Name: Ernest Engman (AKA SGT Rock)
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 8" (173 cm)
Weight: 155 pounds (70.3 kilograms)
Email address: sgtrock@hikinghq.net
City and State: Fort Polk, Louisiana
Date: 26 January 2003

Manufacturer: Crazy Creek
Crazy Creek Products
PO Box 1050
1401 South Broadway
Red Lodge, MT 59068
Year of Manufacture: 2002
URL: http://www.crazycreek.com/
Email: chairs@crazycreek.com
Phone: 800-331-0304
Listed weight: 65 oz / 1820 grams.
Weight as delivered: 70.7 ounces / 2004 grams.
Retail Price: $125

Similar products used: Clark Jungle Hammock, Hennessy Hammock, Hennessy Ultralight Hammock, Hennessy Ultralight A-Sym Hammock, Hennessy Explorer Ultralight A-Sym Hammock.

Reception and packaging:

I received the Crazy Creek LEX hammock with tarp in a standard brown cardboard box. Inside the box was a stuff sack containing all the parts and accessories. The contents were: Tarp, Hammock, two Easton poles, bug net patch, stuff sack, instructions, seam grip and brush, six stakes, six tensioners, and a roll of cord (about 80' / 25 meters). Some items such as the stakes and bug net patch had additional plastic bag packaging for transport, but none of the items had individual storage sacks like some tents.

Weights:
Hammock with straps: 37.3 ounces / 1055 grams
Stuff sack: 1.2 ounces / 34 grams
Stakes: .45 ounces / 12 grams each. 2.7 ounces / 72 grams total
Tensioners: .05 ounces / 1 gram each. .3 ounce / 6 grams total
Cord: 3.3 ounces / 91 grams
Poles: 3 ounces / 83 grams each. 6 ounces / 166 grams total
Seam grip and brush: .8 ounces / 22 grams
Bug net patch: .2 ounces / 5 grams
Tarp: 18.9 ounces / 506 grams
Total: 70.7 ounces / 2004 grams

Some parts of the tarp are not yet assembled upon arrival, so the owner must spend some time doing some work before heading out to use the product.

Instructions:

The instructions are printed front to back o a single sheet of paper. The instructions appear to be a standard set for all Crazy Crib Hammocks. The front of the sheet has contact numbers and address for the company as well as web site and e-mail addresses. It shows some diagrams common to all hammocks and has specifications for the hammocks as well.

On the back are all the real instructions on how to set up the hammock. Each section has various sets of instructions for each product instead of having a special set of instructions made for the hammock that the owner has. I would recommend changing this to product specific instructions for each type of hammock.

Construction:

Hammock: The hammock is made from nylon in a "bathtub" type style 44"/112 cm x 98"/249 cm. The ends appear at first to have two attaching points, but there really is a sleeve for the suspension strap on each end. To prevent tearing at the stress point, the ends of the sleeves are covered in heavy vinyl. The top of the hammock is nylon in the center with no-see-um bug net on the foot and head ends. Down the direct center of this top is a two way zipper. The bug net/nylon top is lifted off the hammock by two Easton® shock corded poles that run through a pole sleeve at either end of the nylon center panel. Inside the hammock is a pad sleeve that runs the length of the bottom and can accommodate multiple 24"/ 61 cm wide pads. Also inside the hammock are two small mesh pockets for storing small items that would be by the users head/foot. There is no real difference from either the head or foot end from what I could tell.

Straps: The Straps are about 1" / 2.5 cm wide. Along the length on one side of the strap is printed the name Crazy Creek. At one end of the strap is a metal buckle and on both the end are vinyl patches which are for water diversion in the case of heavy rain to prevent water from traveling down the support lines via capillary flow.

Tarp: The tarp is made from coated nylon 77"/195 cm x 104"/264 cm. The tarp is factory seam sealed with seam tape. It has corner pull outs and one side pull out per side. There are beak pull outs on either end, and four top pull outs. The six stakes and tensioners are made to use with the corner/side pull outs.

Sack: The stuff sack is a standard 21"/53cm x 6"/15 cm nylon stuff sack with a Crazy Creek logo on the bottom.

Initial impressions:

After taking the hammock out, I decided to set it up out back on a clear night and forgo the tarp. I set up using two poles instead of trees using the instructions. I initially missed the detail of the instructions on the buckles and strapped them in a way that didn't hold tension, but figured it out on my first attempt. I also found that the straps couldn't hold tight strapped as shown when using the poles, the simple solution was to make a single extra wrap around the pole to create 360 degree tension around the pole for a better grip.

I placed three pads: truck sunscreen, Ozark Trails Egg crate pad, and Army surplus pad inside the pad sleeve because the weather was supposed to get down to 19 Degrees Fahrenheit / -7 Celsius. I slept wearing a Powerstretch® fleece top and bottom, gloves, knit cap, and used my Nunatack Backcountry Blanket. I did not get cold thru the night. The temperature ended up falling to only 21 degrees Fahrenheit / -6 Celsius with a wind-chill of 12 degrees Fahrenheit / -11 degrees Celsius.

The Hammock was more "tippy" than I am used to when climbing in and out. It required me to lean into the hammock between the support poles, then lean back into it and then turn into position. Getting up the next morning I started to use the same procedure and was almost dumped out. I will have to practice this some more.

Backpacking Background:

I've been backpacking and hiking as long as I can remember. My first overnight backpacking trip was in the late 70's on the Appalachian Trail. Places I've hiked: 350 miles of the Appalachian Trail - sections in North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Bankhead Forest, Alabama. Sipssey Forest, Alabama. Pinhoti Trail, Alabama. Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky. Desert of New Mexico and Texas north of El Paso. Kistatchi National Forest, Louisiana. Slick Rock/Joyce Kilmer Forest, North Carolina. Cradle of forestry in America, North Carolina. Standing Indian Trails, North Carolina. Many more trails too numerous to keep mentioning. My current gear selection is in the lightweight realm with a summer base weight is about 12 pounds (5.4 kilograms) and a winter base of 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms).

Location: Tests were conducted at Fort Polk, Louisiana, USA in my back yard.

Description of location: 295' / 90 meters above sea level in pine forests with some hardwoods.