Backpacker magazine will not include Clark in it's reviews

[nogods]

I purchased two Clarks, sent one back because I didn't like it but kept the other one because my son loved it. I've also been critical on this and some other forums about Clark.

But ****, you can't have a legit gear review without including them. People like my son love them. They are well constructed and welll designed for people who find them comfortable.

So I did send an email letting Backpacker Magazine know that those of us who are familiar with hammocks, even those of us who don't like the Clark hammocks, now know that their gear reviews are deficient.

[photomankc]

It's almost comical that they ignored the primary purpose of the pockets, to stow gear, and instead decided to evaluate them against the pad pockets in other hammocks that are designed only for insulation.

"Well we looked at the new car design but we felt the rear spoiler was not as good at providing lift as the wings on a Cessna therefore we eliminated it from consideration."

I'm not going to write letters because the Clark is all I owned. I looked at HH and Speer Hammocks as well but in the end I liked the features of the Clark. I have not tried them all so I can't argue about which is easier to setup or more comfortable or other criteria such as that so I can't very well tell them they are wrong. But I find it hard to believe that a system with the features of the Clark can be dismissed as "not among the top 4".

[ringtail-THFKAfood]

Backpacker magazine will write an honest review. However, for advertisers they will drop them from the group rather than give them a negative review.

I am the same way. I see no purpose in writing about the gear that does not work for me. I use is long enough to discover it does not work for me. If is is good gear, but does not suit my style I sell it on one of the Forums. If it is just garbage gear I donate it to the local scout troop.

Life is too short to use gear that does not fit your style long enough to write a competent review.

[te-wa]

careful, if Backpacker starts recognizing hammocks as a reliable and dependable alternative to ground sleeping, companies like The North Face are sure to stick their (mediocre quality at best) offerings into the ring.

Besides, writing to Bper to complain is showing those has-beens that we hammockers actually care what they think, or read their amatuerish rag.

[neo]

I don't know if many of you are aware of this but Backpacker has finally decided to test and review various hammocks...they picked 4 and Clark was not one of them...Here is what Spencer wrote us (yahoo group) about this....

-------------------------------------------------------
Hi all,

After 10 years of ignoring hammock camping as a legitimate option
for backpackers, Backpacker Magazine finally decided to publish a
review of the top four camping hammocks which will appear in the
June 2008 issue. They requested two samples of our products which
we delivered for testing ( a Tropical and North American model). We
were stunned today at Clark Outdoor Products when we learned that
the review will not include a Clark hammock. Backpacker Magazine
opted for what they consider to be the "best 4" camping hammock
brands.

Gear Editor Kristin Hostetter of Backpacker has notified us of two
complaints about our hammock which prevented it from reaching the
top four. First, the tester felt the rope was a bit more slippery
than that of other brands which "frustrated the pitching process."
The second complaint from the tester was that the Clark's pockets
did not provide as much insulation as the sleeping pad sleeve
available on other brands. We can only guess that the tester found
the storage pockets to be useless.

Backpacker's complaints are utterly absurd and indefensible,
demonstrating a lack of experience with hammock camping. We feel
that Backpacker ought to be embarrassed to publish a review ignoring
the Clark North American. Clark has always been wary of submitting
its products for review in the past because the testers are usually
far less experienced than our own customers.

If you agree with me, please contact Backpacker's Gear Editor
Kristin Hostetter (Khostetter@aol. com) and let her know why you
believe the Clark should have been included in their June 2008
review.

Meanwhile, Clark Outdoor Products will continue improving our
hammocks according to your needs, and not the concerns of
inexperienced reviewers.

Thanks,

Spencer

--------------------------------------------------------------------

I wrote Kristin right away...I am appalled at Backpacker magazine...imagine not including one of the top 2 hammocks in your review due to inexperienced testers!

i have been hammock camping 6 years now and i think the the clark is to short,to narrow,to heavy,way to pricey,to many stupid guy lines.it gave me a terrible neck ache,you could not give me one,but then again each to his or her own.the clark is built for really short people built like a tooth pick,that is my review of the clark neo

[RAW]

i have been hammock camping 6 years now and i think the the clark is to short,to narrow,to heavy,way to pricey,to many stupid guy lines.it gave me a terrible neck ache,you could not give me one,but then again each to his or her own.the clark is built for really short people built like a tooth pick,that is my review of the clark neo

That's funny--cuz I'm 5'11", 265#, with a 52" chest; I don't think anyone would call me a toothpick . . . . and I love my Clark so far.

I agree with some of the comments so far, and I may end up writing to Backpacker Magazine about this . . . . but I'm going to wait until the issue hits the shelves. I figure I should actually read the article so that I can comment intelligently.

[cavediver2]

i have been hammock camping 6 years now and i think the the clark is to short,to narrow,to heavy,way to pricey,to many stupid guy lines.it gave me a terrible neck ache,you could not give me one,but then again each to his or her own.the clark is built for really short people built like a tooth pick,that is my review of the clark neo

That's funny im 5'11" and 242 lbs and I love my clark but like you said to each there own about the guy ropes 6 lines is not to many and most other tarp systems have 6 as well unless you use a neo tarp which I do at times with my other hammock you have 4 guy lines. price some of them are getting up in price but your paying for quilty and being made in USA not china or vietnam or to the like you getting it here made here and and not just some company in the US selling them and then sending the order to off shore country to send it back to me.

as for the width and lenth of the clark They do now have a new version of the N/A it is longer and wider than the older model and will be ready to order this coming month as advertised on there web site.

But none the less Backpacker mag has did it again and just showed how company politics go.

Won't be buying there mag anymore.

cavediver2

[fin]

i have been hammock camping 6 years now and i think the the clark is to short,to narrow,to heavy,way to pricey,to many stupid guy lines.it gave me a terrible neck ache,you could not give me one,but then again each to his or her own.the clark is built for really short people built like a tooth pick,that is my review of the clark neo

Neo, you must be one of those who doesn't like a little shoulder squeeze, or feels claustrophobic in the Clark. I'm 5'9, 200, no toothpick at all, and the Clark is a dream to sleep in for me. I dislike the Hennessy entry - just couldn't get use to entering through a birth canal. But like you say, to each their own. Personally, I like my Clark for the cold or bad weather, but my DIY with the Hennessy style folds and my own whipping style (modified hangman) and the DD I bought from Redbeard are probably more comfortable long-term and definitely lighter than the Clark - Heck, I like any top loader. I can pitch my Clark is two minutes flat, and stash it away even faster (I don't use the built in stuff sack.)

Irregardless, it is inconceivable that BP wouldn't review one of the top selling manufacturers of camping hammocks, and an American made product at that. Just goes to prove that these magazines are useless tools of their own prejudices, kind of like an oil company publishing an environmental study they paid for, or 4 out of 5 dentists choosing a toothpaste. It all comes down to personal investment and experience.

[BillyBob58]

I guess I am pretty contradictory. On the one hand, I try to sell people I know and people here and on WB about the great benefits of hammocking vs. ground dwelling. At least if they show any interest in discussing the pros and cons.

OTOH, I kind of wish BP would stay away from hammocks. If it becomes highly recommended by them, the number of hammockers could double or quadruple in a couple of years. There are various reasons why that might not be a good thing for current hammockers.

Oh well, BP mag or not, you can't keep the good news from spreading. My son and his Swat team buddy joined me 2 years ago on what was their first back pack ever, and me and my buddy's first ever hammock trip. I struggled with my hammock in general and keeping warm in particular, and they thought I was pretty silly. Though I can think of at least one morning when I got up wonderfully and profoundly rested while they had spent a cold night rolling down hill onto roots and rocks- two very unhappy campers. Then the next year in Sept we went again. My buddy and me both were much more proficient hammockers and had nothing but supreme comfort, and light weight and speedy camp set up and take down. While my tent bound son and his friend were, well, tent bound and on the ground, listening to each other snore- which was less than thrilling after a few days, for all the usual reasons. There was no ridicule of the hammock guys on that trip, in fact they kept asking questions about the hammocks. As well as hanging out under the tarps during the all day rains.

Then, without any encouraging by me on that trip or since then, it all came to the usual result the other day. He informed me that he and his friend think they might want to start hanging. He wanted me to show him how it all works in the back yard. He tried my Speer, my HH UL Explorer and my just arrived Claytor No Net. After about 5 minutes in each, he said he liked the Claytor best and went home and ordered one immediately. He tells me that his friend is currently researching which hammock/tarp to buy.

Later he confessed: " Forget about the sleeping, as important as that is. What convinced us was on our rainy rest day, we are constantly trying to find a comfortable rock to sit on, or a dry place to put our thermarest ( more weight to carry!) chairs on the ground. And you guys are sitting or lounging in your hammocks, looking as though you were at home in your recliners!".

Logic finally prevails. I'm thinking as the years go by, there will be more and more hammockers. For better or worse!

[cavediver2]

I guess I am pretty contradictory. On the one hand, I try to sell people I know and people here and on WB about the great benefits of hammocking vs. ground dwelling. At least if they show any interest in discussing the pros and cons.

OTOH, I kind of wish BP would stay away from hammocks. If it becomes highly recommended by them, the number of hammockers could double or quadruple in a couple of years. There are various reasons why that might not be a good thing for current hammockers.

Oh well, BP mag or not, you can't keep the good news from spreading. My son and his Swat team buddy joined me 2 years ago on what was their first back pack ever, and me and my buddy's first ever hammock trip. I struggled with my hammock in general and keeping warm in particular, and they thought I was pretty silly. Though I can think of at least one morning when I got up wonderfully and profoundly rested while they had spent a cold night rolling down hill onto roots and rocks- two very unhappy campers. Then the next year in Sept we went again. My buddy and me both were much more proficient hammockers and had nothing but supreme comfort, and light weight and speedy camp set up and take down. While my tent bound son and his friend were, well, tent bound and on the ground, listening to each other snore- which was less than thrilling after a few days, for all the usual reasons. There was no ridicule of the hammock guys on that trip, in fact they kept asking questions about the hammocks. As well as hanging out under the tarps during the all day rains.

Then, without any encouraging by me on that trip or since then, it all came to the usual result the other day. He informed me that he and his friend think they might want to start hanging. He wanted me to show him how it all works in the back yard. He tried my Speer, my HH UL Explorer and my just arrived Claytor No Net. After about 5 minutes in each, he said he liked the Claytor best and went home and ordered one immediately. He tells me that his friend is currently researching which hammock/tarp to buy.

Later he confessed: " Forget about the sleeping, as important as that is. What convinced us was on our rainy rest day, we are constantly trying to find a comfortable rock to sit on, or a dry place to put our thermarest ( more weight to carry!) chairs on the ground. And you guys are sitting or lounging in your hammocks, looking as though you were at home in your recliners!".

Logic finally prevails. I'm thinking as the years go by, there will be more and more hammockers. For better or worse!

I could not agree with you more on what you said it's funny how everyone gravitates toward being comfy and dry. There are states already were it is not allowed in state parks I for one can not imagine what would happen to the others if the tent comunity started to take a likeing to hammocks. But on the other hand if more started buying them maybe the price of those hammocks would come down a bit.

just my .05 cents worth