Ridgerunner narrower than I thought

[used2fly]

Recieved my WBRR last Mon and had the chance to hit the AT that eve with my 10yr old daughter, her first night in a hammock.I set her up with my WBBB.One thing I was surprised at with the RR is the width at the mid section.I assumed it was more or less rectangular.Of all of the reviews I have read about improved side and stomach sleeping ,no one has ever mentioned how narrow the middle of the RR is.Visibility is great.Shoulder room is great. But if you sleep on your stomach with one leg bent it does not work.Unfortunately that is how I sleep.Side sleeping is improved but again you have to sleep with your legs together which may facilitate a pillow or pad between your knees.Does the bridge design require the middle to be narrower for strength?

[MikeM]

Yeah, the cat cuts are what makes the bridge hammock what it is. The design really cannot lose the narrow middle.

[gmcttr]

...Does the bridge design require the middle to be narrower...

The side webbing supports the hammock body like a suspension bridge instead of the ends as a gathered end hammock does. The middle is tapered so the bottom stays flat from end to end when you lay on it instead of sagging like the side edges.

The body can be cut wider, making for a deeper hammock more apt to cause shoulder squeeze.

The body can be cut wider and wider spreader bars used...eventually it causes problems with tarps (and I'm sure other problems as well).

All dimensions can be changed. Each change is a compromise with it's own benefits and negatives.

FWIW...there have been several earlier discussions commenting on the narrow center width of the WBRR but I haven't seen much reference to it lately.

[GrizzlyAdams]

The nature of a bridge hammock IS the that middle is narrower than the ends. That's what pulls up the middle and makes it flatter.

If memory serves, the width of the WRRR at the middle is on the order of 30".
A bridge hammock does not require that narrowness. I routinely make DIY bridge hammocks with a finished width of 48" at head and foot, and 34" at the waist. That's a suspension curve depth of 7"; I've made the depth of the curve even shallower at 6" to yield a waist of 36".

So while the waist of a bridge hammock has to be narrower than the ends, such a narrow waist as the WRRR has is not required for a bridge hammock. Just the way that WBG chose his design. My own preference is about 34". See attached picture of legs curled at side. Entirely within the hammock; I'm 6'1".

Screen Shot 2013-07-17 at 9.58.50 PM.jpg

[priller]

The nature of a bridge hammock IS the that middle is narrower than the ends. That's what pulls up the middle and makes it flatter.

If memory serves, the width of the WRRR at the middle is on the order of 30".
A bridge hammock does not require that narrowness. I routinely make DIY bridge hammocks with a finished width of 48" at head and foot, and 34" at the waist. That's a suspension curve depth of 7"; I've made the depth of the curve even shallower at 6" to yield a waist of 36".

So while the waist of a bridge hammock has to be narrower than the ends, such a narrow waist as the WRRR has is not required for a bridge hammock. Just the way that WBG chose his design. My own preference is about 34". See attached picture of legs curled at side. Entirely within the hammock; I'm 6'1".

Screen Shot 2013-07-17 at 9.58.50 PM.jpg

Thanks for the education Grizz....man I love your DIYs...ingenious.

I used my RR this last weekend and was very comfortable, definitely the most zonked out sleep I have ever had in any hammock, out in the wilderness or not. When I curled up my legs like that, they were gently supported by the hammock body and actually leans the hammock over on its side resulting in a very bed-like position (I am not bed-hater...yet).

I think my next DIY is going to be a Grizz-bridge....

[pgibson]

For side sleeping I slide my back all the way to the point that the edge webbing is about the middle of my back. Rather than being centered in the hammock I like to have the hammock body supporting my back and being up against the hammock edge seems to do this well for me. Not the same as in a GE but well enough that I can bring my legs up a little they way I want.