Gibbon Double Hammock - 2012 Closeout

Comments about Gibbon Double Hammock - 2012 Closeout:

Used this hammock during camping by a lake. My boy uses it as a swing.

It's less expensive (when on sale) compared to EMU with simple set up. Straps were included. The fabric seem acceptable for durability and strength but caution sharp objects (pocket knife, keys) in back pocket for it may cut the hammock while laying in it.

Noticed a stitching failure near hammock pocket direct result from forcing folded hammock in after use. This failue was not located in key structural locations thus would not anticipate failure to hold ones weight.

Compared to EMU, the hammocks storage pocket is located at far end rather than centered. It is not conveniently place where one can put keys, knife or other objects while relaxing.

Comments about Gibbon Double Hammock - 2012 Closeout:

I set the hammock up the weekend I received it and tested it myself. Hopped out after two minutes and let my kids try it. My kids together weigh less than I do and I am well under the weight limit. After about 5 minutes relaxing in the hammock one of the loops that secures the hammock to the tree strap broke, dumping my kids and dropping my son on tree roots. Everyone was OK but the hammock went back to REI.

Service and delivery comments:

Prompt delivery. Hammock was absolutely no use as it broke the first time it was set up. Customer service at REI in Dallas was awesome and I was able to get a refund without any hassles.

Comments about Gibbon Double Hammock - 2012 Closeout:

Just Great. I had it installed in less than a minute. Just put a tarp on top and there is your campsite (summer).

Comments about Gibbon Double Hammock - 2012 Closeout:

Simple, easy to set up

Comments about Gibbon Double Hammock - 2012 Closeout:

REI advertises this hammock at 19oz. The manufacturer (Gibbon Slacklines) advertises this hammock at 16 oz. NEITHER are correct. If you care about the hammock's weight, read on. If you don't, skip to the third paragraph (the good stuff).

I needed a double hammock. I didn't care who made it, my main use is for backpacking. I simply wanted a well-made, lightweight double hammock. This led me to double hammocks by ENO, Grand Trunk, and Gibbon. My decision was made on weight. REI's clearance price only sweetened that deal. The Gibbon hammock came in significantly lighter than the competition. The puzzling thing was that they somehow did it while providing the BIGGEST hammock at the same time. This concerned me because I didn't know how that could be possible due to the fact that everybody's more or less using the same parachute nylon. My concern was confirmed when I received it. I took it and plopped it on my calibrated digital scale and it was 31.2 oz. Wow. Obviously I expect that the advertised weight would not include the hanging straps, so I took that out of the mix and had 25 oz. I'm still 9 oz over the manufacturers advertised weight. That weight of 25 oz consisted of the hammock material, and a small loop of rope which cinches the ends together, and a cam buckle (which attaches the hammock itself to the hanging straps). The rope and cam buckle are absolutely required for the hammock to be a hammock and not just a square piece of nylon. So I don't know how anyone can justify advertising a weight of less than 25 oz or 1 lb 9 oz. I even unattached the cam buckles and that reduced the weight to 22.5 oz. While researching double hammocks, I have found an absolute inconsistency in weight specs. Across ALL manufacturers and online stores. There is also a serious lack of reviews on these Gibbon hammocks. So I'm hoping to answer the questions for other people that I had going into it. This weight stuff may seem ridiculously tedious, but if you care about the weight of your pack, you should care about this. After all, this is the reason why people pay $35 more for a stove that weighs 3.2 oz instead of 4.5 oz. If you care, here are the actual weights:
Hammock (with rope cinching the ends) = 22.5oz
Hammock + cam buckles = 25oz
Hammock packaged for the trail = 31.2oz
(That includes hammock plus hanging system and the stuff sack which is permanently attached to the hammock)

If you've skipped to the third paragraph because you don't care about weight, I would absolutely praise and recommend this product. It is very well made. Excellent attention to detail: triple stitched, fantastic hanging system, and it happens to be the roomiest in it's class. It looks good too if you don't mind their limited color choice. (the yellow is more of an orange color. Or Meyer lemon if you will). The hanging system gives a ton of choice of placement in regard to how far apart the hanging points are due to the long straps. Just loop your straps around 2 trees, then slip the straps into the cam buckles attached to the 2 ends of the hammock. It's infinitely adjustable, foolproof, quick, and easy. It seems to be the simplest and most effective system included with any of the hammocks in it's class. Just jump in and hope the cam teeth hold you and your babe up. And they definitely should. Think of cam style (non-ratcheting) tie down straps you'd use on a motorcycle or similar. The buckles typically holds at least 300-500lbs EACH. I don't know the actual rating on these Gibbon-included cam buckles, but those are typical numbers.

Sooooo, if you're still reading, you are definitely bored by now. This is a great product in which I'm giving 2 stars. I'm dancing on the knife's edge of my biggest web review pet peeve: giving a low rating because of something stupid like the store sending someone the wrong color, or the reviewer receiving a one time faulty item. This really annoys the heck out of me. A 2 star rating is not fair if you don't care about weight, but if you do, like me, this hammock unfortunately is not very useful to me.

Comments about Gibbon Double Hammock - 2012 Closeout:

Maybe diamond in the rough isn't completely accurate, but I am trying to convey my satisfaction with this product, and my surprise that I am the first to review. First of all, the price is unbeatable. Not only for a double hammock, but for a double hammock this durable, that includes everything you need! There is no need to buy additional straps or webbing, and it would be useless to have caribiners to "simplify" setup. If you are familiar with their slacklines, you will instantly recognize the secure method for stringing it to a tree, which is also very compact and simple. If you need/want a hammock for any reason other than UL backpacking (possibly even then), get this hammock!

Service and delivery comments:

Delivery was fast and problem free!