ErnieW
Trail Wise!
I want to backpack
Posts: 9,878
|
Post by ErnieW on Nov 23, 2021 14:06:50 GMT -8
I already own a Klymit insulated, static V rectangle sleeping pad. I'm wondering if it will fit inside a origional blackbird double, or will I need to get one that is specifically designed for a hammock. I have used three pad versions with my double. First in summer weather I used my Nemo Swithback. Which if you were going with a pad I would really recommend. Its R value when sleeping on the ground isn't that great but when you put it between the two layers of the double the bumps trap air and apparently boost the R value. It is also a little "sticky" so it stays in place pretty well. I also tried with my car camping Thermarest Scout which was OK. I also tried both and that was too complicated to keep it all in place. Then I got the under quilt. No fussing with pad position and the biggest plus was that the fabric of the hammock was freer to cradle me. Much more comfortable. The warm spot is also bigger. The pads are 20" and the Wooki I have is 44" at the shoulder. Like I said earlier I have only two nights out with it so far with coldest being 45F. I am hoping to get a night out at about 25-30F as a low to test it further. I have been using my REI 16F Magma with it mostly like a top quilt. The Wooki is a 20F version
|
|
zeke
Trail Wise!
Peekaboo slot 2023
Posts: 9,879
|
Post by zeke on Nov 23, 2021 15:09:57 GMT -8
The pad I use in the WBBB double is a rectangle 25 inches wide and 78 long. Your Klymit will fit.
|
|
bushmaster
Trail Wise!
The mountains are calling, and I must go.
Posts: 50
|
Post by bushmaster on Nov 24, 2021 12:11:34 GMT -8
Just watched a video on guy using a blackbird, and he uses a pad and an under quilt together, what is the purpose of this. wouldn't just a quilt alone be enough. Sorry about this newbe's stupid questions.
|
|
zeke
Trail Wise!
Peekaboo slot 2023
Posts: 9,879
|
Post by zeke on Nov 24, 2021 13:30:16 GMT -8
IMO, that is redundant. One or the other should be sufficient in all but the coldest temps.
|
|
driftwoody
Trail Wise!
Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
Posts: 14,976
|
Post by driftwoody on Nov 24, 2021 15:01:07 GMT -8
If the UQ isn't quite warm enough, adding a pad can make the difference between a chilly night and a warm sleep. That's what I did one night when the lows reached the high teens. My WB UQ is rated 20, but I'm not a particularly warm sleeper.
Getting the double layer adds versatilty to the Blackbird. In warmer temps just a pad; then the UQ; then both.
|
|
|
Post by dayhiker on Nov 24, 2021 20:43:11 GMT -8
My back is happier on the ground. I liked Hennessy pretty low wt. considering it comes with everything, tarp is small but it always worked. I tried the BlackBird, but not that much better for my back. I like the top entry of the Blackbird, and that would be better on the ground (never did this) , the Hennessy entrance it suppose to be better for bugs, kind of a pain with a pad which is what I used (I sold both). Hammock was lighter and better in woods with no tent spots. But tents are lighter now. I did get one for car camping , doesn't bother my back for short times. Hannock is good in rain can hang out under tarp, put hammock up last, etc. Might save wt by taking a tarp and poles less bug inner and/or Hancock (use either or both under same tarp.
I did get an ENO ( think that is the make) for car camping but haven't used it much, I think it is trench like, which reminds me of one thing I did not like about the Blackbird, was it's shelf, blocked view and ventilation, but more space for stuff inside.
|
|
driftwoody
Trail Wise!
Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
Posts: 14,976
|
Post by driftwoody on Nov 25, 2021 5:15:56 GMT -8
I tried the BlackBird, but not that much better for my back. To each his or her own. I switched from tent to hammock in large part because my back is much happier in the Blackbird. As I got older my lower back would get really stiff on the ground, so I kept getting thicker sleeping pads to accommodate the concavity needed for my glutes (I'm a back sleeper). Then I started learning more about hammocks but was wary of the investment without trying it out first, and zeke was kind enough to loan me his Blackbird. It was a revelation, and now I'll always choose the hammock first.
|
|
ErnieW
Trail Wise!
I want to backpack
Posts: 9,878
|
Post by ErnieW on Nov 25, 2021 9:06:34 GMT -8
I am a side sleeper. The first night out in the new BB XLC I hardly slept. So new and I couldn't get exactly into a sleep position for my mind and body to trigger sleep. The next night out I kind over hiked and got a some sleep but was fitful from my muscles (the goal was to go until I almost couldn't and see if finding a spot would be easy. See reason below). The third night out and after I have been getting a good night's sleep and even better with the under quilt.
I have wanted a hammock system for a while. There have been several trips where I have put in a very hard day then started looking for a place to put my tent down but then finding no suitable places. It meant hiking even more and kind of going over my limit. I was in terrain where there were lots of great hammock trees and so wished I had one.
My current thing I am working on is getting the hammock "level". I have learned how to eyeball trees for the distance apart and I can get the tension right in the straps. But I tend to set the foot a little low so overnight I keep sliding down a bit. The foot is higher than the head and the foot strap is set shorter. I guess I have to start trying setting the foot what looks like way high to me and see how that works.
|
|
trinity
Trail Wise!
Posts: 2,896
Member is Online
|
Post by trinity on Nov 25, 2021 9:20:23 GMT -8
My current thing I am working on is getting the hammock "level". I have learned how to eyeball trees for the distance apart and I can get the tension right in the straps. But I tend to set the foot a little low so overnight I keep sliding down a bit. The foot is higher than the head and the foot strap is set shorter. I guess I have to start trying setting the foot what looks like way high to me and see how that works. This is counter-intuitive, but you want the foot end to be a little higher in a hammock. On the ground, I want my pad level, or my head slightly higher. In a hammock, if you hang it with the foot end just slightly elevated, you will tend to slide to just the right spot.
|
|
zeke
Trail Wise!
Peekaboo slot 2023
Posts: 9,879
|
Post by zeke on Nov 25, 2021 9:27:00 GMT -8
I start with my feet about a foot higher, and adjust from there depending on how far apart the trees are. The goal is for the foot end of the hammock to be 12 inches higher than the head end, once my body is in the hammock. Otherwise, I slide down to the foot end.
|
|
|
Post by dayhiker on Nov 25, 2021 9:27:20 GMT -8
I tried the BlackBird, but not that much better for my back. To each his or her own. I switched from tent to hammock in large part because my back is much happier in the Blackbird. As I got older my lower back would get really stiff on the ground, so I kept getting thicker sleeping pads to accommodate the concavity needed for my glutes (I'm a back sleeper). Then I started learning more about hammocks but was wary of the investment without trying it out first, and zeke was kind enough to loan me his Blackbird. It was a revelation, and now I'll always choose the hammock first. My problem is more like shoulder squeeze, like I get in some chairs, stomach sleeping would help , I used to toss and turn (not so much in a hammock) but largely on my back with a CPAP now.
|
|
ErnieW
Trail Wise!
I want to backpack
Posts: 9,878
|
Post by ErnieW on Nov 25, 2021 9:59:52 GMT -8
I start with my feet about a foot higher, and adjust from there depending on how far apart the trees are. The goal is for the foot end of the hammock to be 12 inches higher than the head end, once my body is in the hammock. Otherwise, I slide down to the foot end. I think this might be where I have been having this issue. I set the foot strap about a foot higher than the head strap. From what you are saying the placement on the trees should be so the foot of the hammock is about one foot above the head. So for trees kind of far apart the foot strap needs to be much higher the the head strap.
|
|
bushmaster
Trail Wise!
The mountains are calling, and I must go.
Posts: 50
|
Post by bushmaster on Dec 18, 2021 3:08:12 GMT -8
I have, for the most part decided on the BB single, original, only questions I have is how small does this hammock stuff down too, their web site doesn't say, or maybe I missed it. Also if I'm reading correctly, it comes with tree straps included
|
|
zeke
Trail Wise!
Peekaboo slot 2023
Posts: 9,879
|
Post by zeke on Dec 18, 2021 4:51:36 GMT -8
Back over a decade ago, my double WBBB came in a stuff sack with openings on each end. The sack was about 12" long and 4-5 inches in diameter. This jibs with what is being sold on Dutchware, once you consider the ends will gather. Looking at the WBBB website this morning, I do not see where you are reading that it comes with tree straps. As for how my WBBB is carried these days, I use snake skins, as I found them easier to use than the stuff sack. Dutch can be a valuable source for many things related to our fun, but the site can also be a rabbit hole that sucks your cash away. Lots of goodies to draw your eyes. Tree straps can be purchased from many sources, Dutch, Hammock Gear, etc... My very first pair was a wide nylon strap I purchased and had my local cobbler sew a loop in the ends using a box stitch. They held up for several years. Snake skins can be purchased from either of the already 2 listed sources, although they are now called Sleeves. Snake Skins must have been the name I bought from a source I can no longer find.
|
|
driftwoody
Trail Wise!
Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
Posts: 14,976
|
Post by driftwoody on Dec 18, 2021 5:01:07 GMT -8
I'm on my 2nd WBBB, and they both came with tree straps. Easy enough to find out by contacting WB. Both had double layer bottoms. The first was original length with buckles, the 2nd an XLC with whoopee slings which are lighter and preferable IMO.
I also bought tarp ticks for staking the tarp to the ground and for hooking the tarp to the trees. I really like them.
|
|