Printable View
My wife and I have each ordered 1.1 DL Blackbirds and are expecting their arrival in the next couple of weeks. Are there any tricks or tweaks that I should be aware of when they arrive so as to maximize our experience in them as soon as possible? She is expecting an incubator UQ in the mail and I am not sure which one she ordered me, it's for my birthday... I am really looking forward to using these for backpacking up in the White Mountains of NH. Thanks for any tips:)
Welcome from Florida and New Hamshire!
I live in Florida but have a future retirement place in the Whites.
I also have a Blackbird. My advice would be ...
1. Keep the foot end hung about 6" higher then the head end
2. Don't pull the ridgeline guitar string tight - a bit a slack is best.
3. Be sure the under quilt suspension line goes OVER the footbox.
That's about all that I can think of, oh! Except this one
4. Enjoy your hammocks!!!! :)
Test hang at home first of course. Got mine on the way to the site. First hang was ok but every time since has been great. Also be sure to get the shelf staked out good. Spent that first night with my phone hitting me due to hanging too loose.
The only 2 troubles I've had or heard of are; The under quilt (UQ) tends to slip off of the right shoulder. This can be remedied with a large button, mitten clip or a Dutch Hook, sewn onto the seem where it meets the corner of the UQ. Secondly, some people tend to get a calf ridge when the hammock is strung to tightly. Don't be afraid to leave the the ridge-line a bit floppy, if you have to, to find the sweet-spot. You can take the slack out with a piece of shock-cord prusiked to the ridge-line or by shorting the ridge-line by taking the hammock apart at the ends.
My only suggestion is that when going to get into the WBBB for the first time. Make sure that the material of the hammock is underneath you and it's not just the Incubator. Ive made that mistake before and I went boom.
And in the dl bb make sure you get both layers. Sleeping in between them feels kinda funny.Quote:
Originally Posted by lazy river road
Do the test hang first.
I found the same issues as Beast 71. I had calf pressure from too taut a hang (got to check that ridgeline as Brandon shows in his set up video - make it as loose or looser).
I had my UQ slip off my shoulder several times. I made a couple of grossgrain loops on the sides. Get a mini biner or dutchhook to hold the Incubator's side loops to the ones that you sew onto the WBBBs.
Another mod was to get a couple of glow-in-the-dark zipper pulls.
I'll never forget my first night in my Blackbird because I was soooo keyed up that I couldn't sleep most of the night. So, my suggestion is to clip a little night light on the ridgeline and bring a good book with you to bed for your first night. I absolutely love my BB and actually prefer it over my dreamy memory foam bed at home.
Oh, also...I got bit by mosquitos from underneath the hammock my first night as well. Since then, I occasionally treat my hammock with permitherin and now I never have a problem.
Enjoy!!
Which Blackbird do you have?
I have the 1.7 BB Double. I backpack in the Ozarks and we have mosquitos the size of horses here. They'll bite through anything, but I occasionally treat my hammock with permitherin and also sometimes hang a bug bam bracelet from my ridgeline and I never have a problem.
By the way, if you're like me and really dislike spraying slimy oily bug sprays on your skin, then I highly recommend the bug bam bracelets. They smell like citronella and work great. I buy them at our local boy scout office, but you can get them online. I’ve tried others from retail stores and have had bad experiences where they smell like oil or fuel and discolor my skin. No such issues with bug bam. Wear it on your wrist, and when you turn in for the night just hang it on your ridgeline above your hammock and no more worries.
Thanks for the feedback! I can't wait to set them up and start enjoying them. My wife and I relocated to New England 4 years ago from Sarasota, Fl so it's cool seeing some other members from down that way.
I'm mostly concerned about deer flies biting through. I suppose the CF pad will cure that but I am not sure if I can take using it in late spring.
I just received my WBBB 1.1 not too long ago and have yet to take it on a backpacking trip (been too busy with college stuff, soon a trip will happen). I have spent plenty of time lounging in the yard though, tweaking it and messing around with my first and new UQ. One thing I may suggest:
Make sure, if you chose the adjustable webbing suspension, to make the triangle point in the rings face towards the sky. This makes it much easier to adjust the webbing.
I made the mistake of not reading the instructions and I originally had a lot of trouble adjusting the webbing because the rings would bite really well. Well I finally read the instructions just to see what they had to say and walla, Brandon recommends facing the triangle part of the rings to the sky. When I did this the adjustments were very easy.
If this doesn't make sense now, it will when you get the hammock.
Thought I might save ya the trouble.
Also, as someone had mentioned before, definitely make sure your underquilt suspension goes over the footbox. It makes a world of a difference, that is to say the UQ is then effective :)
The hammocks arrived afew days ago and we are just waiting for the opportunity to
use them. I ended up getting a 3/4 30 degree underquilt which I think will suffice. We are taking a trip up to Acadia National Park in Maine next month and we will try it out then. We will bring a tent as backup but would like to hang during that trip with our new gear.
Acadia will make a beautiful maiden voyage fori your Blackbirds!
make sure you take a pad or a car/truck windshield just in case your legs get cold.
Make sure also that you set up at home and work out the kinks when you're fresh- nothing will make you dip out to the tent so much as a simple problem with the learning curve when you're tired.
TH
Awesome, I just moved from that area back to Jersey. I sure will miss that place.
Anyways, its getting beautiful and things are in bloom up there...by the time you get there the place will be hopping! Have fun!