It is against the rules to even ASK that question! :cool:
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Here is a blog post I made in July that touches on the same premise (it's about ultralight hammocks, but it explains in detail about width/length tradeoffs). I agree wholeheartedly with the OP.
http://buttinasling.blogspot.com/201...t-hammock.html
have to say this makes alot of sense. curious what differenec there is for @ 6'7" on the 11' hammock.......To the drawing board!!
thanks for the ideal....thought i Was going to be bored today.
Just tried out a 9ft by 54" hammock last night and I have to say that it was extremely comfortable. No calf ridge what so ever. This was a just a test to see if I could be comfortable in a smaller hammock made out of a cut down heavy hammock, so I can't wait to get myself some light weight material in to make a truly light weight hammock. :cool:
I've been contemplating this as well.
I'm currently working on a WBBB clone, but after that I want to try an extension of the ghost hammock - 10ft long, 48" wide with a foot box.
The way I see it, the main benefit of a wider hammock is the ability to not be "on the edge". This is especially helpful with keeping your feet and top quilt in the hammock. This is the reason we "pull the edges in" on a gathered hammock.
The disadvantage of a narrow hammock is it does limit the lay some. You can adjust your lay and use the material differently in a wider hammock - although not using it all at the same time. In my ghost hammock, you can basically only lay 1 way - I don't think extra length will affect this significantly.
Another benefit of a narrower hammock is I think it will work better with a pod system - which I am highly considering for cold weather camping. UQ's just have to much draft opportunity - especially if you're a little restless.
Pretty sure you will find there are three variables at play.
Wider hammock= shorter RL + more diagonal lay.
Given any width hammock, you can adjust the amount of lip on the sides with your sag, thus changing the ideal angle of lay.
Then comes the question of having insulation to accommodate the width, or inversely, your usable width will be determined by the dimensions of your bottom insulation.....which I guess would be a fourth variable.
Not to confuse anyone...... Shouldn't that be
Wider hammock + shorter ridgeline = more diagonal lay
That is a great demonstration Mad.