Best UL hammock

[drewboy]

Hopefully this thread is not too redundant. There is another thread on lowest volume, but my focus is also on weight for extended hikes. Now that I have my WBBB 1.1 double, I am in hammock heaven with an amazing amount of comfort and functionality. But at 2 lbs including suspension it's no longer what I'd call an UL solution. I still have my HH Hyperlite, which at 17oz is decent weight. Are there any other options I should be looking at for a better comfort/weight ratio? I was pondering the WB Traveler 1.7 single at 12oz as one possibility. That's without bug netting of course, but in AZ that's workable most of the time. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

[lori]

I have some Habotai 10mm silk from Thai Silks that I need to finish hemming and whipping to make a hammock with it. It's the lightest material ever and I look forward to some summer hanging in the back yard. Could easily be a day hiking hammock. Also got some of the light gauze for draping over the ridgeline for bugnetting. I think I paid around 45 for the material. I'm not making a sock or any of the other items he has on the page - yet.

http://www.garlington.biz/Ray/SilkHammock/

[HappyCamper]

I don't have a silk hammock, but 2 friends do/did. You have to be very careful with them. The silk is subject to dry rot. Also, one friend was using his overnight and his suspension lines stretched on him and lowered the hammock onto a branch that made a small hole that turned into a large rip. He went right through. He spent the rest of the night on his pad on the ground.

But ohhhhh how light they are!

Here's one thread on silk hammocks.

[te-wa]

id rather support an american craftsman by purchasing the 1.7 single Traveller than have all the coconuts in the world. I was about to squeeze the trigger on one myself...
but if you only want to get a Grand Trunk Traveller then we can do the webbing mod in a matter of minutes... they are nearly $20 at some outlets.

[drewboy]

I am in total agreement that we want to strongly support our local vendors, and from this community in particular.

For the sake of comparison purposes, both hammocks mentioned by Mike are listed as 12oz. However, the suspension is not included in the WB weight so that's more like 19oz with the webbing suspension. Perhaps a wash if the GT were equipped similarly?

It looks like the WB (1.7) is slightly longer at 120" vs 114" for the GT, and slightly wider at 72" vs 70" for the GT. How much does the size factor into the comfort?

Is there any thing else in the design of a simple gathered end hammock that differentiates it? I was curious if Brandon considered putting a footbox in his Traveler hammock as an example.

Does the 1.1 vs 1.7 material play as big a role in the comfort for hammocks of the simple gathered end type for a person such as myself who weighs around 185? That would save me another 5oz. Am assuming that mosquitoes are a non-issue here. I'm also OK with the material being more fragile, since that comes with the territory in UL gear. But I am not OK with catastrophic failures under normal use.

BTW, what is the weight of silk in comparison to ripstop nylon? Thanks for the feedback folks.

id rather support an american craftsman by purchasing the 1.7 single Traveller than have all the coconuts in the world. I was about to squeeze the trigger on one myself...
but if you only want to get a Grand Trunk Traveller then we can do the webbing mod in a matter of minutes... they are nearly $20 at some outlets.

[dblhmmck]

Hi Drewboy!

First of all, I want to say it was great meeting you at the Arizona hang!

I am surprized that you haven't mentioned the option of Tewa's bridge hammocks. I thought he said Dirt4dinner's bridge was 12 oz. (or was it 14?). If you use trekking poles, and utilize those those for the spreaders, I think that would be the lightest and most compact hammock available. A bridge design eliminates superfluous fabric. Spreader bars reduce the amount of fabric draping tightly against the sides of the body resulting in greater comfort and freedom of movement (in my expedrience). This is in addition to the greater comfort of lying flat.

I am sorry I didn't set up my compact wide-spread hammock that I was carrying on that hike (pictures in my gallery). Total weight with pad sleeve, poles, tree-huggers, bugnetting, stuffsack, tarp and stakes is 2lbs and 2 ounces. If you used trekking poles you could cut out nearly half a pound, and if you didn't need a bugnet subtract another 6 ounces. That would bring the total weight down to about 20 oz. (with tarp and stakes). I should mention that I have saved weight with a SpinnTex tarp that is under 8oz. It has very adequate coverage and was a key factor in reaching that low weight.

My vote for the lightest and most compact hammock is the bridge (with trekking poles for spreader bars).

[gnome]

DIY cuben, conventional, with straps, ridge line, etc. no bug net about 4 or 5 oz. I suspect a cuben bridge would be even lighter if using hiking poles but I haven't gotten around to making it yet. gnome

[drewboy]

Hi dblhmmck!! It was also a real pleasure to meet you and Amity at our hang. I hope the rest of your trip went well.

I definitely thought about one of Mike's bridges. Problem is, I use fixed length GG CF trekking poles and I'm not certain how those would work with a bridge. At least until I can convince my wife that I need a new set of $140 collapsible GG CF poles And there's also the issue of requiring a larger tarp as well? I'm also looking to use a cuben tarp I picked up from Ron Bell a while back at an incredible prototype sale he had, but it is kind of narrow(ish). Can't remember the exact size, I need to go measure it again.

Hi Drewboy!

First of all, I want to say it was great meeting you at the Arizona hang!

I am surprized that you haven't mentioned the option of Tewa's bridge hammocks. I thought he said Dirt4dinner's bridge was 12 oz. (or was it 14?). If you use trekking poles, and utilize those those for the spreaders, I think that would be the lightest and most compact hammock available. A bridge design eliminates superfluous fabric. Spreader bars reduce the amount of fabric draping tightly against the sides of the body resulting in greater comfort and freedom of movement (in my expedrience). This is in addition to the greater comfort of lying flat.

I am sorry I didn't set up my compact wide-spread hammock that I was carrying on that hike (pictures in my gallery). Total weight with pad sleeve, poles, tree-huggers, bugnetting, stuffsack, tarp and stakes is 2lbs and 2 ounces. If you used trekking poles you could cut out nearly half a pound, and if you didn't need a bugnet subtract another 6 ounces. That would bring the weight down to about 20 oz. I should mention that I have saved weight with a SpinnTex tarp that is under 8oz. It has very adequate coverage and was a key factor in reaching that low weight.

My vote for the lightest and most compact hammock is the bridge (with trekking poles for spreader bars).

[lori]

If you go to the link I provided and scroll to the bottom, it lists hammock and suspension for the silk hammock as 14 oz. If you make all the additional gear on the site, hammock sock/bag o feathers/tarp/etc, it says 63 oz. Heaviest items are the tarp and bag o feathers.

No, it's not going to last forever out on the trail. But it would probably work for a while. Me, I'm probably just going to use on day hikes for lunch snoozing and around the house.

[te-wa]

just a reminder Drewboy, the UQ I made for you is custom tailored to the Te-wa Bridge. It will offer the most loft without having to conform to an end-gathered shape which by nature wants to force a rectangle onto a teardrop. The UQ I just made was tested on my 1.1 bridge just minutes ago and im happy to report it retains a full 2.5" loft throughout. Its a beautiful thing indeed!
Your bridge would be 1.9 ripstop. Pad sleeve is 1.1 and optional. not really needed as the pad under your legs requires no special treatment.
I'll do it for $120 shipped.