Last night I tried the Snugpak jungle hammock and was very surprised and pleased with it. I followed the youtube videos for hanging a DD hammock as the design seems very similar and I should think the lay and comfort level of the Snugpak and DD would be very similar.
I didn’t want to snag the bugnet so I tied short pieces to thin cord to the tie out loops on the bugnet using a larkshead knot. I used this cord to tie short sticks to the bugnet to spread it out. I hung these sticks from a paracord ridgeline that I had hung UNDER the tarp using shockcord, this was to prevent the net from ripping when the hammock sagged with my weight.
My Snugpak underquilt was hung from the loops on the tarp where I had tied the ridgeline using shockcord, I had never tried this before. Hanging the quilt this way pulled the quilt up tighter to the hammock and closed the ends which before (on my Hennessy) had always hung loose allowing wind into the gap between the quilt and the hammock.
I was expecting the hammock to feel banana-like and very narrow and grip my shoulders; this was not exactly the case. When I 1st got into the hammock it did feel a bit narrow compared to the Hennessy this feeling soon disappeared and I was surprised at how roomy the hammock actually felt, even though the bugnet was hung a bit loose as I was paranoid about ripping it due to the hammock being borrowed. I felt no calf pressure; there was plenty of room for my feet without them being squashed against the edge of the hammock. I could even lie on my side which I was very surprised at.
For the 1st time ever in a hammock I did not wake during the night in pain due to ankles being bent at odd angles or pressure points from the hammock or underquilt cord cutting across my neck because it’s slipped under the hammock. The only time I woke was when the thunder and lightning woke me, which I didn’t mind at all.
The underquilt when used on the Hennessy had always been draughty and I was going to start using the inflatable mattress again but the because the way in which I had hung the quilt and the fact that the Snugpak hammock is narrower than the Hennessy the quilt was tight underneath me but not so tight as to prevent loft. It also came high up the sides, cocoon like keeping me very warm, so warm that I didn’t use my sleeping bag and slept only in my boxers (sorry for the scary image). I will try this method of hanging the underquilt when I next use the Hennessy.
There are a couple of issues I had with the Snugpak hammock.
• The bugnet compared to the Hennessy bugnet looks and feels extremely easy to rip.
• The loops on the bugnet for attaching spreader bars/sticks are made from the same material as the bugnet and look easy to rip.
• The material of the actual hammock looks very thin.
• Paracord suspension.
• The bugnet could do with webbing sewn from the hammock on one side right across the ‘roof’ where the spreader bars are to the other side of the hammock to prevent over-tightening ripping the net.
• The Ridgeline organiser on the Hennessy I find very useful for holding my head torch and camcorder during the night. In the Snugpak hammock I wouldn’t even like to rig up a ridgline organiser as the net looks to weak to hold it.
However dealing with these issues would make the hammock heavier and bulkier. The hammock as it is packs down to a ball slightly larger than my fist and weighs next to nothing.
There is a hammock available that as far as I can tell is exactly the same as the Snugpak hammock but has dealt with the issues I have with it making it seem perfect for ME….. The DD hammocks, I shall shortly be purchasing the DD Frontline hammock.
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Originally Posted by jus_young
It's still current but not on any of their sites. They have another site 