CAUTION - STRONG OPINION FOLLOWS!!!
I haven't had a chance to get out in the woods with my new Warbonnet Blackbird yet, but I have had it hanging in my basement for the past week to test the hang, fit quilts, check the quality of the stitching, look for potential mods, and generally get it ready for some good winter camping without fighting the snow/sleet/rain/wind we've had every day the past week.
I had Brandon do a custom Blackbird out of my own special fabric, so I can't really comment on how a non-custom Blackbird lays. He did a double layer for me out of untreated digital camo ripstop and this special gray Sportswear Nylon that I found at JoAnne's during one of their sales. This stuff is the cat's meow, everything about it is awesome! It has a nice soft hand for sewing, it's silky smooth and a complimentary gray to the digital ripstop, and I have to report that the Blackbird he made for me is the most comfortable hammock I have ever been in, period!! I sent the UPC from the bolt to Brandon, as he liked the fabric as well. And I still have 7 yards of this same fabric in Coyote Brown!
The footbox idea for the Blackbird was genius. It really accomodates a diagonal lay nicely, but does make fitting a full length UQ a little tricky. The quality of all the materials in the Blackbird were top-knotch, right down to the zipper. I would like a larger pull tab on the zipper, but that's easily remedied on my own. The stitching is incredible. The bugnet, when the wings are stretched, is a thing of beauty. And I don't know what I ever did without an internal ridgeline - they are now a must on all my hammocks.
It did take a couple of tries to get the hang just right, and playing around with quilts, pads and such to get the right feel. I thought I would try pads again in this hammock to see if I would get a different result from my other hammocks (sweaty back,) but like others have reported, a pad gets lost in the cavernous pocket. Quilts for me.
Working with Brandon on this custom project was great, and he did an excellent job. I will follow up with pictures once I move the hammock out of my basement, but it is so comfortable that every time I lay in it, I fall asleep within 5 minutes, and with the weather being so cruddy up here, it's nice to have a hammock hanging indoors again. First cold weather test will be this weekend, but I can't go far (recuperating dog had 2nd surgery.) I hope to either hit the Kettle Moraine forest for at least one night, or last resort the backyard in the expected snow showers on Friday and Saturday nights.
This was my best purchase to date of any hammock related equipment, and has now surpassed my beloved Clark NA and my JRB BMB as my most comfortable hammock. I feel that outdoor tests this weekend will confirm my suspicions that those of you who do not own a Blackbird are missing out, and should jump on while you can! I cannot believe that the best hammock I own was made by a cottage maker from this site - blows every commercial hammock I have ever been in out of the water.
p.s. I sold my last DD hammock to fund this purchase, and I don't regret it at all. The Blackbird blows the DD out of the water, IMO, and I can't say enough good things about the Blackbird and it's genious creator, Brandon. Thank you, Brandon.
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