From the Wayback Machine
KAMMOK Roo Hammock Review @ BackpackGearTest.org
SUMMARY
- The KAMMOK Roo is a very large, comfortable hammock (Length: 129 in / 328 cm, width: 72 in / 183 cm).
- The diamond ripstop fabric has a nice, supple feel that is soft and comfortable.
- The stuff sack is unique, probably over-engineered, but very nice. It adds a “high-class” touch to a quality product.
- The hammock includes very robust carabiners rated for hanging
- Small touches and attention-to-detail give this hammock a high-class feel
This is probably the largest hammock I’ve camped in and I found that I got the best lay with a nice, deep sag—with a hang angle nearly 45 degrees. Because of its size and this hang angle, I found that my regular MacCat tarps from OES weren’t wide enough to give the best side coverage. For best side coverage I had to hang the hammock at the more traditional 30 degree angle. The hammock is still comfortable, but as is common with large hammocks pulled “tight,” you experience what I call the “canoe” or “bathtub” effect, where the sides of the hammock are tighter than the center, creating a deep pocket or bucket seat.
The Roo is slightly heavier than comparable gathered-end hammocks on the market, but it is still a workable piece of gear for backpacking and hiking. I took it on a few multi-day backpacking trips and several hikes and really enjoyed it, especially when I could afford the deep sag. I’m a bit of a gram weenie and I like my lightweight backpacking kit, but for short trips, the Roo didn’t bother me.
The attention to detail on this hammock is noticeable. I’m a fan of gathered-end hammocks but usually the only thing that separates one from the other is the logo stitched on the stuff sack. The Roo, in comparison, not only sports a different, very classy, comfortable fabric, the stitching is top-notch, and the included carabiners and durable spectra rope are uncommon among the competition. While not necessary for performance, KAMMOK put a slight twist in the Lark’s Head knot that attaches the spectra loop to the carabiner. Little touches like this give the hammock a classy look.
Check out the photos and measurements in my review of the KAMMOK Roo hammock on BGT.
Could you tie an overhand knot in both ends to shorten the hammock to reduce the overall length and thus reduce the hang angle required?
Yes, but that would really defeat the advantage of a longer hammock. You can hang any hammock at different hang angles to suit your own comfort preference. There is an optimal hang angle based on the length and width of the hammock and your own height. If you are short, you could hang with a deep hang angle and sleep nearly perpendicular. Most folks hang at a conservative angle and lay slightly diagonally—just off center—to get a flat lay.
Thanks for the review! Well, this is pretty timely. I’m just starting to do my homework on hammocks (loved them when I was a kid, but back then I had one of those cheap polyester string/ rope hammocks, though I did camp in one of them once as a 12 year old scout, hah. About time I came back to the idea!)
The Roo interests me as I’m 6’4″– from what I’ve read, this is more comfortable for taller people (and from the sound of your review, it can be more comfortable for anyone).
1) from the photos I can see that you did use an under quilt (obviously, with how cold conditions were). What were the UQ dimensions? I only ask because Kammok’s own upcoming quilt is 56″ wide (by 84″ long), while it seems most UQs are in the 44-45″ ballpark. Was UQ width an issue at all with a larger hammock?
2) If you ever come up with a tarp that fits the Roo better, I’d love to hear which it is / how big it ends up needing to be. I’m not quite sold on dropping $230 for their Glider tarp.
Thanks again for the review!
Thanks Mike! I have both the Kammok bug net and tarp in my queue to review soon. I’ve tested both already, I just haven’t written up the review (I purchased them from Kickstarter and so I haven’t had the kind of pressure to publish them as I do with sponsored reviews). I will say that both are top-quality. The Glider tarp has some cool features, but only if you really need them. All but the smallest tarps will work fine for the Roo.
Other tarp brands will definitely work with the Roo. As for under quilts, remember that the quilt isn’t designed to wrap around the hammock, but wrap around the occupant. I’ve even created prototype quilt designs that taper from shoulder to foot to reduce unused, wasted material. The under quilt (generally speaking) is designed to follow the lay of the occupant, regardless of how diagonal the lay is. The shock cords allow for a lot of adjustability. The length of a quilt is personal preference. I like 3/4 quilts generally because it is lighter, and I like maximizing weight loss. 🙂 Full-size quilts (those that cover shoulder to foot or even head to foot) are super convenient and warm, but they are heavy. This is especially true considering that most quilts are rectangular, so a lot of material is wasted at the foot end.
In short, any under quilt will work with the Roo, or other large hammocks. It’s really a question of how much coverage you want for your body. For example, if you had wide shoulders, you might want to go with a brand that is wider.
Thanks for the in-depth response! I had no idea what rabbit hole I was entering when I decided to start exploring the hammock world 😀 Sounds like UQ width shouldn’t be an issue, then. As for tarps… I’ll probably have to just spend more time reading through past articles here and maybe wade through hammock forums a bit to get an idea on tarp size to make sure I avoid those few that are too small to fit a variety of hammocks. Thanks again– and it’s impressive what you’ve built here without it being a full time gig!
Have you seen my post on comparing tarp sizes? It shows some of the basic tarp sizes overlapping.
(Just noticing the “wayback machine” comment… I should have known this wouldn’t be a brand new review for a prolific hammocker as yourself 😉 Still timely to bring revive and summarize– thanks again 🙂 ).
Yes, it was done a while back, but I need to be more timely with some of my other pending reviews. If only I could do this full time!
Derek, I’m a life long hanger and my experience with a Kammok Roo and Dragonfly combo did not work out for me in my back yard. I could never get it to hang deep enough to be comfortable, probably due to the fixed length between the two trees in my backyard. This is something that the outback would not have, for the most part. One wonderment now that you mention the deep sag is how such a deep sag would work not only with the tarp (as you mention) but how about the companion Dragonfly skeeter-beeter net? Would the Dragonfly support such a deep sag required for comfort?
Great question. If the sag is too deep, than the bug net may not be tall enough to accommodate. If you use a 45-degree hang angle, you’ll be at that limit, so I would hang the Roo within the 30 to 40 degree range.
How do I fix the fact that the sides cave in over my head to where I can’t see anything beside me?
How are you hanging the hammock? Are you hanging the Roo with a deep sag?
I have this same question. I really want to like this hammock but it’s just so big and flappy. Lots of unnecessary annoying fabric.
If you have found a comfortable lay in the hammock but the fabric is flapping and getting in your way, you might consider adding either a knotty mod in the seam or dos GO! style pull. The knotty mod takes 12 inches of shock cord and feeds it into the seam edge. Sew one end then stretch the cord and sew the other end and when released it will gather up that excess fabric. The GO! method also uses a shock cord but it wraps around the outside of the hammock by the head and foot ends to pull the excess fabric away.
You could also use grip clips and create side pull outs that you can stake to the ground.
The most dramatic solution would be to unpick and remove the outer panels of fabric completely. The Roo is big enough that you don’t really use them.
Eric, Take a look at this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8HeHQ4Rrxw
Hi Derek, I loved your book, just bought the Roo Kammok along with its bug net. I am 5 feet six and I tried to lay on a diagonal and found that I was unable to be comfortable with a 30° Hang angle. I also had to U clip the bug bet from the overhead line in order to have enough room to lay in a diagonal. Also, the fabric that forms the strip along the edge has a very uncomfortable non- stretch seam. I haven’t even removed the tags. Is there a more comfortable hammock out there or am I hanging it wrong?
Adrienne
I was thinking of getting the ENO ProFly tarp to use with my Kammok Roo. Do you know if that would be sufficient coverage or should I get the ProFly XL?
XL. The KAMMOK is longer than ENO and you’ll appreciate the extra length.
Thanks Derek, much appreciated
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