View Full Version : Speers SPE
Has anyone here tried the Speers SPE?
If yes, how about a short review?
FanaticFringer
06-16-2008, 20:33
Great product. Everything said about it on the Speer site is true. Really helps in keeping multiple pads together. Dont bother with the 4x4 unless your really big.
Thanks Fringer.. .hey did you see my other post about being swallowed up by the Speers hammock? Maybe with a pad it wouldn't be so bad.
And no, I'm not big, I'm lit-tle! :p
FanaticFringer
06-16-2008, 20:42
Thanks Fringer.. .hey did you see my other post about being swallowed up by the Speers hammock? Maybe with a pad it wouldn't be so bad.
And no, I'm not big, I'm lit-tle! :p
A pad with wings will open up the hammock some. Along with lying on the diagonal.
hikingjer
11-11-2008, 11:59
Annie,
My Speer SPE arrived yesterday and I used it last night in an ENO Doublenest with a Big Agnes Re-Routte air mattress with DIY CCF side inserts, on a Byer Vario hammock stand in the living room. The temperature was a frigid 60 degrees.;) with a newly-purchased dehumidifier (BTW, the de-humidifier is amazing! It makes a soggy, mildewy Pacific Northwest house much more comfortable and reduces wintertime, rainy season allergies to mold and mildew)
The Speer SPE is great. I wish I would've had one during the Summer of 2007, my first hiking/camping season in a hammock, when I used a Hennessy and a DIY. The main problem with a hammock for me is chill from coming into contact with cold nylon. The SPE puts foam along the sides and keeps it there which insulates you from the hammock's cold nylon. I wish I would've bought this thing in the beginning. Its indispensible for cool weather hammocking.
I really liked how I could squirm around and sleep on my side and still be insulation since the SPE keeps pads together.
Dont bother with the 4x4 unless your really big.
I disagree. I'm just under 6' tall, about 165 lbs. and not broad shouldered. The SPE's side flaps just barely wrapped around my sides and shoulders because it would slide down the hammock's sides. And, as I wrestled around at night to try to lay flat, the side flaps would get pushed around and baely cover my sides when squished. Perhaps I put a higher value on extra side insulation than others? A short petite female may get by with a 2x2 but I'm sure glad I bought a 4x4.
Take-a-knee
11-11-2008, 17:25
The 2x2 SPE works fine for me in a Hennessy. I'm 5'8"/165#.
BillyBob58
11-11-2008, 17:43
I definitely need the 4x4. At 6'1", 205. Well, anyway I prefer it, not sure if I could possibly get by with the 2x2, but it seems like I pretty well take up most of the extra width. I guess I could just put pads in the sleeves next to the pad only sometime and see if I could get by. Great product though, IMO.
Just Jeff
11-11-2008, 17:46
I made a homemade version of the 2x2 and it's been fine for me at 5' 10" and 185 lbs. Great idea and the real product is better than my homemade version. Ed and Dave (Youngblood) make some great stuff. If you're gonna use a pad, it's definitely the way to go IMO.
slowhike
11-11-2008, 21:00
I've thought about building an SPE into a hammock.
It would be as wide as the hammock & sewn to both edges.
Mustardman
11-11-2008, 21:13
i've been kicking around similar crazy ideas slowhike... I'm having a tough time keeping my pad in place sometimes, and I've tried to think of all kinds of nutty stuff to keep it in place. I don't think I'm quite ready to start sewing my brand new hammock, though
slowhike
11-11-2008, 21:38
Yeah, it would probably be easier to do that if it was a home made hammock, using fabric from the dollar bin<G>.
I think the SPE works great but occasionally I would have one of the wings flop over as I tossed & turned through the night.
No big deal to put it back in place, but if it were the same width as the hammock & sewed in place, that should never be an issue.
hikingjer
11-11-2008, 21:43
When I was contemplating the 4x4 vs. the 2x2 when purchasing, the former is only 1 oz. heavier than the latter yet the extra wing may come in handy for cold weather. One could leave them empty if they didn't feel like packing them with some loft material.
Just Jeff
11-11-2008, 22:01
There's a pic on my site where someone sewed a couple strips of elastic on each side of a Clark to hold a wing in place. Then she just laid the pad in there and it naturally lined up next to the pads so she had full coverage. The benefits of a SPE with the weight of 4 strips of velcro...except for the stackable pad management and some mobility, depending on your hammock model. She said it worked well but I've never tried anything like that.
But maybe that means you could just sew the wing to the hammock's edge, with nothing to hold the main pad in place. If the wings were wide enough you wouldn't get any gaps. Again, depending on your hammock model (mostly width and angle of diagonal, I bet) this might be worth looking in to.
bear bag hanger
11-12-2008, 09:27
I'm 5' 6" and 185 lbs, the 2X2 worked fine. I find it easier to sleep on than a 30" wide pad. The wider pad seems to fold up all over the place and was difficult to get smooth.
I still have an issue with the wings folding inward whenever I get out of my Claytor Expedition hammock. Getting the fold back to where it's supposed to be is easy on the zipper side, but the other side it can be difficult, but not impossible.
slowhike
11-12-2008, 09:57
This is what I had in mind.
http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/files/2/5/pb120002_thumb.jpg (http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=4404&c=)
It would probably be about the same length as the Speer SPE & maybe a couple inches wider than the hammock.
Ramblinrev
11-12-2008, 10:17
The evil hammock body seam rears its ugly head yet again..... Bwaaahahahahahaha
slowhike
11-12-2008, 22:07
The evil hammock body seam rears its ugly head yet again..... Bwaaahahahahahaha
What I have in the drawing is inside the hammock & probably at least a couple inches wider than the hammock, so it supports no weight.
The only extra sewing to the hammock is were the "Built In SPE" is sewn to the hammock edges.
Ramblinrev
11-12-2008, 22:14
ahhhh... gotcha... That makes sense. High seams have been used lots.
TheTorch
02-07-2011, 00:16
How do you pack the spe? I cant imagine having to carry two pads!
MedicineMan
02-07-2011, 01:16
I like the idea of SPE integrated into the hammock body.
Carrying two pads..well your big pad can be an inflatable Thermarest, so doesn't take up a huge amount of space in the pack.
The wing pads though, hmmm, well they do stack together for lashing on the bottom of the pack; depending on pack size they too could go inside.
Can anyone give me directions on making a SPE and whats the difference between 2x2 or 4x4.Also does speers still make the Spe. every time I try to go to there site I can't bring it up.Thanks
BillyBob58
11-21-2011, 17:28
Can anyone give me directions on making a SPE and whats the difference between 2x2 or 4x4.Also does speers still make the Spe. every time I try to go to there site I can't bring it up.Thanks
Speer stopped working with hammocks a while back, but several of his products are now sold by:
http://stores.tttrailgear.com/-strse-Hammocks/Categories.bok
But, the SPE is no longer made.
The 4x4 has 4 sections to hold pad inserts on each side, compared to 2.
nothermark
11-21-2011, 17:54
basic SPE is a cloth envelope for your pad. It's easy to make your own measurements by starting with your pad. I have a Walmart 20 in handy now. So 20 in for the center pocket plus some allowance for the thickness of thepaad plus room to slide it in. Say 22 in for a 20 in pad width. Run a tape measure behind your shoulders and check total width by looking at what width you want to insulate. Sitting here now 32" looks good. So two 6" wings. That translates to 8" pockets. For length measure yourself knee to neck. A bit longer if you want and are not using a bottom opening Hennessy. ;-) The wings can be shorter depending on how you sleep. The idea is to have foam between you and the hammock sidewall. I prefer polar fleece for the top as it feels better and seems to eliminate most condensation problems. Nylon on the bottom lets it slide a bit, good in this case. Lay out the material and sew the center pocket. Try the pad. If the pocket is too wide you can rip one side out and resew to tighten it up. Or do a sample small cross section out of scrap. I like to sew lengthwise and across the bottom. Leave the top open. Turn it inside out when done to bury the edges. If you want to get fancy do a cover for another piece for a foot pad/situpon.
Might check this out....
http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeGearSPE.html
Thanks BillyBob58, nothermark,ExPXGUY
I saw an SPE on the REI site; sorry for all the initials;) You might want to check that out. The link is below and they call it the ENO Hot Spot.
http://www.rei.com/search?query=ENO+Hot+spot
That's all for now. Take care and until next time...Be well.
snapper