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

BLUE RIDGE CAMPING HAMMOCK
TEST SERIES BY JODI CORNELIUS
LONG TERM REPORT
October 23, 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.

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: Lawson Hammock
Year of Manufacture: 2006
Manufacturer's Website: Lawson Hammock
MSRP: US$169.99 - although at the bottom of the same page it states the price at $149.99
Listed Weight: 68 ounces (1.93 kilograms)
Measured Weight: 74 ounces (2.10 kilograms)
Color: Cobalt Blue

FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

I have had the opportunity to test the hammock approximately 23 nights since the initial report. However, other than the one night of rain that I reported on in my Initial Report I didn't have a rainy night during the first two month field testing stage.  You can the main gist of this test in my Field Report.

Most of the trips have been in the 300 plus acres that are behind my house. The weather has been mild during the final stage of the report with some chilly nights down into the 20s F (-7 C).  The average temperature was about 75 F (24 C).  Most of the trips were rainy during the second two month testing stage so I got to test the rain repelling aspect of the hammock.

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

I finally got a chance to set up the hammock as a bivy.  October 13, 14, and 15 I was out on the Morrison Trail for a weekender.  The weather stayed dry that weekend.  Elevations ranged from 1829 ft (557 m) with changes as low as 1100 ft (335 m) to a high of 2476 ft (755 m).  I found a nice grassy spot to set up the hammock as a bivy.  As you can see in the photos, I didn't have any problem getting it set up.  It took 2 tent stakes to set it up although if you are expecting some wind, you can use up to 4 more to make the bivy setup more stable.

Here you can see the hammock set up as a bivy with the cover on.

Here is the beginning of the setup - using a tent stake to peg out the head end.

With the head of the hammock pulled up

Closeup of the strap used to pull the end up

Here is the hammock set up totally without the rain fly on

As you can see, the hammock is taut, there was plenty of room inside although the roof of the hammock tended to be closer to my face than it was when it was hung between trees.

I have really enjoyed using this hammock and have decided to use it for a while instead of my Hennessy (unless I really need to watch my load weight). I have had no other "issues" except it is still very difficult to figure out which end is up and which is down. Nor was I able to set up the hammock without it hanging at an angle. But these, for me, are minor annoyances.

I would like to thank Lawson and BackpackGearTest for the opportunity to test this hammock.

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