+1 to that.. My first group hang was a turning point for me and my hammock journey.Originally Posted by gunner76
+1 to that.. My first group hang was a turning point for me and my hammock journey.
Jerry
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Thanks to everyone for your responses, ideas, suggestions and more - they've all been extremely helpful (apparently I came to the right place for help)! It sounds like I'm at a crossroads, where I need to thoroughly experience both the WBRR and the XLC. It sounds like they both hold potential, but I won't know for sure until I try each one out.
For those of you who use the RR, what would you say are the biggest drawbacks to going this route? Are there any areas where you feel the bridge hammock comes up short?
"I never came upon any of my discoveries through the process of rational thinking." - Albert Einstein
The RR weighs a little more than the BB (unless you use hiking poles and substitute them for the spreader bars in the hammock). I think it wants the trees to be a foot or so farther apart, as well (that could be a drawback, I guess; depends where you are). That's all I can think of; maybe others can suggest some additional drawbacks...
Landmark, check out the Michigan fall hang coming up pretty much all kinds of hammocks will be there. A Lot of different types,lengths etc.. I'll be there with a swback and a xlc I think
.good luck!
It's not the boulders that throw us off balance, it's the pebbles beneath our feet
Besides the above mentioned factors (although I have hung comfortably between trees that are 14' apart in the RR), the only other limiting factor MIGHT be that you don't have as much "unstructured" space to spread out, move around and change positions in. I'm not sure that this is a practical factor, though, because if you are using bottom insulation of any type, you're not going to want to move off of it.
When I laid in the XLC, I had the feeling of being confused about all the extra fabric around me. I was never sure if I was "using it all correctly", not to mention that it obstructed my view.
This thread might help ...
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...rd+ridgerunner
Excellent link - thanks 1csleptonkayak.
"I never came upon any of my discoveries through the process of rational thinking." - Albert Einstein
Found it important enough for future searchers to look up this old posting and share my findings today. There probably are and will be folks like me that really want to get it to work... and try for a very long time (a year for me) but are just shy of resigning to discomfort. Here we go.
What a difference it makes to not only set the foot end suspension higher (9-12"), but to cinch the foot end up more aggressively than the head end.... not equal at either end. The foot end is decidedly higher and cinched up more. Envision a sideways comma. That and a good amount of sag/slack in the RL. I put 2 prussics on my RL, snapped s-biners on each, and then clipped one of my daughter's hair thingies between the biners to pull up the slack. I estimate about 7 inches of the floppy stuff. I then stuffed a CF pad BETWEEN the double layers. Goodbye *any* semblance of calf ridge, hello perfectly flat and comfortable. Spent several hours (lab time, you see) in it over the weekend and was amazed at how "perfectly set" it remains. Works well for side sleeping too. It really is a very comfortable hammock once you figure it out. Up until now I have been very frustrated until I did the aforementioned things. Couldn't be happier. I think I will go and measure everything and commit it to memory. I could sleep in this thing indefinitely.
It's nice to hear that it worked out.
Keep movin', keep believing and enjoy the journey!
Lots and lots of ways to adjust your hammock. My first few Hangs were aborted, because I was soaked. I finally figured out how to hang my rainfly so I did not have a rainout.
Then I had to have my daughter hang my hammock. She just hung it, no thought to angle, centering or height. She hung it for me that was it. A couple of crummy nights all in a mass near the end of the hammock, ick, sore, cold, neck and back awful. Next trip I brought my GoLite Shangri La 4.
I recovered enough to hang my own hammock. Surprise, I was in great shape, slept like a baby. Big storm, wonderful ride, all six directions at once rain, cold temperatures, just a great Hang. No problems, I was warm, dry and very comfortable. Why because I was careful how I set up the Hammock, it was centered, the lines were at the correct angle, my tarp was properly set up for the weather conditions.
As long as I pay attention to how I set everything up, all goes well. There is a learning curve. I think many of us have our own little tricks and I have found each hammock to be a little different. We have lots of personal options. I sleep significantly better in a hammock. When my TempurPedic bed gives up the ghost I will start using a hammock full time. I have chronic pain issues, the hammock helps my back, neck and hips. Knee's are sort of dicey, I have dislocated my tricky knee a couple of times shifting in the hammock, but I have done the same thing moving in my bed.
If you're in a hunched position, that means that your upper body has slipped downward towards the middle of the hammock. As Jayson said earlier, really raise your foot end up so the slope towards the head end is visible on the ridge line. You will find that:
1. Your upper body feels more supported and straight.
2. The area around your feet opens up and the whole hammock seems more roomy. Then you'll be able to lay flat on the diagonal.
It may not seem intuitive, but it's the biggest mistake I've seen people make when they're complaining about comfort.
A lotta ins... lotta outs... lotta what-have-you's
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