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Warning: don't buy a cheap camping hammock without checking the fabric weight rating
I dropped $40 on a hammock from a random online shop last spring before a trip to Shenandoah. First night out, I set it up between two trees, sat down, and the fabric ripped right down the middle. I hit the ground hard and landed on a rock, bruised my hip for two weeks. The listing said it held 300 pounds but the stitching was garbage and the fabric felt thin as a t-shirt. I ended up buying a proper one from a known brand for $80 after that and it's been solid for two seasons now. Anyone else get burned by cheap gear that looked fine online? What do you look for in a hammock to avoid this? Maybe a weight rating for the fabric itself is something to check but I never see it listed.
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parkerrodriguez18d agoMost Upvoted
lee.cole brings up a good point about setup mattering, but I actually read that some cheap hammocks use a fabric called "taffeta nylon" that has way lower tear strength than the ripstop nylon in good ones.
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lee.cole18d ago
You ever think maybe the issue wasn't the hammock but how you set it up or the trees you picked? I've got a cheap Walmart special that's held me and my buddy no problem for years.
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Nah, I gotta disagree. A cheap hammock can fail even with perfect setup if the fabric's barely holding together.
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