Sierra Madre Pares

A really comfortable hammock for tall people, the quality from Sierra Madre is great and the Pares hammock is built with durability in mind. The fabric is different from any other hammock I've tried, and at 10.75' in length and 6.5' in width it really has a great diagonal lay! The unique stuff sack really compresses the Pares hammock down nicely, almost to a softball size.

Product: Pares Hammock from Sierra Madre Research or SMr 

Color: Green Chives

I am 6' 2" at approximately 195lbs

Setup: Because I bought the EZSlings (suspension straps) and Carabiners with the Pares Hammock, the setup was really easy. The Pares compression bag is big enough to actually store the EZSlings inside the bag, and the bag has a little D-ring to store your carabiners—nifty.

Because the Pares hammock is just the hammock, you'll want some type of suspension straps or ropes to connect your Pares hammock to a tree or strong connection point. I have found that I really like about a 10' spread between the trees that I use to hang my hammock. So after locating my trees I simply wrapped the EZSlings around around the first tree and then connected the Pares hammock with a carabiner.

Next, go to your second tree and do the same. You may have to adjust the connection point some but this is dependent on preference. The setup usually takes me about 40 seconds, so it is fairly quick.

When connecting the Pares hammock to your suspension system you'll notice that SMr used an AmSteel Blue cord for the connection. SMr touts the strength of the Pares, but I had to check it out for myself. After measuring the cord I found that the AmSteel Blue cord was rated at over 2,000 lbs — impressive. 

First impressions:

I have had my Pares hammock for some time now, but the first time I reclined in it I immediately noticed the feel of the fabric. It's different from all of my other hammocks, it's very nice to the touch, almost silky. It has a consistent stretch in the diagonal so the lay is comfy and unrestrictive.

I also noticed that the fabric could take a little sprinkle of water—not much mind you, but I think that it has some sort of DWR on the fabric to help in weather resistance. 

The size of the Pares hammock is very substantial—it really is just huge! At almost 11' in length I can really stretch out in it and not get the typical "banana effect" with other shorter hammocks. It's also fairly wide so my wife and I can sit in it together in a perpendicular fashion quite comfortably. 

There are 5 seams reinforcing the tunnel on each end of my Pares and it feels as if SMr reinforced the areas that connect the hammock to the Adjustment handles ~ nice!

The Compression Bag really is a nice piece of kit, it shows true craftsmanship in its build. It feels indestructible, lots of reinforcing webbing used and 1" buckles used ~ so I'm not scared to yank on it.

One thing that is nice is that the suspension system (EZSlings) actually fits nicely and easily in the compression bag. Usually these are stored in a separate bag so I really like having everything together. 

I have now had this piece of kit for over a year and it really is holding up well. All of the seams are still in good condition and I have had plenty of great nights of sleep in this hammock. It's not the lightest hammock out there (24 oz) but it is very comfortable and I really enjoy a good nights sleep in the backwoods.

I take the Pares backpacking during all of my summer trips through the Appalachians and the Ozarks. I may have put up a couple of eyebolts in my living room, but don't let my wife in on that. 

Summary: Great Product / Great Company, I would recommend both.