After searching the internet high and low for the type of hammock I wanted at the right price I came across the Tenth Wonder (TW) Hornet 3 layer hammock with fitted mosquito net.
I chose this hammock for a few reasons, first being my weight and size at 125kg and over 6' tall I needed something decent that would hold me without problems. The second reason for buying this hammock was the fact it allows you to set it up as a tent on the floor so if you find yourself in an area without any trees it can still be used.
The advertised specs for the hammock:
So after deciding this was the hammock I wanted I placed my order with TW Hammocks and was told I would receive it the following day and true to their word it did arrive the next day well packaged, so top marks there.
Once I had removed the packaging I was faced with a well packed hammock in its own compression sack. I could not wait to take a look inside so went about unpacking it on my living room floor so I could have a good look at the quality and to see what was included.
I pulled the main hammock out and started to unfold it and came across 2 x 6 meter lengths of flat cord to tie to the trees, being flat helps prevent damage to the trees bark and also stops it rolling down the tree when weight is put on the hammock. I also came across 2 stainless steel storm rings with straps attached which act as a water stop to prevent water running along the rope and down into your hammock. These fit between the hammock main straps and the flat cord that is tied to the trees.
After opening the hammock out I was surprised at the size of it, Tenth Wonder say it is 280 cm long x 145 cm wide (approx 9' 2" x 4' 9") and is rated to hold 150kg but it has been tested to over 200kg, The quality is superb with triple stitching and good quality materials and main straps. Packed size is approx 14" x 7" and weighs in at around 1.7kg so will fit easily into any bergen or back pack.
I ordered 2 x Stainless Steel Pear links to allow me to join the main hammock straps to the storm rings. These Stainless Steel Pear links are rated to 170kg each so well strong enough for what I needed. I have placed two at each end, one each on the main hammock straps then both joined to the main storm ring.
After setting the hammock up you can now see why I wanted the pear links as normally you would just tie the hammock straps to the storm ring but I think this is a much neater way of doing it and much easier to remove if needed. Other types of links can be used such as Carabiners but make sure they are strong enough for what you need.
After completing all the adjustments to get it right I placed my roll mat between the 2 layers which is accessed via a zip running the full length of the hammock making it easy to get the roll mat in. I then set the mosquito netting up to get my first decent view of the hammock.
I liked the little touches that have been added to this model such as an internal ridge line which I hung my head torch on so it is always on hand if you get up in the night. I also attached my watch to it so it was easy to find when needed. It also has a mesh pocket at the top which came in very handy for my wallet and mobile phone, it stops them getting lost in the hammock and ending up underneath you.
Unzipping the mosquito net, I went in to give it a try, it felt a little unsteady being my first time in a hammock but I was soon laid out and enjoying the comfort that I almost fell asleep. I ended up having two of the best nights sleep I have had in years, so from now on the hammock will be in my kit every time I go out.
One thing I have heard from other hammock users is they have problems keeping their roll mat in place during the night, having it sliding up the side and it ending up on top of them. This model has the roll mat pocket between the layers so it was not an issue and my mat stayed put for the two nights I spent in it.
Conclusion
There are many hammocks on the market to suit us bushcrafters but for the features this hammock offers along with it’s price tag you will be hard beat to find a better one, and so far the best bit of bushcraft kit I have bought to-date.
So a big well done to TW Hammocks for a top bit of kit.
You can find TW Hammocks eBay store here: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Tenth-Wonder-Hammocks
I chose this hammock for a few reasons, first being my weight and size at 125kg and over 6' tall I needed something decent that would hold me without problems. The second reason for buying this hammock was the fact it allows you to set it up as a tent on the floor so if you find yourself in an area without any trees it can still be used.
The advertised specs for the hammock:
- Measurements: 280 cm long 145 cm wide
- 12m of rope supplied
- Colour: Green
- Weight: including all accessories: 1.77kg
- Weight breakdown (approx):
- Netting is black noseeum & stops midges
- Comes with compression sack. Packed = 36 x 14 cm
- Support bars fitted for mosquito net (30 cm)
- Single-layered bottom + removable layer
- Removable base layer material: Lightweight 70 g/m2 ripstop fabric woven from 40-denier nylon, coated on both sides with silicone to 5000 mm hydrostatic head
- Zipped entrance
- Storm rings prevent water running along rope & into hammock
- Full instructions supplied by email
So after deciding this was the hammock I wanted I placed my order with TW Hammocks and was told I would receive it the following day and true to their word it did arrive the next day well packaged, so top marks there.
Once I had removed the packaging I was faced with a well packed hammock in its own compression sack. I could not wait to take a look inside so went about unpacking it on my living room floor so I could have a good look at the quality and to see what was included.
I pulled the main hammock out and started to unfold it and came across 2 x 6 meter lengths of flat cord to tie to the trees, being flat helps prevent damage to the trees bark and also stops it rolling down the tree when weight is put on the hammock. I also came across 2 stainless steel storm rings with straps attached which act as a water stop to prevent water running along the rope and down into your hammock. These fit between the hammock main straps and the flat cord that is tied to the trees.
After opening the hammock out I was surprised at the size of it, Tenth Wonder say it is 280 cm long x 145 cm wide (approx 9' 2" x 4' 9") and is rated to hold 150kg but it has been tested to over 200kg, The quality is superb with triple stitching and good quality materials and main straps. Packed size is approx 14" x 7" and weighs in at around 1.7kg so will fit easily into any bergen or back pack.
I ordered 2 x Stainless Steel Pear links to allow me to join the main hammock straps to the storm rings. These Stainless Steel Pear links are rated to 170kg each so well strong enough for what I needed. I have placed two at each end, one each on the main hammock straps then both joined to the main storm ring.
After setting the hammock up you can now see why I wanted the pear links as normally you would just tie the hammock straps to the storm ring but I think this is a much neater way of doing it and much easier to remove if needed. Other types of links can be used such as Carabiners but make sure they are strong enough for what you need.
After completing all the adjustments to get it right I placed my roll mat between the 2 layers which is accessed via a zip running the full length of the hammock making it easy to get the roll mat in. I then set the mosquito netting up to get my first decent view of the hammock.
I liked the little touches that have been added to this model such as an internal ridge line which I hung my head torch on so it is always on hand if you get up in the night. I also attached my watch to it so it was easy to find when needed. It also has a mesh pocket at the top which came in very handy for my wallet and mobile phone, it stops them getting lost in the hammock and ending up underneath you.
Unzipping the mosquito net, I went in to give it a try, it felt a little unsteady being my first time in a hammock but I was soon laid out and enjoying the comfort that I almost fell asleep. I ended up having two of the best nights sleep I have had in years, so from now on the hammock will be in my kit every time I go out.
One thing I have heard from other hammock users is they have problems keeping their roll mat in place during the night, having it sliding up the side and it ending up on top of them. This model has the roll mat pocket between the layers so it was not an issue and my mat stayed put for the two nights I spent in it.
Conclusion
There are many hammocks on the market to suit us bushcrafters but for the features this hammock offers along with it’s price tag you will be hard beat to find a better one, and so far the best bit of bushcraft kit I have bought to-date.
So a big well done to TW Hammocks for a top bit of kit.
You can find TW Hammocks eBay store here: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Tenth-Wonder-Hammocks
