official Ridgerunner intro thread

[Law Dawg (ret)]

Great reviews folks, keep em' coming! (and more pics please!)

Like maybe could anyone with a Hammock Gear Incubator post up the results of how it works with the RR? While I am asking maybe show with pics and include a shot of how the double layer works putting in a pad? The bride of my youth likes what she has seen of this one.

Also Brandon; have you tested this hammock to failure? If not your best ball park figure please? Just hypothetically wondering at what weight it can be expected to bust should it, say umm...get accidentally overloaded you know. Like should a big ol' German Shepherd jump in and add weight etc.

[Mustardman]

I have held off on any quilt testing with the Ridgerunner, because it's honestly difficult to tell how a quilt is behaving without it being cold enough to feel the chill.

I did, however, test removal of the small 4" spacer in the middle of the head-end spreader bar, and it really does make a HUGE increase in the stability of the hammock, with just a little increase in shoulder squeeze. It also seems to make side sleeping a bit more comfortable, as well.

I am really starting to think the combination of a good insulated pad + removal of the extension bar could be a real sweet spot in the use of this hammock.

[Callahan]

Like maybe could anyone with a Hammock Gear Incubator post up the results of how it works with the RR? While I am asking maybe show with pics and include a shot of how the double layer works putting in a pad? The bride of my youth likes what she has seen of this one.

Also Brandon; have you tested this hammock to failure? If not your best ball park figure please? Just hypothetically wondering at what weight it can be expected to bust should it, say umm...get accidentally overloaded you know. Like should a big ol' German Shepherd jump in and add weight etc.

+1! Or a 3/4, if anyone has time to give it a try. Thinking a pad and and a 3/4 quilt could get a fellow by for most of the weather I tend to camp in, but that full length lynx just looks so slick...

[cfi on the fly]

Just woke up from a 30 minute nap in the RR...on my stomach. Color me im-freeking-pressed! Received by DL RR this morning and went straight outside. I meant to order the adjustable webbing suspension, but must have accidentally ordered the line/strap suspension. No matter! A quick review of the slipped bunt line knot on the WB setup video and good to go. In fact I think I might have just converted back from whoopies...

As a guy who has built several bridge hammocks in search of the perfect lay, I am unplugging the thread injector and shutting down the manufacturing line. I am very happy with the RR head end spread. Wide enough to comfortably cradle the shoulders without squeeze (size 46L suit jacket for reference). The 1.1oz/syd fabric gives just enough stretch. Added in a partially inflated Exped DAM9 between layers. Imagine a down pillow-top matress cover. Yup...Heaven!

Back, side, partial knee/hip flex, stomach. All very comfortable with and without a pad. Would say the RR is more comfortable for sleeping on my stomach than my sleep-number bed--as evident by the 30 minute nap and resultant drool puddle (guess I just ruled out the possibility of returning this one!). Slightest bit of lumbar hyperextension, but not uncomfortable and definitely less than my DIYs. I could go fetal, but like others noted, the knees ride up over the side suspension. I don't usually sleep this way unless I am having a lot of lumbar stiffness anyway.

The netting configuration is very good. I attached the shock cord to the suspension line rather than all the way to the trees; it still is high up and roomy. When I sit up my head is touching the net, but not putting much tension on it. Net stows away very nicely. Like that feature. Two hammocks for the price of one with little weight penalty. Very good side to side visual fields due to the narrow waist and only single seam along the centerline of the net.

The saddlebag are genius. Not just as a stowage area, but also they prevent much of the netting stress you'd otherwise see when loading the hammock as much of the side netting is attached to the saddlebags rather than the suspension arc. Definitely worth a patent in my non-lawyered mind. Excellently conceived.

Brandon, KUDOS! I had been thinking that there are mods I might make, but I now that I have the RR in hand, really see no need. Perhaps I will change out the spreaders for CF tubing as I have one uncut 6' length from prior experiments. It will save ~5oz on the bars. I could perhaps save another ounce or two changing out the suspension, cutting down the straps, removing the metal connectors...but why? This entire package works very well and looks great.

Given that this is a "commercial product" and not my clumsy DIY, I look at the stitching/suspension/netting with a more critical eye. Very nicely done! Nary a flaw to be seen.


Looking forward to some more comfortable sleeps.
Thank You Brandon!

FWIW, although bridge hammocks have been a fringe segment of our HF population, I think this one (and it's future iterations) will be the bridge for the masses.

I value you this review because I know that you have alot of experience with the bridge type hammocks. Ive been very pleased with my BMBH, but I think I will go ahead and give this a shot to compare.

Thanks.

[warbonnetguy]

Like maybe could anyone with a Hammock Gear Incubator post up the results of how it works with the RR? While I am asking maybe show with pics and include a shot of how the double layer works putting in a pad? The bride of my youth likes what she has seen of this one.

Also Brandon; have you tested this hammock to failure? If not your best ball park figure please? Just hypothetically wondering at what weight it can be expected to bust should it, say umm...get accidentally overloaded you know. Like should a big ol' German Shepherd jump in and add weight etc.

not 100% sure, i have done some "to-failure" testing. for instance with a single layer 1.1 blackbird i was able to "explode" the fabric with about 1200 lbs, i used 80LB bags of quickcrete to make the load, and i tried this with the ridgerunner to stack all the bags straight on top of eachother to simulate all weight being in the spot where you sit to enter (as opposed to spreading the weight out along the length of the whole thing) but was only able to get around 600# worth of them stacked up before it would tip over.

all those tests were on brand new fabric on the first use and in no way would the hammock be able to handle loads anywhere near that on a reg. basis or should anyone ever try to push beyond the weight limits. the poles will fail at some point too, although i can't say how much weight. i did intentionally pull on the head spreader while i was inside and it bent way way way more than i though it would before breaking.

[Just Jeff]

...with a single layer 1.1 blackbird i was able to "explode" the fabric with about 1200 lbs...

So what you're saying is that since I got a double layer, I can drink a few more beers before I have anything to worry about. Good.

[warbonnetguy]

So what you're saying is that since I got a double layer, I can drink a few more beers before I have anything to worry about. Good.

should be good for another sixer

keep in mind the doble layer has a differential cut outer layer so the weight is more on the inner layer than the outer layer, not split evenly between the 2, this is to allow space for a pad...so you can't feel it once it's in there, at least not so much

[Mustardman]

not 100% sure, i have done some "to-failure" testing. for instance with a single layer 1.1 blackbird i was able to "explode" the fabric with about 1200 lbs, i used 80LB bags of quickcrete to make the load, and i tried this with the ridgerunner to stack all the bags straight on top of eachother to simulate all weight being in the spot where you sit to enter (as opposed to spreading the weight out along the length of the whole thing) but was only able to get around 600# worth of them stacked up before it would tip over.

I really, really, REALLY wish there was video of this

[cfi on the fly]

should be good for another sixer

keep in mind the doble layer has a differential cut outer layer so the weight is more on the inner layer than the outer layer, not split evenly between the 2, this is to allow space for a pad...so you can't feel it once it's in there, at least not so much

Whats the optimal size pad to use with the double layer? I like the idea of not being able to feel the pad as much.

[Sweeper]

Just got the RR this afternoon, finally got off of the treadmill of conference calls and was able to run out to the hammock hang lab (screen porch).

My first thoughts after hanging in this hammock were "Wow, Brandon's done it again".

As you can see, I don't have the ideal set up to hang from and am hanging somewhat steeper than 25 degrees.



At that, this thing is still way more comfortable than the BMBH even without the pad (sorry, Jacks, my shoulders are just really wide - I still love you all too!)



You can kind of see the brilliant idea of the saddlebags in play here as I have my AHE pillow stashed in one side. The same pillow is also in place in the first picture.

I only hung for about 10 minutes or so today (so far ) and have plans to get this out and string up on my new TurtleDog stand once the rains stop from the little storm over in the Gulf .

Bottom line, this is a sweet hammock so far. One *tiny* nit that I saw immediately is that the lack of an internal ridgeline doesn't give you a place to hang a reading light. A bit of grosgrain sewed into the bugnet might take care of that.

More to come,

Sweeper