Dutchware Gear: Hellbender Hammock - Initial Look

I purchased a Dutchware Hellbender 40 degree quilted hammock and set it up for the first time. The hammock features a dobby fabric and a built-in under quilt which is part of the hammock iteself instead of overlayed atop of it. This hammock is asymmetrical, so you must know if you prefer to sleep head right / feet left, or head left / feet right when purchasing one of these. The hammocks are offered in three temperature ranges: 40, 20, and 0 degrees Fahrenheit. And, there’s a variety of colors for the under quilt fabric, although the main body is only offered in a textured grey tone. The Hellbender has two top cover options available and optional gear loft storage available. Superior Gear hammocks popularized the quilted hammock concept a few years ago. Dutchware and other vendors jumped on the bandwagon offering their own variants of the concept. The Quilted Chameleon was the first offering from Dutchware Gear. The Hellbender is their second quilted hammock offering, which trims down the weight even more and offers a ridge hoop for spreading out the bugnet. Superior Gear vs Dutchware Hellbender: Superior Gear offers a symmetrical design, meaning anyone can lay at either diagonal with respect to the ridgeline. The Hellbender is offered in two variants, which means you need to know which direction you typically lay in the hammock with respect to the ridgeline. The Hellbender sheds the extra weight of unused insulation in regions of the hammock that your body isn’t touching during sleep. Both hammocks have some shoulder squeeze, but the Hellbender seems to be more forgiving on the shoulders than the Superior Gear hammock. Without any bugnet installed, the Superior Gear hammock opens up more, but feels more restrictive in how far diagonally one can lay when compared to the Hellbender hammock with the bugnet installed. Pricewise, they are both pretty expensive. The Hellbender has an edge on pricing as less down insulation & less fabric material is needed in its construction. When either one is compared against a separate uninsulated hammock and a separate under quilt, the weights and prices become more competitive with a traditional hammock & under quilt setup. Links: https://dutchwaregear.com/product/hellbender-hammock/#temperature-lay-direction If you like what you’ve seen, feel free to like, comment, and subscribe as it helps the channel grow. As always, thanks for watching. #mikeycatoutdoors #dutchwaregear #hellbender #hammock #underquilt