DebW
01-23-2003, 16:08
Reviewer Name: DebW
Age: 47
Height: 5' 6"
Weight: 120 lb
Experience: 30 years hiking and backpacking, much of it in the Whites.
300 AT miles in Vermont, MA, CT
Similar Products Used: My first outdoor hammock. Have a Central American
cotton hammock hanging indoors.
Locations/conditions tested: 5-10 degrees F, 10 mph wind
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Weight (advertised): hammock 16 oz, tarp 15 oz, packed weight 46 oz
Weight (as tested): hammock 23.5 oz, tarp+guy lines 21.6 oz, packed 48.3 oz
Price: MSRP $55, purchased for $40 at REI
Manufacturer web address: www.crazycreek.com
Phone Number:
E-mail address:
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Construction, Design, or Initial Impression:
The hammock is a simple 46 inch by 95 inch rectangle of doubled nylon with one long side left open to insert a foam pad. The short ends contain sleeves with triangular stiff reinforcements in the corners. 1 inch wide straps goes through the sleeves for hanging the hammock. The 11.5 foot long strap goes through the hammock, is wrapped 540 degrees around a tree, then secured through a hefty metal buckle. Two drip rings on each strap. The tarp is factory seam-taped. Came with 6 aluminum stakes and a single piece of nylon guy rope 80 feet long, which I cut as follows: 2-7 ft pieces for the ridgeline peaks, 2-6 ft pieces for the ridgeline ends, 6-5 ft pieces for the tarp bottom edges, and 4-6 ft pieces for the center side tie outs (these may be needed only when setting up the tarp on the ground). The tarp appears rather small for use on the ground under conditions of blowing rain.
I picked this up because the price was so good ($40) and reviews on backpackgeartest.org claimed very good performance in cold weather. If I like hammock camping I may buy a Hennessey for warm buggy weather. But this one could still get a lot of use in my backyard when it's not bug season.
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Initial Tests:
I slept out in the Crazy Creek hammock behind my house and was generally comfortable at 5-10 degrees F. It was a somewhat breezy night, so I picked a spot in the woods and low down so as to miss most of the wind. I inserted 2 closed cell foam pads so they reached to both edges and overlapped in the middle. The buckle system for hanging the hammock was much appreciated in the breezy 10 degree weather - it was easy to set up with mittens on. I use a double sleeping bag system in cold weather, so I put both sleeping bags in the hammock. I got in both and was immediately too warm, so got out of the inner bag. The outer bag is usually good to 30 degrees outside or 20 degrees in a tent without wearing clothing inside the bag. I had on fleece pants, heavy wool socks, a wool undershirt, wool shirt and balaclava when I got in the bag, and I didn't want to undress out in the wind. I tried removing the pants inside the bag, but since I hadn't tried such contortions in a hammock before, I gave that up and kept them on. I was quite warm, except my feet seemed to be off the end of the pad and my heels were cold. So I stuffed a fleece jacket inside the bag under my feet, and then was toasty everywhere and fell asleep. At 3:30 I woke up and noticed that the sky was clear and the air was colder. Since I was a little chilly, I pulled the second sleeping bag around me inside the first and fell asleep again. I've been quite warm in this 2 sleeping bag combination in a tent at -10 and can probably go to -20 easily. Later I found my feet slightly cool, maybe because they were partially above the sides of the hammock whereas the rest of me was below the sides and well protected from any wind.
I was generally warm and I slept well. No pressure points and I was able to sleep in one position much longer than usual. This was my first full night in a hammock. It differed from tent camping in that I couldn't move around as much or change clothes inside the bag (maybe I will learn this later). Also somewhat harder to store gear around me or inside the bag. There is no ridgeline or other storage mechanism. I stuffed my booties, mittens, and headlamp between the side of my sleeping bag and the hammock. Some of them worked their way under me during the night and the headlamp was hard. My wind parka I draped over the lower half of the hammock. I had a pint water bottle inside the sleeping bag - it wasn't too difficult to deal with. But I wouldn't have wanted to have my boots in there - I think they would have been hard to deal with. For this night, I tied the boots together and hung them over one of the hammock straps, but normally they would have been in the sleeping bag with me under those conditions if I was using leather boots.
I might considering sewing in the foam pads. It would make hammock use more convenient and setup easier. I'd take full length pads (or as long as will fit) and cut them into 3 lengthwise sections, one under the body and two along the sides. This would give the occupant insulation on 3 sides and the foam pads wouldn't have to buckle as much. The hammock could fold along the longitudinal seams and be rolled up just like you'd usually carry your foam pad.
More to come... I have yet to try setting up the tarp .
Age: 47
Height: 5' 6"
Weight: 120 lb
Experience: 30 years hiking and backpacking, much of it in the Whites.
300 AT miles in Vermont, MA, CT
Similar Products Used: My first outdoor hammock. Have a Central American
cotton hammock hanging indoors.
Locations/conditions tested: 5-10 degrees F, 10 mph wind
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weight (advertised): hammock 16 oz, tarp 15 oz, packed weight 46 oz
Weight (as tested): hammock 23.5 oz, tarp+guy lines 21.6 oz, packed 48.3 oz
Price: MSRP $55, purchased for $40 at REI
Manufacturer web address: www.crazycreek.com
Phone Number:
E-mail address:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Construction, Design, or Initial Impression:
The hammock is a simple 46 inch by 95 inch rectangle of doubled nylon with one long side left open to insert a foam pad. The short ends contain sleeves with triangular stiff reinforcements in the corners. 1 inch wide straps goes through the sleeves for hanging the hammock. The 11.5 foot long strap goes through the hammock, is wrapped 540 degrees around a tree, then secured through a hefty metal buckle. Two drip rings on each strap. The tarp is factory seam-taped. Came with 6 aluminum stakes and a single piece of nylon guy rope 80 feet long, which I cut as follows: 2-7 ft pieces for the ridgeline peaks, 2-6 ft pieces for the ridgeline ends, 6-5 ft pieces for the tarp bottom edges, and 4-6 ft pieces for the center side tie outs (these may be needed only when setting up the tarp on the ground). The tarp appears rather small for use on the ground under conditions of blowing rain.
I picked this up because the price was so good ($40) and reviews on backpackgeartest.org claimed very good performance in cold weather. If I like hammock camping I may buy a Hennessey for warm buggy weather. But this one could still get a lot of use in my backyard when it's not bug season.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Initial Tests:
I slept out in the Crazy Creek hammock behind my house and was generally comfortable at 5-10 degrees F. It was a somewhat breezy night, so I picked a spot in the woods and low down so as to miss most of the wind. I inserted 2 closed cell foam pads so they reached to both edges and overlapped in the middle. The buckle system for hanging the hammock was much appreciated in the breezy 10 degree weather - it was easy to set up with mittens on. I use a double sleeping bag system in cold weather, so I put both sleeping bags in the hammock. I got in both and was immediately too warm, so got out of the inner bag. The outer bag is usually good to 30 degrees outside or 20 degrees in a tent without wearing clothing inside the bag. I had on fleece pants, heavy wool socks, a wool undershirt, wool shirt and balaclava when I got in the bag, and I didn't want to undress out in the wind. I tried removing the pants inside the bag, but since I hadn't tried such contortions in a hammock before, I gave that up and kept them on. I was quite warm, except my feet seemed to be off the end of the pad and my heels were cold. So I stuffed a fleece jacket inside the bag under my feet, and then was toasty everywhere and fell asleep. At 3:30 I woke up and noticed that the sky was clear and the air was colder. Since I was a little chilly, I pulled the second sleeping bag around me inside the first and fell asleep again. I've been quite warm in this 2 sleeping bag combination in a tent at -10 and can probably go to -20 easily. Later I found my feet slightly cool, maybe because they were partially above the sides of the hammock whereas the rest of me was below the sides and well protected from any wind.
I was generally warm and I slept well. No pressure points and I was able to sleep in one position much longer than usual. This was my first full night in a hammock. It differed from tent camping in that I couldn't move around as much or change clothes inside the bag (maybe I will learn this later). Also somewhat harder to store gear around me or inside the bag. There is no ridgeline or other storage mechanism. I stuffed my booties, mittens, and headlamp between the side of my sleeping bag and the hammock. Some of them worked their way under me during the night and the headlamp was hard. My wind parka I draped over the lower half of the hammock. I had a pint water bottle inside the sleeping bag - it wasn't too difficult to deal with. But I wouldn't have wanted to have my boots in there - I think they would have been hard to deal with. For this night, I tied the boots together and hung them over one of the hammock straps, but normally they would have been in the sleeping bag with me under those conditions if I was using leather boots.
I might considering sewing in the foam pads. It would make hammock use more convenient and setup easier. I'd take full length pads (or as long as will fit) and cut them into 3 lengthwise sections, one under the body and two along the sides. This would give the occupant insulation on 3 sides and the foam pads wouldn't have to buckle as much. The hammock could fold along the longitudinal seams and be rolled up just like you'd usually carry your foam pad.
More to come... I have yet to try setting up the tarp .