I'm having trouble with my new Brazilian hammock. I got the hammock about 2 weeks ago. Before hanging it in my tiny room, I experimented with hanging angles outdoors - and it seemed to be really comfortable. I think that I got the anchor points indoors right. The hanging angle was around 45° as recommended, plus/minus 1 oder 2 degrees, depending on how tight the suspension was.
I started with a lot of sag. While my back was very comfortable, I had major problems with overextended knees and heel pressure. I also wasn't really happy with the position my head was forced in. So I gave it a bit more sag - but this increased the problems. Therefore I tightened the suspension gradually - up to about 35°. The knee pain got a bit better, but the heel pressure remained the same. Additionally, it became more and more difficult to go even a tiny bit diagonal. The hammock forced me to lie in the middle, which was really uncomfortable for my head, and I also got a fair bit of shoulder squeeze (and I have pretty narrow shoulders).
I don't know what the problem is; do I do something fundamentally wrong with the suspension? Or are Brazilians not made for camping hammock underquilts? I have been using my full-length Incubator underquilt, and maybe it added to the problem of not being able to lie diagonally. Or did I buy a bad hammock? When selecting the hammock, I tried to go as long and wide as possible (according to the manufacturer it's between 380 and 400cm long and 165cm wide, but I did not measure the hammock myself). Could it be the hammock itself?
I spent quite a bit of money on this hammock, and don't want to go and buy another one. Maybe Brazilian hammocks are just not for me?
I got my new Traveler hammock a couple of days ago. I set it up, and I had no problems whatsoever with knee or heel pressure. Although I'm using the same underquilt, it's easy to lie diagonally. The only disadvantage of the Traveler is the material: it tends to charge me electrically when getting in or out, and of course it doesn't feel as nice as cotton when sleeping every night in it indoors.
I would appreciate any tips to make my Brazilian more comfortable.
BTW - I have been using a knee pillow in the Brazilian hammock. I don't have to use one in my camping hammocks. It didn't eliminate the knee pain completely, and it also didn't solve the heel pressure problem.
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