If you’ve ever considered ordering a custom-made hammock, take a look at Dream Hammock. Growing from a garage shop to a full-fledge cottage vendor, Randy (aka Papa Smurf) has built a reputation for creating high-quality, customized hammocks. And by custom, I mean you can pick everything from the fabric to the thread color and zipper pulls. I follow Randy’s shop on social media and he regularly posts pictures of each creation, and when I saw a custom Darien made from some lightweight, monofilament 1.0 oz Moonlite fabric, I decided I had to have one of my own.
Be sure to check out the video I created that shows the step-by-step approach I used to explain how to navigate all the options Randy offers.
In this post, I wanted to post some of my thoughts after getting the hammock. But before I jump into the hammock, let’s chat about cottage vendors. In my book, I mention the important thing to remember is patience. Randy builds each hammock by hand (well, he and his incredible crew), so you need to be prepared for a wait period. Randy posts the status of each order on his website, but I have to admit that waiting can be agonizing. At first, I was checking the updates daily, then weekly, and then I just had to occupy myself with other things until the big day arrived. Once the hammock is complete, you can reference the order—or other orders—which can use to build another custom hammock. My hammock was order #8147, if you’re curious about all the details.
Thoughts on my custom Darien
The long wait over, I was so pleased to receive my custom Darien hammock. The build was exactly as I had expected and it was so fun to try it out. The detail on the stitching was incredible. The build was excellent and I loved the color contrasts with the thread, zipper pulls, and end loops—a perfect way to “own” my own hammock.
I chose the Darien because I was trying for a simple design that would cater to my lightweight approach. I chose the monofilament fabric as it was a good compromise between light weight and strength. I chose monofilament for the bug net as well, thinking it would provide a little more wind protection so I could use the hammock in a variety of conditions.
The Darien is a simple design with minimal features, which was exactly what I was looking for in a lightweight hammock. The single size zip on the foot side was just how I like it for easy entry / exit.
After using the hammock a few times, I’ve been wondering whether or not I should have picked a regular no-seem-um bug netting instead, and even used a narrower width to shave off even more grams. The trouble with a custom hammock is that you never truly know how things will turn out until you get it. I am seriously considering ordering another Darien, now that I have some experience under my belt.
Order Specifications
- Length: 11ft
- Width: Wide As Possible
- Layers: Single
- Outside Layer Fabric: Select Fabric
- Outside Layer Color: Dark Olive
- Inside Layer Fabric-Use Only For Double Layer Hammocks: None
- Zipper: #3 Coil (Standard)
- Asym Lay: Right – Head Left / Feet Right
- Suspension: Continuous Loop
- Tree Straps: None
- UQ Hooks-Tie Out Hooks: Tie Out Hooks
- Ridgeline Organizer: No
Color Accents
- Top Stitching: Orange
- Zipper Pulls: Orange
- Grosgrain Loops on UQ Hooks or Tie Out Hooks: Orange Reflective
- Stuff Sack: Black (+0.00)
Custom Work
- 1.0 oz Monolite fabric hammock body
- 1.0 oz monolite fabric for bug netting
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