View Full Version : BG Hammock
Earlier in the week (before it was removed due to excessive bashing) we had a thread about the Bear Grylls Hammock (http://www.beargryllsstore.com/usa/products/survival-gear/extreme-camping/bear-grylls-hammock-without-bug-net.html) sold online at Walmart for $34.27 (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bear-Grylls-Hammock/25716614). Several of us were curious, so I ordered one.
If you have come to this thread to bash BG, now would be a good time to leave. This thread is a review of the hammock and not the man. Bashing posts will be removed.
As anticipated, the ad copy at Walmart had much incorrect info. The hammock I received was the standard grey no net hammock as shown and spec'd on the BG website.
It is grey, not orange. On my scales it weighs 29.6 oz vs the 26oz advertised. It seems to be a typical reasonable quality hammock made in China. The hardware is all steel and my best guess is that the straps are tubular nylon.
I did a quicky set up, got in and sank to within a few inches of the ground, got back out and tightened the straps. At 185 lbs, I am not use to that much stretch with my DIY hammocks and polyester straps. I think a fair amount of the stretch was in the straps so set it up higher than you think it might need.
First impression...the comfort and lay matches what I've come to expect from a 10' x 60" hammock. Not bad. I would have gladly laid there if I had had an UQ and time.
Again, I only have a few minutes time spent in the hammock, but it appears to be a fair deal for a $35 dollar setup "ready" to hang.
I do recommend retying the continuous loops attached to the ends as they only have the typical single overhand knot.
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Nice first impression review. If someone is looking to get going, can't DIY their own out of a tablecloth or other available materials on the cheap, this would be a great way to get off the cold, hard, wet, uneven and low ground. Thanks for sharing your "take one for the team" approach review.
Thank you for the review. I placed my order. Hopefully I will get the gray one as well. Going to keep it in the jeep. :-) the buckles are pretty nice and it will make a good loaner.
sargevining
03-22-2014, 14:50
Interesting.
If you look at the second pic, it tells you to go to bearriver.net for product care instructions:
http://bearriver.net/beargrylls.html
The hammock is shown there, but there aren't any care instructions for a hammock, and no pricing or other information.
If you go to his other product page, its listed under "Products inspired by Get Out Alive", his now defunct TV Reality show, and is listed for $49.99:
http://www.beargryllsstore.com/usa/new-products.html
Given the 30% reduction in price for the Walmart offering, that the hammocks are not listed with his other products, and the fact that BG Logoed products are not reappearing on shelves, I'd say that these won't be available in the future, or may show up as a lower priced item without the logo.
MattBigmonster
03-22-2014, 14:55
I actually really like the buckles.
Are they 1" webbing compatibile? What is the weight?
Thank you for an open mind :)
I actually really like the buckles.
Are they 1" webbing compatibile? What is the weight?
Thank you for an open mind :)
HEAVY :laugh: Each cinch buckle is 1.8 oz and each biner is 2.1 oz. That means almost 1/2 lb of hardware.
Yes, they are 1" cinch buckles and a style several of us have looked for in aluminum but have not found in 1". They had a part # on them, but is was ground off prior to plating.
Dutch has been attempting to develop this shape of cinch buckle in titanium. We hope to see them soon.
MattBigmonster
03-22-2014, 15:47
Thank you for that. Shiny :D
sargevining
03-22-2014, 16:03
The cinch buckles available at Readystrap and Dutch are similar and weigh 1.0 oz even. IIRC, Jacks R Better or one of the other cottage vendors sells some that are almost identical to the ones used in this hammock.
The cinch buckles available at Readystrap and Dutch are similar and weigh 1.0 oz even. IIRC, Jacks R Better or one of the other cottage vendors sells some that are almost identical to the ones used in this hammock.
Some of us want the style RS and Dutch have with the V end added to keep an attaching rope loop centered. JRB has the V but it is a double ring style.
I was very curious about this hammock and thank the op for the information.
mountain_man_mike
03-24-2014, 14:01
It did appear to be of a standard variety (if there is such a thing) from the companies that mass produce hammocks. My interest was to see how the insulation was incorporated into the hammock and to clear up the confusion between appearance and ad content. Thankfully, you did that and I for one appreciate it.
howzithangin
03-24-2014, 20:27
So... I ordered one of these as well, and picked it up tonight from fedex.
I will be returning it to walmart shortly, as it is not as advertised.
I had originally intended to do a video review of this, but..... I don't like doing negative videos as I don't want to be a negative person.
The whole kit weighs in at 30oz. Without the straps, the hammock with the bag, rope ends, and biners weigh 19 oz, making the straps 11 oz.
The straps are 1 inch tubular nylon, with sewn loops and a rolled/sewn end to keep it from sliding out of the buckles.
The buckles are very heavy duty.. with an emphasis on heavy. The straps are just short of 90 inches long loop to end. The straps actually seem very durable, and gets your hopes up.
The rest of the package is downhill from there.
The bag is sewn into the side of the hammock, and is quite roomy really. There's plenty of extra space in the bag to hold the straps comfortably without feeling like you've got a compression sack without the straps so if you don't like fighting the bag to stuff the hammock, you might appreciate that. Sewing on the bag is shoddy though. Seams don't really line up, and are not straight.
The hammock itself is a single panel of dark brown nylon. Walmart claims its insulated, but it's a single layer of what feels like regular parachute type nylon. Not ripstop, as there is no integrated scrim. Ends are triple stitched into a channel where a braided nylon rope gathers the ends. The stitching is not straight here. The rope terminates in a single overhand knot, which is then larksheaded to a steel carabiner. Sides are a single stitch on a rolled hem.
The advertised dimensions of the hammock are 5X10 feet. But that is a lie. The actual dimensions are 4'3" by 9'3" as measured by a tape. I was hoping for a roomier hang, but this is not going to give it to me, so I'm going to take it back.
If the dimensions were accurate, I would probably keep it despite the iffy sewing.
The seams are not going to fail, they're just... not very careful.
The straps seem quite good, if a bit heavy.
And the price for a hammock with a suspension better than a couple of pieces of rope seems not bad at $34.
If you had smaller kid, this would be not bad. It has all the parts you need to setup pretty fast and painlessly.
But I think it's kinda on the small side for an adult.
Howzithangin...not sure what you were expecting, but in the original thread, it was pretty well agreed that the ad copy was full of "cut and paste" mistakes. No one really though this was going to be an insulated hammock.
Your's must have been made on a Monday morning as the stitching on mine is reasonably straight.
The ad copy says the material is 70D nylon which is exactly what it appears to be...taffeta nylon. No where does it state ripstop which serves little purpose in a hammock anyway.
I have found hammocks difficult to measure accurately once gathered and commercially made hammocks frequently list the size of the blank material before hemming. Taken apart, mine measures a full 120" x 56". While the width is about 2" less then I would have expected, I'm surprised the hemmed length is the full 10'.
I guess we will have to agree to disagree on this one.:)
howzithangin
03-25-2014, 07:28
I thought it would be insulated... because it said so on the walmart ad. But yeah, the BG site said nothing about insulation.
Sewing... is sewing. I honestly don't have a bias against country of origin. I just state what I see, and the one I have is not sewn straight. A square pocket not sewn straight is easy to see. And in the triple stitch, it's very easy to see.
As for ripstop, well.. i guess if you need a scrim to stop a rip, it was your fault to begin with for sitting on something sharp. But I also think it would be a nice to have.
As for size.. I like a foot to be a foot. I understand waste in a hem. But I will disagree that this is what happened here. 4'3" is not 5 foot, and there's no way there was 9 inches eaten by a 1/2" rolled seam on each side, which is easy to measure along the middle. If it was 4'10", I'd be with you, but it's not. Also, the length on mine is 9'3" The only way you could consider it 10 is if you included the ropes.
howzithangin
03-25-2014, 08:51
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEZZVRckPjY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcQ9WENGmf0
sargevining
03-25-2014, 09:51
This is a product that starts out with a big negative for a lot of people. It does not overcome that negative with anything innovative or superior to other offerings. In fact it appears to be merely a clone of other offerings that have other advantages in either weight, price, or suspension. Even the positive reviews describe a hammock that weighs 30 ounces---8 ounces of which is hardware and 11 ounces of straps---straps that stretch.
In addition to the $49 retail price, this hammock would require a bug net, new suspension, and new straps. And then it would still weigh more than, for instance, a BIAS Weight Weenie with a Buginator----and would end up costing more.
Are we really being of service to new hangers by making believe this is a good product just so we can say we're not being negative?
Yes howzithangin, "Stanley says" that when fabric is in a highly crumpled relaxed state you get shorter measurements, but thanks for showing us why your measurements are so different than mine. Growing up with an architect for a father and having 25 years in commercial construction, I'm fairly experienced at taking accurate measurements.:thumbup1:
...Are we really being of service to new hangers by making believe this is a good product just so we can say we're not being negative?
I don't think anyone has represented this product as anything but what it is...a fairly representative example of a mass produced hammock that is competitive with others of it's type with a $35 selling price.
While no one has discussed positives beyond the facts, you have been doing your best to accentuate the negatives.
pinballwizard
03-25-2014, 11:13
How does this compare to the Yukon Double, or the Eno Doublenest? I use the Yukon, and it is comfy, but I have no other Hammock to compare it to, so what do I know? I don't believe this hammock would be better. I am just curious if I am in a hammock that is way less comfortable than one that I should be in, but I don't want to drop big money there.
How does this compare to the Yukon Double...
The Yukon Outfitters Double hammock is longer and wider and probably more comfortable (but comfort is an individual thing).
sargevining
03-25-2014, 11:28
While no one has discussed positives beyond the facts, you have been doing your best to accentuate the negatives.
The negatives I've noted are the same negatives I note when looking at an ENO mosquito hammock, and the Byer Of Maine Kakoon, and the Hammock Bliss-----------
howzithangin
03-25-2014, 12:14
Yes howzithangin, "Stanley says" that when fabric is in a highly crumpled relaxed state you get shorter measurements, but thanks for showing us why your measurements are so different than mine. Growing up with an architect for a father and having 25 years in commercial construction, I'm fairly experienced at taking accurate measurements.:thumbup1:
I don't think anyone has represented this product as anything but what it is...a fairly representative example of a mass produced hammock that is competitive with others of it's type with a $35 selling price.
While no one has discussed positives beyond the facts, you have been doing your best to accentuate the negatives.
Does the fabric in the first video look 9 inches crumpled to you?
Thats the width, as a regular person would measure it, and that's pretty flat actually.
I just commented on what I observed, with my impressions of both the positive and negative.
If you do not see the positives I wrote about it... then I would question your objectivity.
Christo456
03-25-2014, 12:25
Good review. Looks like a decent setup for starter or loaner for a quick overnight.
Does the fabric in the first video look 9 inches crumpled to you?...
No, but it does look 3" crumpled which would bring it up to the same 56" width I posted. As I said, we'll just have to agree to disagree. At this point we are adding nothing useful to the thread.
How does this compare to the Yukon Double, or the Eno Doublenest? I use the Yukon, and it is comfy, but I have no other Hammock to compare it to, so what do I know? I don't believe this hammock would be better. I am just curious if I am in a hammock that is way less comfortable than one that I should be in, but I don't want to drop big money there.
I ordered one of these and i also have the Yukon Double. Once i get this one in i will take some pictures and post them here.
Inaccurate is inaccurate! If it is advertised at 10 feet by 5 feet it should be 10 feet by 5 feet; or state otherwise (before sewing, when fully stretched etc). Same thing on weight, if it is advertised @ 26 ounces but weighs in @ 30 it is inaccurate, at best, and misleading at worst! It's a cheap hammock, we get that, but being accurate costs nothing extra! It may not be intentional, but it comes off as being deceitful...
Inaccurate is inaccurate!...
Yep. Just like my 9.5' (114") GT Ultralight is actually 107". I'm not excusing this, only pointing out that it is fairly common with the large commercial hammock makers.
So I got mine in today. Overall I think it is actually pretty comfy from the lounging I am doing as I type this. I think that with a suspension change it could make a nice little budget camper. I think that it is more comfortable than my Yukon double. I am short though. 5'8" There is a faint calf ridge. Nothing a pillow won't fix.
The width was a little shorter than advertised as others have noted. I did stretch it out flat and held it down with dumbbells. It is actually a little over ten feet for me.
I am happy with it. Money well spent for me.
Width
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=82830&d=1396397796
Length
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=82829&d=1396397796
Overall
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=82831&d=1396397796
Kid Approved
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=82832&d=1396397796
Wife approved
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=82841&d=1396399803