If you were getting a new hammock today.......

[Dr. Professor]

Let me add one more advantage to the blackbird footbox -- not only can extra quilt be kicked into it when too hot; the converse is also true and is more common. I frequently start with my top quilt partially kicked into the box early in the night. I then pull up more top quilt as needed as the night gets cooler.

[Hairbear]

i came down the same road thankfully i am finaly done with the search for the right hammock for me.the warbonnet ridge runner is a very confy hammock

[Cozy]

Cozy,

The footbox is supposed to allow you to lie flatter in the blackbird. I like it for a couple of reasons:

1) I am comfortable lying diagonal with my feet in the box (the intended and flatest position) as well as lying straight in the hammock. This means I can shift between two positions that are comfortable for me. I like being able to shift.

2) I can kick off extra top quilt into it if I'm hot.


As for the tarp, you can use all sorts of tarps with the blackbird as the tarp is a completely separate item. At 10 oz, I've been happy with the edge tarp. I hang the tarp tight over the hammock in bad weather (actually, in bad weather the tarp goes up first and comes down last, I adjust as necessary while hanging the hammock). As long as I'm careful to make sure water can't run down the ridgeline, this has worked for me. As for privacy, I can change in the hammock but not outside of it when using the edge tarp.

I like hiking in the rain, and don't try to sit out downpours. If you're not like me and don't mind the extra weight, you may want a bigger tarp.

Thanks for the clarification. I ordered the BB 1.1 double layer and will try out the system when it comes in. I saw that doors for the Edge Tarp can be ordered (or can be added on by a cottage manufacturer). What is your opinion on using the doors on the Edge tarp? (1) Will it be too cramped for 1 person? (2) Will the tarp/doors come to the ground (simulating a tent) and provide enough standing room (I'm 5'3") or do I need to go with a larger tarp? I'm not looking to host a bunch a people under my tarp but would like the privacy a tent provides for changing clothes, cleaning myself up, etc. as well as the added warmth. Thanks for your help!

[kayak karl]

I own a WB superfly (doors are sewn on. 2008) great tarp, but was too heavy to backpack with. settled on a 11' - 8'8" cuben tarp by z-pack (7 oz)

the superfly is blue in background.
as you can see you can still close corners like doors on tarp.

[scree]

It's been said, but I'll say it again. Anything Warbonnet that suits you. You'll appreciate the American quality, especially given that the competition (HH) has farmed manufacturing out to China.

[kayak karl]

It's been said, but I'll say it again. Anything Warbonnet that suits you. You'll appreciate the American quality, especially given that the competition (HH) has farmed manufacturing out to China.

you're probably right, but Warbonnnet, though well made is not keeping up with the market. their gear is heavy! a lot of new (USA) cottage businesses are cutting into WB's share of the market with lighter gear. the reason so many people push WB is that's all they know. so to them, it's the BEST.

[Dr. Professor]

Cozy,

While the edge has worked well for me, the edge makes little sense if you know you will use doors -- just get a tarp with doors sewn on. The tarp that Kayak Karl uses looks sweet, is bigger than the edge, is lighter than the edge, and has doors sewn on. The edge is much cheaper. His tarp is much better.

[Cozy]

I own a WB superfly (doors are sewn on. 2008) great tarp, but was too heavy to backpack with. settled on a 11' - 8'8" cuben tarp by z-pack (7 oz)

the superfly is blue in background.
as you can see you can still close corners like doors on tarp.

Thank you for taking the time to post the pics. It helps to get a visual!

[Cozy]

Cozy,

While the edge has worked well for me, the edge makes little sense if you know you will use doors -- just get a tarp with doors sewn on. The tarp that Kayak Karl uses looks sweet, is bigger than the edge, is lighter than the edge, and has doors sewn on. The edge is much cheaper. His tarp is much better.

I appreciate your opinion. I will look into getting a tarp with the doors. ZPacks will be too expensive for my purse though.

[JaxHiker]

imho the Blackbird is the iPhone of the hammock world.

[kayak karl]

I appreciate your opinion. I will look into getting a tarp with the doors. ZPacks will be too expensive for my purse though.

my tarp does not have doors. it's just the corners pulled in. a 5 point tie-outs on the 11' side helps. any 11' by 9 or 10' tarp will work this way without carrying the extra weight of door. just my thoughts

[l84toff]

imho the Blackbird is the iPhone of the hammock world.

I really hope Brandon hasn't farmed out his operation to China...

[Dr. Professor]

Karl: I thought about my mistake as soon as I posted; I should have corrected myself. Thanks for the clarification. Your tarp is sweet; I'd pick it up but I'm currently looking to spend my money on rain gear. Even if I find gear, something like the mammut felstrum half zip or some such should be enough spending for the immediate future.

Cozy: I love the blackbird but don't pretend to have a comprehensive knowledge of the hammock market. There may be some small maker out there that I would like better. I do think you'll be very pleased with the blackbird though. As for the tarp, the edge is fine for me for now. For you, I'd recommend looking for something with sewn on doors or corners that can be folded in like Karl's. I don't know what the right answer for you is, but at least I can assure you that anything as large as the edge or larger should work well in terms of weather protection. All else being equal, lighter is better. Karl paid for the light weight. For a few more ounces, you should be able to find something that will work for you. Good luck!

[gunner76]

you have less problems when they stretch out over time

Then My BB should be streached out of shape and it is not and I have been using it for about 3 years now. This has never been reported on hammock forums as a problem and believe me, if there is an issue with a hammock or other product, folks on the forum are not afraid to say something

Only being able to enter on one side is not than big of a limitation...do you plan to get in and out of both side at the same time ? That storage shelf is a very nice feature.

Brandon at Warbonnet recommends that if do do go to ground with the hammock that you use a ground cloth of some type (tyvek is very light weight) to protect the hammock fabric.

I use the BB double layer as it allows me the option to use a pad and the double layers help keep the pad from shifiting ( I use to use a Wallyworld 24"+ wide blue foam pad before I switched to UQ's ) and keeps the skeeters from being able to bite thru the fabric. I can throw the bug net over the ridge line and use the hammock as a chair.

I own a variety of hammocks and I keep going back to my BB's for overnights on the trail.

[prain4u]

I own a WB superfly (doors are sewn on. 2008) great tarp, but was too heavy to backpack with. settled on a 11' - 8'8" cuben tarp by z-pack (7 oz)

the superfly is blue in background.
as you can see you can still close corners like doors on tarp.

Great post and pictures....

I hear mixed reports regarding the durability of cuben. Some people swear by it and love it. Others people say that it wears out and tears easily and tents, tarps or packs made from cuben usually do not last the duration of an entire thru hike. What is your opinion? (Other people please feel free to chime in as well).

It appears from the pictures that you have your cuben tarp hung over a ridgeline rope or cord. Does the rope/cord rub and wear on the cuben fabric and cause any tears or leaks?

Thanks!

[scree]

you're probably right, but Warbonnnet, though well made is not keeping up with the market. their gear is heavy! a lot of new (USA) cottage businesses are cutting into WB's share of the market with lighter gear. the reason so many people push WB is that's all they know. so to them, it's the BEST.

I'd try an alternative if I found one that met my needs, but so far the smaller manufacturers use lighter weight materials that I don't trust. Most have relatively low weight limits, e.g., 150-200 pounds. It's notable that I use Warbonnet's thickest and heaviest hammock - the 1.7oz double layer which has a weight capacity of 400 pounds. I can pretty much store whatever I can carry in the hammock without worrying about it. I'm fairly tall and never weigh less than 220 or more than 240 so I could use lighter material but 1) I don't want it to stretch as much over time and 2) I don't really trust lighter materials not to abrade or fail in the middle of the night. After many nights in this one it's more or less in the same shape it's always been and I like that dependability.

[l84toff]

Great post and pictures....

I hear mixed reports regarding the durability of cuben. Some people swear by it and love it. Others people say that it wears out and tears easily and tents, tarps or packs made from cuben usually do not last the duration of an entire thru hike. What is your opinion? (Other people please feel free to chime in as well).

It appears from the pictures that you have your cuben tarp hung over a ridgeline rope or cord. Does the rope/cord rub and wear on the cuben fabric and cause any tears or leaks?

Thanks!

A cuben tarp is definitely on my wish list. In fact I'm thinking of selling both my tarps and grabbing a cuben tarp with doors already on, for a thru, this would be my tarp. Cheap? No. The Superfly is a great tarp and perfect for winter, lots of protection and privacy but it is heavy, too heavy for a long hike. I also have a Tadpole and very much like this tarp, advertised at 11.5oz, I don't recall how much mine weighs including all tie outs but it is about half the weight of the SF. Now the cuben would be 6.5oz, so less than a 3rd of the SF and all the same coverage. The way I see it is I've already spent over $240 for both those tarps, for an extra $60 I could have the cuben. Another benefit to cuben is that there is no stretch to the tarp so I could get rid of line tensioners and save even more weight here.

There are lots of ways to hang a tarp. You can hang a ridgeline and hang it over top of the ridgeline, you can attach your ridgeline to the ends of the tarp (this is the way I have mine set up - benefit as I see it is weight savings), you can also hang a ridgeline and hang your tarp under the ridgeline, sounds weird maybe. Both 1 & 3 offer better adjustability at a small weight gain. I've not heard of wear issues from hanging it over the RL but then I also don't own one and can't speak from experience.

There are some really good videos on YT, just look up Shug, grab some popcorn and watch all his instructional videos, really worth while. He goes over cuben tarps also.

I realize your original post was about hammocks, but I would seriously consider spending the $ on a cuben fibre tarp for a thru. I realize it's a compromise between weight/comfort/$

[JaxHiker]

I really hope Brandon hasn't farmed out his operation to China...

I was referring more to the cult following rather than the origin of manufacture.

[l84toff]

I was referring more to the cult following rather than the origin of manufacture.

No worries, I knew what you meant.

[Tinker]

Something like the one to the left here. It's a basic Byer hammock with the parachute multi-cord ends removed and replaced with a loop of 6mm climbing accessory cord run through each end hem. A carabiner at each end completes the setup. In cold weather I leave the bug net (Eno) at home and save a pound. The bug net gives me extra room to sit up and swing my legs over the side of the hammock without getting eaten alive (the netting is sprayed with permethrin and reinforced with deet on very bad days). Since my bag surrounds the hammock, I don't need an over/under quilt set.
A note: if the bag hangs much below the bottom of the hammock, cold spots will form, just like an underquilt (but the ease of use can't be beaten).