Dream Hammock Sparrow

Jack-of-all-trades, versatile and well thought out hammock.

The Dream Hammock (DH) Sparrow is a very well thought out and polished hammock. Called a 4-season hammock on the website, it allows you to take along just what you need for conditions without adding extra weight.  

The customer service is awesome. If need be, you will be speaking to DH owners Randy and Deanna Smith out of Fredericksburg, Ohio, and they'll answer your questions promptly and intelligently. They are definitely hammock people and make a great product!

The Dream Hammock website has tons of information, and a nifty hammock weight calculator for variations of their different wares. Every hammock DH makes is numbered and has its picture and stats on the website www.dream-hammock.com. It's pretty interesting to see some of the colors and combinations.

Here's my Sparrow:

Complete stats

The Sparrow features a removable bug net that comes mitten hooked to the peak in its own no-seeum stuff sack. I promptly put it in storage as the hammock came in February. It reduced the overall weight of 27.3 ounces down to 22.5oz, which is pretty light considering all the bells and whistles and the whoopie slings.

This was not a cheap no-seeum stuff sack by the way. Par for the course with this product, the closure was made of shock cord, making it so easy to stuff the net in. It could also be used for a small peak bag. It's the little things...

The over cover is a 1.1oz ripstop material as opposed to the hammock which is a 1.6 HyperD fabric. The 1.1 over cover does provide some wind protection, probably very limited water protection, it also gives privacy when not using a tarp and prevents your quilt etc from falling out of your hammock. Around freezing I still use a hammock sock with the Sparrow to prevent wind from blowing in around my under quilt and to provide a little extra wind block. Am looking forward to using it this spring without the sock. It can be used without net or over cover as well. 

In addition to the clips which affix your quilt suspension at the head and foot end of the hammock, the Sparrow also has zippers on each side that meet in the middle. This is an awesome feature. It allows you to close net or over cover without the gymnastics of reaching all the way to the head or foot for that far away zipper, and importantly, adjust your quilt from either side easily. It also lets you make your coffee in the morning without fully opening up your cocoon! You can zip the cover on with the vent in either direction, which might come in handy, and I also like the fact that I could buy a heavier or lighter cover if need be.  

Here it is in the woods, you can see the optional ridgeline organizer through the 1.1 ripstop:

This is a large hammock at 11 ft. A smaller 10 ft option is available, with a huge variety of options, colors and fabric weights. The build is quality, and while it is very comfortable it is obvious that this hammock was designed for long hikes as much as car camping. It feels solid, but there is no overkill on the cordage or zippers. It's a hammock designed to do lots of things and it does them all.  

It isn't inexpensive so a little research might be in order to make sure you're getting the right one for your needs. After using a number of hammocks this one covered mine well and waiting a few weeks to get it was worth it. I purchased the optional tie outs not because I use them but for resale value, these things sell very well if it isn't perfect for you.