This DD Frontline hammock review is about my favorite hammock from DD Hammocks. It is one of the hammocks that brings all the necessary features for hammock camping. It is for me the battleship among the hammocks. That is why it is very popular among bushcrafters and hammock campers. My experience report after 7 nights in the DD Frontline hammock.
The Frontline hammock from DD Hammocks offers:
- mosquito net
- double bottom (against mosquitoes and better insulation)
- insertion compartment for a sleeping pad
This makes it one of the full-feature hammocks that can easily be used to spend several days in warm and cold weather!
Features of DD Hammocks Frontline
- Lying surface 2,7 x 1,4m
- Color olive-green, brown or camouflage* / mosquito net: black
- Material 180T breathable polyester
- Weight 850g
- Load capacity 125kg (hammock for one person)
Scope of delivery
The DD Frontline hammock comes with:
- Hammock with sewn-in mosquito net
- Rubber cord for fastening the mosquito net
- 5m suspension webbing for fastening the hammock
- Stuff sack
Mosquito net of the DD Frontline
If you want to spend the night in a hammock in the warm season, you should seriously think about mosquito protection. Nothing is more annoying than having found a beautiful place with a view for the hammock and a mosquito invasion forces you to stick your head deep into your sleeping bag.
The DD Frontline brings one right along with it! And when it is not needed, flip the hammock over and sleept in the other side of the hammock.
Construction and attachment of the mosquito net
The mosquito net can be opened from both long sides with a double zipper. This is practical because you can then get in and out from both sides and always have the zipper in an easily accessible place. The mosquito net can be stretched with 2 spreader bars. This gives a larger space under the net than, for example, the Amazonas Mosquito Traveller. This feels better and offers more space.
An incredibly practical detail DD Hammocks has included for ultra-light enthusiasts. Instead of the original spreader bars can also be taken branches. For this purpose, extra loops are attached to the insertion of the spreader bars. However, the mosquito net can also be used entirely without spreader bars. They are mainly there for comfort.
Insertion compartment for the sleeping pad
For cool nights, a sleeping pad can be slid into the slide-in compartment. This could of course also be placed directly in the hammock. However, this brings the problem that the sleeping pad can slip under the body. Cold body parts are the result, which ruins the sleep. Getting the sleeping pad back under the body properly is really a problem at night in a sleeping bag. The slide-in compartment solves the problem. The sleeping pad is clamped between two layers of fabric and thus does not slip.
The insertion compartment is sewn from three sides and is closed on one long side with velcro. It extends over the entire width of the lying surface, thus fits even for large sleeping mats.
Even without a sleeping pad, the insertion compartment has a practical function: the additional layer of fabric provides additional insulation and mosquitoes can no longer bite through from below. This is often a problem with single layer hammocks.
Loops for your headlamps
Also important for hammock camping is lighting and tool storage. I appreciate it very much when important items are always immediately accessible when camping in the wilderness. Be it the headlamp or the knife.
Quality and workmanship
All load-bearing seams are at least triple stitched. All relatively neatly sewn, without centimeter-long ends, as they often protrude everywhere in cheap hammocks. The elaborate workmanship is also evident in another construction principle, which I have not seen before in any other hammock.
Along the long sides, the suspension for the mosquito net and at the eyelets for the suspension of the hammock, webbing was sewn in. This makes it, for me, the sturdiest and probably most durable hammock I have ever seen.
Accessories for the DD Frontline
The DD Frontline is not just a singular product copied from somewhere. The manufacturer DD Hammocks has been producing outdoor hammocks in Edinburgh (GB) since 2005. These are constantly being developed based on the testimonials of the many users.
Underblanket / quilt for the hammock
One of the most important accessories is the DD Underblanket* (also called Underquilt), which allows hammock camping down to -5°C. With the Frontline, special loops are attached for the Underblanket so that it optimally encloses the body in the DD Frontline.
However, I use my Snugpack Underblanket for hammock camping in the cold season. It also fits perfect for the DD Frontline hammock and costs less.
Field test: my 7-day trial with the DD Frontline hammock
I have now spent about seven days in the DD Frontline. There was everything. From thunderstorms, cold nights with the Underblanket and balmy summer nights in the forest. The hammock makes a very robust impression – no queasy feeling when first getting in, as with cheap China hammocks. The mosquito net is very comfortable and offers plenty of space underneath. The entry and exit is thus much easier than with the Amazonas Moskito Traveller. The sleeping pad in the slide-in compartment did not slip – however, care should be taken when setting up exactly which lying position is planned when the sleeping pad is inserted. A shifting afterwards is in the hammock lying nicht mögich. From the size it is for me (1.75m) perfectly adequate – for significantly larger people there is also the DD Frontline XL* with 3 x 1.8m lying surface.
Horizontal attachment of the hammock important
When setting up the hammock, I had a slight slope towards the foot end. Because of this, I always slid down at night in my sleeping bag. This was really annoying – but was due to my setup and not the hammock. However, this shows that the fabric from my sleeping bag slides very easily on the hammock.
Once I evened out the slope the next morning, everything went great. At the foot end, I pulled up the attachment of the hammock 15cm. With a ridgeline this would have been easier to see, as the terrain under the hammock was steeply sloping.
Conclusions of the DD Frontline hammock review
When purchasing DD Frontline hammock*, it should be noted that it comes without a proper mounting hardware to hang the hammock. This must be purchased separately. Either by tree straps or with webbing slings. It is possible to hang it from the supplied webbing, but it is impractical and it is not possible to bridge large distances. However, I prefer to use an extra hammock suspension system. Since there are many ways how hammock can be easily and safely attached to trees.
Details of the DD Frontline make the difference
I was thrilled by the many details: for example, being able to use poles instead of spreader bars, extra loops for an underblanket, or the use of additional webbing in all heavily used areas of the hammock.
The four small pockets at the base of the net are also handy gimmicks. I also first discovered them while reading about this hammock in other camping blogs. This gives me the good feeling to buy a well thought-out hammock for all applications, which will accompany me for many years of hammock camping. This shows that a lot of brainpower and practical experience have gone into the development of the DD Frontline. Therefore, the result of this of this DD Frontline hammock review is a definite buy recommendation.