Lawson Hammock: Video Review

[BackPackHiker]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef9ipRy83ac&feature=plcp

Ok so I put together my review of the Lawson hammock. Let me know what you think.

[Hawk-eye]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef9ipRy83ac&feature=plcp

Ok so I put together my review of the Lawson hammock. Let me know what you think.

Well done review. Not sure I'd be so happy with the integrated tarp ... for all the reasons you mentioned plus the loss of having a separate tarp to be under in a down pour. I hate being trapped in a tent when it comes a big rain. The aspects I love about hammock camping other than the great sleep off the ground revolve around having a tarp that I can deploy rapidily and then take my time under it to unpack (or repack as the case may be) and set up my hammock, enjoy the rain ... and not be draggin all the water in my bed with me when I get in my hammock.

Good review!

[NCPatrick]

Thanks for the review, I sent the link to a buddy of mine. It could be nice with a separate tarp, I completely agree with Hawk-eye.

[Cannibal]

Forgive me if I missed it in the video (multi-tasking at the moment), but have you actually slept in it yet, or just set it up to play with? I'm curious only because short-term comfort is one thing, but how you feel about it in the morning is another thing all together.

What about insulation? What's your plan? The large(ish) and flat hammock bed make pads a little awkward because there is so much room for the pads to slip around as the user sleeps. Most other hammocks will tend to restrict the pad somewhat due to the fabric coming up on the sides in a vertical manner. Obviously, quilts may be another thing. I was able to rig up one of my flat JRB quilts by tying to the spreader bars with the loops at the corners of the quilt. Wasn't an ideal seal, but that may just take a little adjustment that I wasn't will to spin my wheels on trying. Just questions that came to mind after watching the video.

The tarp configuration is so bad that I have never camped with the stock tarp. Glad to see you saw the same limitations; particularly sealing the tarp after entry. Still, a bad tarp is never a deal breaker for me. That's what upgrades are for.

Otherwise, nice review! I enjoyed watching you flop around proving the stability when using the tie-outs. Well done.

[Shug]

I have one....my first camping hammock. seems so heavy now compared to my current hammocks.
But....it did get me into the hammy-life. Always found that tarp cover tough to love.
Enjoy!
Shug

[BackPackHiker]

Here is my written review for those of us that are at work and can't watch the video

Lawson Blue Ridge Hammock

I received this hammock the other day and I couldn’t wait to review it. I love reviewing products that have mixed reviews from other people. When I first opened the box for the Lawson Blue Ridge Hammock I thought to myself “Man this thing is big”, but I wasn’t going to let that ruin the hammock for me and I continued on. When I picked the hammock up my next thought was “Man this thing is heavy”, again I was going to stay positive and continue my review.

I finally got out with the guys and did a short hike into the woods to test out this product and have some good old fashioned fun with my friends. I started unpacking the product and setting it up. It takes a bit longer to set up this product in comparison to other cottage company’s hammocks like the Warbonnet Blackbird, or the Jacks R Better Bear Mountain Bridge but this is not a deal breaker.

When you get this thing set up you want to jump in and try it out. It can be really unstable and a bit scary if you don’t tie out the corners of the hammock. Once the corners are tied out it couldn’t be better. You can literally jump around in the hammock without tipping. This also decreases the swaying motion in the hammock. This is both a pro and con as some people like hammocks for this motion where others get nauseous and fell sea sick with this motion. Tying out the corners is also what contributes to the longer set up time.

When inside the hammock there is so much space it is really like sleeping on an elevated cot. There is plenty of room and you can lie down in any positions like; back, stomach, fetal and so on. Inside there is also two pockets, one large enough to fit a book and the other for smaller items. In addition to that there are two o-rings that can be used to attach a storage ridge line. This can provide you with more storage areas if you build or buy other accessories.

One feature that I found to be cool for this hammock is the suspension. My first impression of the nylon rope suspension was “this is going to get wet, soak my hammock and then soak me. How can it be useful”? But after trying it out and learning that you can adjust each individual rope to find your sweet spot I quickly changed my mind on that. This is a great feature because as you probably know everyone has a different idea of what is comfortable. Keeping that in mind Lawson came up with a way for everyone to be able to adjust the hammock in a way that best suites their comfort. One downfall from this is that the tarp provided doesn’t cover the rope all of the way, this means it could possibly become saturated and soak the hammock. I wasn’t able to test this out and there is drip off points so I think it would take a rather large rain storm for the hammock to be compromised.

The aluminum alloy poles are really strong and help in creating a completely flat lay. These poles also stretch out the hammock and contribute to the large amount of space you have when in the hammock. Aluminum alloy poles are also used to support the bug net and tarp. This keeps the bug net completely off of your body from every point in the hammock.

The Tarp is one of my main issues with this product. When the tarp is up you don’t have much air flow. There are two small areas at the top and bottom of the hammock that provide air flow when the tarp is up. This would be bad during rain storms and when it is hot and muggy outside. It might be a positive in the winter but this is only a three season hammock. Another issue with the tarp is that it is not a quick set up, so if there is a chance for rain and you don’t have it up because it is hot and you need air flow you will get wet when the rain comes. It is fairly waterproof though with the tarp set up. Unfortunately I found it doesn’t cover all of the points as well as I would have liked. But don’t worry because you could always just set up another tarp over the hammock and use this hammock like any other.

The bivy tent feature of this product is a great selling feature. I tested it out in bivy mode and found that when you are in the hammock as a bivy there is not much room between you and the bug net. Another product that has this feature is the DD Hammocks and their bivy is amazing so it can be done. This made it really uncomfortable for me. The nylon material on the bottom proved to be water proof though. I soaked under the hammock for about 3 minutes before getting in and it was dry all around. I also set the hammock up with the tarp and soaked it only to find one weak point. At each corner where you tie out the hammock the seam for that tie out point leaks water in. this is a really slow leak but if you were in a down pour it would be an issue both as a bivy and hammock. This can be easily corrected with some water proof tape.

Insulation is another issue with this hammock. The only option is to have a sleeping pad. I believe this is the reason for identifying it as a three season hammock on their web site. if you have a pad and a bag you should be good for three seasons but hammocks tend to be more comfortable with an under-quilt which is not easily achievable with this hammock.

Overall I was impressed with the hammock and will most likely use it again. I will give you a quick list of my pros and cons below;

Pros
Adjustable suspension to achieve comfort
Flat lie
Wide space in hammock
Pockets
O-ring for storage ridge line
Stability
Bivy option

Cons
Tarp
Minor Waterproofing
Weight
Storage size
Bivy Comfort

This was my opinion of this hammock but please let me know what you think and we can exchange ideas. I am looking forward to my next reviews and thank you for reading.

[BackPackHiker]

Forgive me if I missed it in the video (multi-tasking at the moment), but have you actually slept in it yet, or just set it up to play with? I'm curious only because short-term comfort is one thing, but how you feel about it in the morning is another thing all together.

What about insulation? What's your plan? The large(ish) and flat hammock bed make pads a little awkward because there is so much room for the pads to slip around as the user sleeps. Most other hammocks will tend to restrict the pad somewhat due to the fabric coming up on the sides in a vertical manner. Obviously, quilts may be another thing. I was able to rig up one of my flat JRB quilts by tying to the spreader bars with the loops at the corners of the quilt. Wasn't an ideal seal, but that may just take a little adjustment that I wasn't will to spin my wheels on trying. Just questions that came to mind after watching the video.

The tarp configuration is so bad that I have never camped with the stock tarp. Glad to see you saw the same limitations; particularly sealing the tarp after entry. Still, a bad tarp is never a deal breaker for me. That's what upgrades are for.

Otherwise, nice review! I enjoyed watching you flop around proving the stability when using the tie-outs. Well done.

Hi,

so I have slept in it and I found it to be comfortable. It is really hot here in Ontario and isulation has been the last thing on my mind. I have been thinking more along the lines of air conditioning . I will do another review next month though because the only option really for this is a pad. Perhaps two pads might be interesting. But not practicle. lol.

Thanks for the feedback

[Cannibal]

I remember those Florida summers quite well. Still have nightmares about them every so often.

Given the weight, the lack of flexibility with the tarp, and the idea of carrying not one, but two pads...it seems to lend itself more to camping than hiking. Would you agree with that assessment? That being the case, I could see how this thing would have its fans. I've always thought it was one of the more interesting designs out there, but as typical, I tend to hold ripstop hammocks to the hiking standard. I should probably quit doing that.

About the insulation; I really do think a flat underquilt could be made to work on these hammocks. It really shouldn't take more than a couple of minor mods. You've inspired me to dig mine out and play with a few different quilt configurations. Sadly, I don't see making a partial length work for it. I just need to keep thinking "camping" when considering this hammock's merits.

[WV]

I have one....my first camping hammock. seems so heavy now compared to my current hammocks.
But....it did get me into the hammy-life. Always found that tarp cover tough to love.
Enjoy!
Shug

How long has this hammock been around? Is it available now? (Just curious.)

[BackPackHiker]

I remember those Florida summers quite well. Still have nightmares about them every so often.

Given the weight, the lack of flexibility with the tarp, and the idea of carrying not one, but two pads...it seems to lend itself more to camping than hiking. Would you agree with that assessment? That being the case, I could see how this thing would have its fans. I've always thought it was one of the more interesting designs out there, but as typical, I tend to hold ripstop hammocks to the hiking standard. I should probably quit doing that.

About the insulation; I really do think a flat underquilt could be made to work on these hammocks. It really shouldn't take more than a couple of minor mods. You've inspired me to dig mine out and play with a few different quilt configurations. Sadly, I don't see making a partial length work for it. I just need to keep thinking "camping" when considering this hammock's merits.

I do agree that this hammock is better suited for camping, car camping, family camping anything that doesn't involve really long hikes. I would like to see how your insulation experiment goes, keep me posted.

How long has this hammock been around? Is it available now? (Just curious.)

Yes this hammock is still available here is a link to the website

http://www.lawsonhammock.com/