Warbonnet Blackbird Hammock Evaluate | CleverHiker

Backside Line

For the most effective stability of weight, options, and luxury, the Warbonnet Blackbird tops our record of the most effective tenting hammocks in the marketplace. It has an asymmetrical design to assist get a flat lay, a novel gear shelf that gives some much-needed storage to hammocks, and a simple design that permits it to attain the lightest weight of any hammock in our lineup, all whereas being well-featured. It’s among the many most costly we examined, however for critical backpackers, it’s a worthy funding into numerous nights of nice sleep.

It’s not the biggest or most comfy hammock on the market, however on the subject of light-weight backpacking gear the Blackbird delivers what you want.

How We Examined

We examined the Blackbird on the Superior Climbing Path within the fall, throughout deep winter within the Boundary Waters on a backpacking journey, and out within the stunning San Juan mountains of Colorado and located it carried out properly in quite a lot of circumstances.

Consolation

The Warbonnet Blackbird does the most effective job of any hammock balancing consolation to weight. Its asymmetrical design facilitates a flat lay higher than a standard symmetrical model. Our testers discovered it to be decently comfy with most placing it in the course of the pack in comparison with the others in our lineup, however everybody was in a position to get an excellent diagonal lay. With 10 toes of size and 5 toes of width to work with, it’s not as expansive as another fashions, however for individuals as much as 6 toes, discovering an excellent place must be simple. Contributing to the consolation is the standard of the material, we discovered the 40D Dream-Tex struck an excellent stability of softness whereas retaining a extra sturdy really feel.

Generally, the bigger a hammock, the extra room there may be to search out that supreme place, and for those who’re taller you may battle to search out that place if that hammock isn’t giant sufficient to accommodate. Our 5’11” tester discovered the Blackbird to be barely above common for consolation, whereas our 5’9” and 5’5” testers discovered it to be barely under common. Our 5”5’ tester famous that a lot of the hammocks felt about the identical to them, “usually comfy,” which signifies that shorter customers have extra leeway in what hammock they select since a smaller body will be capable to discover a comfy spot extra reliably than somebody taller.

Generally although, we expect the Blackbird is loads comfy for an excellent night time’s sleep, and has options that make it attraction to a broader vary of physique varieties and sizes. The size and width are simply large enough for many physique sizes to discover a good place, and the addition of facet pulls actually opens up the inside quantity of the hammock physique, that means mesh gained’t fall in your face whenever you’re falling asleep. In case you are taller, the excellent news is that Warbonnet gives a bigger and extra feature-rich mannequin referred to as the Blackbird XLC that accommodates heights as much as 6’6”, however for individuals as much as 6 toes, the unique Blackbird matches properly and is way lighter.

In comparison with different hammocks, the Blackbird is about common on the subject of consolation. There are different fashions which are barely extra comfy generally just because they’re bigger. If that dimension appeals to you, we’d once more suggest wanting on the Blackbird XLC or a type of others.

Options

The Warbonnet Blackbird strikes a wonderful stability between options and ease, providing considerate additions like a unbelievable gear pocket and facet pulls whereas leaving out options that may complicate and crush its in any other case streamlined design. Most unusual to the Blackbird is its huge gear pocket on the fitting facet of the hammock physique, a characteristic that not one of the different hammocks present. It fixes a standard drawback of hammocks in comparison with tents in that there isn’t any simple place to place small gadgets that may in any other case occupy the perimeter of a tent ground.

The gear shelf is a chic resolution to this challenge and supplies about two sq. toes of storage. Throughout testing on the Superior Climbing Path, we actually loved stowing our puffy, headlamp, cellphone, and electronics bag within the gear shelf with out worrying they’d roll round in the primary hammock physique at night time.

The Blackbird additionally consists of facet pulls that are supposed to be staked to the bottom to supply extra inside quantity and stability to stop swaying forwards and backwards through the night time. These are easy in design and are simple to regulate, and we imagine facet pulls are the most effective additions to a hammock physique for tenting since they massively enhance high quality of expertise in comparison with having the mesh grasp in your face all night time.

Since they’re connected with knots to the hammock physique, they aren’t designed to be eliminated usually which suggests they could be a bit tough when organising and taking down the system. Nevertheless, this can be a minor annoyance and completely different side-pull designs additionally undergo from an analogous challenge. Whereas the model we examined doesn’t have this characteristic, Warbonnet does provide the choice to make the physique double-layer for individuals who favor to make use of a sleeping pad with their hammock.

For those who favor underquilts (and most of the people do) the Blackbird doesn’t have built-in underquilt attachment hooks on the facet, however Warbonnet gives underquilts particularly designed for the asymmetrical model of the Blackbird that match it properly, so the dearth of hooks isn’t a dealbreaker.

What makes the Blackbird stand out from different merchandise are the options it omits within the pursuit of a light-weight design. The zipper pulls are easy and the bug web is just zippered on one facet in comparison with some fashions that permit the online to be utterly unzipped. This may be a problem within the winter since bug nets simply get in the way in which. Nevertheless, in testing the Blackbird within the harsh Minnesota winters, we didn’t discover the bug web to be an enormous annoyance..

Nevertheless, for those who’re planning on getting a hammock particularly for winter with occasional 3-season journeys, Warbonnet’s Blackbird XLC is healthier because it gives a completely detachable web.

There’s no included ridgeline organizer however this hammock greater than makes up for it with the gear pocket. Other than the 2 facet pulls, there’s nothing else on the perimeter like D rings or underquilt hooks. It additionally doesn’t include a spreader bar like different fashions, opting as a substitute to depend on facet pulls for inside quantity, which is a lighter manner of fixing the difficulty of livability. Total, the Blackbird balances options and weight properly and principally will get out of your manner so you may benefit from the open air with no heavy pack.

Weight

The Warbonnet Blackbird weighed in on our scale at 15.7 ounces – a fraction lighter than the listed 15.8 ounces. ounces, which locations it firmly because the lightest hammock on this record. Nevertheless it doesn’t lower corners to attain this weight, the supplies are all top quality and the stitching high quality is superb, lending a way of sturdiness to an in any other case light-weight merchandise.

Ease of Use

The Blackbird scores excessive right here, with two mounted loops and good facet pull designs, it’s a reasonably simple expertise. The one draw back to these in any other case nice facet pulls is that they maintain the bug netting stretched tight even when the hammock is unzipped which makes getting out and in a little bit awkward at occasions. It’s not a giant deal, and when set at an acceptable top, it’s simple to get out and in however not fairly as seamless as different hammocks that connect the facet pulls to the hammock physique solely, and never the bug web.

We don’t essentially assume this design is dangerous since when you get in, the livability clearly advantages from the facet pulls being connected to the netting. So it’s an excellent instance of scoring excessive factors in a single class and taking a little bit of a success in one other.

Ought to You Purchase the Warbonnet Blackbird?

For those who’re seeking a light-weight but feature-rich hammock that nails the basics, the Warbonnet Blackbird is the best choice on the market. It’s supreme for anybody trying to lower weight whereas remaining comfy when backpacking, and the unbelievable gear shelf means you’ll keep organized whereas on path. Regardless of being one of many dearer single hammocks in our line-up, we expect the worth is value it for somebody trying to spend money on a light-weight backpacking setup that may see many nights of use.

The Blackbird is most at dwelling in 3-season tenting however can carry out properly on the occasional winter journey and has a double-layer choice for individuals who favor to make use of sleeping pads. It’s not for taller individuals – however Warbonnet does make the Blackbird XLC for that – and it’s not meant for these trying to lounge sideways with the complete bug web eliminated. However for those who’re after the most effective light-weight hammock in the marketplace, we are able to’t discover a higher choice.

What Different Hammocks Ought to You Contemplate?

Dream Darien Evaluate: That is essentially the most comparable hammock to the Blackbird and comes closest to it in weight whereas providing a bigger 11-foot size and 5.3 toes of width that makes it a bit extra comfy, however not considerably except evaluating them side-by-side. The Darien lacks the gear shelf and side-pulls of the Blackbird however has attachment factors on the surface so as to add your personal side-pulls or for different rigging choices. Total high quality may be very comparable between the 2 fashions, these are high-quality merchandise that ought to final a very long time. 

Onewind Tempest Evaluate: For individuals on a finances trying to dip their toes into hammock tenting, the Blackbird is likely to be a bit costly, and that’s the place the wonderful worth Onewind Tempest is available in. It manages to execute on the basics whereas solely being 4.3 ounces heavier than the Blackbird (for those who take away the optionally available steel buckles). The general high quality is lower than Warbonnet’s stage, however for a comparatively low worth it’s a powerful product. For anybody critical about entering into backpacking, we’d nonetheless suggest biting the bullet and investing within the Blackbird because it is likely to be the final backpacking hammock you’ll ever want, however for individuals uncertain of the funding, the Tempest is actually compelling.

Kammok Mantis UL Evaluate: For those who just like the low weight of the Blackbird however need the simplicity of an all-in-one bundle that features straps and a tarp, the Mantis UL is a surprisingly well-thought-out mannequin that manages to attain a low weight whereas together with high quality parts. The hammock is as comfy because the Blackbird, however the true stand-out characteristic is the luxuriously gentle material that has the most effective hand really feel of any materials we examined whereas nonetheless feeling sturdy. At first look, the simplicity of an all-in-one bundle comes at a premium worth. Nevertheless, when in comparison with assembling a package from Warbonnet merchandise, a equally specced setup could be much more and weigh in at 38 ounces in comparison with the 36 ounces of the Mantis UL, which makes it appear like a a lot better deal. The small print of assembling a full package is past the scope of this comparability, so for simplicity we’ll say that the Mantis UL is a compelling light-weight choice if an important factor to you is getting a full package at a low weight.

Dutchware Half-Wit – For absolutely the lightest netted hammock in the marketplace with out resorting to MYOG, the Half-Wit is an fascinating alternative that we wished to check, however in the end determined in opposition to. To save lots of weight, it employs a half bug web that covers the top area with out utilizing heavy zippers, and when specced with Hexon 1.0 material, it manages to succeed in an astonishing 10.7 ounces which is a full 5 ounces lower than the Blackbird and it nonetheless has an 11-foot size! The Half-Wit nearly made our shortlist for testing due to simply how mild it’s, however we thought the Blackbird represented a greater normal advice for light-weight backpacking.