Product
Information
|
Manufacturer
|
Warbonnet Outdoors
|
Manufacturer website
|
http://www.warbonnetoutdoors.net/
|
Year Manufactured
|
2009
|
Size/color tested/used
|
Double layer 1.7 od
green with webbing suspension
Also available in:
- Single layer 1.7 od green
- Single layer 1.1 dark gray
- Double layer 1.1 dark gray
|
MSRP
|
$160 US
|
|
Listed
|
Measured
|
Weight
|
~31 oz (879 g) +
7.7 oz (218 g) webbing =
38.7 oz (1097 g) total
|
36.8 oz (1043 g) total
|
Dimensions
|
120 in x 72 in with 101 in internal structural
ridge line
(305 cm x 183 cm, 257 cm ridge line)
|
Length: 113 in (287 cm) from the ends of the
ring buckles
Width: 49 in (124 cm) at the widest point between tieouts
Ridge line: 98 in (249 cm) measured from knot-to-knot
|
Packed Size
|
Not given
|
13.5 in x 5.5 in diameter
(35 cm x 14 cm)
|
It was nice to see that the listed weight was conservative, my hammock
coming in almost 2 oz (54 g) less than advertised. I chose the
heavier weight fabric due to my substantial size and weight.
I'm not sure how the manufacturer measures their dimensions -- hammocks
are very articulated pieces of gear and its hard to get people to agree
on where and what to measure, and which measurements are
significant. I don't attach any importance to the discrepancies
between the listed and measured dimensions in the above table.
Suspension
The supplied 1 inch (2.5 cm) webbing strap has a small loop in one
end. The webbing is rated to 2000 lbs (907 kg). High
strength is needed because the suspension system must support stresses
that are many times the weight of the user. The hammock is hung
by wrapping the looped end around a tree trunk and clipping the loop to
the strap with a load-bearing carabiner. The carabiner was not
supplied with my hammock.
If the webbing strap is mistakenly looped back to the ring buckle in a
loop, only half the length of the webbing strap can be used to extend
to the hammock, greatly restricting the usable tree distance for
hanging the shelter.
Note that this procedure is not documented in the supplied
instructions, but is (humorously) described in a video on the
manufacturer's website.
The other end of the webbing is
threaded through a ring buckle that is permanently attached to the
hammock ridge line. The same operation is performed at the other
end of the hammock, and the webbing straps are tightened to the desired
length.
When the straps are set to the desired length and hammock tension, a
slippery half-hitch is used to prevent strap slippage through the ring
buckles:
Note in the above photo the stuff sack is left on the ridge line
making it easy to find and allowing the hammock to be stowed without
touching the ground
keeping it clean and dry.
Also available is a line/strap suspension system similar to the
standard Hennessy configuration. This is the setup I have used
for over a year and I wanted to try something new.
In my first attempt to set up the hammock I only read the supplied
instructions and did not watch the video or consult the copious
information available in the online forums; I wanted to see if I could
fly blind. Well, I couldn't. After trying to set it up
without a carabiner I wondered how I would hang it from trees wider
than my 20-foot (6.1 m) distant trees in my backyard when I doubled the
webbing back on itself in a loop into the ring buckles (this is how
some
other hammock manufacturers suspend their hammocks). The good
news is I only ended up falling to the ground one time!
Once I watched the video, all was clear and success followed.
One final suspension note: the supplied instructions are clear about
not setting up the hammock with too much tension on the ridge
line. The webbing straps should be looped around the support
trees at head height or higher if possible, and the hammock allowed to
"droop" at a 25-30 degree angle. The structural ridge line will
assure that the two hammock ends will be a fixed distance apart, and
thus assure a fixed hammock curvature under load. The
instructions warn against stringing up the hammock too tightly, causing
undue stress on the ridge line. In my initial test I set up the
webbing loops well above my head, and when I laid down in the hammock
there was very little ridge line tension.
Hammock construction
The Blackbird is a Mayan-style hammock, intended to be laid in
diagonally in
order to achieve as flat a position as possible. The first
reaction many people have to camping hammocks is "Why my back could
never tolerate sleeping all curved like that!" In reality, when
laid in diagonally a Mayan hammock like the Blackbird requires only a
slight curvature in the spine, just enough to relax the back after a
long day on the trail. It can also be laid in on one's side, but
it is not for stomach sleepers.
The Blackbird has an asymmetrical construction and is designed that the
head is positioned on the left of the ridge line, and the feet to the
right (as seen by the user). There is some debate in the hammock
community about what constitutes an
asymmetrical hammock; the
fabric may be completely symmetric, i.e. a rectangle, but the hammock
is designed and constructed in such a fashion that there is clearly a
"head" and a "foot" end, and it will feel differently if the user lays
on a different diagonal.
The Blackbird has a generous footbox
to allow the feet to move around nicely when they are positioned to the
right of center. To the right of the head is an extra "wing" on
the hammock which is intended to act as a storage shelf for light items
to be accessed during the night.
The fabric where the head is
positioned on the left and the shelf on
the right each have a loop tieout with a piece of shock cord attached
via a sliding ring that is designed to be staked out to keep the sides
deployed. It is not necessary to do so as the tieouts do not
serve a structural purpose (though the shelf droops without the
tieout), but in addition to keeping the sides stretched out for a roomy
feel they also
keep the hammock from rocking at night, a motion that some people find
objectionable.
The photo at left shows the right-side tieout and shelf, with a blue
stake bag shown on the shelf for scale.
Between the two ends of the hammock is a structural ridge line.
It
serves two purposes:
- It provides a constant curvature to the hammock regardless of how
tight or loose the hammock is tied to the tree. This prevents the
user from having to find the right tension by trial-and-error.
- It keeps the bug netting up and away from the user's face.
The tested configuration is a double-layered bottom (sleeve)
hammock. A pad is slipped into the sleeve at night, not to
provide comfort but rather to act as an insulating layer to prevent
heat loss from convective air currents under the hammock.
Bug Netting
Camping hammocks were originally used for jungles where bugs are
a major issue, and most manufacturers supply a netting system.
For me this feature is key, as Minnesota is known for its voracious
mosquitoes and black flies which can make camping miserable if they are
not kept at bay while trying to sleep. The Blackbird uses a
zipper on one side of the hammock for
entrance/egress. The netting can be detached from the stake and
thrown over the top of the
ridge line when not needed or when the hammock is used as a seat:
The zippers have a short pull tab on them, I will likely tie something
to them to make them more visible and easy to pull. They worked
well with no snag points.
Packing
The Blackbird is supplied packed in a double-ended stuff sack.
These are often left on the suspension lines of a hammock so that the
hammock can be packed up without touching the ground on a rainy morning
and getting wet or dirty.
The hammock fits snugly in the supplied sack, but I had no problems in
re-packing it. In the above photo one of the webbing straps was
purposely left dangling from the sack to allow easy extraction.
Visual Inspection
The Warbonnet Blackbird appears to be a finely crafted piece of
gear. I could find no loose pieces, no frayed ends, no stray
threads. In fact I could find no manufacturing defects of any
kind.
Planned Usage Configurations
Tarp Configuration
The tarp I will be using with the Blackbird during the course of this
test is an 8 x 10 ft (2.44 m x 3.05 m) rectangular model from Integral
Designs, a Siltarp 2. This tarp provides a number of different
configuration possibilities including A-Frame and diagonal setups that
I intend to exercise with the hammock. I may experiment with my
Hennessy Tarp to see if it is usable with the Blackbird, as it is
lighter than the Siltarp.
Pad Insulation
I will be using the Exped Multimat,
and possibly my Therm-a-Rest Prolite-4 (long) pad. The issue with
the latter is that it is only 25 inches (64 cm) wide, and I am likely
to end up with cold shoulders at night with it unless I add additional
padding. The Multimat is plenty wide at 40 inches (102 cm), but
it is not nearly as warm. This is something I'll be experimenting
with during the course of the test.
Multimat partially inserted into the sleeve
I also have the Open Cell Foam pad from my Hennessy SuperShelter.
If it fits and stays in place, I may try
this out with a space blanket as that is the configuration that I have
honed to perfection over the last year.
Impressions from initial use
Once I knew what I was doing, the webbing and ring buckle setup is
easy,
fast and reliable. Entry and exit from the hammock is
straightforward and avoids the squatting or ducking required when
entering bottom-entry
hammocks. I
felt very comfortable inside the hammock, especially in the ankle area
where some
hammocks tend to have tension along the center line. I am very
tall, but the hammock was plenty long for me; I did not feel at all
constrained at the head or foot end of the shelter. The interior
felt spacious and airy. Though I am difficult to see through the
bug netting, I am laying in the hammock in the following photo.
The profile my legs make are visible in the lower left of the picture;
I am laying quite flat with only a slight curvature in my spine.
At first I missed the ridge line pocket of my Hennessy, but I quickly
learned to use the side pocket to store my glasses, iPod and headlamp.
The Exped Multimat slides into the sleeve easily, though since it is
not very stiff it has to be pulled in and not pushed. It provided
plenty of warmth for the 60 F (16 C) morning when I tried it out and
stayed in place nicely when I rolled around.
I have tried using a pad/mat inside a different hammock that lacked a
sleeve, and didn't care for the configuration as it slid around at
night when I moved.
Summary
So far I am impressed with the Warbonnet Blackbird Hammock. I am
excited about getting it out into the backcountry.
Likes:
- Lightweight considering the double layer bottom.
- Comfortable, I particularly liked the ability to sit in the
hammock with the netting unzipped. I was able to lay very flat
with minimal spine curvature.
- Easy setup.
- Well made.
- Pad sleeve makes it easy to keep warm using gear I already own.
Areas for improvement:
- Better setup documentation. Hammock aficionados can and
will consult the online information, but the manufacturer could expand
on his supplied documentation at very low cost and raise the chance of
success for those folks that are not so well plugged in.
Field Report
Test Conditions
Dates
|
June 11-14, 2009
|
July 11-12, 2009
|
August 1-2, 2009
|
Location
|
North Country Tail (NCT), Chequamegon section in
northern Wisconsin
|
Mt Lemmon just north of Tucson -
Mt Lemmon Trail (section of Arizona Trail)
|
Mt Lemmon, Wilderness of Rocks
Trail
|
Altitude
|
1050 ft to 1650 ft
(320 m to 500 m)
|
7450 ft to 9100 ft
(2271 m to 2774 m) |
7000 ft to 8100 ft
(2100 m to 2500 m)
|
Terrain
|
Heavily forested with maple and pine.
Streams, lakes, bogs and beaver dams. |
Mountain meadows, rocky ridges
and trail. All descent/ascent, almost no level hiking. |
Pine forests, rocky trail and
outcroppings
|
Weather
|
Coldest nighttime low was 41 F (5 C), daytime
highs around 74 F (23 C), very light winds. Mostly sunny with
rain shower June 13. |
Nighttime low of 60F (15 C),
daytime high at lower altitude of 88 F (31 C) |
Nighttime low of 60F (15 C),
daytime high at lower altitude of 90 F (32 C) |
Under-insulation employed
|
Exped Multimat with space blanket
|
Exped Multimat with space blanket |
Exped Multimat with space blanket |
Tarp used
|
Integral Designs 8x10 Siltarp in
A-frame pitch
|
Integral Designs 8x10 Siltarp in
A-frame pitch |
none
|
Observations
North Country Trail
I set out on this trip with some trepidation -- I was backpacking with
about a dozen members of the Hammock
Forums, experts on hammock camping and many experienced with the
Warbonnet gear.
The Blackbird perched on a knoll above Porcupine Lake
Night one is depicted in the above photo. We were camped high on
a knoll above a lake in a grove of large pine trees. I had no
issues finding apropos trees to tie up to. There was virtually no
wind, so I didn't embarrass myself in front of the experienced tarp
users I was traveling with. I pitched the tarp in a typical
A-frame with my two trekking poles making a slight "porch" in the front
of the hammock. I had no troubles setting up the hammock, though
I found that I had to be careful to tie a tight "slippery
half-hitch" on the webbing to make sure it did not slip. The
structural ridgeline guarantees a fixed distance between the hammock
ends which makes for proper tension in the hammock base irrespective of
how taut or loose the hammock is tied to the trees. I found the
ring buckle/webbing tieout design made for easy tension/height
adjustments.
I learned on this first night that I could tie the hammock side tieouts
to the same stake as my middle tarp line. This is somewhat
visible in the above photo in the back of the hammock, but the front
tieout had not been staked out yet. I appreciated having to use
only 6 total stakes for both the tarp and the hammock.
I slept
very comfortably that evening. The large footbox
allows a very flat posture, and I had no problems turning occasionally
during the night despite my use of a mummy sleeping bag which many
hammock users eschew in favor of the easier top quilts. I did get
a bit chilly underneath; it seems like the Multimat is not quite up to
the task of keeping me warm at the low 40's F (5-7 C) despite the
addition of the space blanket. Donning my fleece pullover during
the night took care of most of the chill, but not all.
One thing I noticed this first day was the bug net zipper would
occasionally catch on the threads of the seam between the two sections
of the pad sleeve openings. It did not catch seriously enough to
cause any big problem, just a slight reluctance of the zipper to close
at that spot. It seems like the seam that closes the middle of
the pad sleeve is quite close to the zipper, and the threads can catch
very slightly.
Tarp front thrown over the top
The above photo shows the configuration of the next night's camp.
We were located right near a river, and the moist ground made for very
lush vegetation. I was able to find appropriate trees for
pitching
the hammock with a little brush clearing. For the purposes of the
photo, I detached the front tarp tieouts and threw it over the top to
better see the hammock from the side. Note that the hammock
suspension line makes a great laundry line for drying socks!
I slept great on the second night with the gentle sound of the river
lulling me into slumber. It was a little warmer than the first
night, and with my fleece on I was very comfortable.
Night three was in a national forest campground. Hammocks were
pitched everywhere, and the only obstacle I had for sleeping this night
was the thunder of snoring coming from my compatriots. Hammock
camping does seem to encourage users to sleep on their back, which in
turn seems to encourage snoring.
By the third night I had become accustomed to deploying and packing up
my Multimat pad and space blanket in the sleeve. The sleeve works
well, though I did have some instances of the pad wanting to fold over
at my left shoulder area. The Multimat is very wide at 40 inches
(102 cm), and it may be that the sleeve was not designed for such a
wide pad. I'll experiment on future trips with narrower pads to
see how they fare. Overall I am very happy so far with the
comfort and ease of use of a pad with this hammock.
Mt Lemmon Trail
On July 5 I moved to Tucson Arizona to take a new job. My
challenge in testing the hammock from here on out was to find
trees! Fortunately Mt Lemmon in the Santa Catalina mountains is
adjacent
to Tucson, and there is an excellent highway leading to the top of the
mountain where the weather is cool enough and the rainfall plentiful
enough to provide trees to hang hammocks. I drove to the top of
Mount Lemmon on the afternoon of
July 11 arriving at the summit
mid-afternoon. I took the Mount Lemmon trail (#5) descending down
past the Wilderness of Rocks. At a point where my quadriceps
started to fatigue I climbed back to my camping site for the
night. Its a lot harder walking uphill than downhill at these
altitudes!
Blackbird on Mt Lemmon
The campsite was perfect for hanging hammocks as can be seen from the
photo above: plenty of sturdy trees,
spaced nicely with no brush between them to obstruct the
airspace. The hammock set up with no problems. After dinner
I retired to my first night of mountain hammocking.
I was happy for the bug netting. There don't seem to be any
mosquitoes in the area, but several times during the night some big
insect whacked into the bug net. Better that than my face.
I did appreciate the shelf on this outing, as I placed far more
material there than I normally keep inside my hammock. It is very
handy
for extra clothing when the temperature drops.
It was reasonably warm that night, but quite windy, as I was pretty
close to the mountain peak. Around midnight I had to zip up my
mummy bag to keep warm, particularly on the bottom. The wind
really robs the warmth underneath me in a hammock.
The next morning I packed up and made the short hike back to the
car. I have become accustomed to stuffing the hammock in the
supplied sack, where it fits perfectly. Overall, I was very
satisfied with the experience of my first Arizona hammock "hang"!
Mt Lemmon - Wilderness of Rocks Trail
In my 2 years of hammock camping, I have never spent a night without a
tarp over my head. As I was setting up camp there was not a cloud
in the sky. July and August are monsoon season in Tucson, and
though I used to think of this area as an arid desert, there is
significant
rainfall this time of year, especially at elevation. I figured
even if there was some precipitation during the night, the bug netting
would prevent me from getting soaked for long enough to put up the tarp.
My concerns were unfounded. I spent a glorious night with an open
view of the stars, and the nearly full moon. I slept like a
baby. It is an interesting experience to sleep in a hammock with
no tarp: I am suspended above the ground, and looking up I see trees
towering over my head.
The Blackbird performed flawlessly on this trip. The webbing
straps were plenty long enough to wrap around the substantial lodgepole
pines I hung from. I have been very happy with the performance of
the Multimat in the hammock sleeve: it not only provides warmth, but
also acts as a frame to keep the hammock base fully spread. This
is a great combination for moderate temperatures. One rather odd
phenomena I observed was a bit of an "electrical storm" inside the
hammock when I ran my hand along the hammock base. I'm not quite
sure what contributions the dry Arizona air, Multimat, space blanket
and hammock base fabric contribute, but its quite bizarre to see the
base light up from small static electricity sparks as I run my hand
along the base.
Perhaps hanging the hammock without a tarp made me more conscious of
this, or maybe it was the tension (or lack thereof) on the side
tieouts, but the bug netting seemed close to my face when laying in the
hammock. I'm going to have to play with this a little bit to see
what is going on.
One technique that I discovered earlier on has now become standard
practice for me: to prevent tangling of the side tieout lines, I place
them inside the hammock while packing up, then gently close the zippers
around them. This keeps the tieouts inside the hammock and seems
to
prevent them from getting tangled with each other as well as with the
webbing straps.
Summary
By the end of the first trip setting up the hammock was second nature,
my initial confusion was long behind me. This is a very
comfortable hammock -- I sleep as well or better in it than I ever have
in the backcountry. My likes and dislikes are quite similar to my
initial experience.
Likes:
- Lightweight considering the double layer bottom.
- Comfortable, I particularly liked the ability to sit in the
hammock with the netting unzipped. I was able to lay very flat
with minimal spine curvature.
- Easy setup with straps and ring buckles. The structural
ridgeline does a good job of assuring proper tension in the hammock
base.
- Pad sleeve makes it easy to set up and prevents pad movement at
night.
- Bug netting does a good job of keeping insects at bay.
Areas for improvement:
- The zipper occasionally catches on the fabric between the two pad
slits.
The concludes my Field Report of the Warbonnet Blackbird Hammock.
Long Term Report
Test Conditions
Dates
|
August 15-16, 2009
|
August 29-30, 2009 |
September 12-13, 2009 |
September 19-20, 2009
|
September 26-27, 2009 |
October 9-11, 2009
|
Location
|
Mt Lemmon, Butterfly Peak just north of Tucson,
Arizona.
|
Mt Lemmon, Samaniego Ridge Trail
just north of Tucson, Arizona. |
Coronado National Forest
in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson, Arizona in the Madera
Canyon. Old Baldy and Agua Caliente trails.
|
Coronado National Forest in the
Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson, Arizona in the Madera
Canyon. Four Springs trail.
|
West fork of Oak Creek
Canyon in the Coconino National Forest just
north of Sedona, Arizona. |
Cabin Loop Trail on the Mogollon
Rim in the Coconino National Forest just
north of Payson, Arizona.
|
Altitude
|
6600 ft to 7800 ft
(2010 m to 2380 m)
|
7150 ft to 9100 ft
(2180 m to 2774 m) |
5500 ft to 8700 ft (1675 m to
2650 m) |
5000 ft to 8100 ft
(1520 m to 2470 m)
|
5350 ft to 5800 ft
(1630 m to 1770 m) |
6900 ft to 8000 ft (2100 m to
2440 m)
|
Terrain
|
Santa Catalina mountains: pine forest at higher
altitudes, scrub oak at lower altitudes. Trail is dirt in some
areas, rocky in others.
|
Mountain meadows, rocky ridges
and trail. All descent/ascent, almost no level hiking. |
Forested mountains with open
areas on slopes and saddles. |
Forested mountains with open
areas on slopes and saddles. |
The hike was in a canyon with
running creek. Camping and hammock use was in a mature pine
forest.
|
Coniferous forest with some oak
and maple. Some open meadow areas. About 30% of the trip
was road walking.
|
Weather
|
Night time low was about 55 F (13 C), daytime
highs around 85 F (23 C), very light winds during the day but became
quite strong, gusting to around 25 mi/hr (40 km/hr) at night. |
Clear during the day, clouded up
at about 6PM. High temperature about 80 F (27 C), low of 60 F (15
C). |
Sunny and clear at the start,
about 75 F (24 C). Thunderstorms developed in the afternoon and
rain persisted throughout the night. Low temperature was about 55
F (13 C).
|
Sunny and clear at the start,
about 70 F (21 C). Thunderstorms developed in the afternoon but
cleared up by nightfall. Low temperature was about 53
F (12 C). |
Sunny, temperatures from 53 F to
75 F
(12 C to 24 C) |
Sunny, night temperatures were
25 F and 30 F (-4 C and -1 C), daytime temperatures up to 78 F (26 C)
|
Under-insulation employed
|
Exped Multimat with space blanket
|
Exped Multimat with space
blanket |
Exped Multimat with space
blanket |
Exped Multimat with space
blanket |
Exped Multimat
|
Exped Multimat and Therma-a-Rest
Prolite 4 Long
|
Tarp used
|
None
|
Integral Designs 8x10 Siltarp in
diamond (diagonal) pitch |
Integral Designs 8x10 Siltarp in
diamond (diagonal) pitch |
Integral Designs 8x10 Siltarp in
diamond (diagonal) pitch |
None
|
None on night one, and Integral
Designs 8x10 Siltarp in
diamond (diagonal) pitch on night two
|
Observations
Butterfly Peak
The trailhead for this trip was actually the same as my prior outing to
Mt Lemmon, but in the opposite direction. This gives views to the
north, whereas the Wilderness of Rocks trail gives views to the south.
I set up camp early, around 5:30PM on a ridgeline which afforded views
to both the east and west. I was hoping to get a nice view of the
sunrise in the morning.
Blackbird near Butterfly Peak
Note in the photo that my campsite was on quite an incline -- it would
have been very difficult to pitch a tent on this site. This is
one of the great advantages of hammock camping, a level campsite is not
needed. Though it is hard to tell in the picture above the tree
that I tied up to on the left actually is quite huge -- the base
diameter is over 3 ft (1 m), yet I had no problems attached the webbing
as the Blackbird ships with a generous length.
Once again I decided to tempt fate and go tarpless, though my tarp did
accompany me in the pack just in case. I had a glorious evening
looking up at the stars through the pines. The evening began
quite warm, and I fell asleep with my sleeping bag beside me. I
awoke around 11PM a little chilled and put the bag over me
quilt-style. A few hours later I awoke again, shivering.
The wind was blowing like crazy on the mountaintop, and I was being
robbed of heat beneath me. I crawled into my bag and mummied up,
toasty warm and slept through the rest of the night peacefully.
I did tighten the tension of the side tieouts when I pitched the
hammock this time. It seemed to help keep the bug netting and
shelf fabric away from my face.
Samaniego Ridge Trail
The beginning of this trail overlaps the Mt Lemmon Trail, then splits
off at about the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) point and begins to follow the
Samaniego Ridge. This was really tough going as this trail
appears little-used, and is not well-marked. I lost the trail
about 3 times and had to backtrack. I had to turn around earlier
than I had planned, as the trail was blocked by fallen trees, and
appeared impassable thereafter. It was a pity, as I was hoping to
hit Samaniego Peak. I reached my campsite for the night around
5PM.
My campsite was a very exposed ridge. It was completely open to
the south, west and only a few trees blocked the view (and wind) from
the north. It was a great view, and I was looking for a breeze as
the
afternoon had been very still. I will file this trip in the "be
careful what you ask for" department.
Blackbird on Samaniego Ridge with Oro Valley 6000 ft (1800 m) below
The above photo illustrates both the exposed location and the diagonal
tarp configuration with a pitch that most folks would consider not
very taut.
When my tarp is pitched in an A-frame configuration as has been shown
in all prior photos, it is barely long enough to cover the tarp
ends. By pitching on a diagonal I get almost 3 ft (just under 1
m) of additional ridgeline coverage, with little or no additional
exposure to the sides as the hammock is widest at the center. My
tarp is not square, so the diagonal pitch is asymmetric but it seems to
matter little which diagonal I choose. For some people this tarp
pitch may seem unnatural, but it is similar to what I have been
accustomed to with my other hammock for several years.
When I woke up at midnight the wind was howling and my tarp was
whipping as the wind changed directions. My guess was that gusts
were up to 40 miles per hour (64 km per hour). I was concerned my
tarp would be in shreds by morning. One of my stakes gave way,
and I got up to weight the stakes down with boulders. I thought
about taking the tarp down, but the skies were not clear and I was
concerned that it could rain.
I finally fell asleep after about 2 hours of listening to my tarp
whipping around. When I woke up the next morning my feet were
down near the end of the hammock. The wind was so strong that my
slippery half-hitch at the foot end came undone and the webbing straps
had loosened on that end causing me to slide towards that end.
I have come to like the convenience of the ring buckle/webbing
suspension system, but clearly the hitch that keeps the ring buckle in
place must be well tied or bad things might happen to the occupant.
Madera Canyon - Old Baldy
The Santa Rita mountains are the range just to the south of
Tucson. Madera Canyon is a popular destination for bird watching,
in fact my wife and I had spent the prior Labor Day holiday day hiking,
bird watching and relaxing at an inn at the top of the canyon.
I hiked up near the summit
of Mt Wrightson, but had to bail out of going to the very top due to
approaching thunderstorms. After a rest I took the Agua Caliente
trail to the Agua Caliente Saddle
and spent the night there, descending to my car in the morning.
One thing hammock campers learn to do is understand where the best
places are to hang their hammock in a locale. In the Catalina's I
camp mostly on ridge outcroppings. In the Santa Rita's there are
very few such outcroppings, and the best camping spots for me are the
saddle points. These give not only great views in two directions,
but have enough level ground where trees of reasonable size can be
accessed. Much of Madera Canyon has incredibly steep slopes, and
though there are plenty of trees it is just too dangerous to hang on a
slope where, if I were to fall, I wouldn't stop rolling for 500 ft (150
m) or so.
I pitched my hammock just uphill from the trail at Agua Caliente saddle:
Blackbird perched on Aqua Caliente Saddle
As is evident from the photo, the hammock was pitched on a considerable
slope where it would be impossible to sleep in a tent. The photo
was taken the next morning with the sun coming up over Mt Wrightson.
My timing on camp setup was incredibly lucky. Just after the tarp
and hammock were up it started to rain, at first just a sprinkle, but
by sunset a steady downpour settled in. There were a few
wind gusts, one strong enough to uproot two of my tarp stakes.
There is nothing more fun than searching for stakes in the dark in the
rain! I seem to be having some difficulty learning the lesson
that
the very shallow soil in these mountains makes it advised to anchor my
stakes with sizable rocks.
Despite the diamond pitch I did notice just a little bit of spray
coming in through the bug netting during the night when it was raining
really hard. I don't fully understand how this was occurring, so
I'm going to have to check my seam sealing on the tarp to see if that
was the issue.
I did fully load up the hammock shelf during the night: fleece top,
rain jacket, and a bag of night gear. With this much bulk the
shelf did have a tendency to lean in on me when I was laying on my
back. When laying on my side in a fetal position there was no
issue as my back or knees pushed the shelf out of the way. The
lesson here is that the shelf and its tieout can take only so much
weight before it sags inward. I also pitched the hammock with the
leg end a little bit too high over the head end. The result was I
spent the night closer to the head end and not using as much of the
footbox as I should to provide optimal comfort. Perhaps a line
level from the local hardware store would have been helpful in
preventing this.
Despite the rain, wind, sagging shelf and imperfect pitch I actually
spent a very comfortable night and slept incredibly well. I awoke
at sunrise very well-rested and refreshed.
Madera Canyon - Four Springs
This was a bit of a repeat trip of the preceding weekend, but the
ascent was up the north side of the canyon. I set up camp a
little early for me, around 3PM as I was slowed down in my forward
progress by a bramble-covered section of trail, and the ridgeline I
passed earlier was beckoning me back as a perfect camping spot.
The pines were perfectly spaced for hanging my hammock, a bed of
needles
beneath, and a stellar view of Mt Wrightson, Tucson, and an unknown
city
to the south. It doesn't get any better than this. As can
be seen from the photo, this would be another tough spot for a
tent. If the slope doesn't cause problems, the sharp rocks will.
I initially set up the hammock backwards, i.e. with the head tied to
the higher tree instead of the lower. I wouldn't have made this
mistake if somehow the hammock was marked with the head and foot end,
something easily fixed with a piece of tape applied to the
webbing as a marker. I also set up the side elastic on the left
(entry) side
with too steep of an angle, causing flaps of fabric about my head at
night.
Once again the rain rolled in from Green Valley around 4PM but only
lasted 30 minutes or so. It was just one big cloud that I tracked
all the way up the mountain. There was no rain that night and it
was very still, making for a very pleasant sleep.
Coconino National Forest - Oak Creek Canyon
This was a car camping trip. We arrived at our campsite at around
10:30PM. This was the first time during the test period that I
had
to set up the hammock in total darkness, with a headlamp as my only
illumination. Fortunately it was a nearly-perfect camping area
for hammocks: lots of nicely-spaced mature pines with no brush
obstructions.
I was able to set up the hammock in the dark with no problems at
all. Once I laid down in it I did notice I had set up between two
trees that were slightly too close together, resulting in loose slack
in the ridgeline. I thought it would be a good experiment, and
didn't move the hammock. The ridgeline was high enough above my
head that it did not dangle in my face. There was nothing above
in the sky but stars, and no forecast of rain so I thought it safe to
leave my tarp in my backpack. This turned out to be a great plan,
as the stars were beautiful.
I spent a very comfortable night and woke up only once to drain my
bladder of the remnants of the beer I drank before retiring. The
bottom line of this night for me was the the Blackbird design is
forgiving of a small amount of ridgeline slack.
Coconino National Forest - Mogollon Rim
This was a 2-night and 2-day backpacking trip on a loop trail.
The first night was somewhat a repeat of the prior trip where we
arrived at
the campsite around 11PM and set up camp by headlamp right near the
car. This was the first time I added my Therma-a-Rest Prolite 4
mattress to the Exped Multimat in the pad sleeve of the hammock, as it
was already quite cold when we were setting up. Despite the cold
temperatures that night (for Arizona) of 25 F (-4 C) with the two pads
beneath me I was toasty warm all night long. I could tell when I
rolled off the Therm-a-rest pad: my shoulder would immediately get cold.
Night two we camped in an open meadow near a spring where it was
obvious wildlife would come for water:
We listened to elk bugling
all night long, and in fact one of my camp mates heard an elk walk by
her tent during the night. It was a bit warmer that night than
the previous, but I was still glad for the two pads beneath me.
It did seem that my Therm-a-Rest did shift around a bit more than I'd
like. This was not a problem with the wide Multimat as it was
held in position by the sides of the hammock pad sleeve, but the
narrower pad did not seem to want to stay on the diagonal. It
would be nice if the hammock design accommodated some way of keeping
pads in position.
This configuration did make me really appreciate the pad sleeve design
of the double-bottomed hammock. I cannot imagine how difficult it
would have been to keep two pads in place inside the main
hammock. The sleeve may not have held the narrower pad in place
perfectly, but it is far superior to a design without a sleeve.
Summary
This is a great piece of gear. One of the nice things that took a
long time to dawn on me was the ease of getting into my sleeping
bag in a side-entry hammock. I am accustomed to struggling to
get into the bag from a bottom-entry unit. Many hammock campers
prefer quilts, but I still like a bag. The side entry was
particularly appreciated in middle-of-the-night bladder-emptying exits
and re-entries.
The double-layer hammock made it easy for me to re-use my sleeping pads
as bottom insulation. This is much preferred to a single-layer
hammock and laying directly on the pad; it never stays in place.
After 4 months of use I've become quite accustomed to the adjustable
webbing suspension. It is very quick to set up, and the easy
adjustments are fantastic. The novice does need some care in
tying the slippery half-hitch to avoid ending up on the ground, as I
did several times. The integral ridgeline does a nice job of
always getting the perfect tension in the hammock fabric, as well as
providing a handy place to hang various objects for quick access.
This is a very comfortable hammock. I felt no pressure points or
stress areas at any time. The side tieouts do benefit from as
horizontal a tie-out as possible. Trees work great for this if
convenient. A steeper-pitched tieout can result in fabric and/or
the shelf closer to my face than I prefer.
It seemed a bit of a pain to always be pitching a stand-alone tarp
above the hammock for the last four months. An integral tarp that
was attached to the
hanging straps would speed setup and tear-down, though integral tarps
have their own set of problems.
Thanks to BackpackGearTest and Warbonnet
Outdoors for the
opportunity to test the Blackbird Hammock.
Kurt Papke