The Hummingbird Single Hammock ($74.95) is a 8'8″ x 3'11" hammock that weighs just 5.1 ounces and folds up into the size of softball when packed up, making it an attractive hammock for international travel or camping. It's made with reserve parachute fabric that's rated for 300 pounds and includes non-metal button carabiners, also called soft shackles, for securing it to tree straps.
Hummingbird also sells a Tree Strap Suspension System ($29.95) that includes 2 x 5′ tree straps and 2 x 40″ Whoopie Slings. Whoopie Slings are a knotless suspension system, like a Chinese finger trap puzzle, that let you easily adjust the length of the Dyneema Spectra cord (rated for 400 pounds) connecting your hammock to the tree straps so you get a comfortable pitch angle.
The button style soft shackles on the Single Hammock loop through the ends of the Whoopie Slings, so you can hang your hammock without any carabiners or the fixed length loops you find on webbing-based suspension systems. Weighing just 2.3 ounces, the Tree Strap suspension system is also incredibly lightweight, bringing the combined weight Single Hammock and Tree Strap Suspension System to just 7.4 ounces, which takes up very little volume when packed.
If you're over 6′ tall or you prefer a longer or wider hammock, Hummingbird also offers a Single+ Hammock, which is additional 12 inches in length and 14 inches wider (9'8″ x 5'3″). The Single+ weighs 7.6 ounces, just 2.5 ounces heavier than the Single Hammock, and costs $5 more. As a rule of thumb, the ideal length of a gathered-end hammock for adults is 4′ longer than one's height (see the Hammock Length and Comfort Guide) and the Single+ provides a lot more space to lie flat with relatively little weight penalty.
The parachute fabric used in both the Single and Single+ Hummingbird Hammocks is actual FAA certified reserve parachute material (PIA-C-44379) uncoated 1.1 oz. calendared ripstop nylon, only made in the United States of America. While it's thin and ultralight, it has a tensile strength of 50 lbs per square inch, so you can rest assured that it will support you. The uncoated nature of the fabric also keeps the hammock from feeling clammy against your skin, while the windproof requirement of true parachute fabric helps keeps the cold wind at bay.
Whichever Hummingbird Hammock you do choose, the Single Hammock or the Single+ Hammock, they really are quite comfortable hammocks to lie in, although you'll want some kind of nighttime insulation under your back, like a foam pad or underquilt. Coupled with the Hummingbird Tree Strap System, they make an excellent foundation for an ultralight camping or backpacking hammock system.
Disclosure: Hummingbird Hammocks provided the author with these products for review.
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from Section Hikers Backpacking Blog http://ift.tt/2sOLUUw
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