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Reviews > Shelters > Hammocks > SLD Streamliner DL > Owner Review by Kurt PapkeSimply Light Designs Streamliner DL
Hammock
|
Name: | Kurt Papke |
Age: | 61 |
Gender: | Male |
Height: | 6' 4" (193 cm) |
Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) |
Email address: | kwpapke at gmail dot com |
City, State, Country: | Tucson, Arizona USA |
Manufacturer |
Simply Light Designs |
Model |
Streamliner DL |
Year of manufacture |
2014 |
MSRP |
US $107.26 (as configured and
accessorized) |
Manufacturer website |
http://www.simplylightdesigns.com/ |
Color |
Digital Marpat Woodland Camo Also available: Coyote Brown, Foliage Grey, Light Forest Green, Black, Multicam, Firetruck Red, White |
Weight |
Listed: 14.5-15.5 oz (411-439 g), note
that the weight will vary depending on hammock length,
fabric type, suspension and accessories selected Measured weight: 16.4 oz (466 g) including all options (suspension, ridgeline, organizer and stuff sack) |
Weight rating |
250 lbs (113 kg). With quilts,
clothing, etc. I probably approach the weight rating, so
this configuration is pretty optimal for me. |
Dimensions |
Listed: length = 11 ft (3.35 m), width =
50 in (127 cm) Measured: length = 10.5 ft (3.20 m), width = 50 in (127 cm) at center It was difficult to fully stretch out the hammock flat to measure the length, as it was cut and sewn for a curved position. I'm thinking the difference between listed and measured length is within my measurement error. |
Materials |
1.1 oz Ripstop nylon Also available in 1.6 oz and 1.9 oz ripstop |
This is my third hammock. My first two units have
integrated bug nets, which I have found to be unnecessary in
Arizona, so I wanted to eliminate the extra weight. As
mentioned in my bio, I am a big guy and I was looking to try
out one of the longer hammocks that have arrived on the market
since my last acquisition. I also wanted to try out some
of the new suspension ideas, such as a Whoopie Sling.
Simply Light Designs is an Idaho-based cottage industry
player in the backpacking gear world. They have
innovative designs, but allow an amazing amount of
customization in the ordered product. My unit was
ordered with the following options:
For most of the last year I have used this hammock with a
pair of 3-season Jacks-R-Better quilts: Mt Washington 3
underquilt, and a Sierra Sniveler top quilt. I have also used
it with a Thermarest pad combined with a Multimat (see my
review of the Multimat on BackpackGearTest.org).
This is a brief listing of backpacking trips and usage of the
hammock, all of which are in the USA:
Date |
Location |
Trail |
Under
Insulation |
Weather |
Altitude |
January 11-12, 2014 |
Santa Catalina Mtns, near Tucson,
Arizona |
Romero Canyon | Quilt |
Sunny, 30-70 F (-1-21 C) |
2600-5200 ft (790-1580 m) |
January 19-20,
2014 |
Santa Catalina Mtns, near Tucson, Arizona | Sutherland Trail | Quilt |
Hazy, 40-65 F (4-18 C) |
2600-6600 ft (790-2010 m) |
February 7-9, 2014 | Grand Canyon National Park | Grandview Loop |
Pad |
Mix of sun and clouds, 25-60 F (-4-16 C) |
7300-3700 ft (2220-1130 m) |
April 5-6, 2014 |
Santa Catalina Mtns, near Tucson, Arizona | Romero Canyon | Quilt |
Sunny, 38-68 F (3-20 C) |
2600-4800 ft (790-1460 m) |
August 9-10, 2014 |
Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona | Samaniego Ridge | Quilt |
55-75 F (13-24 C) Sunny, dry |
7700-9100 ft (2350-2770 m) |
August 16-17, 2014 |
Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson,
Arizona |
Romero Canyon | Quilt |
65-95 F (18-35 C) Humid, overnight rainstorms |
2600-4020 ft (790-1225 m) |
October 16-19, 2014 |
Gila Wilderness, near Glenwood New Mexico | San Francisco Hot Spring and Box Canyon | Quilt |
Mixed rain showers and sun, 32-75 F (0-24 C) |
4600-7200 ft (1400-2200 m) |
November 13-14, 2014 |
Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson
Arizona |
Romero Canyon | Quilt |
Sunny, 40-75 F (4-24 C) |
2800-4500 ft (790-1370 m) |
December 7-9, 2014 |
Saguaro National Park, Rincon Mountains,
near Tucson Arizona |
Tanque Verde Ridge | Quilt |
Hazy sun, 40-75 F (4-24 C) |
3120-7050 ft (950-2150 m) |
January 24-25, 2015 | Saguaro National Park, Rincon Mountains, near Tucson, Arizona | Italian Spring |
Quilt |
32-65 F (0-18 C) Very windy |
4000-8560 ft (1219-2609 m) |
I have come to really enjoy and appreciate the simplicity and
comfort of this hammock over the last year. I like being
able to get in and out without unzipping a bug net. The
hammock is compact and lightweight in my pack. Setup is
a breeze: just string up the tree straps, attach the
suspension loops, done. Of course attaching and tweaking the
quilt setup is a whole other kettle of fish, but that is not
an attribute of the hammock. Under-insulation setup with
pads is trivial: just slide them into the opening, adjust to
the desired position.
The salient features of this hammock are the catenary cut and
the length. I have really enjoyed the extra length and
cut of this hammock - it really does take away the typical
calf pressure that is often felt in a hammock shelter.
The catenary cut does create *very* rigid sides. This
has several implications:
Other features of the Streamliner DL that can be found on
many brands of hammocks include:
The only issue I have had with the hammock was on my last
trip to Romero canyon. I was taking the hammock out of
the stuff sack, and inadvertently pulled on the Whoopie Sling
adjustment and pulled the entire loop into the cable.
There originally were beads attached to the loop to prevent
this from happening, but somewhere along the way I managed to
shatter the beads on both loops.
I contacted Simply Light Designs and described the issue and
offered to buy a new set of Whoopie Slings, but they were kind
enough to send me a new pair without charge. This was
above and beyond what I could expect in this situation, so
hats off to their customer service.
My bottom line is I am a happy camper. I intend to
continue to use the Streamliner DL as my go-to sleeping system
for all backpacking trips in the future where hammock camping
is feasible.