The Alpine Hammock is REAL!

[voivalin]

Sometimes there is a very nice camp site with fire pit to cook, great scenery and sitting places to hang around with Your buddies and other outdoorsmen and women at the hike, but there is no good enough trees to hang directly on that site. In the old days You were forced to use one tarp over cooking/gear area and then the other one over there somewhere where there is a spot for a hang. And that meant one tarp for every hammock plus the gear tarp. Now there is need just for one tarp for the whole crew, put it to up at the hang around point over Your gear and Yourselves. And when the sleeping time finally calls You just walk to your Alpine Hammock for the night. One tarp for all and one Alpine Hammock to everyone - light and simple.

[Cannibal]

And for the Cannibal: Sweating is good point supporting DL pad use, but do You really sleep butt and backside naked in Your hammock?!

Not since my hip and groovy days of sleeping on a waterbed.

(Just the vision I got if the most important layer between You and the pad is hammock material as You said)

I wear base layers when I sleep, but they are completely enclosed by pad and top quilt, so there is no place for the moisture to go except to stay in my clothing, dampen my top quilt, and form Lake Cannibal on top of the pad. I have no idea if it is just the greater surface area of the large sheet of fabric, or if the moisture actually travels far enough via wicking to find open air, or something else entirely. Only thing I know for sure is that using the layer of fabric between me and the pad results in a much happier morning experience...for me. I first noticed this when using an SPE; I just didn't seem as damp in the morning. First time I used a double layer hammock and a pad, it was drastically better.

But again, I'm a very warm sleeper. Pads are far from an optimal solution for me from the get go due to that alone. I just thought your argument about pad usage was unique. I also did want to make the point, since we are having a discussion about a new design, that a hammock that dictates to the user how it is to be used is going to come up short in support. Since this hammock forces the user to use pads as insulation (due to the lack of coverage from above/sides), then is should be flexible in how a pad can be used so that it covers as many user preferences as possible. It's a new concept, so I'm hopeful for their long term success that they understand that perspective. Better to have that discussion here, than on the page where they are trying to market the product. I bet someone from that group is here reading and if not, they should be.

[Tuck]

I had the same thoughts about protecting other gear, cooking, etc. Glad I wasn't the only one still a pretty neat design though!

A rugged survivalist type poncho might do the trick. A simple lean-to or A-frame attached to hammock's suspension might be enough space for gear and cooking/changing area.

[Wolfman]

Cannibal Did know that Long Pork makes you sweet more! You really should cut down on that Long Pork, veggies are much better for you!

As for the product, I think the design looks good and it seems to be a good fill for a niche market, will it replace most hammocks, probably not, but I don't think that was their goal anyway.

I would like to see how the breathing panels (small openings) do in a heavy downpour, but if your out in the winter (snow) I think it would be a good design. But then what do I know, I'm still trying to figure out which hammock to buy!

Wolfman

[thenate1]

Interesting idea and I applaud any work at innovation + hammocks

But for me the omission of a structural ridgeline is a deal breaker. The way I see this thing hung, there is virtually no sag making it look super unstable (READ: easy to roll). The center of gravity appears to be way too high for my comfort and safety. For a hammock to be comfortable, one must have some sag and the hammock has to be wider so you can get a diagonal lay. It just does not look comfortable and safe vs a diagonal lay hammock with ridgeline.

Also having a ridgeline would make it more idiot proof for new hammockers. Newbies are not going to know how to get the sag in it. They are just going to get that thing "guitar sting tight" and hop in (and then promptly fall out).

All of this is IMHO of course.

Best of luck!!

[Cannibal]

As for the product, I think the design looks good and it seems to be a good fill for a niche market, will it replace most hammocks, probably not, but I don't think that was their goal anyway.

I think this is key to this discussion.

I'd rank this hammock with the likes of the Bat Hammock from Claytor; it fills a niche. That is part of what makes their fundraising difficult, I suspect. They are trying to appeal to a niche, within a niche, within a little niche (hikers-->hammockers-->bivy hammockers). That said, I've been wanting a Bat Hammock for years. No real reason as I would have zero practical uses for it, it just looks cool.

Regardless of any perceived shortcomings, it is always nice to see a new variation in the hammock world. Progress doesn't happen unless somebody goes out on a limb.

[Rolloff]

Sometimes there is a very nice camp site with fire pit to cook, great scenery and sitting places to hang around with Your buddies and other outdoorsmen and women at the hike, but there is no good enough trees to hang directly on that site. In the old days You were forced to use one tarp over cooking/gear area and then the other one over there somewhere where there is a spot for a hang. And that meant one tarp for every hammock plus the gear tarp. Now there is need just for one tarp for the whole crew, put it to up at the hang around point over Your gear and Yourselves. And when the sleeping time finally calls You just walk to your Alpine Hammock for the night. One tarp for all and one Alpine Hammock to everyone - light and simple.

I sure don't like being trapped on the ground, in weather, inside small nylon enclosures. Care for it only marginally less off the ground.

I like the looks of the design, and intent. If you are really comfortable with a biv on the ground, you'll certainly like this, I'm thinking. Where it's prohibitive for UQ usage, kit seems strong and probably superior in going to ground, compared to most other designs.

On the other hand being mostly a solo, I'm not counting on anyone to carry the large commune tarp for my equipment and comfort, so I'd bring one, and I'd bring one with very similar coverage, to what I do now. I can't even imagine not being able to make and enjoy my first cup of tea from the warmth and comfort of my little nest, while I watch the woods wake up around me, in porch mode.

As time goes on, materials and techniques evolve, the weight and bulk of tarps keep inching downward. This might very well put pressure upon current design and confine an ever shrinking niche, but only time will tell. Innovation comes at cost. Truly great innovation also often times demands risk.

This, for me, is straddling the fence somewhere between the two. Great look, solid intent and application. Certainly well thought out. I would not have gone there, inside my box.

[DSM_Stephen]

Looks pretty cool and is a fun take on an Ultralight shelter.
What is the strap system they are selling it with?

Any idea when production is opening up? Kick starter ended a year ago

[voivalin]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...k/posts/567296

Manufacturing has been started!

[wisenber]

I see no need for pad sleeve. I use all of my DL hammocks with pad and put pad directly under me, not between layers. Works very well. I use CCF pads and air pads. Only if I use both at the same time I usually put the CCF pad between layers.

I think it is a myth that DL hammock or pad sleeve is needed when pad is used. It is much easier to put pad in hammock and sleep directly over it. It is much easier to adjust pad when it is free. When the pad is between layers, it can not be adjusted when You are in hammock. And it is not easy to put the pad directly at right spot beforehand.

I would have to beg to differ on your assessment of the benefits of a pad sleeve. Prior to the advent of DL hammocks, many of us wrestled with unwieldy pads that would not stay in place when placed directly in a hammock. Since that time, most have moved on to using underquilts, but the benefits of a second layer to hold a pad stationary are tough to deny.

That being said, this newly developed product would appear to share a great deal with the new DD hammock.