Hammock Showdown. Ridgerunner vs. Superior Hammock

[@ItsGoodintheWoods]

The Superior gear hammock is amazing!

[@robpelton]

I agree! I had my 30° down too 22°. I wasn’t warn, but not freezing either.

[@rickkearn7100]

Great comparison, well presented. You leave no stone unturned Rob! Cheers.

[@robpelton]

I do what I can. Thanks for watching!

[@NJHeart2Heart]

Ahhhh.. bestill my heart... So glad the RR still holds it's value for you when it comes to sleep.

[@robpelton]

100%

[@cynvision]

Two great overviews. Superior is the buy once, cry once system I'd tell someone new to hammocks to think seriously about. I've been wishing I'd known about Superior earlier because I have so much trouble dialing in for CBS when temps go below 55F. But I enjoy the features of the Chameleon so much because that was the first brand I got when I fell back into the camping hobby. I picked up a new used Ridge Runner because people I hang with talked about side sleeping and less shoulder squeeze. The rainfly is a bit of a point because you do need some thought to a longer tarp or some other double tarp arrangement for the Ridge Runner length. You had a great point. I probably get to play with the Ridge Runner most because I car camp and if I had time and guts to take a trail I also probably would stuff the Chameleon and a shorter tarp into my pack.

[@robpelton]

You have some great hammocks there! CBS can be an issue. No doubt. The UQ for a Ridgerunner in near 0 fuss. The SG is 0 fuss! Either way, I’ve never got a chilly rear. Haha. Thanks for watching!

[@jwiereng]

9:00 Incorrect. They are called bridge hammock due to the side profile resembling a suspension bridge.

[@robpelton]

🤔 I’ll have to research that. That makes sense though.

[@j3hikes444]

i have both systems (banyan bridge and superior 30 degree). love the banyan for car camping and superior for my UL load out. can't go wrong with these systems

[@robpelton]

I agree! Great minds….

[@JeremiahStringer]

Both great systems

[@robpelton]

Very very good systems. Cheers brotha.

[@petemcw]

Great points Rob, I agree with your assessments. My primary rigs are a Ridgerunner and a Warbonnet XLC (11 ft). I went with a Wookie UQ for the XLC to eliminate fidget factor. One thing that I run into more often then I’d like is tree spacing. On backpacking trips I’m almost always taking the XLC because I can fit in much smaller spaces. Maybe I’m too lazy to find the perfect spot? I love the ultimate comfort of the Ridgerunner but my XLC just tends to be more practical. My wife will only use the Ridgerunner though. By the way, I was the subscriber that bumped into you at REI this weekend. Can’t wait to hear more about the shoe saga!

[@NJHeart2Heart]

Another vote for Ridgerunner comfort from a female RR fan ;)

[@robpelton]

Oh right on! I’m glad you said hi! I should’ve had stickers with me. Ask next time. Lol. I 100% agree with your thoughts. Thanks for watching!

[@robpelton]

Yuup!

[@wazoologist]

Thank you for the vid Rob, as a side sleeper I'm looking at maybe a Ridgerunner or Banyan for next year. I have the Superior 30 degree 11 foot hammock, very quick and most comfortable of the gathered end ones I've tried. When it's going to be extra cold, I just take and attach my HG Phoenix 40 underquilt to it, to keep my butt area warm. 😀

[@robpelton]

Try out a bridge before you buy. If you can… bridges are whole thing in themselves. I wish I would’ve got an 11’ SG. 😕. Thanks for watching!

[@cynvision]

Yeah. Try some. I went from a Ripstop kit bridge to a Ridge Runner and "side sleeping" is not the experience you have in a bed. But maybe I set the bar pretty high in some way that a bridge would be magically different. They still feel narrow and I'm not a large person. I'm wishing my hang group had someone to lend the third brand that's more like a sheet with poles, the Townsend, just to figure out which brand is best. Or, if I'm just using my gathered end wrong and all this time I want to be curled up in a ball in the bottom of it 🤣

[@dracphelan]

This is funny. I am seriously considering doing a similar comparison between the Ridgerunner and Haven XL Hammock tent for motorcycle camping.

[@robpelton]

Yes! That’s would be a great comparison.

[@dawgpost90]

Im debating on the superior gear hammock setup to take on the AT this year. I'm trying to decide between the sewn in uq or buying separate quilts for versatility. Any thoughts between the two. For reference, it's the superior vs. the starlight.

[@waltbrim5897]

If you're looking for that bed like feel and sleep, the bridge is where it's at. I find that my beat-up old body feels much better after a night in the gathered end hammock as opposed to the bridge hammock. I sleep good in either one. 11-foot hammock is nice.

[@robpelton]

That may make a huge difference. Going to 11’. Too late now though. Haha. Thanks for watching!

[@TheGlatch]

How tall are you?

[@tomm1677]

Hey Rob, enjoy your gear videos as much as your trip videos. I have a 11ft Chameleon w/ optional Bug net and an assortment of under quits (and top but focus on the under here of course). Every time I see a Superior Gear (all in one) hammock I look at it again because hey maybe I'm missing something. But every time I walk way with the only benefit is the "lack" of underquilt fidgeting vs. a similar hammock + UQ. Annnnnd that is it. The trade off is that you lose all the flexibility of a more modular setup. At 50f or even 60f temp I might take a 30f UQ but can hang it lose and have some air flow, above 60f I have a costco UQ, north of 70f I only have a quilt protector (for wind and sceetoos). As it get's colder I can swap the 30f for colder rated UQ or ever layer (like the SG hammock). They are pretty close in weight and costs (although the SG is a little more expensive then a similar Chameleon + HG 30d UQ). Buying a 0f or -20f SG hammock makes even less sense unless you are in the artic full time... with that said, love all the innovation and options in the market!

[@robpelton]

I agree. The ease of setup is crazy nice, but you can’t vent it. That’s very limited. Adding UQ is a simple process as well. Winter is a few months away and I have to decide what additional UQ to get. A 0° for the WBRR or SG?? Thanks for watching!

[@marcstoyer]

Might be worth checking out the superior gear starlite

[@yevenstee]

Good stuff Rob. Hope all is well.

[@robpelton]

Thanks Yee man!

[@freethinker5225]

I went from eno double nest to the xlc that I just got in the mail...haven't got in it yet but I can already tell it's going to be a Cadillac. I'll carry the extra weight of the wooki underquilt...the flat lay hammocks just aren't very appealing because I've been told that they need a pad and the underquilts don't pull up around you very well

[@robpelton]

The XLC is a great hammock. Regarding flat lay hammocks, no pad needed! In fact, I don’t recommend them at all. You are correct. The underquilt doesn’t wrap around you like one from a gathered end hammock does. I have found this to not be an issue. I’ve slept in -27°f in my Ridgerunner and was toasty. The top quilts are there to seal in the heat. Lastly, the view from a flat lay hammock is wonderful. You can see out into the woods or lake, etc. whereas hammocks like the XLC, have a big wall of fabric that blocks your view. Either way though, you’ll find a much sleep over the ENO. Happy hanging and thanks for watching!

[@Toots807]

What would be the cost factor between the two? Thanks.

[@robpelton]

Comparable.

[@andreibitay4954]

good comparison. thanks. check the Amok Draumr.

[@robpelton]

I’ve heard good things about the Amok Dramur. I even have an option to test one out, but it’s just another thing to fidget with! Haha. Thanks for watching!

[@BillyBobTup]

Thanks for the great comparison! I have both, as well as various JRB bridge hammocks and many other gathered end. I don't quite agree with your opinion about the WBRR being more comfortable. I feel more like in some ways yes- i.e. WBRR more comfy than the SG- by a very small margin. But in other ways I find the SG more comfy. The main reason I got a bridge hammock when JRB's 1st came out way back in 2007 was due ti problems with calf pain and maybe problems side sleeping in gathered end hammocks(GE). Which sometimes caused "side torque", a hitch in my side. Some GE hammocks gave me a lot of calf pain, some gave very little. But all had it a little or a lot. The glory of the bridge hammocks to me was that they instantly wiped out this problem, and all without endless fiddling trying to figure out what the. Same thing for side torque. This seemed well worth carrying the spreader bars and likely tarp interference. And the need for bigger tarps. Also, I found them much easier to insulate plus no problems with under quilt fit if I changed position. So, in that sense the bridges were more comfy than all or most GEs for me. But, not all ways. Often if I turned on my side and drew my knees up, they was not room and my knees ended up hitting the hard top edge on the WBRR. And many people- but not me- complained of shoulder squeeze when laying flat on their backs in the WB or JRB bridge hammocks. Still, better than calf ridge related calf pain. I had none of this pain and could always easily insulate bridge hammocks with UQs, plus they worked much better with pads than any GE hammock. Then I tried an 11 ft SG insulated hammock. Super comfy in all ways. Lots of shoulder room, side sleeping comfort, an UQ that can never come out of adjustment. But here was the prize: no calf ridge! Either none, or such a slight amount that it did not bother me or keep me from sleeping. Or, almost always, if there is a sligh amoun, I can wiggle around a bit and find a position where it is zero. Usually best with the adjustable ridge line at full length(IOW least sag). And if I turn on my side and pull my knees up, plenty of room and no hard edge to hit. All of that, and no spreader bars to carry, loose, break or worry about poking a hole in my tarp. Is my WBRR more free of calf ridge than my SG? Yes, by a very slight amount. If the WB has zero calf ridge on a scale of ten, and other GE hammocks have 3 or 5 or 10, the SG has 0.5. And sometimes zero. Close enough. Not enough to ever yet interfere with my sleep. And if I turn on my side to fetal position: comfort superior to the WBRR. so, comfort wise, FOR ME (we all vary), it is a toss up. But then the SG has all of those OTHER benefits which cause you to be using it a lot lately. I still love all of my bridge hammocks though, just maybe not more than the SG. But they still have one potentially one big benefit IMO: Comfort and ease of us with a pad. If you want to use a pad for any reason(need to go to ground, can't afford an UQ, whatever), any bridge hammock( as well as 90º hammocks) is the way to go. Just my opinion, YMMV.

[@robpelton]

What a great recap! I have always wondered if an 11’ SG would be more comfy. I have a 10’ & for me, WBRR beats it out for sheer comfort. As little as the fiddle factor is with the WBRR, the SG is even less fiddle. I love that. Perhaps I’ll sell my 10’ SG & graduate to an 11’. Thanks for watching!

[@Em-mr6wu]

Hey If you want to sell your 10' SG....I'm shopping right now! I've got SG's site open and ready to go, but if I can save some cash, I would love to. I'm a 5'6" girl, so I think it would be a good fit for me. @@robpelton

[@mat-ventures]

I too have the Superior gear hammock 10 foot and I wish I had gotten the 11ft, as I'm 6f1 and feel some shoulder squeeze

[@robpelton]

I don’t get squeeze. I just can’t get as flat as I’d like. Thanks for watching!

[@barondavis5692]

How bout 6’4” person? Would the 11’ work?

[@mat-ventures]

@@barondavis5692 I don't know. You'll have to ask Dany, the owner of Superior Gear Hammock. He answers every question via email

[@barondavis5692]

Mathieu's GalerieNature I did. He said I’ll be fine, but… he does have an ulterior motive; plus, you buy it, it’s yours. I’ve bought too many cottage products that weren’t the right size.

[@mat-ventures]

@@barondavis5692 yeah I understand. There are other products like Warbonnet Outdoors or Dutchware

[@brendonmachen4081]

Great video, thanks Rob! Have you ever heard of anyone comparing the SG with the Warbonnet Blackbird XLC? You would be then comparing hammocks with a similar design, with the two different brands. The Blackbird has a foot box feature which improves the comfort of your feet. I am about to purchase a couple of hammocks, as I have been looking at Warbonnet for a while now and had only just came across the Superior Gear today.

[@robpelton]

I haven’t seen the comparison yet, but it’d be worth a look. Thanks for watching!

[@gaiterat6187]

Can't speak for the Ridge Runner but I'll recommend the Blackbird and El Dorado. Superior hammocks look very cool.

[@robpelton]

Warbonnet has tried and true hammocks. Hard to beat. Superior is pretty nice too! Thank for watching. Cheers.

[@aubépine-coeur]

Thank you for the video ! Would you have any information / experience to share about the SG cocoon system (it seems interesting to me) ? Thanks

[@robpelton]

I’ve seen the cocoon first hand and it’s really nice. I’m partial to bug nets, but this gives you an extra pocket of warmth and helps keep things from falling out of your hammock. Thanks for watching!

[@aubépine-coeur]

@@robpelton Thank you. For information : it's possible to use half bug net with cocoon. 🌿

[@adventureswithbecketandxena]

First 😁 Toots is trying to talk me into getting a hammock. One day soon 🙂

[@robpelton]

Watcha waiting for??

[@aaroncarapace8054]

How would the ridge runner hold up to being used as a bivvy? I currently own a DD hammocks XL frontline and 3x3 tarp and I love it, but its a rather bulky set up. So i want to upgrade to the DD hammocks ultralight jungle hammock / bivvy. Where I live on the coast the terrain is either treeless fields or forests with nothing but rocks and nowhere to put a tent so the hammock bivvy and tarp is my goto set up to camp anywhere. But im curious in trying out a layflat hammock since i use a sleeping pad in my current double layer hammock anyway

[@robpelton]

The ability of using the WBRR as a ground bivvy, is a handy option, but it’s isn’t the best option in my opinion. There are plenty of good ground options out there, but this will still work fine. Let me know how it works out! Thanks for watching. Cheers.

[@joeedgmon3026]

How do you keep the rain out of the superior

[@robpelton]

String up a rain fly. Review of that coming soon. Thanks for watching!

[@arkansasoutdoorschannel1867]

Good video. I love my Ridge Runner. I do want to try something lighter and faster but I worry about the comfort.

[@robpelton]

Go 11’. For me, at 5’8”, the 10’ is comfortable enough to sleep in.

[@SkitterComic]

Didn't you use your RidgeRunner on your well-below-zero trips? I would assume the Superior Gear would be better for that, but if you used the RR, how did that work out?

[@robpelton]

Yes I did! Worked amazingly well at -27°f. Provided I had proper insulation for the superior gear, it would be a better choice. However, I only have cold related quilts for my ridgerunner.

[@cathyajames]

Don't forget to do the rainfly video at some point. :-)

[@robpelton]

Filming this weekend!

[@brianmabin5947]

I really appreciate you distinguishing which is truly more comfortable, as I'm strictly a car camping 4x4, guy vs backpack and comfort is my number 1 priority. I would be curious how comfortable a bridge hammock is compared to the Treble 2.0 or the Amok Dramaur. Thanks, for the video, great stuff! Really helped me out. Curious too as to others thoughts on the best bridge hammock for glamping? Anyone, anyone?

[@robpelton]

I’ve been asked that quite a bit. Especially Amok. I have no experience with it. As far as bridge hammocks, the Warbonnet Ridgerunner & Dutchware Banyon are the 2 big ones right now.

[@BackpackingwithBuckley]

You know where I stand! Warbonnet is NOT Superior. 😀

[@robpelton]

You’re not technically wrong!

[@b.griffin317]

Thank you for such an honest review. I have been looking into both of these hammocks and couldn't decide, but you have helped me with that. I am wondering though: What is the minimum distance between suspension points on the Ridgerunner? It seems it would be longer than most hammocks given the A-frame design.

[@robpelton]

The Ridgerunner does need a wider space. I prefer 20’. However, I prefer 20’ for the SG too, but not required. Haha. Thanks for watching!

[@darrengarlough5121]

I'm going with superior hammock but please suggest to me the temp rating to pick. Mostly spring and fall hiking.

[@robpelton]

Hi Darren! Where do you live? What temps can you expect?

[@darrengarlough5121]

@@robpelton live in ohio mostly hiking PA and along the AT

[@robpelton]

@@darrengarlough5121 I would think a 30° would be perfect. Tell Danny I sent ya!

[@darrengarlough5121]

@@robpelton ok I will 5hanks

[@MrBalas3]

Looking forward to purchasing a ridgerunner on their sale this weekend. Just stumped on what color to get. Thinking about dark foliage cause I have their XLC in Olive green that blends well into the environment, but your blue that you have in another video is so nice looking too. Dilemas...granted with an dark colored underquilt it may not matter lol. Any thoughts on your blue one showing dirt over time vs. a darker colored hammock? I guess I'm being nitpicky lol.

[@robpelton]

I hope you love the WBRR. I’m a big fan of the Dream-Tex fabrics. Regarding color, darker will always hide dirt better, but I’m pretty good at keeping things clean. I don’t have the Blue. That’s Midwest Backpacker and he loves it. Thanks for watching!

[@MrBalas3]

@@robpelton Right. Sorry about that. I’ve seen so many videos on it I mixed you guys up.

[@jbwm123321]

See you have a cold snack there 😂

[@robpelton]

Haha. Good catch.

[@TwoTracksOutdoors]

Since you've used both for some time now, Rob, would like to know if you can stay as warm in the ridgerunner as you can in Superior Gears hammock with integrated underquilt? How you lay comfort level is certainly important, however, if you're not warm, it doesn't matter how comfortable it is. What has your experience been? Always enjoy your reviews.

[@robpelton]

Hi Mike! Great question. I can only speak to what I have experienced. The SG is rated for 45° and I’ve had it down to 22°. I was chilly. The WBRR, on the other hand, had me down to -27° with stacked UQ’s and was extremely warm. If I were to compare apples to apples, I’d think the SG would perform better for warmth as that hammock, by virtue of its inherent design, wraps around and envelopes more completely. I have, however, not tested this. I would really like to though!

[@MeOutside]

I’ll be honest; I fell out my bridge hammock the first night I slept in it (Chameleon not a Ridge Runner). I’ve use tie outs ever since.

[@NJHeart2Heart]

The Chameleon? I think that's a gathered end.. The other popular bridge hammock out there is the Banyan Bridge :)

[@robpelton]

Falling out of a hammock isn’t fun. Well, unless you’re buddy does. Then it’s hilarious. Using tie outs on hammocks seems finicky. I wouldn’t like navigating my way around them. Also, which actual hammock did you fall out of? Thanks!

[@robpelton]

My question as well.

[@MeOutside]

@@robpelton Banyan not Chameleon. Okay I’m a dumbass; I’ll own it. In my defense I didn’t have any coffee yet when I posted.

[@marcstoyer]

How tall are you btw?

[@robpelton]

5’ 8”

[@marcstoyer]

@@robpelton gotcha I ordered my superior gear starlite 10ft I'm 5'7 probably should've gone w 11 but oh well, excited nonetheless

[@TheGlatch]

​@@marcstoyer the 10' should fit someone 5'7" according to the website. Have you experienced it differently?

[@marcstoyer]

@@TheGlatch I have slept in mine every night for the past few months and I love it and it fits well though I can't help but think had I got the 11 ft version I would be just a smidge more comfortable

[@DuctTapenWD]

I'm sure there both awesome. I for one would never pay that much even if I could afford it.

[@robpelton]

To each their own. People find value in all sorts of things and they are willing to justify seemingly outlandish purchases. These happen to be some of mine. Thanks for watching!

[@ericblade1971]

Time its not important for me, weight also not … bud comfort that’s the thing and the ridge is much more comfortable than the superior. 😊

[@robpelton]

Fir me, It all matters to some degree. If I’m putting on big miles, weight and pack ability is key. Short trips or car camping, take it all! Agreed though. The WBRR is sweet. Haha. Thanks for watching!

[@MauiKahiapo]

Yo Rob, if you want I'll lend you my Amok Draumr 5.0 XL to review for the people as well. Hit me up if you want to try it out.

[@robpelton]

Thanks Maui! I remember you offering it up awhile ago. Are you still digging it?

[@MauiKahiapo]

@@robpelton Absolutely. I had to replace mine because it got stolen on a trip out west. They did a few upgrades to the design and it's fantastic in my opinion. I haven't gone on a backpacking trip with it yet, but I have an overnight planned in October. If you ever want to give it a go, let me know!