Easy Hammock
- Thread starter BigMonster
- Start date
Testing and review from Finland by Lucas Payton (thank you very much).
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/content.php?r=856-Easy-Hammock-XL-Review
Following this and other users feedback the included straps are now 4m long (previously 2.5m).
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/content.php?r=856-Easy-Hammock-XL-Review
Following this and other users feedback the included straps are now 4m long (previously 2.5m).
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It was basically dark by the time Rich and I got out last night so not much in the way of a review but suffice to say I am very pleased with my Bushcraft hammock.
Absolutely no trouble at all using it with a thermarest, really like the zip in section. I was warm and comfortable all night, enough space to move around but the mat didn't seem to budge.
Would recommend.
Pleased to see 4m is now standard.
Absolutely no trouble at all using it with a thermarest, really like the zip in section. I was warm and comfortable all night, enough space to move around but the mat didn't seem to budge.
Would recommend.
Pleased to see 4m is now standard.
The idea was for the mat to be held in place by the corners of the underquilt layer so it stays on diagonal. Not like the double layer hammocks where the mat have tendency to migrate to the middle of the hammock.
Glad it worked for you
Glad it worked for you
Quick report from a little testing trip last weekend. Two nights in Cranmore tower woods, place was quite exposed which proved "interesting".
First night at +14C with just a T shirt under the sleeping bag, no problem. Second night +12C with a ton of moisture and reasonable wind which caused some problems. Had to pin both sides of the tarp to the ground and close one side with my poncho. After blocking off the wind slept full 8 hours.
So I guess like any lofty insulation wind can cause problems, if you are camping away from thick forest in an exposed spot a bigger tarp is recommended. After finishing the Winter Hiker I will probably look in to making an under quilt protector. Until then description have been updated.
First night at +14C with just a T shirt under the sleeping bag, no problem. Second night +12C with a ton of moisture and reasonable wind which caused some problems. Had to pin both sides of the tarp to the ground and close one side with my poncho. After blocking off the wind slept full 8 hours.
So I guess like any lofty insulation wind can cause problems, if you are camping away from thick forest in an exposed spot a bigger tarp is recommended. After finishing the Winter Hiker I will probably look in to making an under quilt protector. Until then description have been updated.
I had a night out in the Hiker XL last Thursday with Gregs656 who has your Bushcrafter.
I hadn't posted due to us getting there late and the woodland canopy making it difficult to take pictures, it was getting too dark. Generally I was pretty impressed with the Hiker. Temps were not low, about 12 above, but the built in underquilt worked well. So handy to have all the space in the XL and not be sliding off a mat. I got a good nights sleep in a DD Jura bag courtesy of Diamond Dave. I intend to try this combo in colder conditions and take some pictures.
Bigmonster, cheers for the 4m straps. Greg is still using the 2.5m and it really isn't enough to go round the tree. I think he had only a few inches left to tie his hitches. Maybe you could send him a set of 4m?
I'm fairly used to a carabiner to tie onto and don't really mind untying my knots to make adjustments. I'd like to see a cinch buckle ideally, or at least double steel rings for easier adjustment. Carabiners are expensive, I got prices of about £6 each for the ones you supply, so the savings could be used to SUPPLY A STUFFSACK WITH YOUR LOGO ON IT!!!. The pillowcase it came in does not do you any favours in terms of presentation or professionalism, you'll need to work on that. I've put my hammock in a DD XL snakeskin, but only after the event of it peeing with rain in the night and stuff getting wet. A double ended bag or snakeskin with cord locks each end would present your products much better. We had rain in the night and the hammock got wet packing up and snagged on bramble.
Last, I slept warm and well, but the insulation beneath me was stretched kind of tight. There may be a way of releasing some of that tension or expanding the layer to allow more airspace for loft. Like I say, that was my first night out, and I want to do a colder one to properly test it. All in, the Hiker XL is comfortable, very roomy for any sleep positions, and well built. Also, your ridgeline pocket is very good, the horizontal sleeve for a water bottle came in handy during the night, and as a glasses wearer, good not to have to try too hard to locate them after a few whiskeys. Storage for the hammock and the pocket ought to come as standard, it'll help your sales to offer something more complete.
Hope the the feedback is useful to you, I did say I'd be honest.
Apologies again for the lack of pics, once we got in the woods it was a bit of a scrabble to get sorted before dark.
I hadn't posted due to us getting there late and the woodland canopy making it difficult to take pictures, it was getting too dark. Generally I was pretty impressed with the Hiker. Temps were not low, about 12 above, but the built in underquilt worked well. So handy to have all the space in the XL and not be sliding off a mat. I got a good nights sleep in a DD Jura bag courtesy of Diamond Dave. I intend to try this combo in colder conditions and take some pictures.
Bigmonster, cheers for the 4m straps. Greg is still using the 2.5m and it really isn't enough to go round the tree. I think he had only a few inches left to tie his hitches. Maybe you could send him a set of 4m?
I'm fairly used to a carabiner to tie onto and don't really mind untying my knots to make adjustments. I'd like to see a cinch buckle ideally, or at least double steel rings for easier adjustment. Carabiners are expensive, I got prices of about £6 each for the ones you supply, so the savings could be used to SUPPLY A STUFFSACK WITH YOUR LOGO ON IT!!!. The pillowcase it came in does not do you any favours in terms of presentation or professionalism, you'll need to work on that. I've put my hammock in a DD XL snakeskin, but only after the event of it peeing with rain in the night and stuff getting wet. A double ended bag or snakeskin with cord locks each end would present your products much better. We had rain in the night and the hammock got wet packing up and snagged on bramble.
Last, I slept warm and well, but the insulation beneath me was stretched kind of tight. There may be a way of releasing some of that tension or expanding the layer to allow more airspace for loft. Like I say, that was my first night out, and I want to do a colder one to properly test it. All in, the Hiker XL is comfortable, very roomy for any sleep positions, and well built. Also, your ridgeline pocket is very good, the horizontal sleeve for a water bottle came in handy during the night, and as a glasses wearer, good not to have to try too hard to locate them after a few whiskeys.
Storage for the hammock and the pocket ought to come as standard, it'll help your sales to offer something more complete. Hope the the feedback is useful to you, I did say I'd be honest.
Apologies again for the lack of pics, once we got in the woods it was a bit of a scrabble to get sorted before dark.
All valid points and I'm actually addressing most of them (it's still work in progress). Longer straps will be with Greg this week, And I have couple samples of different stuff sacks coming my way so I can choose the suitable option.
With the underquilt there is really fine line between too tight and too loose, it's not good both ways and ideally it should be in contact with hammock body. If you are warm than it's working properly.
After launching mearly two months ago there is still a lot of details and accessories to research and think through, my main concern so far was built quality and fit for purpose. So I appriciate any possible feedback you could give me guys.
With the underquilt there is really fine line between too tight and too loose, it's not good both ways and ideally it should be in contact with hammock body. If you are warm than it's working properly.
After launching mearly two months ago there is still a lot of details and accessories to research and think through, my main concern so far was built quality and fit for purpose. So I appriciate any possible feedback you could give me guys.
Reply to a post from another thread to keep everything together.
Yes, we have discussed those issues before. And one more time I would like to defend my pillow case idea. All my sleeping bags came with loose cotton storage bags and my drawer is full of compression sack that I'm not using as I carry my whole sleeping system in a dry bag. Just like you see in my wideos. That is my solution which is designed to be simple and easy. Your milage may vary. And regarding UKHammocks, all my underquilts from them came in netting laundry bags which worked great for long term storage.
Same for the straps, no suspension system will be perfect for every environment. I'm perfectly fine with my 2.5m straps and same goes for my partners hammock. But I understand users might need a bit extra so I now include 4m of webbing. And I really like my strap and carabiner suspension where I don't have to drag wet and gritty webbing through a cinch buckle. But if the user prefers different suspension method then my hammocks are probably the easiest to mod in that area.
With mk III I will experiment with compression sacks and wait for the feedback. As you said this adds to the cost that is why mk III will go past £200. After Christmas I will change my website a bit and various accessories will be available including bags.
P.S. Thank you for your link, this will give me a chance to participate in that conversation.
Ah, myself and Greg have had a few conversions about the hammocks, but never had a name apart from Bigmonster.
Could we get a couple of compression sacks Matt? Me and Greg? Bushcrafter and Hiker XL size.
Diamond Dave was asking if the issue with lack of packaging system and 2.5 metre straps had been addressed just a couple of days ago. Product is great, but get on the forums a bit if you want the chat to happen?
http://www.realoutdoorsforum.com/forum/index.php?threads/hammocks.1516/#post-38973
I said you'd supplied 4m straps rather than the 2.5m, but didn't think there was a stuffsack. I like my Hiker XL very much, less impressed with it arriving in a cotton pillowcase, literally, a pillowcase. I'm glad you have included a bag for them now, I haven't seen it, but it's got to be an improvement. The double ended bag design that UKHammocks have/had is brilliant, all the hammock is contained while one end is attached to tree, then just grab the other end and walk to the opposite tree. Doesn't touch the ground at all.
I've said it before, but people like a complete unit, they enjoy the feeling their money has been well spent on a pleasing, practical, cool product. I've stuffed mine into a large size DD snakeskin which works fine tucked in gaps in my rucksack, but if it had arrived in a compression sack with the ridgeline organiser ready to go, I'd have raved about it at the cash I paid (£160). As it was, I had to look at storage solutions that added to cost, including a compression sack dry bag from Alpkit, completing costs at around £185.
I fully appreciate it's a fairly new business, and you respond very well to critical feedback. What I really don't want to see is something I've seen many times with new makers, failure due to silly things like pillowcases, maybe lack of comms, taking on more than you can deal with etc. We all know that UKHammocks rep is badly tarnished, so do attend to the detail, it means a lot to your punters.
Keep potential customers up to date before they hesitate to push the button, unless they check your site there's no chat on the forums I get on about improvements to the system. I'm all for you fella, the ridge line organiser is supremely functional as it allows a full Nalgene or other bottle to lay horizontal above for easy reach and, no sitting up and your bottle hitting your head, the hammock itself is very well made.Touches like that will only be talked about on forums.
My comments are in the wrong forum, it shouldn't be in sales.
Yes, we have discussed those issues before. And one more time I would like to defend my pillow case idea. All my sleeping bags came with loose cotton storage bags and my drawer is full of compression sack that I'm not using as I carry my whole sleeping system in a dry bag. Just like you see in my wideos. That is my solution which is designed to be simple and easy. Your milage may vary. And regarding UKHammocks, all my underquilts from them came in netting laundry bags which worked great for long term storage.
Same for the straps, no suspension system will be perfect for every environment. I'm perfectly fine with my 2.5m straps and same goes for my partners hammock. But I understand users might need a bit extra so I now include 4m of webbing. And I really like my strap and carabiner suspension where I don't have to drag wet and gritty webbing through a cinch buckle. But if the user prefers different suspension method then my hammocks are probably the easiest to mod in that area.
With mk III I will experiment with compression sacks and wait for the feedback. As you said this adds to the cost that is why mk III will go past £200. After Christmas I will change my website a bit and various accessories will be available including bags.
P.S. Thank you for your link, this will give me a chance to participate in that conversation.
Sorry I posted in the wrong place, it was late and I couldn't find this thread. Thanks for responding. I'm very happy with mine with the supplied carabiners, I don't find that a problem at all. My point really covers the customers first impressions upon receipt. A nice logoed bag would make all the difference I think. Other than that it's an excellent product.
Finally got my first shipment of Climashield Apex. Amazing material, from my calculations it should save 220g on the XL hammock. Making one for myself right now and if it perfrms as expected next weekend the new Hiker Mk III will be available from February.
I have just finished first one and will test it this weekend.
If everything works as espected it will go live on my website this sinday.
Hiker Mk III is now available, 10% lighter and 20% smaller thanks to Climashield Apex.
To show the the difference:
With a down bag/top quilt and decent tarp you can have the whole sleeping system within 3kg, I think that is something
To show the the difference:
With a down bag/top quilt and decent tarp you can have the whole sleeping system within 3kg, I think that is something
Really good vid, especially the failings of ground dwelling. You must get yourself a bunch of big black rubber slugs and poke a hole in the sleep mat to create the authentic experience.
I'm desperate to get out again, this time of year isn't my favourite at all, just a good walk with the dogs improves my mood no end.
I'm desperate to get out again, this time of year isn't my favourite at all, just a good walk with the dogs improves my mood no end.
Yup, and some muddy knees and hands. I think I'm slowly getting close to my "comfort years" as I find less and less joy in cold runny nose and white knuckles
Winter Hiker with double insulation now awailable. After experimenting with the idea of solid fabric overcover I had to abandon the concept due to condensation and "claustrophobia".
So this hammock is perfect if you like cold nose but warm back side in the morning
http://www.easyhammock.co.uk/store/product/winter-hiker-insulated-hammock-5c
So this hammock is perfect if you like cold nose but warm back side in the morning
http://www.easyhammock.co.uk/store/product/winter-hiker-insulated-hammock-5c
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