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  1. #1
    New Member
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    Help! Information overload!

    Hammock newbie here, thanks for letting me join! Hubby and I have moved from car camping to backpacking as our kids get older. We still enjoy car camping, but backpacking is a whole different experience. That being said, I have one big problem with it...sleeping! I don't sleep well at home on a good night lol, but it's almost nonexistent on the ground. My solution? A hammock of course. The only issue is I have never even laid in a hammock until last week! I tried out a few different GE mass market hammocks at an REI class and have to say, they are very comfortable. Laying in one for a few minutes is obviously going to be much different than sleeping for the night, but I am optimistic. I'm really struggling with the choice between a GE and a bridge though. I am strictly a side sleeper, but I tend to flip back and forth between sides every couple of hours. I also usually pull my legs up too, maybe not full fetal but close. So I am concerned with the GE because I don't know if I can really flip over without changing the whole direction I'm laying. But I've also heard the bridges don't necessarily accommodate side sleeping with your legs tucked up. The weight difference is not so important to me. I would also probably start out using a sleeping pad, since I already own one. Warbonnet is at the top of my list, but I'm def waffling between the BBXLC and the RR. So in the end after weeks of research and reading, I am much better informed but still feel like I have no clue which direction to try! Oh, and we live in an outdoor wasteland here in northern Illinois so group hangs are few and far between. Okay, that was probably more than anybody wanted to read, but I would appreciate any advice or feedback. Thanks!

  2. #2
    Senior Member TrailSlug's Avatar
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    Sep 2015
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    Huntsville, AL
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    Welcome to Hammock Forums. My advice, if the budget allows for it, would be to purchase both the XLC and the Ridgerunner and test them thoroughly. Then sell the one you do not want to keep on this message board as they sell really fast and typically with very little loss. Sorta like a users fee in a way. I have both of these hammocks and I prefer my Ridgerunner but like you've read you really can't get in a fetal position as there's just not enough room. I still side sleep in my RR and prefer the lay, available views, and simplicity of setup and under quilt connections vs gathered ends. Congrats on getting off the ground and hiking in the woods. Let us know if you have any other questions.

  3. #3
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    You may find that you sleep differently in a hammock than you think. Some who toss and turn end up sleeping very still in a hammock in time.
    Start with a gathered end and give it some time. Some are longer than others. Gonna take you a bit to find your groove. Be patient and enjoy it. You are only a beginner once.
    Shug
    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

  4. #4
    Member swalkerv's Avatar
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    Mar 2016
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    Burlington NC
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shug View Post
    You may find that you sleep differently in a hammock than you think. Some who toss and turn end up sleeping very still in a hammock in time.
    Start with a gathered end and give it some time. Some are longer than others. Gonna take you a bit to find your groove. Be patient and enjoy it. You are only a beginner once.
    Shug
    "You are only a beginner once..." Well said... I agree with Shug. I toss and turn in a bed but lie rather still in a hammock and sleep just as well. I also started with a Blackbird XLC and I definitely recommend it. The Ridgerunner is an exotic hammock, you're best starting with the real deal IMO.


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

  5. #5
    Senior Member Country Roads's Avatar
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    Mar 2011
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    North Central West Virginia
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    when sleeping on the ground (UGGG), I toss and turn and never get comfy. In a hammock, I usually sleep most of the night in the same position that I started out the night in. I rarely back sleep, even in a hammock. I too like to side sleep and curl into a ball. Gathered end hammocks are great for that. My first hammock was a blackbird, and I still have it and use it a few times a year. You could try one of Dutch's Half-wit hammocks; they are decently priced and let you lie in both directions. I expect if you wanted to change to another hammock, you could easily sell either the Half-wit or a blackbird for nearly what you paid. I also like my DIY hammocks, since I can customize them just for me.
    I have made one of WV's People's Bridge Hammocks for side sleepers and I find it very comfy for side sleeping. It is harder to curl up in it, but I find that I don't need to in it. It is a DIY hammock, so this may not be an option...yet (the DIY bug may bite you though). Certainly glad that you have traveled into the trees.

  6. #6
    Senior Member Singingcrowsings's Avatar
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    Jul 2013
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    Hi!

    I sleep in a Mayan (a giant gathered end hammock) full time, and a Gathered End from Dream Hammock for wandering in the bush. I am a side sleeper that falls asleep on one side and wakes up on the other. At first I couldn't sleep; I was too excited! Then I calmed down and passed out for 10 hours and didn't move all night... on my back. I continued this for almost two weeks, sometimes being out for 12 hours; it was like I was catching up on a life time of a lack of sleep. And then I got used to it, still falling asleep on my back, but I got sneaky and started figuring out how to turn in my sleep and began waking up on my side. Not long after, I was back to falling asleep on one side and either waking up on my back or on the other side.

    As for bridge hammocks, some people really love them, and don't know how people can sleep in a gathered end. I have no experience with them though, so can't speak for or against them.

  7. #7
    Senior Member Hobopelican's Avatar
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    As others have said, you will likely sleep differently in a hammock. In a regular bed, I tend to roll through out the night, Side, back, side, front... it's nuts! In a hammock, I never roll at all. I actually stopped taking my glasses off at night, that's how still I sleep. Of course, everyone is different, but that is my experience. Good luck, and welcome to the forum!
    Hobo Off The Ground All Year Round: 8 7
    consecutive months since the start, 9/2015 through 11/2022

  8. #8
    New Member
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    Ah you guys are the best resource! I like the idea of using a gathered end hammock over a bridge, but in the end I just really want to sleep! I'm leaning towards buying the BBXLC and trying it out. If it doesn't work, it seems like I won't have any trouble reselling it at a minimal loss. One of the things that concerns me is the use of a sleeping of with a GE. It seems pretty straight forward in a bridge, but I don't want to set myself up for failure in a GE because of the pad. Is it doable to turn over in the night in a GE without rearranging my whole setup? Or will I just end up with a face full of fabric if I roll over? Also, we are currently car camping at Devil's Lake in Wisconsin and I was totally trying to check out anybody who had a hammock while I ran this morning! Not too creepy, right? ��

  9. #9
    Senior Member
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    Jul 2013
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    Welcome Mamaflan. Ditto to Shug's always wise suggestions of a gathered end hammock, and I would add, set it up so that your feet are definitely higher than your head and torso, once you get used to it. You may find as some others of us have, that you achieve the deepest sleep you've had in years, especially once you are older. In my case, in my year-round indoor hammock, a fat ENO Doublenest (blasphemy, I can hear some saying..), it changed my life for deep sleep sleeping without pills. And it does it every time, nighttime or midday siestas.

  10. #10
    Member -Sawg's Avatar
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    I would recommend trying a few nights in a hammock before you go all in and invest in a ton of gear. I speak from personal experience... I got the hammock bug a year ago. Watched all the videos, Bought all sorts of stuff, even made several pieces of gear. But a year later I realized that I prefer my tent and sleeping on the ground. Hey, it's what works for me; I'm not judging or saying you'll be the same. But it's worth considering.

    Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

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