I have seen several mentions of the "footbox" on a warbonnet hammock.

What is it?

Is it a sewn addition to the hammock, or ?

Explanation or pics would be great.

I just need to know if I need one. :)

Chris--I'll take a shot at it--it's kind of hard to describe, but it's a simple design. The Blackbird is designed for someone to sleep at an angle so that if they are lying on their back, their left shoulder would be off to the left of the center of the hammock and their feet would be off to the right of center. The footbox is some extra fabric that's sewn into that area where your feet go, and it allows you to lie much flatter. It also allows the integrated bug net to lie flat and not be stressed. Picture it as though you are lying in a slight V shape in a hammock, then someone came along and cut out a hole so your legs could stick out straight. Then they just sewed fabric to wrap around your leg's natural position and cover the hole. I can vouch for its comfort--it really is a nice design. I'm sorry I don't have a good pic.

Keep in mind that if you try to use a minimalist square tarp pitched diagonally so there are two corners tied out to the ground and the other two on the trees supporting the hammock, the footbox might stick out a little and there could be a coverage issue. With rectangular or hex tarps it shouldn't be an issue. Underquilts sometimes require some tweaking to work with the footbox too, but it's more of a set up adjustment than a problem.

On the WBB 1.0 dbl that just arrived at chez Barber, I find the footbox helps make for a very comfy diagonal lay. The extra fabric is shaped to provide another foot or so of room for your feet, without shoving your feet higher along the hammock's bend.

It's definitely a design plus!

The footbox is very simple to create, but i'm sure very complex to develop.

There is a triangle of fabric sewn to the hammock edge between the netting and the fabric body. This reduces the pull on the body in that area keeping pressure off your feet. It is a very smart idea and i wish it was mine.

You can get about the same result with a much wider hammock. The WBBB isn't 60" wide like most hammocks its closer to 80" so thinking you could add a triangle footbox to a 60" hammock most likely won't do the same thing. I will be making myself a 80" hammock (in multicam!!)to see if the result is the same as without the footbox since there is so much more material than on a standard 60" hammock.

-Tim

also, you CAN have a wbbb custom made to lay "LEFTY" in which i chose to lay.
this means your feet go to the left of center, head to the right. this helps those who prefer to sleep in the right sided position.

a great option to full length uq's is aa 2/3 or 3/4 length, where a pad is inserted under the legs and the torso/thighs are protected by the UQ. my model is perfect for the WBBB, as is the yeti, the stormcrow, jrb's convertible, etc.

wouldn't be hard or add much weight to make a footbox on both sides for the choice between head left or head right. I am head left so for me this isn't important but i bet you could have a custom one made with 2 footboxes. It'd be fun to see.

-Tim

Tim-

I think making a footbox on both sides would only serve to pull both sides of the hammock higher, making it more difficult to enter/exit. In the WBBB, the side with the footbox is shorter along the netting due to the hypotenuse of the inserted triangle. You lose quite a bit of visibility on that side as a result.

But as mentioned in the previous post, Brandon makes both righty and lefty versions. Nice to have opposites if you are hanging adjacent to a loved one and can face each other or hand things back and forth while in the hammocks.

Edited by BER on 09/23/2010 17:45:56 MDT.

Thank you,
Your explanations are clear. Anyone have any pics?

I don't think I need to make a hammock with a footbox...yet at least. I do love seeing people ingenuity. I am quite comfortable in my MYOG Single 1.1 (the 68" wide fabric from BWDD) and can lay diagonally. I am only 5'9" 155 though.

Thanks again

opposing zippers on bb's makes a couple's hang more enjoyable.

you haven't met my wife!!

only kidding hunny.

-Tim

Well Tim, for you, you could hang the BB with zippers facing the opposite directions! :)

Edited by BER on 09/24/2010 21:26:26 MDT.

Here is a shot from the Idaho Hang I hosted a couple weeks ago, the foot box is partially covered by my quilt but it should give you an idea.

Thanks for the pictures. Makes sense now.

BTW... If you haven't checked out Paul's site, AHE, it is well worth a look. Very good prices, excellent customer service and immediate shipping. Great guy to deal with.

Edited by momo on 09/25/2010 19:12:07 MDT.

Thanks for the mention Chris. :)