What DD hammock should I get ?

[Dippa]

I've been looking at the frontline, camping and the superlight if anyone could explain what one would be best for my needs ?

I will be using this in all weather so hoping to have a versatile setup if possible. I understand having a UQ is better for warmth but my biggest concern is weight and I already own a mat from ground sleeping.

At the moment I already have a 3x3 tarp but I'm considering the superlight tarp to lower the weight.

Being extremely new to hammocks am I correct in thinking the whoopie slings being the best suspension ? What other options do I have ?

Is it worth buying the DD sleeve ?


All help appreciated

[Shug]

Can't help you on what hammock to get....but a pad will do you just fine for now.
I personally like whoopie slings but some like straps and cinch buckles or beetle bugs.
Using a sleeve for a tarp is common but not too many use them on hammocks but of course a few do.
Enjoy the hammock quest.
Shug


https://youtu.be/mekhYiSaNz4


https://youtu.be/MPDPEEcKlDQ

[Dippa]

Thanks for the reply Shug. Am I correct in thinking the whoopie sling is the lightest option ?

Thanks for the vids, will give them a watch :)

[Shug]

Thanks for the reply Shug. Am I correct in thinking the whoopie sling is the lightest option ?

Thanks for the vids, will give them a watch :)
Pretty light but suspension in my opinion is not the biggest place to save weight. Maybe a few grams here and there. They are a bit less bulky but minimal.
Plus, it is what holds you up! Just my opinion. Better to find other places to save weight. Like backpacks, tarps, insulation, hammocks themselves and other gear choices.

[Dippa]

Pretty light but suspension in my opinion is not the biggest place to save weight. Maybe a few grams here and there. They are a bit less bulky but minimal.
Plus, it is what holds you up! Just my opinion. Better to find other places to save weight. Like backpacks, tarps, insulation, hammocks themselves and other gear choices.

Thanks for your advice Shug, you've been a great help! I will make a start on your vids and go from there.

I'm sure it'll come down to experiencing it first hand to find what will be right for me.

[hutzelbein]

If you are taller than 5', the only DD that is halfway decent is the DD Frontline XL. If you have a look at the DD hammock chart (http://www.ddhammocks.com/explore/hammock_camping/choosing_your_hammock), you will see that with the exception of the Frontline XL, all hammocks are only 2.7m x 1.4m. You can use a hammock that small, and in all likelihood it will still be more comfortable than sleeping on the ground, but it's a pretty safe bet that once you have used an 11' (3.3m) hammock, you won't understand how you could have ever been able to sleep in a hammock that short. I'm only 5'4" / 165cm short, but I need 10.5' (3.2m) length to feel comfortable.

If you want to stick with DD, get the 3m x 1.8m Frontline XL. It's a monster with regards to weight and volume, but surprisingly there are smaller DDs that are heavier.

[JoshD]

Everyone is convinced they need an 11 ft hammock , it’s just as comfy to have a 9ft as long as you hang it correctly, most of the Hennessy gear is 9ft approx , I have no problem getting a good flat lay or side sleep in a superlight . I have 11ft’s as well but I find myself engulfed in fabric in a 11ft’r , it’s no more or less comfy . It’s much easier to pack a DD superlight than a frontline etc and obviously the weight is a factor




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[Phantom Grappler]

Everyone is convinced they need an 11 ft hammock , it’s just as comfy to have a 9ft as long as you hang it correctly, most of the Hennessy gear is 9ft approx , I have no problem getting a good flat lay or side sleep in a superlight . I have 11ft’s as well but I find myself engulfed in fabric in a 11ft’r , it’s no more or less comfy . It’s much easier to pack a DD superlight than a frontline etc and obviously the weight is a factor




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If your rig works for you, that is all that counts.
HYOH and YMMV


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[hutzelbein]

Everyone is convinced they need an 11 ft hammock

I like to try things myself and encourage others to do so as well. I have tried more hammocks than I care to count; from short 8' hammocks to 19.5' ones. I made a set of simple hammocks that are identical in everything except the length. One is 10', one 10.5', one 11'. I hang them next to each other and let people lie in them. It's difficult to actually see the difference, but everybody has felt it. Most people clearly prefer the 11' hammock. Some would go for the 10.5' hammock. I have never had one put in a vote for the 10' hammock. Maybe I should add a 9' and a 12' hammock to the line-up.


it’s just as comfy to have a 9ft as long as you hang it correctly

Tastes and needs are different. Many, if not most people would disagree with you. But since comfort is personal, nobody is really wrong. I own 2 DD and 2 Claytor hammocks, and they are not as comfortable to me as I wanted them to be. On the other hand, my preferred hiking hammock is a Warbonnet Blackbird. On paper it's 10', but the usable part is really only about 9.5', so it is quite short. However, at home I would always pick a longer hammock, since it IS more comfortable (to me).


most of the Hennessy gear is 9ft approx

Yes, HH sells fairly short and narrow hammocks. They're easily available outside of the US, not as expensive and they often come with a tarp. That's why many beginners start out with a Hennessy. Few stick with it, though. I still have a HH Safari that I find very comfy. It's too heavy to be useful, though.


I have no problem getting a good flat lay or side sleep in a superlight .

That's great. Then continue using it. Nobody forces you to use something different.


I have 11ft’s as well but I find myself engulfed in fabric in a 11ft’r , it’s no more or less comfy .

Maybe the fabric is very stretchy. This would explain being engulfed. I prefer firm fabrics, and I have a lot more space in an 11' hammock made from 70D fabric than I have in any of my DDs. I don't own a Superlight DD, though, and probably never will because it's too stretchy for me and I also prefer more reliability.


It’s much easier to pack a DD superlight than a frontline etc and obviously the weight is a factor

Completely agree. When weight and volume are important, I always pick the smallest hammock that's still comfortable enough.

[wolfe]

I have a DD travel hammock and its just fine I get a good diagonal hang in it and it packs up small but the choice is entirely yours. good luck in your quest Dippa may the force be with you. :D

[LVI Bushcraft & Survival]

I also have the DD Travel Hammock. I got it for its double waterproof bottom for better weather resistance. It’s also great to put your choice of insulating pad in between the two layers and it doesn’t move or interfere with your other bedding. It’s not the best hammock, but it’s good and comfirtable also. Good luck!

[Ko the Crow]

I've got a DD-only gear setup currently: DD superlight hammock and superlight tarp, and the underquilt.

I also got myself a 25 meter cord and some of their little carabiners. I am glad for that as the carabiners are a bit flimsy, I replaced one on the UQ last month. The pegs of the tarp are a bit on the weak side as well, but that might be my perspective as I am used to large steel pegs for the 8-10 person tents we have at the scouts.


So to give a breakdown on my gear (which I have for almost a year now, and used 6 times I think):

The hammock:
I am 1,78m tall and a slender built person. I fit comfortably in this hammock, although there is not a lot of room left. If you are a wide or heavy built person or 1.90 meters tall this hammock might be too small for you.
It is easy to set up, and loops the for the UQ are on good positions. I would like to have more loops to add some flexibility to hanging the UQ, and maybe some other stuff, but that's just thinking in possibilities and not negative feedback.

The packed hammock is small, and fits in the side pocket of my backpack, which is a big plus.

I added a ridgeline the last time from a spare bit of rope, to hang my headlamp (flashlight on a headband) and my match on. This was a great improvement. It is not structural, as the rope is very stretchable.
I also added a bishop bag to keep the hammock clean when setting it up, and to have something to put some stuff in. This is not really a great success but it is also not a drawback really. You don't need it, let's put it that way.

The tarp:
The tarp is 3x3 meters and large enough for the superlight hammock. It will not be large enough for longer hammocks.
The tarp comes with 3 loops on the top which you can use to pull the rope trough. It does not come with a rope to hang it from itself. It does come with 4 pegs and iirc 5 (4+1 spare) lines to tie it down to the ground with said pegs. The pegs are orange by the way, so you are able to see them. The lines are black and very hard to see.

Question, as English is not my native language and Google translate abandoned me: How are the these lines called? For now I will call them tarp-to-ground lines.

I found it hard to get the tarp up correctly, I am often struggling with having it upside down, sideways and all sorts of wrong positions. I must say I am getting better in it so it is a matter of practice. For now it does take some time to hang the thing. Setting up a 1 person tent is often faster.
The tarp is very thin, and packs very tight into the bag it comes in. Because it is so thin the tarp feels flimsy. To hang the tarp I use a 25 meter long cord, which is always tangled when I unpack it. It does do it's job very well though, as it allows me to tie it very tight.
I found it is easy to clean with a wet or damp towel or cloth.

One of the best discoveries I made on this tarp is the fact there are 5 loops on the bottom sides to tie the tarp-to-ground lines from. by default these are on the outmost loops. If you number the loops 1 to 5, from left to right (when seeing the tarp from the side) then the default position of the tarp-to-ground lines is on loop 1 and 5. I personally prefer to put them on loop 2 and 4. I can then use the spare carabiners to connect the corners of the tarp to make a tent from it. This stops the wind and gives me a bit more privacy.
See the photo's below of this setup. The conditions I took these pictures in were as follows: It was rather windy with big gusts of wind, we had a hailstorm in the morning, rain later and at night it was -2 degrees C.:

This tarp, when packed, fits in the (other) side pocket of my backpack, although only just.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pp1cbhMeEg0_0sjEJZ9GAQueh1Mh6FAl4NT-iCacran0euoQB4kMswMTQOjvibq4xUtZ1CTnOZfNdHx7ongJlO S6nJcI87xC84FZ9w_EQ3MIsOy5cBukt5KxA1KPPVboj5cn-hv9UP-JRgu7rHkREDSb9Mdi_FtKvQMGj8YPvmFhN3JgpLBhTVFVf-FTd85DtEpN__xkZP9NVCEHBAZTGFkh89P6eplgelf79hJAyOMQ jtfn6pVpcDPHcrdcerM9qZW8e-J_AnRAuYlp3YFv_x4jycNLoBi9rkr0e3V3jpo65HIW2j-_vwp7lBKjQBKEraRqhUwJkPv-6fsX1CFMdrEQLkWQaCbvqepLiFqA5htNkDVew-Mf6E7yZG5vNPrwMpjOXALnskcWO6-b6tUnTf-PiU0pNqmOMDzuECXW5wxBeP1iakiNzGkHWh2lOPcYsxv-GUzKrOgXsm4Dr09G88QZthHdMbFZKutcPAkcIlAixjUPI0aL9r nyZKTbwqGnp-oUP7r1-0xg_sqeMxOhOTQgcph3E2bdo4w79p8slq_RD1yd-iyA_CBTQFjnPrj-fuIdlXIlS8UbfrbtyDeASA7_Mr1KFUR-swlJBYcAUhqe8m2KCBmulWV8ft28uMpAngvcXIOzL9s3YhrP_M 8_IiCs5B87jmWGE3NpBcJXMzS7rgfXpGmuv7vRDk249b1fpWo1 jC543x01LNpsMe5i3VoLkbZu7Sl24anqqN0PlkMc0ZsHXt4=w3 840-h1752-no?authuser=0
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6pZCQL3B0nQw1argGPRjqkaLQ8bZPRJf3YJZ54PqoCOn1fD6jf dgJMLsdZmouLzJu4WT4wBPlT1S9NErJgfXzB4vOC75DUYH4dNM qNtofmoT4LGbbVrJ7CM0Zy3QuqFh5p48ncZvlTV8O-mQvKutOjLjss26b8EpQpQ0qwaQwu8ae9XV9xNtljNJLtfNQZSJ 7g-_H1P0_t9pX3250D0ceILJNoa4TBN8X9t7RMj7hEXI6vylQqvhh diegCO2DyuO45x1bZgAR8cqZZcuup6CLS5G03mKMsCi-cpRiOkn3uqvSKRl0nXwx7NT_bro9asbW5bRtLO1TRS94Ca5QcT g9VMOu9LotGUT6UzArgIho7MDk1LBg5JbBa5ri0DHkDVOwr1rH MwV3C1LzM1FsbXHayjMegMnt7HaDknOxDS5kpKF6nLy90G5jvP H1VvYfkeigjhPeTjP3Oo1koIVESZD5LbpnpCyCQ1isWb08HIOu WGLKem6bLu24sjQaKZSietgeO2rxrqwD0fepTDi--0G4v3L9ErNOOg7LL1y_qxmsz0YL6_S-SzLaENWA7Olia37aqSQdOWTiD-nx-2x7VtzWV4BDmfUthL-vxPL4SgddRQl99umVXX-rAiZ59W1oWG1u28eJFHY5sXlHmyhqYh7Iapyu5wfzfyXZ3xxoF bRGg0bH9AuksBsUnS58GRRs1gG3K1InYuUud_Pu00Lc82Qy1mY J7ELB7s-GpyQETZAuBOuTUY3pjk=w3840-h1761-no?authuser=0


Then there is the underquilt: This is the largest item of the three items listed. It works rather well, even in warm weather. I used it from -2 C to +20 C and it was good at all temperatures. It comes with carabiners to clip it to the hammock. These carabiners are the same as the ones they sell at their store. I think the carabiners are the weakest link in this, as the clipping bit can wiggle about quite a bit and thus break the carabiner.
the UQ is long enough, it is adjustable on the front, rear and the sides, and is to be secured with 8 carabiners to the hammock. 2 on each end and then 2 on each side of the hammock, using the loops on the hammock. works rather well.

I personally pack the UQ in the brain of my backpack, so that the main storage compartment is not used for my hammock setup at all. I also use a sleeping bag, that does go into the main body of the backpack, but on the bottom.



I would recommend the gear, but only if you are not much taller or larger than me. If you are 80 kilos or more, or 1.90 cm or taller the hammock probably will not fit you and for this money you can better buy a larger piece of gear.

Anyway, I hope this sheds some light on the DD superlight hammock and related equipment.