BackPack Gear Test - Warbonnet Blackbird
Printable View
I ran into Ray Estrella last weekend - he mentioned that Backpack Gear Test had been provided three BB's. He looked at but didn't try my hammock.
Thanks for posting a link to your review...
I can see how a glossary would be helpful...:lol:
One question? If I understood your picture, you run the suspension strap around the tree (or post) and clip it back into the tri-rings?
If so, that is a new idea to me (no bad, just new)...typically, the biner/strap go around the tree and the biner hooks around the strap at the tree.
Example
http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery...4/img_0388.jpg
I would caution your use Vs. the rating on the biner. The forces put on the suspension of the hammock are not your weight, but MULTIPLES of your weight. The general rule of thumb here (and maybe overkill) is 1200lb capacity on anything that supports your hammock. A biner used like the above pic is not supporting your hammock. A biner used like your pic on the review is supporting the hammock. Read more here
How do you know Wah Wah wrote the review? I thought the reviewer is in Florida - Wah Wah is in Walla Walla...
I found the review interesting to read, seeing how someone who is brand-spanking new to hammock makes sense out of what she gets from the manufacturer. This ought to help him think about what information and instructions he includes in the package.
Her mis-understanding of the intended use for rings and carbiner is just one instance. A picture here would have helped the reviewer a lot. She had some issues with loosening and tightening. Small wonder!
She didn't know from the WBG site what 1.1 or 1.7 meant.
She also thought that the outer shell of the two body hammock might be silnylon. I doubt it.
Glad she likes the hammock though and that this product got some air time on that site.
Grizz
I found that very interesting too. In researching the purchase of my Clark I spent a lot of time getting to know the quirks of hammocks and I remember thinking it was a little overwhelming. Tents were not difficult to understand functionally but hammocks had angles, knots, rings, biners, buckles, drip lines, ridgelines, and sag. My learning curve was steep and still not totally done.
It's easy to forget how much you need to explain to people who are not nearly as familiar. Suspension is one area that is often glossed over quickly but when you are new it's the most confusing aspect of it or it was for me. It's also one area where clear, detailed, pictures and diagrams are worth a 1000 words.... literally.
Sounds like a favorable impression though and that's worth a lot. WBG got some great feedback in that article I think.
This suspension thing is why I really like Speer's 4 wrap knot (with Risk's slight modification) - simple and easy to understand and explain.
TH
Interesting is a word that seems to fit well, but entertaining is another. :)
I found myself reminiscing about my initial hammock experiences...and I was already lurking on HF at the time, plus had the tutelage of Hammock Engineer (now Coffee) on my side. It really is a confusing time for a lot of people trying to get over their ground training. I remember quite clearly trying to make sense out of rings and webbing over the course of the mighty ringbuckle thread.
But, she managed to get it hung and comfortable. I hope she finds her way here to HF; imagine how much happier she will be with it when she figures out the details. Ya know, like clipping the biner to the webbing instead of the rings.
I'm glad Brandon got such an overall positive review and I'm glad the reviewer has accepted hammocks as backpacking items rather than solely a 'camping' luxury. One more with her Warbonnet ON! :D
YES! I'm always reading the threads of newcomers and all the experts on here just bombard them with all the complicated things and leave them so confused! :confused: I can remember when I first got my Hennessy and watched the Hennessy website video of how to lash the ropes on the straps, over and over and over.... I'm a little slow! :( I still haven't figured out all this stuff. :unsure:
Yeah, probably a symptom of 'Hennessy Conditioning'. She probably just assumed that because the lay of the hammock is asymmetrical then the tie-outs must be too. For that matter, I think I remember Brandon saying that Tom even called it asymmetrical. Course, Brandon quickly corrected him. ;)
This is just the Initial Report. This will be followed in 2 months by a Field Report and two months after that a Long Term Report.
BGT also has 3 testers for each piece of gear. There will be 2 more testers that will file their IR in the next week or so.
--Kurt
Any way we can get in touch with them to get them straightened out?
I'm on it! ;)
Invitation sent.
I wish my scientific research got this much interest!!! I had checked out this site before, but didn't have time to check through it for exactly how to do things. Plus playing around myself has always been my way! Thanks for the feedback though guys. I will definitely use the carabiners the right way this time.
I didn't mean that the guylines were asymmetrical, I'm sorry if it came across that way. I only had the guylines like they were in the picture because I was on a wooden platform so there was nowhere for stakes. I wasn't using the netting anyway so I just tied them to each other through the bench running around the platform (they weren't long enough individually). By asymmetrical I meant the way it has a shelf and a footbox, and the way you lie in it off center, as I have only ever had the simple one-piece of material and two ropes types. I guess to you guys asymmetrical means something different?
I always meant to get a hammock for backpacking but put it off because of money, and because I felt like there was too much research involved figuring out exactly what I wanted. Guess I was proved right on the latter! I'm off to TN tomorrow for a long weekend in the woods, so if anyone has other things I should know, let me know!
Ta, Sophie (BGT reviewer)
Welcome Sophie!
Glad you decided to join us. Sounds like you've already got the basics figured-out, now it's time for the fun stuff (quilts, weathershields, tarps, and fans are back too :D). In case you haven't figured it out yet, 1.1 and 1.7 refer to the weight per square yard of the material. Happy Hanging! :shades:
Guess I forgot to put the slash when I put the material in the product information section. I thought that it was material weight, another thing to talk about in the FR though! This seems like it will be a great resource, another way to procrastinate!!!
Sophie - that didn't take too long - welcome!
Looking forward to your reports.
You all (kwpapke included) do a great job on BackPack Gear Test. Excellent resource on gear. It's like asking a hiking buddy what they think of their piece of gear.
Thanks all for their time and dedication!
Welcome Sophie, it will get additive.
Welcome to the site Sophie!
My advise is to take it a piece at a time. If only I had listened to myself when I started. I was trying new suspensions, pads, tarps, and sleeping bags, before I came here for the first time. My first couple of trips in the wild were a little rocky and probably had lots to do with me trying to dial in so many different aspects. I was really dieing to replace my tent though. I still have some issues to work out but when things go right I am rewarded with the only way I have ever slept through till morning in the woods. On the ground the best I ever did was two or three hours before something was frozen, tingling, aching, or numb and woke me up. The only way I ever slept all night was on night three from total exhaustion.
Congrats on the new purchase! I hope you get it all dialed in and enjoy it much as we do around here.
Word of warning.... this place is a money sink, there is always some new gadget someone is showing off that calls to you. My wife hates this site.
I'm sure all of us BackpackGearTest people are glad to hear that our efforts are appreciated.
Want to join us? We're always looking for more testers!
Cool a Volcanologist Hangger :cool:
We have all kinds of fun folks Here. :thumbup:
Welcome Sophie
I enjoyed your initial report. BGT is a tremendous resource, and we owe that to all the tester's time and efforts. Thanks and best of luck with your test.
I find that I get a flatter lay when there is a little sag in the ridge line, before the hammock is weighted.
I'm not alone! I must've watched those videos a couple dozen times each and I'm still not sure how to set up the underpad! :laugh: Haven't had my first hang yet, so time will tell.
Welcome Spohie and thanks for all the great reviews. I purchased my JetBoil based on your sites reviews and am thrilled with it!
Keep up the good work
Welcome Sophie! Glad to have you here. This is a great place to learn and to post about your hammocking adventures. Thanks for posting your comments on BackpackGearTest. That's one of my favorite sites. Have fun with your Blackbird. There's a big group of people here in that cult -- myself included.:laugh:
PS: Good job Cannibal. :shades:
Welcome to HF Sophie,
You will enjoy the lack of back pains after a night of sleep in a hammock. Great review. I look forward to reading more.
welcome Sophie, I am releatively new to this site also. I have quickly come to the conclusion that more knowledge can be gained here in one evening of browsing, than a year of trial & error in the field!
I too, consult BackpackGearTest before purchasing any gear. Thank you for the great service that you and others provide there!
Cannibal,
For someone who uses as much gear as you do, I don't imagine you'll have difficulty finding something that meets the use requirements. Point your browser at http://www.backpackgeartest.org/less...eTester&page=1 and start reading. The Survival Guide there is old, but almost everything in it is still correct.
Basically: read a bunch of Owner Reviews to get familiar with the format. Write an Owner Review about a piece of gear (preferably a non-complicated one) that you own and have used for a long time. Submit it; get it edited; once it's approved, upload it.
Repeat that process at least once more with a different piece of gear.
Once you've had two Owner Reviews approved, you become eligible to apply for gear. Lots of fun. Basically: apply for gear; if you're chosen, they ship it to you. Write one report immediately; test for two months; write another report; test for two more months; write a final report.
Your payment is that you get to keep the gear. Hurrah!
It's a lot of fun. There are a bunch of us BGT people here, so if you have questions, feel free to ask.
ADKPiper/Hollis
Cool! Thanks adkpiper.
Thanks for the welcomes everyone, this really does seem like a great site. I don't know why people are thanking me for testing gear - it is soooo much fun!!! I am thoroughly addicted to the BGT site, looks like this one might make the list soon too. Anyone who's thinking of testing with BGT go for it, I only joined a year ago and now I am testing a BB!
Spent 3 days in my hammock over the weekend. Everyone else was talking about looking forward to their bed, and I was trying to figure out where I could hang my hammock in my apartment :lol:
The bait is just to tempting. :thumbup:
Second BPG tester on the BB Hammock
Good job Hollis!
Thanks, Wah Wah! I didn't want to "out" myself as a tester before posting the report. You'll recognize the third tester, too.
What a great job you did in the report! Very clear and informative. Brandon could use some pics like the ones in your report on his website. Maybe he could trade a hammock setup for some HF member to hook him up with some updated web design. Just an idea.
Adam
yes, i know, the website needs to be updated. i'm very busy but i'm working on it though, hopefully an up to date version will be online soon
Third BB tester
(I guessed it would be Kurt)! :rolleyes:
nice job Kurt...
see ya next week! (northern Wi...land of the BB!)
Just to let you know, I uploaded the next bit of my test report of the blackbird hammock here http://tiny.cc/KRZXo Feel free to suggest any improvements in what I'm doing, the help last time made all the difference! The others should be posting theirs within the next week or 2 too.
Sophie
Sophie;
Nice report. Sounds like you're getting the hang (no pun intended) of your BB. :jj:
With each hang, you'll gain more knowledge, and the ins and outs of sleeping restfully in the woods. I know I have. Now, when funds permit....a nice silnylon tarp for ya!!
It was interesting to see you going to the ground on the beach. Personally, I'll sleep standing up before I'll go to the ground again:eek:
Sophie, thanks for you report. Glad you are enjoying the hammock thing.
I did notice your knot in the photo, and while it is working for you, it is not quite right. Loop the loose end of webbing around the tensioned portion and then tie your slippery half-hitch. Check this video for a good example.http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/v...ls&videoid=115 Around the 6:00 minute area.
Thanks again for your report. Sell your bivy and get a nice tarp.:D
There are also a few options for indoor hanging, check Ramlinrev's video on the stand he built.