View Full Version : I've joined the Blackbird club!
It's official .... I placed my order with Brandon for a double 1.1 with adjustable webbing straps! He estimates about a 3 week turn around time.
You folks have talked up his hammocks so well, that I simply couldn't resist!
Coldspring
05-20-2009, 16:48
You must be anxious!
If you are one of those rare cases that doesn't fall in love on the first date, take her out again, and again. Get to know her a little. Just look around the field, you won't find a better companion.
Welcome to the club MAD777. I've got the same hammock and it's a winner. But I'll tell you right now, don't think that you are going to stop after buying just one hammock. :D
It's official .... I placed my order with Brandon for a double 1.1 with adjustable webbing straps! He estimates about a 3 week turn around time.
You folks have talked up his hammocks so well, that I simply couldn't resist!
don't think that you are going to stop after buying just one hammock. :D
But ... that's why I bought the Cadillac of hammocks for my first one, so I wouldn't have to "upgrade" later!
Been there, done that :mellow:
I laid down in a Blackbird for the first time at Trail Daze and was thoroughly impressed. The Blackbird is well made and incredibly comfortable! Brandon has an excellent product out there that is very worthy of the acclaim it's recieved.
Cannibal
05-20-2009, 22:00
Welcome to the BB Gang.
Yep, gonna be tough to 'upgrade' from a Blackbird. :D
NorseAmerican
05-20-2009, 22:19
Good choice! Now on to tarps, UQ's, TQ's, etc. etc. etc.
Cannibal
05-20-2009, 22:23
Don't forget about all the glow-in-the-dark accessories out there. They're just plain fun!
sir White Wolf
05-20-2009, 22:44
Welcome to the Tribe
Happy Hanging :D
Good choice! Now on to tarps, UQ's, TQ's, etc. etc. etc.
I just received a MacCat Ultra SpinnUL last week from Brian. I've made quilts which I can use as top quilts, and I have all summer to make an under quilt.
I'm in deep!
Cannibal
05-21-2009, 13:42
You'll know you're deep when you get a winter tarp for those terrible S. Florida winters. I remember it getting all the way down to 40F one time. :scared::tongueup::D
Good one! The winter one is for my trips to NH. Only problem is that I don't get up there enough.
I was last up there in March on a snowshoeing trip with my daughter in the White Mtns.
It's a slippery slope. I keep considering getting another tarp, but I can't figure out what it will do for me that my other 6 tarps won't do, other than save me at best 1/4 pound.:D
Yeah, those last4 ounces can get pretty pricey. Especially when you start looking at cuben fiber. If I were to take another plunge on tarps, I'd seriously consider the MLD Spectralite at 6.4oz and $260.
http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=59&osCsid=870c75698d
Ouch! $260? I can get two tarps from Brian for that! A cuben tarp and a MacCat Ultra.
Yeah but there not 6.4 oz either.
I would like to here more anout this Spectralite .60 : 6.4oz $26
I guess it's all how much extra you want to pay to drop that 4 or 6 extra ounces. Me, I'll leave a granola bar behind before I pay an extra bill or two. The granola bar is maybe a buck, the tarp is $20+ extra/ounce! But I'm cheap that way. And I've been known to carry a heavy load.
http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/files/2/5/p1250026_thumb.jpg (http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=4859&c=searchresults&searchid=18288)
I guess it's all how much extra you want to pay to drop that 4 or 6 extra ounces. Me, I'll leave a granola bar behind before I pay an extra bill or two. The granola bar is maybe a buck, the tarp is $20+ extra/ounce! But I'm cheap that way. And I've been known to carry a heavy load.
http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/files/2/5/p1250026_thumb.jpg (http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=4859&c=searchresults&searchid=18288)
I hear you and agree to a certain extent. For weekend trips it is not a big deal for me. However if I am going to be walking 2,178 miles on the Appalachian Trail for six or seven month I think I would much rather save the two ounces on my fly weight and carry and extra granola bar :).
Coldspring
05-21-2009, 19:51
Is the MLD about the same size as a MacCat Standard, but just a little wider? It does have more tieouts, but no cat cuts. Isn't the weight of a Spinntex MacCat about 8 oz, so 2 oz heavier and $100 less than the MLD? Plus you have a 4-7 week wait with MLD to contend with, don't know what Brian's is on special orders.
It seems to be sized in between the Maccat standard and Deluxe, and has caternary cuts on all sides, and including the ridgeline. Ron Bell has a very good reputation for his tarps. I also like the extra hanging hooks he includes underneath the tarp, handy if you do not have a structural ridgeline to hang things from. It looks like for the cuben model he also includes free CF poles that can be used to go to ground with. He also does things like felled seams that minimize the amount of seam sealing you have to do. Some day I must have one.
Coldspring
05-21-2009, 21:55
I think the poles are another $50, so you'd be spending $310.
I wonder what ever happened to their bright yellow hammocks?
Cannibal
05-21-2009, 21:59
Just to take the devil's advocate position; think about the fabric itself. Has anybody had any experience with it? Is it so light that it's fragile? Will it really hold-up to a thru? Stuff happens out there and gear is replaceable; good thing!
I would try and find some reviews before I even considered dropping that kind of coin on a tarp. No doubt the craftsmanship will be first rate, but I'd want to know more about the material.
All this coming from a guy that took a Spinn tarp untested (by me) on the AT. Fairly new material, super light...I was nervous. It worked out great! So, don't think I'm suggesting you don't do it; just playing the other side of the coin.
BTW, my early model MacCat Standard Spinn is 7.2oz. They only got me beat by 0.6 oz. Brian is the tarp MAN!:D:shades:
BTW, my early model MacCat Standard Spinn is 7.2oz. They only got me beat by 0.6 oz. Brian is the tarp MAN!:D:shades:
So actually, the extra price for the MLD is approximately $220/ounce?:rolleyes:Is it made of Ganja by Jamaican craftsman? :rolleyes::lol:
Seriously, Brian's spinn is a good deal in comparison, for a little over half an ounce. And you can't say enough about Brian's work/craftsmanship.
Cannibal
05-21-2009, 22:13
In fairness, his new MacCat Standard Spinn tarps are about an ounce heavier than mine according to his web site. I don't remember what he said he changed, but I'm glad I got one of the early ones.
Coldspring
05-21-2009, 22:23
The material on the MLD might be strong enough, but what about those tie outs? Are they reinforced and have D rings, or are they just little flimsy tabs sewed on the corners? I'm certainly not a tarp expert, but I would think that a high hanging hammock tarp gets shook up more than a little ground dweller tarp.
As listed on their web site:
"Ridgeline tieouts with locking grommet holes for our CF poles in ground use mode. (Request as a free option on the Spectralite.60 version.)"
You know what? You're right. I thought this meant free poles, but it's only the locking grommet holes.
I think the poles are another $50, so you'd be spending $310.
I don't have a "dancing banana," but just imagine one while reading this post.
I received Brandon's PayPal request for payment today, which means that he is done with my Blackbird dbl 1.1 !!!! Yippee!
Glad to hear it MAD777. You've got some great hanging ahead of you.
I don't have a "dancing banana," but just imagine one while reading this post.
I received Brandon's PayPal request for payment today, which means that he is done with my Blackbird dbl 1.1 !!!! Yippee!
THE BLACKBIRD HAS LANDED!
It's here! Found it on my doorstep when I came home from work.
Now I have to find a meat locker where I can hang this thing, it's too hot in Florida to enjoy it properly :(
THE BLACKBIRD HAS LANDED!
It's here! Found it on my doorstep when I came home from work.
Now I have to find a meat locker where I can hang this thing, it's too hot in Florida to enjoy it properly :(
Go get that big electric fan and an extension cord and get the BB flapping in the breeze.
Enjoy the excitement!!!!
Gonna go hang mine in the back 40 now as it is getting to 43º tonight!
Shug of the 67º day.......
Half Step
06-06-2009, 17:58
You'll know you're deep when you get a winter tarp for those terrible S. Florida winters. I remember it getting all the way down to 40F one time. :scared::tongueup::D
Forget Winter storms---try the tropical kind! Wheeeeeeeeeeee. . . . :D
Cannibal
06-08-2009, 09:52
Forget Winter storms---try the tropical kind! Wheeeeeeeeeeee. . . . :D
Yeah, those are just a blast! I got to 'camp' for a month because we didn't have power after Frances and Jeanne in 04' I think. Never got to hang in one of those storms, but saw more than my fair share of those nasty Florida storms. You know it's bad when the gators are scurrying for cover. :scared:
Half Step
06-08-2009, 19:01
Yeah, those are just a blast! I got to 'camp' for a month because we didn't have power after Frances and Jeanne in 04' I think. Never got to hang in one of those storms, but saw more than my fair share of those nasty Florida storms. You know it's bad when the gators are scurrying for cover. :scared:
I don't have any interest in camping in a full-blown hurricane, but the TS's can be fun. And a darn good gear test, too! I put me and my gear (MacCat Deluxe & HH) through TS Faye in '08. She was all around us up here, with us on the edge of the center as she crossed and turned! Not a problem---stayed dry underneath until the last couple of days. The moisture finally wicked under through the ground!!! A tent would have been intolerable after the first day.
Let's hope we don't get the chance to storm test this season!
Mal
P.S. Eagerly awaiting my BB!