Safari Zip

[WakarusaRiverGypsy]

I just wanted to give my thoughts on this hammock for anyone out there considering purchasing one of these. I used an Expedition Classic for several years which I loved, but it lacked in a couple areas. I've now hung in the Safari several times and think I can give a good brief overview.

Pros:
Zipper entry is so much more versatile than the bottom entry. It allows you to open it up and actually sit or lounge in the hammock without feeling trapped. Makes getting in and out easy, setting up the bed a snap, and ability to grab something from outside without getting out a reality.

You can sit up in this hammock with no ridge line hitting your head. I love this part of it.

It's size allows you to lay either way and gives you so much room, I no longer feel like a cocooned caterpillar. I've slept both ways and slept great either way.

The Hex fly provides awesome coverage and you can make a "porch" to do things under in the rain.

Cons:
It's bulkier and heavier than packing an Expedition. That being said, for me personally it's about the same, as I used to pack a second hammock for lounging in. You can't really sit and lounge comfortably in a bottom entry hammock with a ridge line hitting your head....at least not for me personally I should say.

You have to hang it pretty high up because it's so large. I like a high hang to begin with, the higher the better for me. I don't like being only inches from the ground. With my Expedition, I would hang it about even with my height. With the Safari, I'm hanging it as high as I can reach up and secure it.

I absolutely love this hammock. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an all in one system with lots of room and that is very versatile. For me this a huge step up in my hanging enjoyment.

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Happy hanging!

[potneck]

+1 on the Safari except mine had the bottom entry. It has now been closed and a Mod 4 from 2QZQ added. At 300lbs & 6' 5" it serves me well. The work and design of the Mod 4 is flawless. I also replaced the stock hex tarp w/a Toxaway to save some weight and retain about the same coverage.

[Rosaleen]

Just say'n.

I like the bottom entry hammock in the summer. It allows for a really quick escape from insects. Keeping the fly attached means I can pull over at dusk when the mosquitoes in a feeding frenzy and be inside in a very few minutes. It is really great to lie inside and laugh at the mosquitoes’ frustration. Entering and exiting from the bottom also puts me in the center, where the coverage is greatest. My Crocs don’t get filled with rain water and I don’t get exposed to rain until step out from under the fly. My husband tried a side-entry ONCE and HATED it. He greatly prefers the simplicity of rolling forward or backward to enter or exit his hammock. Closing and opening the hammock is simpler than reaching to the ends of the hammock for the zipper pulls. A bottom-entry with an attached stock fly is my usual choice for summertime when I am usually interested in longer hiking days.

On the plus side for side-entry hammocks, it is easier to get onto a pad if that is what is used for bottom insulation. Also, depending on how high the hammock is hung, one might be able to reach out of that zippered side. I like them for cooler weather and shorter hiking days.

[SemperFiGuy]

Wakarusa,

I too like the space in the HH Safari Deluxe. I'm 6'2" and 240lbs. I don't feel overly constricted in this model. That's a pro.

On the con side, I wasn't really able to sleep on my side with any level of comfort this past week-end. Despite reading threads that one should be able to side sleep, stomach sleep, etc...... that all presumes that your legs aren't higher than your head. I did sleep on a diagonal with my feet to the right of the ridgeline and my head to the left. Despite that positioning, I could not comfortably lay on my side. I adjusted the hang for night two in hopes that the adjustment would matter, but it was more of the same.

All in all its a great hang. There is lots of room and I'll continue experimenting with positioning so that I can optimize my sleep comfort. Also, I need to develop a better system for my sleep pad, as by the end of the night, both ends had migrated to the center of the hammock and bunched up.

Clearly a work in progress.

Thanks for your post.

Gil