Outdoor Gear Lab Finally Reviewed Hammocks!

[Bushwhacker]

http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Hammoc...=score#compare

Unsurprisingly, the WBBB comes in at the top, considering it's the only cottage company listed.

Does this mean that hammocks are starting to become mainstream?

[dfscott]

I don't have a BB, but this comment in their review confused me (emphasis mine):

"Heavier construction and time consuming to set up, fly is not removable"

I think they mean "bug net", right?

[MAD777]

Good point, Scott. Makes you wonder about the rest of the reviews. Either they meant bugnet or, they mixed descriptions with a different hammock.

The site looks plausible though. They claim that don't take money from manufacturers and the adds are Google adds (meaning the manufacturer is not directly sending or paying for the add).

I bookmarked them.

[mudsocks]

Interesting. I was looking over their Headlamp ratings last night trying to decide what to replace my (MIA) Black Diamond Spot with. One thing I really liked about their review is how they tested the manufacturer's brightness and battery claims. Guess I have some more reading to do...

[VictoriaGuy]

Any publicity is a good thing, I suppose, unless it tempts newcomers into a bad experience. One very good thing about the review is that it encourages newcomers to bring a hammock as well as the usual tent setup on the first few trips, so that there is a fallback plan in place.

I've read quite a few reviews on that site...and found some useful info.

Exactly how they decide on what are 'the most popular' items to test is one question I have. Adding a bridge hammock into the mix wouldn't have been unreasonable.

We took 12 of the most popular models and brought them camping in a variety of environments, from the high desert in winter to wet mountains in spring, to see how they compared.

With no tarp or rain fly? Uh-huh....... (Or was the Hennessey with the tarp as in the stock photo?)

Reading the full review, it sounds like most of the testing was for 'lounging and naps' vs. sleeping overnight. Giving a hammock a negative comment because it was difficult for 'the kids to pile in' ???

I think they had a tent backup in the pack, and most of the photos look quite staged....you'd have to be pretty tired (or tough) to find this a good setup for the whole night in most spots I've camped:
239897_13772_L.jpg

Depending on what level of commitment you want, our tested models range from $20 to $185, and fluctuate between seven ounces and just under two pounds. This puts all models at a fraction of the cost and weight of a tent

Again, no tarp included so the tent comparison is bogus.

We found that the features that made the Hennessey and Warbonnet models comfortable and bug-proof made them fairly complex to set up and almost impossible to share with a friend.

Is this 'code' for something??

[dfscott]

I think that "most popular" == "those we had access to or could get for free"

[alifeoutdoors]

In what universe is a warbonnet "time consuming" to set up? Out of all the hammocks and suspension systems I've tried, warbonnet is about the quickest and easiest.

[Bushwhacker]

In what universe is a warbonnet "time consuming" to set up? Out of all the hammocks and suspension systems I've tried, warbonnet is about the quickest and easiest.

I think they had whoopies on the WBBB, those take a bit longer for a newb to get used to perhaps?

[Bushwhacker]

I think that "most popular" == "those we had access to or could get for free"

Eh, I think it's more likely that they just went into REI and tried out every hammock available, and maybe just added the WBBB as a token cottage company one. After all, I'd guess that most newbs would prefer accessibility and a good return policy to anxiously waiting for weeks to get an expensive hammock that some strangers on the internet said is great.

[MAD777]

.... After all, I'd guess that most newbs would prefer accessibility and a good return policy to anxiously waiting for weeks to get an expensive hammock that some strangers on the internet said is great.

Hey! I resemble that remark!