My quest for my first hammock.

[Muttley]

Hi Gang. Well my quest for my first hammock continues. I would like to thank all on the forum for the wealth of information that make up this forum and knowledge of it's members. At first I was well over my head. Now I have my nose just above the waterline, LOL.
After many hours of research on this forum, thanks to my type A personality which sometimes is a curse, lol, I think I have my choices narrowed down to two hammocks, the DH Dangerbird and the WL Nite Owl. Both of these are 11ft, me being 6'3", is a must. Comfort is a big factor for me. The big difference is integrated net or not. The Dangerbird has a choice of fabrics. The Nite Owl is a N.C. company with their showroom about an hour and a half from my house.
I guess my question for those more experienced then me (everybody) is the pros and cons of have or not having an integrated net in your hammock? Thanks again for all the help guys and I hope to see y'all in the woods soon.

Mutt

[Loki]

I don't think you can go wrong with either of those choices.
Better just buy them both and get it over with (tee-hee-he).

As for NET vs NETLess:

• Top Quilts tend to fall out of my hammocks overnight unless the hammock has a bugnet.
• NC has mucho creepy crawlie thingies in the woods more times during the year than not - Mosquitos are only part of the issue.
• I enjoy knowing nothing has taken up residence in my hammock while I've been away hiking.
• Things also fall from trees, like twigs, sap, leaf litter, etc. on those days when a tarp is not deployed.

Hmmm guess you can see where I'm going with this...

Just to be fair - for day hikes - I take a hammock without a bugnet and usually no TQ or UQ either - cause on a dayhike the hammock is just for resting a bit, taking a nap, ...or fixing a quick hot choco-coffee

]] As for comfort... everyone is different - you won't know until you've spent some time in it.

[SnrMoment]

I prefer the separate net, but around here, the creepy-crawly things weigh about 600 pounds & up. If I lived there, I'd go back to an attached net. That said, I'm still giving some serious thought to getting a Dangerbird.

[Muttley]

I prefer the separate net, but around here, the creepy-crawly things weigh about 600 pounds & up.

I'll deal with bugs thank you!

[Muttley]

I don't think you can go wrong with either of those choices.
Better just buy them both and get it over with (tee-hee-he).

As for NET vs NETLess:

• Top Quilts tend to fall out of my hammocks overnight unless the hammock has a bugnet.
• NC has mucho creepy crawlie thingies in the woods more times during the year than not - Mosquitos are only part of the issue.
• I enjoy knowing nothing has taken up residence in my hammock while I've been away hiking.
• Things also fall from trees, like twigs, sap, leaf litter, etc. on those days when a tarp is not deployed.

Hmmm guess you can see where I'm going with this...

Just to be fair - for day hikes - I take a hammock without a bugnet and usually no TQ or UQ either - cause on a dayhike the hammock is just for resting a bit, taking a nap, ...or fixing a quick hot choco-coffee

]] As for comfort... everyone is different - you won't know until you've spent some time in it.

Thanks for the reply. All good points, thank you!

[SilvrSurfr]

Most of my camping is done in non-bug season, so I have no desire to carry the extra weight of a bug net when I don't even need it.

Also, it's very difficult to make a quick exit with an attached bugnet. When I (rarely) get a calf cramp, I need to get up, standup, ASAP. Trying to find the zipper just increases my panic.

And then there's the animal issue - if I hear an animal in my camp I want to be standing on my own two feet ASAP. Raccoons, skunk, porcupines, squirrels, coyotes and deer will all pretty much skedaddle once you stand up.

When I do carry a bugnet, it's independent with shock cord bottom entry - very quick and easy to swing my feet out and stand up.

[Muttley]

Thanks SilvrSurfr, I think of myself as more of a fairweather hanger. Netting either attached or not will be a must have.