The Alpine Hammock Rolling Review

[voivalin]

There She hangs! Hope Squirrels do not make their nest in my Alpine Hammock.



Very easy to put a complete weather protected and insulated hammock system away - just unlock carabiners and hang into the shed. Zero Fiddling!

Zero Fiddling is great because even in garden use insulation and weather protection is always needed in Finland. Temperatures are even at summer usually about 60 F (15 C) and short rain showers are almost always possible. I think I will be garden hanging lot more next summer than before.

More testing during weekend...

[voivalin]

I could not resist to sleep another night. It was -17 C (1,5 F) and night went fine. Only little chilly feeling over my thighs. That is a new one, and must be due to the condensation in work. Usually chilliness hits first over my chest area.

Wiggy's bag is no more insulating as in a pristine dry condition. But on the other hand, I'm very happy it is warm enough to be slept in hammock wearing only long sleeved cotton pajamas, wool socks, silk gloves and wool cap. When in outdoors I would were more base layer in these temperatures. Bag is rated to 0 F by Wiggy's.

The Alpine hammock was again fully closed and I have not been doing anything to get rid of the condensation, all is in. I will take pictures during weekend when there is natural light to use during day time.

[BillyBob58]

Very interesting, Voivalin! Did you ever get the"origami ventilations are not horizontal. If it would have rained water, water would have poured right in from the ventilation behind my right shoulder." problem worked out?

Wiggy's bag is no more insulating as in a pristine dry condition. ....

Are you saying the bag is just as warm damp as dry, or the opposite?

[voivalin]

Very interesting, Voivalin! Did you ever get the"origami ventilations are not horizontal. If it would have rained water, water would have poured right in from the ventilation behind my right shoulder." problem worked out?



Are you saying the bag is just as warm damp as dry, or the opposite?

It is not damp, but I suspect there must be some condensation inside bag, normally it gets "hot" immediately after I get in, now it took few minutes. And there was no wind blowing, and I still felt little chilliness at the area where the Alpine hammock probably "suffocates" the bag and prevents condensation drying up directly to the air.

The problem with hammock hanging in wrong position is not solved. I think there is some structural problem. I have been hoping it is just the way suspension is tied and when I straighten it up it will work as a dream. But I have not have time to do it yet.

I have two of these, I will open the other one at weekend and check if there is a similar problem. My pal is coming to check them out...

[voivalin]

Nothing special. It is too cold to continue sleeping outside with 0 F graded sleeping bag. But here are some daytime images.



Quite a lot condensation ice. I did pour it away from the hammock. In these temperatures (<0F) ice is like sand, very easy to remove.



My sleeping bag sadly has a right side zipper and The Alpine Hammock is left side zippered. If both were lefties, it would be bit easier to go in.



Already in sleep!



My pal is inside.



Some of the zipper cover flap is still glued because of the seam seal. The one big question is: Is the Alpine Hammock water proof enough when rain is pouring hour after hour? Or will I lay in a pool of water slowly dripping inside? Bottom is water proof, so water has no way to go away. These zipper cover flaps could be bigger IMHO. But we well see...



Under the open sky again!

[Kapang!]

Great review! Looking forward to more. Thanks, Voivalin!

[voivalin]

Great review! Looking forward to more. Thanks, Voivalin!

Thanks! I'm busy at the next weekend. Hope it warms bit, so I could continue the condensation test.

But I have been thinking to hang the other Alpine hammock with my Wiggy's Antarctic bag it it does not warm up. But we will see.

[voivalin]

I'm more and more happy with the Alpine Hammock. I slept my first night with the weather cover open and it is truly nice system. I can hardly wait the real outdoors when there is forest around me and I sleep under open skies.

The best part was when it started to rain sleet at the morning I just closed the cover and slept some more.

I do not know much about hammock design. And I have been wondering about the Alpine hammock - why is it so good to sleep in? It does not follow rules. It is short, diagonal lay is nonexistent but anyhow it is quite nice to sleep in it.

And strangely side sleeping is easier than in my 11" Double layer Dream hammock. It is mystery to me.

Maybe it is due to the fact that the Alpine hammock is hanged little tighter than other hammocks, so there is less banana effect when sleeping straight between suspension points. But why there is no shoulder squeeze at all I do not know. Maybe it is the cut, hammock is wide from the shoulder area and narrow at the foot end.

But anyhow the Alpine Hammock is a Great Product. Hope I can say that again after some rainy and stormy night in near future.

(And the other mystery with the hammock hanging on it's left side seems to be lesser problem currently - I do not know why it is hanging almost straight now I'm just happy about it! )

[voivalin]

I did post this once, I do not now what happened to it, but here it goes again.

I did left the Alpine hammock under open sky after the saturday-sunday night. There has been some (very little) rain after that: sleet, snow and rain. I had the idea to test what happens If you leave the Alpine Hammock alone during for example longer day trip at the woods. Here are the results.









Some pooling of the water because of those pads inside the hammock - bottom is lifted higher than the cover. But no water inside.

I will post more stuff here: http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=88492

[Refreshing]

Thanks for the updated pictures. I may have missed it but is the bottom waterproof too? After really studying your pictures I realized that this is quite similar to the diy project I am currently working on.