Note at trailspace of Eureka introducing their camping hammock the Chrysalis sometime spring '09. A bridge style hammock.
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Note at trailspace of Eureka introducing their camping hammock the Chrysalis sometime spring '09. A bridge style hammock.
Pretty heavy. Interesting though. http://www.trailspace.com/blog/2008/...chrysalis.html
Yep, interesting, but besides the weight I'm afraid it may be a little claustrophobic in there... hot & humid too when it's warm, & likely to have condensation problems.
But that's just my 1st impression/guessing.
It would probably be good to let Eureka know that the hammock community is glad to see them getting involved in hammocks & invite them to drop by Hammock Forums. They could glean from the experience of regular hammockers here if they would join in.
Looks like a canoe! Still, it's a hammock and that means I'll need one; besides I've got a few short friends. :D
Very cool looking hammock but I agree that it's way to heavy. Hammocking must really be catching on if a major manufacturer like Eureka is making one. It looks like it's using some sort of cinch buckle/webbing setup.
The number of hammocks on the AT really suprised me! HHs are BY FAR the majority, but still it seemed that for every 20 hikers one was sleeping better than the other 19. A little birdy told me that Coleman was in the process of bringing a hammock to the market. Like most rumors, it can't be trusted till seen, but how cool is that?
You woudn't catch me dead in that thing....wait...that is the only way I'd be in there! Looks like a coffin on ropes to me. :-(
I, for one, will be interested in what kind of "tent" things carry over from Eureka, like gear lofts, etc.; and what kind of things they've come up with from either the forums or on their own. I wonder if someone is helping their design team that knows something about camping hammocks? I wonder what the zipper is for in the middle of the hammock? I don't think you'd be cooking under that tarp in a downpour! :eek:
Yeah I am gonna be nice and start by saying "Hey nice try fellas, looks good." But I went to a hammock as a way to get off the ground and still keep my setup light. If I went with theirs it seems that I could have just went and added a cot to a tarp setup and had the same result. 5 Lbs. is way to much of a load to carry. Car camping still isn't an option for its use because I can bring the kitchen sink with me and my other luxuries. Not sure they have it dialed just yet but I am sure with their kinda monies and R&D they should be able to crank out a descent version in the future.
Here is a little more from a Eureka! Press Release.
Designed for the core backcountry enthusiast, the Eureka! Chrysalis has a patented design combining the comfort of a hammock with the functionality of a solo tent. It enables the consumer to lie in a horizontal position once the tent is assembled securely between two trees, or other stable structures. The overfly provides full weather protection and can be left attached to the lower hammock for take down or set up. Side entry wall flaps make getting in and out easy, and once inside, it has ample room with a gear loft near the head and feet. The Chrysalis is engineered for backcountry use because of its small pack size (only 6” x 21”), and it weighs 4 lbs., 15 oz. MSRP: $199.99. :unsure:
"the Eureka! Chrysalis has a patented design"
I wonder what sort of remarkable claims Eureka! are making in their patent(s) and whether they will get into a contest with JRB or did JRB license the design to Eureka?
i just searched the most recently published applications and the eureka design is not there.
They said it was patented.... did they say they owned the patent?
maybe they patented making it heavy.
maybe they are citing a presious patent... a little bizarre but hey... it might be worth selliing points
yeah, i wonder if anyone could cite a bridge hammock as a patented design? since it would be based on the expired bridge patent.
I thought for a while about making a cover like this hammock has, rather than using a tarp. My idea was much like this one but I decided not to make it. Two major drawbacks that I see - dealing with the condensation, and not having a place to cook or do chores out of the rain like you can in a one person tent. Easy enough under a hammock tarp...but not in a cover like this.
In the end, it would have weighed as much or more as a tarp. The minor gain in convenience of not having to set up a tarp is quickly outweighed by the disadvantages.
Add to that being able to set up the tarp w/o hammock...for lunch or rest stops...and it's just not worth it IMO.
looks to me like they photoshoped out either 4 or 6 stakes. so i doubt it's even that much faster to set up than a tarp, and with no protected ground space at all.
I found this on Eureka's site:http:///www.eurekaeurope.com/en/news.php#28
Interesting. They guarantee a good night's sleep on the belly too<G>.
I was taking a closer look at that photo & I would like to see one in person.
It looks closer in concept to the spreader bar that I use above my head than a bridge hammock maybe. What do y'all think?
And it looks like they may have used an approach that I've thought about & even tried briefly to describe here. That is in the whipping process, an extra amount of fabric is allowed to hang loose in the center so that a lower place is there in the hammock bed that lets the head & feet hang lower & there fore, flatter.
That same extra fabric also looks like it makes room for storage above the head & below the feet.
I'd like to see one. Who's buying!!!:D
Looks exactly like a Bridge to me.
Looks like they have that extra material at the head and foot end for the panels like Mule's?, or was it RamblinRev's?, for dumping/storing stuff. Then it looks like they continued the material up the suspension triangle to close-off the ends.
Side entry wall flaps make getting in and out easy,
Is what struck me - I was thinking of this after seeing the dual mode bridge - an opnening that zips shut on the side - would have to be fairly long to get opening wide enough to get through and high on the side so as not to rip from stress.
Depends on where you have the zipper.
For a Bridge Hammock (which I'm pretty sure is what the Chrysalis is from looking at the picture) you don't really need a side zipper for entry since the middle of the hammock is so low.
Putting side zippers in an over cover, which the Chrysalis has, can be done with no structural problems since you're not going to be sitting on the over cover - hopefully - some people have ended up laying in the Hennessy bug netting :cool:.
Perhaps a rain fly similar to this could be made that draped over the hammock and just allowed to hang down almost to the ground but with enough room between the cover and the ground to breath easily. It would look sort of like a table cloth. When the wind blew it would simply go with it on the bottom but would be secured to the spreader bars for topside stability. Would not be airy like a tarp though. Could be made of Event fabric. Mule
I see cabela's has the Eureka Chrysalis now
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...equestid=67370
Has anyone seen one in person yet?
cc
Judging by the picture it looks like with some new suspension and maybe some lighter spreader bars you could shave a bit of weight off.....from the picture it looks like it has a tow strap teeth buckle for the adjustments which is mucho heavy. One thing I don't like is that it has not tarp overhang so your UQ would be exposed unless you use a UC further pushing the weight up.
This was discussed somewhere else on the forums before when Eureka first announced it's development. I can't remember when but it was within the last year.
Well.... sheesh who keeps track of the old posts....
I've been suckered in before too, don't feel bad. :confused::D
Well now you've given the plan away.:p:D
DANG! :lol::lol::lol:
After researching some more on this I am convinced that at least a pound of weight can be shaved off this thing. First off all it uses 19mm steel bars for the spreaders. These can probably be replaced with carbon fiber or at least aluminum I'd imagine shaving off a decent amount of weight. Also the suspension system seems to be using teeth buckles like the ones shown on these tow straps
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/pho...0099/40063.gif
These things alone have to weigh at least half a pound together if they are aluminum and even more if they are steel like the spreaders. These should be easily retrofitted with descender rings to shave off even more weight. All in all I'm thinking you could get this down to 4 lbs or less putting it closer in line with most hammock tarp combos.
Still there is the problem of how to use a UQ on this thing. For one it's such a weird dimension on the bottom that I'm not sure if any current UQs would even fit on it. Also you would need some kinda of a UC that can prevent rain from dripping down the fly and under the UC into your insulation. Somebody hurry up and buy one of these so we can find out how in the hell this thing would work :D
[QUOTE= Somebody hurry up and buy one of these so we can find out how in the hell this thing would work :D[/QUOTE]
sorry, already made one of my own, besides i'm refered to as the
coleman poster child by my buddies.:lol:swithing to eureka would give me a bad rep:eek:
Yes I've used one. :) Well, one of the prototypes anyway.
I used to work with the designer, a man called Dave Helsdon from Ontario.
I've told him to come here. Hopefully he will soon. I think he can answer your questions better than I can.
It really is quite a beautiful and elegant design. It is different than several other designs on the market. And I guess like all others it has its pros and cons.
It is on the heavy side compared to some others, and I agree that a descender ring attachment system would likely be a good way to shave off some weight.
But it's very roomy inside. You can sit up inside it. (And I'm a very lanky guy.) There is room inside it for stuff. There was room at the foot end for me to wedge my Danner Acadia boots, and I could put a three day pack behind my head. I could put my clothes, under the hammock inside the outer covering. Getting in and out is a cinch, either side being accessible. And the covering can be removed and it can be used like a regular hammock. It's very stable. And it is very comfortable. More so than my Hennessey I dare say.
It's definitely worth checking out.
headchange4u-
Glad to see you making a polite invitation to "trouthunter" to come join the forum in the reviews. I was already typing a reply to that when I read yours.
Exploriment-
Did you have the same problem as the guy that did the write-up with your feet and head under the spreader bars? That would seem a bit of an odd thing to me I think.
I recently got to try one of these at the Toronto sports man show. Now I have actually camped on a hammock be for but i have been looking for one for a while.
I am 6'2" and still had room. The extra storage at the head and foot are great. I found it roomy, even enough room for my 6 year old son to come in with me. Where would even be enough room for the two of us to sleep. It was very stable. i was hanging half way out and still had to try to fall out.
There are vent on the canopy that would help with venting and condensation and you can lie on your side and be very comfortable.
There are no guy lines just the two straps that go to the trees and the two poles in side. Everything is attached from what I could see and setup looked like it we as simple as strap it to the trees, connect the interior posts and tighten.
I do agree with the weigh issue, it is too heavy. I wanted to go with a hammock to be lighter. I have an old 3 man apex eureka tent and it weighs 5lbs.
Of course this was the only hammock mentioned in Backpacker magazine for 2009 gear guide.
EXP: Is this a double layered hammock, Clark pockets? ? How did you put clothes "under the hammock inside the outer layer?"
BRIDGE FANS: Is it easier to winter insulate with bridge vs. compression hammocks? It appears to me that since there is much less stress on foot and shoulder areas that these vital spots might allow "inside" insulation with less bedding compression. If this is so 1/2 or 3/4 under quilts might be all you need. I imagine that you don't get as much "shoulder wrap" too.
Can you set bridge hammocks closer to the ground? Wind convection seems more the problem with initial heat loss in hammocks than radiation, and this would allow more protected pitches.
Sure wish the designer would join in. Seems like Chrysalis prices are dropping fast, so I wonder if some of the limitations are insurmountable. It is great to see innovation though, especially with the "bivvey approach." High pitched tarps are always going to be a windage problem.
Sorry for the delay in responding.
The model I used was one of the prototypes, and I like it a lot more than the production model. (I have some photos of the production model, set up in my friends back yard. I'll try to put them up some time soon. But seeing as I took 1900 pictures in Kejimkujik that I'm trying to process right now, it might be a while. :rolleyes:)
The prototype had a mesh hammock inside, that was them covered by the "tent/tarp." The bottom part of that covering left a space between the underside of the hammock and the material of the covering. The time that I used it (a three day canoe trip in Algonquin, 7 years ago), I found it a handy spot to put my rain jacket. If it started to rain, I could reach underneath myself to grab it when getting out.
"Sure wish the designer would join in."
You and me both.
I guess Dave Helsdon, the designer, doesn’t have the time or can’t be bothered to join the discussion. Pity.
Anyway, I promised to put up some pictures and some observations about it.
http://exploriment.blogspot.com/2009...chrysalis.html
A bridge hammock. First I had realized this was a bridge. Says in the news paper article that it is patented too.
Yeah, there is a link to the patent in my writeup. Or just google “Helsdon” and “Hammock” and a variety of patent sites will come up. Don’t know if any of them have the images that would have been part of the patent submission.
I am considering purchasing one of these hammocks. I live in Ontario and from what I can tell it is easier for me to go with one of these than a Jacks R Better. Can anyone comment here who lives in Ontario?
I feel this hammock could work for me because I am a side/stomach sleeper. I also camp with my doggie who I believe could fit inside with me.
I have read that there is a mesh canopy that can replace the nylon tarp...however I have not seen any pictures of this...does anyone have pictures or a link to pictures? This is a must for me...I need the hammock to be able to convert to ALL mesh for summer camping.
As for weight...true 8 lbs is VERY heavy but since I am a canoe tripper I believe the weight would be worth it as long as my dog can fit inside with me.
Can anyone comment about the mesh canopy attachment, as well as any experience fitting a dog inside?
I so want to become a hammock sleeper but my pup needs to sleep nearly ontop of me while I'm camping...lol.
Regards,
bunk
Well I found a picture with the mesh canopy...looks really good.
As far as a dog inside goes I suppose it isn't rocket science...lol...it is likely doable but space will be tight.
how bout a link to that pic??