Howdy, wonderful HF community.

There have been some fantastic comparisons between the BMBH and the RR already, but I'm, personally, torn between the BB and the RR. I know the comparison is difficult to make, being fundamentally different, but I'm hoping to pick you more experienced peoples' brains to help me make a decision.

First, a (very) little background info. I bought my first hammock in March, a ENO DN, just figuring it would be fun to bring it on hikes and lounge around in. I had a dividend to spend at REI, so that's what I bought. Then I started searching around for a way to hang it, and of course found HF. Then Shug. And, well, we all know where it went from there. Now, here I am with a two-year plan to be totally geared up and prepared for backpacking with a hammock. I've wanted to since I was a kid, and I've finally decided to pursue that. So I'm keeping weight and bulk in mind, as well as the good ol' "bang for your buck" factor. The nitty gritty is that I'm 5'10" and about 140lbs, and I am mostly a side and stomach sleeper.

But anyway, back to the topic at hand. Despite needing comfort for side and stomach sleeping, I'm really leaning towards the BB right now. I'm a big fan of being able to use stuff interchangeably, and the RR has its own line of stuff that works well with it but likely not much else. Of course, the Cloudburst could be used with any hammock, but that's way overkill I'd guess, and I am trying to keep my setup relatively light. Quilts are another thing entirely. "Standard" quilts probably aren't ideal with the RR, from what I've seen so far, and while I could get a Lynx, again, it would be less than ideal for any other hammock - and we all know I'll eventually have more than one (forgot to mention I'm determined to get my wife out with me, which I honestly don't think will be too hard aside from the cost - she already loves camping. On our last car camping trip, I brought only my cook kit that I'd be using for backpacking and food that I'd eat on the trail. When I cooked her first dinner, at a site where we were the only ones within sight, she said, "This makes me think I could do backpacking." Sounds, to me, like the battle's halfway over.).

The point is that I think the BB would be the most versatile, most cost-effective choice, not just in the hammock itself, but in the entire setup for it. For example, being able to use my Superfly with any gathered-end, being able to use "standard" quilts with any gathered-end, etc. Maybe at some point when I have extra money to throw at a very specialized setup like the RR, then I will. But, again, right now I'm really leaning towards a BB. However, if the RR would truly be the perfect hammock for me, I'm happy to sell the Superfly and start over with the specialized route. I know nobody but me could tell me if the RR is the "perfect" hammock for me, but like I said, I'm just looking to pick brains here.

And that's where y'all come in. For those of you that own a BB and a RR, or at least have laid in both, keeping in mind my specific interests, which would you recommend? For a relatively small guy like me, how comfortably do you think I could lay in a BB on my stomach or side? In the DN, I feel like I can get extremely close to perfect comfort on my side and relatively close to it on my stomach. I suspect the extra length and the footbox, combined, of the BB would make it perfectly comfortable. That's really my quandary here: I want to be able to go the BB route, my only worry being comfort level. I also really like to be able to lay on my stomach with my arms under my head, but I don't imagine the BB would be insufficiently roomy for that.

So, if some of you fine people could give us all some comparisons between the two, not just in terms of comfort (although that's my focus), but also anything else. Again, I know it's comparing apples to oranges, but if you could do your best to make logical, informed comparisons that you think would help me make my decision, I (and I'm sure many others) would be eternally grateful.

Many thanks, everyone. Maybe by the time Christmas comes around, I'll know which to ask for. ^.^