Reviews > Shelters > Hammocks > Lawson Blue Ridge Camping Hammock > Jodi Cornelius > Initial Report

BLUE RIDGE CAMPING HAMMOCK
TEST SERIES BY JODI CORNELIUS
INITIAL REPORT
June 05, 2006

TESTER INFORMATION

I have been backpacking for 3 years now and before that I car camped quite a bit. I consider myself somewhat new to backpacking and was on my way towards becoming a lightweight packer. However, I find that I prefer my little extras and so am trying to move towards being a "midweight" packer. I tend to use a Hennessey Hammock since my only tent is a bivy tent. I prefer the hammock to a tent as the hammock leaves me swinging gently in the breeze with no hard spot from rocks on the ground. Nor do I need to dig troughs for my hips and shoulders (side sleeper) so I can practice LNT (Leave No Trace) much better.

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Lawson Hammock
Year of Manufacture: 2006
Manufacturer's Website: Lawson Hammock
MSRP: US$169.99
Listed Weight: 68 ounces (1.93 kilograms)
Measured Weight: 74 ounces (2.10 kilograms)
Color: Cobalt Blue

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The hammock arrived in a plain brown box with a picture of the hammock on the outside of the carton.
Upon opening the box, I discovered the hammock inside the stuff sack surrounded by a plastic bag.
On top of the hammock were 2 pages of instructions, about which I will go into more detail later. The hammock, rain fly, shock pole sack, and stuff sack are made of a coated nylon pack cloth. The body of the hammock is covered by a canopy of no-see-um netting.

As you can see in the above photo, the hammock opening is on the side of the hammock. This is opened by a double coil nylon zipper with a tab on either end to assist with the pulling of the zipper to open or close the "door". In the next photo, you can see one of the spreader bars before being put together and as is packed in the stuff sack.

In the next photo, you can see the nylon rope used to hang the hammock to the tree. Also attached to the nylon ring is the gold shock corded "attaching hook" used to pull up the shock corded aluminum arch poles.



One thing that I DIDN'T like is there is nothing with which to attach the hammock to the tree. Upon opening the box and seeing the "INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE" sheet, it tells you you need extra rope in order to hang the hammock and the extra rope is not included. I think they should at least put something in there for the simple reason that I know a LOT of people who would have bought the hammock and, without even checking it out, would have taken it camping figuring they can figure it out when they get where they are going. Imagine the surprise, along with the aggravation, of finding out there is no way to hang the hammock! And there is nothing on the website to inform customers that it is necessary to buy the tree huggers they do have available or at least a notice saying purchase of extra rope is necessary. There should be something done to remedy this even if it is just a sentence stating that rope is needed.

READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

The instructions included with the hammock consist of 2 pages of typed text. The information includes a congratulations on purchasing the Blue Ridge Camping Hammock, along with instructions for removing the hammock from the stuff sack. First thing is to unroll the hammock being careful to not tangle the ropes. Upon my inspection of this, it would not be real easy to get the ropes tangled. Even as blonde as I am, I was able to unroll and reroll the hammock quite a few times without tangling the ropes. Next, I was informed to fit the spreader bars together (which are attached to the hammock and cannot be removed) and to then hang the hammock to whatever I planned to hang it from being careful to choose sturdy supports. This is where I was informed that I needed extra rope (not included) to hang the hammock. I ended up finding some light ratchet straps which fit my needs well and which I will be using to hang my hammock during this test. I had originally intended on buying their tree huggers depending on how they initially planned on hanging the hammock, but upon inspecting their tree huggers I found it is basically the same thing I have right now so I am going to continue using these.

Once the hammock is hung, the aluminum arch poles are put together and then inserted in the fabric hoops on either end of the hammock. Both arch poles are the same size and there is no confusion as to which end gets which pole. I like that! These are used the same way I used arched shock poles for 1-2 man tents - inserting the ends into grommeted tabs at both ends of the pole tabs.

Next, I attached the rain fly to the hammock using the attached snap hooks to the adjacent rope on the hammock. Along the edge of the hammock are Velcro (R) tabs that correspond to tabs on the rain fly to secure it in windy weather. As seen in the photo below, the rain fly looks loose but the instructions state that the rain fly will get taut when occupied which it did. Also, the hammock doesn't look straight - that's because the wind was blowing and I did not attach any guy lines to stabilize the hammock. There are grommets that you can attach guy lines to, or the guy lines can be attached to the spreader bars to stabilize the hammock as well. I, personally, like the hammock without stabilizing guy lines as I like the rocking motion of an un-guyed hammock.



Next, the instructions included several helpful hints as to how best to hang the hammock, how to stabilize the hammock, how to stay warmer if using the hammock in cold weather, and keeping the rain fly taut. The interesting thing I found in regards to the staying warmer is it recommends hanging the hammock as close to the ground as possible, along with the standard - using the sleeping pad. It also mentions using a silver emergency blanket using clips, safety pins, etc. Not sure I'd want to use safety pins myself.

The second page consists of the Care Instructions. It is recommended to seal all the seams again even though they say it was seam sealed already. However, since I have already spent the night in the rain and stayed dry, I am not worrying about it at this time. I will watch it, though, as I test the hammock.

Also on the second page is the limited warranty along with contact information.

TRYING IT OUT

Upon getting the hammock home, I decided to spend the night outside as it was supposed to rain and I figured that'd be a good initial test. Taking the hammock outside, I pulled it from the bag. It was then, as I was looking at the instruction sheets, that I discovered there was no way to hang the hammock without the not included extra rope. This is when I found the light ratchet straps and proceeded to hang my hammock.
Once I got the hammock hung, I was impressed with the roominess of the hammock. In the photo below, the "view" towards my feet shows just how open the hammock is. It was like laying in the cathedral of all hammocks!



The next photo shows the pockets that are next to my chest when I'm laying in the hammock. This is real convenient for holding my glasses, my hankie, and my hand-held fan (which I go NO WHERE without).



I took out my Slumberjack Ultimate +20 Sleeping Bag and a piece of fleece that I take along that I use should my feet get cold or my shoulders (the 2 spots that tend to get coldest). I wore my normal sweat pants and sweatshirt and wool socks. The temperature dropped to 48 F/9 C and I stayed very comfortable. It also rained all night and quite heavily at one time. I could feel the nice breeze (I like air moving past my face which is why I carry the small hand held fan) but no rain - not even a mist. The wind was gusting at 15 to 20 mph/24 to 32 kph and the rain fly did not "flap" around. I was very comfortable all night. I am looking forward to testing this hammock!

TESTING STRATEGY

I will be using this hammock as a hammock and also as a bivy. I will be going to a festival in August where there are no trees but I have to sleep outside. So I'd set up the hammock as a bivy in this case.

Some things I will be looking at during the testing period:

Ease of set-up:
How easy is it to get it centered between trees? Can you adjust the location without too much difficulty? Can you attach the tarp directly to the hammock and separately as needed? It comes with a stuff sack - what special precautions, if any, do I need to make when using the stuff sack? Do the nylon ropes get tangled easily when stuffed in the sack? How easy is it to insert the shock-corded arch poles? What kind of protection do the poles have? Are they easily repaired should the shock-cord break? Does the cord fray with repeated use?

Ease of use:
How easy is it to get in and out of?  How easy is it to operate the zipper? Does it have anything to snag on? If it does, does it slide without catching? Are there any "hitches" in the slide? If so, does a simple application of soap to the teeth take care of it? I like the shock-corded poles as a means of keeping the netting out of my face - this is a lot different from the Hennessy. What about once I get inside the hammock - will I find I need to get out and adjust the tension in order to keep the poles where they belong? I am sure that this question will be answered within the first few tries of the hammock as I get used to this particular style.

Is the hammock stable once I get in? I'm a restless sleeper - how well does the hammock stay secured between the trees? With my moving around does this cause the hammock to sag or cause one end or another to "drop" or slide down the tree?

What about when it rains? There is a waterproof nylon border on the canopy that is supposed to keep water from coming under the tarp. How well does this work? Is the tarp easily adjusted to keep the rain from coming in depending on the direction of the wind?

SUMMARY

This hammock looks very promising and the setup was surprisingly easy. I was expecting it to be a little more complicated (don't ask me why, I just did) but it was very simple. Of course, I used hooks on the ratchet straps and not rope so I didn't have to tie any bowline knots that they recommend which I do NOT know how to tie. I am considering using rope and learning that knot simply because it seems to be a very good knot to learn how to use.

Thanks to BGT and Lawson Hammocks for the opportunity to test this hammock.

Reviews > Shelters > Hammocks > Lawson Blue Ridge Camping Hammock > Jodi Cornelius > Initial Report