Best Hammock for 2 People?

[James Fowler]

I see you have a pretty good experience of this type of double set up, and you perceive my objections fully.
By the term "not the least congenial", I meant "not congenial at all", maybe my phrasing conveys the opposite meaning, sorry about that.

No, that's pretty much what I thought you meant. Any confusion likely resulted from my attempt to express a different view - that personally I actually do find the two-hammocks-with-spreader bar setup rather congenial - while at the same time acknowledging some shortcomings and challenges that might be lesser or non-existent with a dedicated design like the Vertex.

No diagonal lay in the Vertex, as far as I am concerned, or very little, but the fabric is stiff and you are not too bent in this hammock. I find it comfortable, and very cosy for two. It is fun to hang in a Vertex ! Normal underquilts would work ok, but the best thing is to order tailored ones from Locolibre, who designed specific underquilts for the Vertex. The lay has nothing to do with a bridge, and not much with usual gathered ends either, I would say. Probably it is close to the one in single person Clark hammocks, but I do not own one, so I cannot guarantee.

So basically, it has a unique "feel" that isn't quite like a typical gathered end or bridge hammock, but it works well for you? ( You're not helping you know, I'm already barely resisting the urge to order a Ridge Runner to see how well that works for me compared to my GE hammocks )

The only noticeable advantage I see with my current system is weight - two Chameleons + DD Bugnet + spreader bars come in just a few ounces over three pounds, vs. five pounds five ounces for the Vertex. Not that this helps much for me - I'm lucky to get my wife to look at a hammock, convincing her to try hiking away from civilization and sleeping more than twenty feet from modern plumbing could take a while.

Anyway, I love the Vertex. I think it is an amazing hammock, totally unique, which cannot compare with this collection of bits put together to create the "double hang" thing. Not a fan of this arcane construction, where things can fall in between the two hammocks, and you can hit your tarp, or stumble upon your neighbor at night. Did I mention that you can roll to your neighbor's side in the Vertex or invite a child in the middle section ?

Well, I am a fan of the "double hang" thing, but I admit there's room for improvement and you've certainly made me curious about the Vertex. My second "Chameleon" arrived today, so I'll probably be posting about the tandem setup with the Double Dutch Bugnet soon. The Center Zip certainly keeps things from falling between the two hammocks, but I don't think it's intended to take the stress of rolling from one side to the other or throwing a child in the middle. That's a pretty nice bonus with the Vertex. Yet another thing to try ...

[Rouskof]

No, that's pretty much what I thought you meant. Any confusion likely resulted from my attempt to express a different view - that personally I actually do find the two-hammocks-with-spreader bar setup rather congenial - while at the same time acknowledging some shortcomings and challenges that might be lesser or non-existent with a dedicated design like the Vertex.


So basically, it has a unique "feel" that isn't quite like a typical gathered end or bridge hammock, but it works well for you? ( You're not helping you know, I'm already barely resisting the urge to order a Ridge Runner to see how well that works for me compared to my GE hammocks )

The only noticeable advantage I see with my current system is weight - two Chameleons + DD Bugnet + spreader bars come in just a few ounces over three pounds, vs. five pounds five ounces for the Vertex. Not that this helps much for me - I'm lucky to get my wife to look at a hammock, convincing her to try hiking away from civilization and sleeping more than twenty feet from modern plumbing could take a while.



Well, I am a fan of the "double hang" thing, but I admit there's room for improvement and you've certainly made me curious about the Vertex. My second "Chameleon" arrived today, so I'll probably be posting about the tandem setup with the Double Dutch Bugnet soon. The Center Zip certainly keeps things from falling between the two hammocks, but I don't think it's intended to take the stress of rolling from one side to the other or throwing a child in the middle. That's a pretty nice bonus with the Vertex. Yet another thing to try ...

ok, I did not check this new Dutch invention with the central zipper. It is certainly a good idea.

[Rouskof]

No, that's pretty much what I thought you meant. Any confusion likely resulted from my attempt to express a different view - that personally I actually do find the two-hammocks-with-spreader bar setup rather congenial - while at the same time acknowledging some shortcomings and challenges that might be lesser or non-existent with a dedicated design like the Vertex.


So basically, it has a unique "feel" that isn't quite like a typical gathered end or bridge hammock, but it works well for you? ( You're not helping you know, I'm already barely resisting the urge to order a Ridge Runner to see how well that works for me compared to my GE hammocks )

The only noticeable advantage I see with my current system is weight - two Chameleons + DD Bugnet + spreader bars come in just a few ounces over three pounds, vs. five pounds five ounces for the Vertex. Not that this helps much for me - I'm lucky to get my wife to look at a hammock, convincing her to try hiking away from civilization and sleeping more than twenty feet from modern plumbing could take a while.



Well, I am a fan of the "double hang" thing, but I admit there's room for improvement and you've certainly made me curious about the Vertex. My second "Chameleon" arrived today, so I'll probably be posting about the tandem setup with the Double Dutch Bugnet soon. The Center Zip certainly keeps things from falling between the two hammocks, but I don't think it's intended to take the stress of rolling from one side to the other or throwing a child in the middle. That's a pretty nice bonus with the Vertex. Yet another thing to try ...

ok, I did not check this new Dutch invention with the central zipper. It is certainly a good idea.

[James Fowler]

ok, I did not check this new Dutch invention with the central zipper. It is certainly a good idea.

Here's an inside view :

The Center Zip is probably nowhere near as durable as the center in the Vertex, but so far my son hasn't manged to put an elbow through it (though he can't seem to stop trying). The visibility shared with your co-hanger is significantly improved - I'd like more, but I think it's good enough and I'm not sure there's much room left for improvement short of a dedicated double system like the Vertex. But it's also really nice to retain the ability to easily switch between a double hammock with shared bug-net enclosure and a pair of singles.

Initial testing has been going well, except perhaps for my son deciding to change from a Wizard to a Druid. So hasty these young ones. I also just got a new tarp which might be a decent temporary solution (and maybe reasonable long term for ongoing car-camping and backyard hangs) until I can get something nice. (Good: cheap, huge, 13' RL hex pattern. Bad: fairly bulky and heavy. Durability: unknown. More to come)

[James Fowler]

I also just got a new tarp ... More to come)

So here it is, the YUEDGE 10×13 Ft Hammock Tarp - $30.48 from Amazon.




I'm actually under it right now, next to my son in Chameleons with the Double Dutch Bugnet. Hoping for some rain, supposedly there's a 50% chance over the next few hours. Still feeling a bit of wind when it blows, but this is just a hex tarp with no doors so that's no surprise. It feels huge compared to the Hennessey Hex, which is the only other hammock tarp I've tried so far.

I'm sure there are better tarps for a tandem setup, and I'm expecting to get one soon. I'm also expecting it to cost at least five times what this one did, possibly more. Jury's still out until I get some serious rain (whaddaya know, it just started) and some sense of durability. This is not something I'd want to try stuffing in a backpack. But it may end up being a great cheap way to keep the kids from tripping over your good stuff when you're hanging in the backyard.

[James Fowler]

Had an idea a while back for improving the stability of a tandem hang using the DutchWare spreader bar and Beetle Buckles / Double Whoopie hooks. I added a secondary set of lines attached low on the tree to keep the bar ends from rising up and blowing through the tarp. It also made it MUCH more stable for the first person in / last person out.

Seems pretty simple but it works great so far - I saw a little bit of sideways motion but way less than before.

I'll do some more testing to see if it matters, but FWIW the normal suspension is coming off either side of the tree (not both from the same side), with the suspension for the hammock on the same side of the tree as the hammock. For the secondary suspension from below I reversed this - they actually cross over each other, my though was that this would keep it from slipping up as I left a little slack in the "lower" suspension.

Here's some pictures :
20180506_152418.jpg

20180506_152025.jpg

20180506_152401.jpg

[Dynamystic]

Had an idea a while back for improving the stability of a tandem hang using the DutchWare spreader bar and Beetle Buckles / Double Whoopie hooks. I added a secondary set of lines attached low on the tree to keep the bar ends from rising up and blowing through the tarp. It also made it MUCH more stable for the first person in / last person out.

Seems pretty simple but it works great so far - I saw a little bit of sideways motion but way less than before.

I'll do some more testing to see if it matters, but FWIW the normal suspension is coming off either side of the tree (not both from the same side), with the suspension for the hammock on the same side of the tree as the hammock. For the secondary suspension from below I reversed this - they actually cross over each other, my though was that this would keep it from slipping up as I left a little slack in the "lower" suspension.

Here's some pictures :
20180506_152418.jpg

20180506_152025.jpg

20180506_152401.jpg

This is a fantastic idea. I'll be trying that out soon. Thanks!

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[Dutch]

That really is a neat trick James.

[alt.thomas]

20180506_152418.jpg

What a brilliant idea. I’ll be sure to copy this when I take my daughter out camping next month. Thank you!

[HOGShop]

My wife and I spent all last year testing our “double” hammock. We call it the Gemini. There is a carbon Fiber spreader bar at the head end. Similar to other designs mentioned already. It’s been awesome sharing the same space. When hanging with my wife I wouldn’t go back to separate hammocks.

https://hofmanoutdoorgearsupply.ca/h...n-hammock.html




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