Can't get a flat sleeping position

**Bjorn Moren** · 10-03-2014, 10:06

I just got the Hennessy Explorer Deluxe Asym Classic, but no matter what I try I'm bent like a banana in the hammock. After one night's sleep my knees feel weird from the over-extending when I lie on my back. When I'm on my side it hurts my lower back.

I've mounted it level, centered between the trees, and tried different rope tensions, from really saggy to very tight. I lie across to the sides as instructed, but it looks like there isn't enough slack in the fabric there to allow for a straight sleeping position.

What can I do? Is there anything I can reconfigure?

This is my first time in a hammock, but I've been hiking/camping a lot in the past. I'm 6'3, 207 lbs.

**HappyCamper** · 10-03-2014, 10:12

How long is that hammock? A longer hammock might help.

Also, I put a stuff sack with extra clothes under my knees so I don't get that over extension. Even when I lay at an angle I'm never totally flat so the pillow under the knees is the answer.

**FreedomVan** · 10-03-2014, 10:16

It might be that even though HH says that the Explorer is good for up to 7' tall humans, it's only 9' long. I'm 6'1" and have an Expedition. I've only hung in it once and I certainly remember feeling like I could use some more foot room. Going out tomorrow and I'll decide for sure, but I'm starting to think an 11' hammock might be right for me, and you're even taller than I am.

**Bjorn Moren** · 10-03-2014, 10:56

Originally Posted by HappyCamper

How long is that hammock? A longer hammock might help.

Also, I put a stuff sack with extra clothes under my knees so I don't get that over extension. Even when I lay at an angle I'm never totally flat so the pillow under the knees is the answer.

The specs say its good for people up to 7 ft so it should work for me.

That sack could help, but with that sack in place it would be even harder to sleep on the side. I can't imagine sleeping on the back only, all through the night.

I can live with the tight, cramped up feeling, and the rocking back and forth, no big deal. But if I can't sleep flat, then unfortunately this hammock is useless to me. The asymmetrical shape supposedly should allow this. The whole idea of getting this hammock in the first place was all the reviews praising it for being so comfortable. I must have missed something vital in the setup somehow.

**Bjorn Moren** · 10-03-2014, 11:00

Originally Posted by FreedomVan

It might be that even though HH says that the Explorer is good for up to 7' tall humans, it's only 9' long. I'm 6'1" and have an Expedition. I've only hung in it once and I certainly remember feeling like I could use some more foot room. Going out tomorrow and I'll decide for sure, but I'm starting to think an 11' hammock might be right for me, and you're even taller than I am.

Lengthwise it feels adequate. Its just the distribution of fabric that doesn't work. It forces my feet up, with no support for my calves and thighs. If the hammock center line was higher up, or the asymmetrical sides were lower down it would become flat. Either it is poorly designed, or (more likely) I haven't figured out how to properly hang it yet.

**Gravity** · 10-03-2014, 11:15

A tall fellow and a short hammock make poor companions. This thread may be helpful:

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ammock-nirvana

**HappyCamper** · 10-03-2014, 12:08

Most people who are side or stomach sleepers go for bridge hammocks because they have the same problems you are stating. You should try a bridge hammock and see if that does better for you.

I was always a stomach and side sleeper in bed and in a tent. Then I tried my first banana hammock. It took some getting used to but it was so much more comfortable than sleeping in a tent that I got used to sleeping on my back with a pillow under my knees. Then I tried a bridge hammock and didn't like it so much. I guess I just got used to the banana hammock. Now in bed I'm a back sleeper. Go figure.

**Picaro** · 10-03-2014, 13:32

Firstly, the Explorer is an 11 foot hammock with a 108 inch ridgeline. You should have adequate room.

One possibility I can think is that you are lying on the wrong diagonal. The Hennessy is designed to lay with your left shoulder at one side tieout point, and your right foot at the other tieout. If you are lying with your right shoulder to the outside edge it would cause your problem.

**zukiguy** · 10-03-2014, 17:39

If you're expecting "flat" like laying on the ground and you're a side/stomach sleeper I think you're going to be disappointed with a gathered end hammock. I'm 6' 185 and the explorer UL is about right but I can't really say I sleep flat. Even my new Warbonnet RidgeRunner isn't really "flat" compared to a mattress or the cold, hard ground. Some of my friends who are ground dwellers don't think they can quite pull off stomach sleeping in the hammock so that's a non-starter. They've tried my setup for a quick nap or two but it doesn't look good for some of them.

However, lying on my back with one leg straight and the other in kind of a figure-4 position I sleep like a log in the HH EULA. I can sleep most anywhere and in about any position so nothing really bothers me. I am positive that when I sleep on the ground I'm out like a light when my head hits the pillow. I tend to shift and turn a bit in my hammock throughout the night. The difference is I crawl out of a tent and off the ground stiff and sore no matter how cushy the padding (I've tried about a dozen different pads over the years). In a hammock I roll out feeling great even after a hard day of hiking or paddling. That's what has made hanging a hammock a necessity.

**HillbillyHanger** · 10-03-2014, 19:22

I'm new, but I sleep comfortably in my explorer deluxe. I'm about 5'9". I've found having the foot end about a foot higher makes a big difference. Also, I've found the closer I get to the elusive 30 degree strap angle the ridge line is not as tight and the lie is more comfortable. In a bed, I'm a side sleeper. Can not sleep on my back. In the hammock, I only sleep on my back. Good luck.