DutchWare has been around for several years now, and the company has established itself as an innovative, reliable source of unique hammock camping gear. I purchased gear from Dutchware several times and they really excel at customer service. The one time that an item was backordered, I got courteous service and knew exactly what was going on with my order. These guys recently developed a new hammock they have called the Chameleon. The Dutchware Chameleon is currently on Kickstarter and people seem to be going nuts for it. The Kickstarter campaign got full funding in the first two hours and Dutchware has exceeded their target goal by over 4 times at this point.
The Dutchware Chamelon is an 11 foot hammock which has some pretty unique features. A specially designed zipper attaches an integrated bug net or a cold weather top cover. The top cover is used to hold in a few extra degrees of warmth for use in the winter. To combat condensation, a section of the top is actually no see-um bug netting. This lets your breath escape and gives you a bit of a window to see out. I really enjoy watching the sun rise from my hammock and you can definitely enjoy the sunrise with this feature.
The Chameleon comes with a structural ridgeline installed to help keep your set up consistent. A second job for the ridgeline is to hold the bug net or winter cover up and create the space inside the hammock. Multiple tie out points pull the bug netting away from your face and give attachment points for storage pockets a headlamp, cell phone or whatever else you want to keep handy.
The hammock system is designed in a way that allows you to sleep any way you like. Experienced hammock campers know this, but for anyone just getting into hammock camping, here is a tip. Most people get the most comfort in a hammock by sleeping at an angle. Some prefer to sleep with their head left, and feet to the right, but some folks prefer the opposite. Sleeping straight in line with the hammock suspension sort of shapes you like a banana and can squeeze the shoulders. The Chameleon lets you sleep any way you like.
Dutchware has also created a really unique suspension system for the hammock. Tree straps made from Dyneema reduce weight and keep the strength. The Beetle Buckle adjuster allows two hammocks to hang side by side on the same trees.
Most of the early bird specials on the Dutchware Chamelon are already claimed but some really good deals are still available on Kickstarter. You can purchase the entire system or buy components one at a time to keep the initial purchase price a bit lower. With the specially designed zipper you can add the bug net or top cover later if you so decide. Click here to head over to the Kicstarter page. Also, be sure and search for the Chameleon on YouTube. A few lucky YouTubers received pre-production Chameleons and have made some really informative videos on the hammock.
DutchWare has a ton of lightweight line tensioners, hammocks, and suspension systems that you can‘t find anywhere else. You can check them out at DutchwareGear.com.
Mark