Recently purchased a JRB Bridge to test for my upcoming thru-hike of the Long Trail. Comfort is spectacular, construction was fantastic and the pad pocket seemed like a good way to shave a few ounces during the mid-summer trip.
I had one problem though and it was the bug netting attached around the perimeter with Omni Tape. To get into the hammock you need to undo quite a bit of it. The problem was in reattaching it once inside. If you are unlucky enough to have the foot section come undone it is almost comical the gyrations the hammock goes thru as you bend forward attempting to get this secured. Then you try to lay down slowly reattaching it all along the edge. Let me just say that for me it was enough to make me think about trying another brand until I had an idea.....
Let's permanently stitch the foot and one side and then use zipper on the other side and leave Omni Tape at the head as it would just attach itself once the zipper was closed. A couple emails explaining my desires to 2QZQ and they convinced me to go with zipper at the head as well. Hammock arrived a few days ago and today I took all the webbing off and went to Whoopie Slings and Amsteel for the spreader bar lines. Knocked about a half a pound off.
Off into the backyard I went with my zipper modded, lighter Bridge for it's first official hang and WOW what a difference it has made!!!! Whoopie slings make setup a breeze. Unzip hammock along head and long side and it still works great as a camp chair, netting gets right out of the way for comfortable sitting. The real joy is once you get in you just lay down holding the zipper and you are done. So easy I could see doing this with a bit of Scotch in my system whereas before I would have just let the bugs eat me! Zip, zip. All secure in Sector ??!!!
There are reasons that are quite valid for the way JRB attaches the bug net. For those who don't live in an area with year round bugs the netting can be left at home saving four ounces or so. Winter camping just about everywhere in the US is a good time for no netting. A valid argument for sure but here in Vermont we have bugs from the time the snow melts till it flies again. I am not a hammock camper in winter (yet!) so for me having the bug net stay on all the time is fine. JRB is a great company and make a great product. I just modified mine to match my style of hanging a bit better.
Thanks to 2QZQ for their excellent customer service and their impeccable craftsmanship. I highly recommend this mod and their service!!! And thank you to JRB for thinking out of the box and building a truly unique hammock that gets a lot of attention!
Cheers,
Bleemus
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