10 ft vs 11 ft hammock

[Banana Hammock]

me personally I would go with the 10 foot hammock or somewhere in between as long as the hammock width is more than 62 inches.

totally agree with you on the firmer hammock body. it adds a little bit of weight but it reduces some of the squeeze and I feel that it gives a flatter lay as well.

By "firmer hammock body", do you mean thicker material? Or something like polyester, which doesn't stretch as much as nylon, making it feel more firm? Double layer?

I'm thinking about 72" width on an eleven foot (132") hammock. I'm not able to try different sizes, so I'm hoping that bigger = more comfort, without any negatives.

Are people making underquilts for such large hammocks?

[DemostiX]

The wider the hammock the steeper the fabric wall on the side opposite the torso when you move to a diagonal. So, very much an obstructed view.*

Papa Smurf, what the variety he offers may wish to put in a separate thread his response to the following question, which I have not seen posted here, ever:

When you use a thinner, lighter, and more flexible fabric, the location of stretch will be markedly different when you add zippers and the necessary polyester / nylon zipper tape get sewn to the hammock sides / gunwales. That tape CANNOT stretch, and so it doesn't. The netted "jungle" version of the hammock must lay differently than the netless version. That means all stress must be distributed within the rest of the hammock bottom, and, I suspect a more profound "bathtub" effect. That's with stretchier fabric.

Now, even without the zipper tape attached to the size, the doubled or trippled hammock hem creates a marked discontinuity in stretchiness, that likely effects how different hammocks respond to gathering and how they feel. But, that zipper tape is absolute: No stretch permitted, none whatever.

*(I personally find funny some insisting "flat lay" being defined as back of shoulders and thighs being in the same plane when pics show the entirety of the buttocks in some ultra-light rigs are below that level. Some comparative pics from a group hang would be helpful here in getting us all to agree on what we mean by "flat.")

[XTrekker]

By "firmer hammock body", do you mean thicker material? Or something like polyester, which doesn't stretch as much as nylon, making it feel more firm? Double layer?

I'm thinking about 72" width on an eleven foot (132") hammock. I'm not able to try different sizes, so I'm hoping that bigger = more comfort, without any negatives.

Are people making underquilts for such large hammocks?

Yes, when I think of a firmer hammock body, I am referring to a thicker material or a material that doesn't stretch as much. I made a few 1.1oz 30D hammocks and I noticed that my back and butt tends to stretch the hammock body out. Its kind nice but at the same time its not as flat a lay as I would like...To be honest, I'm just not sure if I like it yet. Gonna wait awhile and swap back and forth between my different hammocks and see what works best.

As for the 72" width..I think it might be wider than you want. I have been starting to notice that the 68" wide hammocks I have made are just not needed. Over the past 3 hammocks I have reduced the width down to 62" and I think I have found a magic range for me between 60-62" Wide but of course that is based on the length of a hammock being 10' - 10'6".
Personally, if I had to do it all over again. I would have gone with a Thunderbird for my first hammock instead of this HH Explorer Deluxe.

[Michelle the Camper]

I'm a 5' 6' woman, weigh around 135#. I have three hammocks currently, and they are all comfortable. One is really big, 11 ' x 65" in 1.9 oz/yd fabric. It feels the best of the three. The other is 11'x 54" in 1.1 oz/yd fabric. Also very comfortable. Just lately, I've been using a hammock that I made for my 10 yo son, which is 9' x 54" and it feels great, too.
I would try to attend a group hang and ask people if you can climb in and try out some different hammocks!

[Shug]

Here is Wandern'Fool in his wilderness Logics Light Owl. He sure looked fairly flat to me as I hung by him. It is an 11 footer.
Shug

[body942]

LOVE my 11' Roaming Gnome. My favorite hammock yet, and I've tried / owned several. I'm 6'4" about 270.

[belro]

I'm 6'3" and am comfortable in a 10'. I haven't tried an 11', but i don't feel the need to

[sargevining]

I'm gonna toss a ringer in here.

I'm 6'-0 and the most comfortable hammock I have is a DIY made from a 12 foot blank of the 68" wide 1.1 MarPat nylon DIY Gear Supply sells. Finished length is 11'-6 x 66". No calf ridge and its a flat lay every time.

[belro]

I think width makes a big difference. I wish I could find some wider fabric

[krshome]

I think the question to be asked is 10 foot or 11 foot for either backpacking or just lounging? Most people can be very comfy in a 10 foot (but not all) and save weight too. As for the backyard lounger go as big as you want.