to slither into it when on the ground. The "jungle hammock" from Thailand looks good, but Thailand, and only second hand information re: comfort for a guy my size. The BB is a beautiful piece of work....but sorry, for me it's just too small to be comfortable. An 11' version would be sweet.
    So paddlers, what do you want in a hammock? Are there enough of us that we could show those who do sell/market hammocks that there is a market that's not being addressed? Is a flat lay 26" wide and 77" long impossible in a hammock with an incorporated net, side zip, a ridgeline, some interior and exterior storage? Paddlers have uprights (paddle sections) for ground. Don't really want additional tent poles. Plenty of sticks/driftwood out there. The Clarks fabric ends on the net would seem to limit air movement when it's 80F with matching humidity. Same with the "jungle" water proof exterior (we've all got ground cloths). Breathable two layer bottom so you can slide in your pad that you have for ground is necessary. A bug net you can keep off your face when on the ground ("jungle" is nice net idea w/loops and pockets for sticks). What else? Should be kept under 3-4 lbs, as small a pack size as feasable (compare with 2 man tent) and less than $300 if possible. Care to chime in?

    Sorry for the length, but I thought information was needed so the currently available offerings aren't mentioned again and no thanks on DIY option. Thanks much for your time and energy!

  2. #2
    Senior Member DivaB's Avatar
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    I don't really notice it as a problem. If you've hammock camped and are definitely familiar hands on with what you want, what you don't want, and if a gathered end or bridge, I'm sure some of our cottage suppliers could personalize something for you and geared towards your needs. The hammocks I was going to recommend were ones you already mentioned so I don't have anything to add there. Just trying to throw a suggestion out there. I am DIY so if I need it, I just add it. If I discover something is useless, I get rid of it.

    As for size and weight, again, I don't see much of an issue there either. Hopefully someone will chime in with something else to recommend, but it does seem like contacting a couple of our cottage suppliers would be a better option for you.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    There is a whole sub-forum for paddling in the members section. Spend
    $10 and see what those folks are doing. I'm sure there are some insights to be gained there.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

    "Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
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  4. #4
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    Hey.....maybe a DangerBird will suit your needs.....http://www.dream-hammock.com/shop.ht...75&id=17335319
    He also does custom work.
    Carry forth,
    Shug
    Last edited by Shug; 12-06-2012 at 10:31.
    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

  5. #5
    Senior Member Throkda's Avatar
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    I second the Dangerbird 72 reccommendation. Breathable double-layer, check. Integrated bug net, check. Huge interior (I'm 6'4" and 190, and there's a ton of room in this thing), check. Obviously, you can set it on a ground cloth and use your paddles to hold up the ends (and thus the bug net), then use the side tie-outs to spread it a bit and keep the bug net off your face. It's a bit large and heavy for backpacking, in my opinion, but should be perfect for paddling.
    "Can't we all just live in trees and hammocks?"
    -- Sam Gribley, My Side of the Mountain

  6. #6
    Senior Member adkphoto's Avatar
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    Frankly, I don't think the solution you seek is all that hard to achieve. Here's my $0.02.

    There are several of 11' hammocks available. Check out something without a net, like the Wilderness Logics Night Owl or the Dream-Hammocks Free Bird which comes in widths up to 72".

    Get a separate bug net. Customize it with stake-out points and pole pockets (or peak tie-outs) so that when you go to the ground, it will be easy to use. Wilderness Logics has a zippered bug net that would probably work great with customization.

    Your pad will work in both the hammock and on the ground.

    When you want to camp on a beach, set up your tarp, lay out your ground cloth, put your pad and top quilt in the bug net and you're ready for a good night's sleep. If something pokes a hole in your bug net it's not big deal, but a hole or a tear in your hammock could be bad, so I don't suggest using your hammock on the ground.

    There you go. A versatile system that can be used with or without trees.

    David

  7. #7
    Senior Member Cali's Avatar
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    If you get the DangerBird with lighter materail and not the crinkle Taffetta, it will be a much lighter hammock. Double 1.1 maybe or 1.7.
    "No whining in the woods"

  8. #8
    Senior Member mbiraman's Avatar
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    I think you'll find that most paddlers like myself find the current offerings work really well. One never knows how it will all play out till your actually doing it. Given the info you supplied i would look at the Dangerbird but i would look to something with a separate bugnet myself like wilderness logics Night Owl and then get a bugnet for it. If you think you're going to have to go to ground I would probably look at the 10x12 tarp from Bushcraft outfitters.

    good luck

    bill
    " The mind creates the abyss, the heart crosses it."

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  9. #9
    Senior Member breyman's Avatar
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    +1 on the Dangerbird. Lots of room for bigger folks and very versatile. Bring a ground cloth and sleeping pad in the event you go to ground and you're set. One of the great things about hammocking is that the systems allow nearly unlimited options and configurations. There aren't many all-in-one systems for just that reason.

    I'd recommend going with the flexibility of something that's already out there and just use different pieces in different ways depending on the day. For example, in a place with lots of trees, hang a dangerbird and use a top quilt and under quilt. Just on a sandbar - lay the ground cloth down, put the dangerbird on that and prop the ends up with a stick or trekking poles to keep the fabric off you and use a pad.
    Brian
    Denver, CO
    Father. Husband. Scoutmaster.

  10. #10
    Senior Member
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    mbiraman hit it. Where I paddle trees are never an issue unless it's too many in the way. OTOH if I was going beach paddling I would either take a tent or sleep in my boat. Either way I would be packing pads/mattress's that I do not take on a hammock trip.

    Speaking of the Hennessy the tarp comes off fairly easily. The small one is too small to use separately and the big one is much easier to deal with if it is put up separately. If you have a zip model with a separate tarp it would not be a big deal to pitch the tarp an use the hammock as a bivy bag.

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