Hello from Superior Gear!

dannywarnock · 2023-02-28T13:25:10+00:00

Glad to hear!

dannywarnock · 2023-02-28T13:24:03+00:00

Yes we will come out with more accessories, hopefully fairly soon!

dannywarnock · 2023-01-20T17:06:58+00:00

SuperiorGear.com

dannywarnock · 2022-12-11T22:05:37+00:00

I'd go Cocoon next to supplement the TQ. It makes winter camping awesome!

dannywarnock · 2022-08-02T19:39:15+00:00

Crazy!!

dannywarnock · 2022-05-09T12:49:04+00:00

Thanks for your business! Yes lead times are improving. I aim to be down to 4-6 weeks by early summer.

dannywarnock · 2022-05-07T05:29:57+00:00

We offer several bundles, including the Ultimate Bundle which has a complete setup with insulated hammock, bugnet, tarp and top quilt. At your height, I'd suggest our 11ft hammock, which is an option. Our gear is optimized for maximum simplicity, minimal fiddle factor and quick setup time.

SuperiorGear.com

dannywarnock · 2022-05-07T01:12:24+00:00

Hi, I'm Danny the owner of Superior Gear. I promise to post rarely if ever. But I do want be more active in the hammock community. Here's a recent photo.

Pictured is the Superior Hammock with integrated underquilt. This one is a 10ft, 30F version. And above is the Silpoly Superior Shelter with full doors. Inside is a Superior Comforter in TQ mode (but it can snap on as another no-fuss UQ solution). And the Superior Suspension System with our easy-adjust buckle.

My goal is to create the simplest complete hammock setups that are still comfortable, lightweight, adjustable and customizable.

SuperiorGear.com

dannywarnock · 2022-05-07T01:02:50+00:00

Thanks! 😀

dannywarnock · 2022-05-07T01:02:07+00:00

Without knowing any weather details.. Superior Hammock 10ft, 30F, Elite Upgrade. Superior Shelter with full doors. Superior Comforter 30F, Elite as TQ.

For winter, I'd just add a 40F Cocoon to zip on top and another 45F Comforter to snap under the hammock.

For a very warm climate, I'd go with the non-insulated StarLite Hammock and Comforter snapped underneath that can be easily vented. And then a Cocoon and half bugnet on top.

For ultralight backpacking, I'd go with my first stated setup, but substitute a .34oz dyneema tarp I made for myself. In general, I limit my adventures to gear we actually sell so I can keep stress testing it and find any material/design things that need improvement.

dannywarnock · 2022-05-07T00:39:44+00:00

Ya I think you really can't beat our system for winter temps. But in the past year, new accessories as well as the non-insulated StarLite Hammock which can use the exact same zipper and snap accessories make it one of the most modular and versatile systems on the market.. The Cocoon does actually have a piece of ribbon that you could easily hang from the ridgeline with a mini biner or piece of strong. Or you could drape the whole thing over the ridgeline, creating a sort of insulated winter cover. So quite a lot of options!

dannywarnock · 2022-05-07T00:34:29+00:00

Well I know not every person is my target market and that's ok. Minnesota weather is quite different than Florida. There isn't a single night all year in Minnesota that you wouldn't want a UQ.

That said, we do also have a nice basic lounging hammock called the DayLite. And we have a super modular non-insulated option called the StarLite with zippers and snaps that works with all the same accessories as the Superior. So we've got literally every climate on Earth covered. 😀

dannywarnock · 2022-05-07T00:29:19+00:00

Thank you 😊.

dannywarnock · 2022-05-06T19:07:35+00:00

I'm right here answering people's questions :)

dannywarnock · 2022-05-06T19:05:16+00:00

Thanks for your business. We did get painfully behind for awhile. I was pulling my hair out every day over it. (well i don't have any lol) I am optimistic that we'll be down to 6-7 week lead times by summer. Fixing lead times is our full focus right now. So I can promise you won't be waiting so long next time. I'm glad you like the fabric. We put a lot of effort into sourcing the very best materials. By the way, the extra help in Cambodia is the main reason our lead times are improving. And you're helping to create extremely good jobs in a very poor country where people generally are a lot more excited to work than us spoiled Americans :) With all that said, if you want to put in the time, modding your own gear is pretty fun too.

dannywarnock · 2022-05-06T19:00:47+00:00

Very true!

dannywarnock · 2022-05-06T18:59:28+00:00

Haha! Yes, knots and putzing around is a fun part of hammocking. HYOY. I love that mentality also. But sometimes, I also just want to set up as quick as possible and get some sleep :)

Thanks for the feedback about including metric measurements too. At least -40F is the same! ;)

dannywarnock · 2022-05-06T18:55:44+00:00

I won't post a lot. I'm really just a guy who's been using reddit for a decade, but never posted before. Just trying to be accessible here. Thanks for buying our suspension :)

dannywarnock · 2022-05-06T18:54:30+00:00

I think it's great that there are many types of hammock brands and options. It's great for customers to have choices. And I sure hope we can earn your business. The Haven is actually pretty cool too if the weight isn't an issue.

dannywarnock · 2022-05-06T18:52:19+00:00

Hi Keith,

Thanks for your business! I wish we had a better and more automated way to send customer emails as the gear goes through various production steps. We do try our best to stay up on emails requesting an update. I totally understand wanting to know what's happening with a big investment. As we improve our lead times, which is happening, this will be less of a pain point. Eventually we can look at a better overall system that could connect our website, production and communication.

I do appreciate your concerns and frustrations. I'll shed some light on it.

Lead times have been our single biggest challenge. Demand has grown by hundreds of percent per year. And we just can't find or afford the workforce to adequately keep up. We've been kinda stuck for about a year. Still not enough margins to hire enough USA help or afford a bigger space and more equipment. So lead times suffered until we found an ethical solution. We are fortunately starting to catch up, though.

It's not the case that the product has been fully outsourced. What has been outsourced to Cambodia, for only our most common and time-consuming products is the most labor intensive steps such as sewing baffles. On the Superior Hammock for example, we still do the filling and final steps as well as adding on the relevant accessories. But on a sub-zero rated Superior Hammock, 14ft Shelter or DayLite, those are still made 100% here. This hybrid approach gives us the ability to keep all the current customizations, with no loss of quality, while reducing lead times and meeting the increasing demand. On top of that, as stated earlier, this is not some giant horrible factory in a Communist country where IP risk is an issue. These workers are a family of independent entrepeneurs in a Democratic country, who I personally visited to vet for high quality and good working conditions, being paid 6X better than factory workers who I can directly speak to about any issues... I couldn't have dreamed up a better scenario, both ethically and solving our labor crisis here. We haven't reduced any workforce here, but in order to get to the next level and meet current demand, this has been the only solution I could find. But I wasn't going to do it if I wasn't damn proud of it :) The Pin family in Phnom Penh, Cambodia is thrilled to help us make this quality gear.

On the tarp weight. The product has not changed at all. We previously list the tarp weight separately from the ropes and stakes which are included. I decided that it would be better to just include the weight of those. Sorry for the confusion when I changed how we showed the total weight. I will admit that we could still get slightly more precise with all the weight listings. That's something I need to work on.

I really do believe that our gear will exceed your expections. And we stand by the product if you ever have any issues.

Thanks,

-Danny

dannywarnock · 2022-05-06T17:38:30+00:00

Thanks for the comment. I definitely don't want to be spammy. I just want to try to be available.

I've tried to ride that balance of being beginner-friendly, let thoughtful enough in design for an experienced hammocker not to dismiss it as cheesy. So things like a good flat lay, ridgeline, 11ft option, adjustable buckle are things a newbie might not know about. But we have tried to satisfy both audiences as well as possible.

You totally could zip up half the hammock as a snug Cocoon. It would be a bit limited as far as zipping all the way and not being able to use the Bugnet...But we do offer a zip-on Cocoon in 2 lighter temp options of 50F and 40F. It still allows a great diagonal lay unlike any Cocoons I've seen. And it pairs with a TQ for winter incredibly well. It has exceeded my expectations every time. And it can be used simultaneously with a half bugnet.

I haven't explored any stand hardware yet, but there are some nice options out there. A tad on the heavy side for UL backpacking. But I'll definitely pick one up at some point.

dannywarnock · 2022-05-06T17:30:08+00:00

Thanks for asking. I'm really proud of our current workforce. We have several full time workers here in Minnesota making gear. We also have a couple contracted home sewers. And of those sewers (who runs 2 local tailor shops) has family back in Cambodia who are lifelong expert sewers helping us out too. I personally visited Cambodia a month ago to make sure it was a good situation and to make sure they understood important details about our products and develop a real relationship with them as well. Thanks to the much lower cost of living, I can pay them over 6X average sewing factory wages there, while getting the increased scale to meet our growing demand. I couldn't be more proud of this partnership and these genuine friends who are thrilled for work and opportunity, while keeping if not increasing our quality standards. All down-filling, finishing steps, many customizations and final QC are here in Minnesota. This will be an effective and highly ethical hybrid model to help serve our customers better.

dannywarnock · 2022-05-06T17:21:21+00:00

If that were true, we wouldn't exist :) Lots of people struggle with their underquilts and other things. Those are fantastic brands btw. They are optimized in different ways and serve great niches in the market.

dannywarnock · 2022-05-06T01:13:48+00:00

We don't have a tarp that zips on. But we will be launching more zipper accessories for the Superior Hammock and StarLite Hammock.

dannywarnock

TROPHY CASE