Well the story all starts back at the end of November when I saw the first 3 M50 hammocks being developed by a few members here and wanting one for myself. I have sewn a few other hammocks myself and they have turned out just fine and I loved them. The problem was that I didn't feel comfortable working with the M50 fabric on my own. I've worked with taffeta, 1.4oz ripstop, 1.1 ripstop. The problem was that the thinner and lighter the fabric got, the harder it was for me to work with. The problem wasn't me alone but also that my sewing machine just could not handle that fabric because of its baseplate. It would tend to jam. This is when I decided near the beginning of December to reach out to Raiffnuke, one of the first M50 guinea pigs. Raiffnuke was happy to jump at the chance to make another M50 hammock and gladly accepted the challenge. From there we messaged back and forth about the specifics of the hammock and what could and could not be done.
For this hammock I settled on the following:
Dimensions: 132"x56"
Channel sewn ends
Knotty mod w/ 1/16" shock cord and tiny tiny cable locks
Evergreen M50 fabric from Thru-Hiker
Dynaglide whoopie slings
Dynaglide ridge line
Well I received the hammock body and stuff sack from Raiffnuke in late December and quickly proceeded to put it together with the dynaglide whoopies and ridgeline I had made for it. Then I promptly threw it on the scale to find out just how little it weighed.
The hammock body w/ Knotty mod and stuff sack came in at 4.75oz, the dynaglide whoopies combined were 0.80oz, and the dynaglide ridgeline was only 0.25oz.
That equals a mere total of 5.80oz.! I could not be happier with the weight.
Now for the part everyone has been waiting for. The review!
First I have to apologize to Raiffnuke since I received the hammock at the end of December I have not had a chance to lay in it till today. I have plenty of excuses I could use from mother nature not cooperating to working entirely too much to just enjoying life. The point is it should not have taken me this long to test it out.
When you first handle the M50 fabric you would think you had been ripped off and that you had been sent nothing more than a glad brand garbage bag. To say that this material is thin and light is an understatement. There really is nothing there. You can't mentally trust that the material will hold you up. The second property that caught my eye was Raiffnuke's attention to quality and detail. I have to say the hammock is sewn perfectly. The hems are so perfectly straight you would have guessed a machine had to have made them.
Now I bet you are wondering how it lays. Well today was the first time I had been able to lay in it and it was only for about 15 minutes. All I have to say so far is WOW! This thing is comfy! You sit down in the hammock lay back and readjust just ever so little and you just wanna take a nap. The first thing I noticed was how little time it took me to adjust and get comfortable. This hammock has NO shoulder squeeze. The calf ridge is just ever so slightly present but doesn't bother me one bit because it is so minimal and because it hits me right behind my knee and not under my calf. As for stretch I could not easily tell because the trees I had available right outside my house were not sufficient and would start to bow before I could notice if the hammock was stretching under my 190 lb frame.
I can't wait to get this hammock out in the field this spring and really try it out! So comfy!
And now for the pictures!
The Hammock all packed up in its stuff sack including 8'tree straps.
All alone by its self.
Loaded up!
And the obligatory head and foot shots!
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