Owner’s Review- The Sportsman’s Guide Guide Gear Jungle Hammock

April 5, 2004

 

Tester Bio

 

Name: Dan Reed

Age: 40

Gender: Male

Height: 5’8” (1.7m)

Weight: 195lb (88kg)

Email Address: dannreed “at” adelphia “dot” net

City, State, Country: Southwest Harbor, Maine USA

Date: April 5, 2004

 

Backpacking Background: I have hiked and backpacked for about 30 years now. I am surrounded by Acadia National Park, and travel all over Maine and eastern Canada to explore the outdoors. I am a former Registered Maine Guide, did Advance Life Support for several ambulance services, and was on a search and rescue team for several years. I hike year round, kayak, and hunt. The weather conditions here in Maine are greatly varied. Winter temperatures and wind chill are extreme and unpredictable. My backpacking style varies from ultralite to traditional.

 

Product Information

Manufacturer: Sportsmansguide

Year of Manufacture: 2001

Manufacturer Website: http://www.sportsmansguide.com

Weight: 3lb (1.36kg)

Weight delivered: 3lb 2oz (1.42kg)

The dimensions are: 28” x 84” (.71m x 2.13m)

MSRP: $29.97 USD

 

Description: This is a large screened in hammock with a water repellant top (or roof as described by the manufacturer). It has a full length zipper along the bottom of one side of the bug screen to enter and exit, and polypropylene ropes and steel rings on both ends to hang it. It does not come with tie off rope, and I had to supply it (the rope). I will refer to the top as the roof through out the rest of this review. The roof overlaps the screened sides of the hammock by approximately 6” (152mm) on each side, though it varies depending on how tightly the support ropes are secured. The bottom is made of heavyweight canvas, with cotton bug screens on all sides, and the roof is made of water repellant taffeta nylon.

 

Quoted information: Perfect for camping or backyard R&R! Go ahead. Sack out and not be bothered by bugs or rain. Large, 28” x 84” hammock doubles as a tent and a shelter of sorts.

 

Field Information: I have used this frequently for 3 years on summer camping trips when I was alone, and not staying in the same area for more than 1 night. I never intentionally used it when rain or high wind was forecast, but I have been in it several times during thunder showers. I had put a waterproofing sealant on the roof before using it the first time, though it was supposed to be water resistant. I did not experience any leaks in the roof, though in windblown rain, the rain did hit the bottom of the screening, and ran down the sides and off the hammock. I found I needed about 50’ (15.24m) of 3/8” (9.52mm) rope to set it up each time.

 

Initial Impression: It arrived rolled up in a box from the manufacturer. I weighed it, and unrolled it to examine it. It appeared to be of heavy duty construction, with plenty of stitching and reinforcements in the vital areas. The zipper along the bottom of the screening is brass, and of heavy duty also. The rings used to hang it are galvanized, so rust has not been a problem.

 

Field Experience: The first time I set it up, I had positioned it between two trees to hang it up for use. I tied both ends to the trees from the rings on the ends of the hammock. After getting what I though would be the correct tension, I went to tie off the roof. This entails tying off from the top center of the end of the roof, and from both lower corners. To picture this in my mind, I think of the roof as an inverted V. Where I only had 1 tree on each end, I had no way to spread out the roof sides out away from the center. I thought about running the corner roof ropes to the ground, but that would not hold the roof out at the correct angle. I remedied this by cutting a stick the right length and notching each end to spread the ropes apart, and then tying them off to the same tree. The stick used to spread the ropes did not want to stay horizontal, so I tied a line at each end of the spreader, and from there down to the tree, which solved the problem. I kept the two sticks I used as spreaders, and now use them anytime I only have 1 tree at the end of the hammock. The spreaders add about 6 oz. (170g) to the total weight of the hammock. I find that often there are other trees close enough to the roof ends, and off to the sides enough to tie the roof corners to separate trees. I do frequently find that I do not tie the bottom of the hammock off tight enough to take the bow out of the bottom. I now find I can set it up in about 5 minutes after having had practice in setting it up. It is very comfortable, and seems to let in most of any breeze on hot summer days. I like it better than a bivy because it is open all the way around it, I can see out in all directions, and it catches any breezes. I do find most sleeping bags slide around on the canvas bottom, but once I am in the sleeping bag it is very easy to slide the bag where I want it.

 

Summary: I like this hammock very much when I am only going to be spending a single night in that location. It is fast and easy to set up, and quite comfortable. I find that the price is very reasonable, and it has lasted me 3 years so far with no problems in the materials or construction. I would not use it when rain or high winds were forecast, but it did well when going through short thunder showers after I was already in my sleeping bag for the night.

 

Things I liked:

1.      Much cooler than a tent

2.      Fast setup and take down

Things I didn’t like:

1.      Sleeping bag slides around on the canvas bottom

2.      I have to have 2 trees at approximately the right distance apart