Specs-
Hammock body: 126” x 60”
Insulation: 84” x 48”
Weight Rating: 350lbs (comfort rating)
Materials-
Insulation: 30D ripstop nylon shell
750 fill power High Loft duck down (25-30% overstuff)
Hammock body: Double layer 40D ripstop nylon
Includes-
Fixed-length 105” Amsteel ridgeline
12’ polyester webbing tree straps
1” stainless steel cinch buckles (on 12” Amsteel continuous loop)
Bishop-style stuff sack
Breathable (noseeum?) storage bag
03/24/2014
First Impressions
I hung the hammock between the two oaks that stand proud in my front yard, excited to find that the Boone 40* hammock I was sent was equipped with a cinch buckle suspension exactly like the one on Swamp Sling, my go-to hammock. There is no easier suspension than the cinch buckle in my opinion...which means right off the bat, this hammock/insulation combo has a point in the win column.
Before climbing aboard, I took a minute to look over how everything works. A functional hammock/underquilt combination is a unique sort of creature, so I wanted to make sure I was familiar with all the rigging before I got in and got comfortable. The rigging between the hammock body and the insulation was unique in a way that defies description, but I have to say that it was functional. Everything is adjustable from inside the hammock, from the head/foot end adjustments to the shock cord that runs along the sides of the insulation. Obviously, you have to be able to do a sit up (or spin around) in the hammock to make adjustments down at the foot end, but that’s fairly par for the course. I can’t imagine a way to make those adjustments from anywhere else.
Once familiar with the rigging (noting that the adjustment points run through cord locks and have beads to keep the shock cord from pulling all the way through - genius!) I went ahead on into the body of the hammock for a lie down. The comfort rating on the material is 350 pounds (this is the double layer model), so I wasn’t 100% sure that it’d manage to hold my 385 pounds aloft. It did, and I was pleased - a sudden drop is never a fun time. It was about 50ish degrees out that evening, but I’m almost always cold. The 40* rating was right on for me. Had I the inclination, I’d have gone inside, got my top quilt, and been more than satisfied to stay there for a several hour nap! My only gripe was with the width. A 60” width is a pretty standard measure in hammocks, but as with other hammocks of that width I found that I’d probably be more comfortable with a few more inches. I’m 6’4”, so I pretty much max out the width on this bad boy when I get in on the diagonal. However, my height very likely makes me an outlier so just about anybody else might be perfectly fine with 60” of width. To be honest, the width wouldn’t be a dealbreaker to me, and the fact that it was my ONLY complaint means that to me, there’s nothing really wrong with this hammock system.
At a $279 price point for this particular model, I really don’t think there’s anything to complain about there. A comparable underquilt alone from my preferred cottage vendor would run you $185. You throw in a double layer hammock body, cinch buckle suspension, two 12’ sewn loop tree straps, bishop-style stuff sack, and a breathable storage bag (that seems to be made of noseeum mesh, maybe?) and you’re looking at a pretty solid value in my opinion. All of these components bought separately would come up to be more than the asking price of this system bought together.
What it all boils down to is you lose some of the modular nature of the hammock systems that most of us are accustomed to, but it’s balanced with the fact that there’s not as much fiddle factor as there can be with your normal underquilt. I’m a huge proponent of ease of use and ease of setup, so this system holds a pretty good draw for me. I’d call it a good value.
04/06/2014
First Overnight
Being freshly back from my trip to England, I finally found some time to get an overnighter in on this hammock...in fact, two nights in a row! There’s not much to add from my initial impression, but I CAN attest to the long-term comfort of the material used for the hammock body and I DID stay warm overnight. Granted, the temps didn’t drop below 51 but I’m a cold sleeper. I want to be all snuggly and warm and such, which this hammock system excelled at. The fact that the system is almost literally all-in-one means that packing up is a breeze. Rather than packing my underquilt then my hammock, they all go together in one neat little stuff sack. It may not be a huge deal right now, but at 8am when I’m not even fully awake saving little steps makes a huge difference in my sanity.
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Originally Posted by Gresh
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