My first hang

I put my budget Hammocka hammock out in the back yard last night for my first trial hang. I was woefully unprepared for the event and I suspect, like most, found myself modifying and adjusting things as daylight descended.
http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/s...k/IMAG0089.jpg
I needed to add a tarp because I'd forgotten the dew that would cover me by morning and I also wanted to have a drink of water handy. I quickly found my 8 X 6 Walmart tarp from my tent gear and afixed that to a hastily configured ridge line. I used snap clips to attach everything (I know, not the lightest method but it was quick and it worked.) I grabbed some wire tent pegs from my kit and laid down some side lines.
http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/s...k/IMAG0091.jpg
This seemed to work pretty well, but I wasn't ready yet. I dressed in long pants, a tshirt and long sleeved shirt, and socks, despite it having been a warm day, I thought the night would be cool. Oh, boy...the temp dropped quickly after sunset and by 1:00 am I was getting pretty cold. I hadn't configured an under-quilt and I needed my sleeping bag, which I hadn't pulled out of my gear. So, I bailed and went into bed.
http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/s...k/IMAG0090.jpg
This picture was taken this morning and I was pleased with my first experiment. The trees are so very far apart that I needed a ladder to get the attachment point high enough for a good sag. This was my major issue in every attempt to hang previously and it came to me last night as I was sitting down to enjoy an adult beverage in my Hammocka. Looking up at the clouds sailing by, I noticed the location of the ropes just didn't seem high enough. So, I pulled out the step ladder that I'd been using earlier and move 'em up three feet. Perfect, and then it hit me; "I should try an overnight experiment."

Well, I'll need to make some adjustments, and I need to add a welcome mat-ground pad of some sort for entry/exit to facilitate clean feet, but I call it a success.

Except: This morning, when I went out to check on my configuration, I found that there was a LOT of dew on the underside of my Walmart tarp. I mean a lot. So much, that if I were in my hammock and accidentally hit the tarp, it would drip on me and would be like rain. What's the solution to this problem. I wouldn't want to be out in the woods with this kind of issue, but I realize that the amount of fog was pretty intense last night/this morning. Would a different material react differently? What's your opinion?

Sorry, don't know enough to answer your "underside dew" question.
I too was woefully unprepared for my first trial hang - but that's how we learn.
Just wanted to congratulate you on your first hang and having the 'smarts' to do that in your backyard! Welcome to HF!

Loki: It felt pretty good for the few hours I was able to hang out.

Congratulations! It sounds like a successful learning experience and you were smart to try this in your backyard.

Dew, just something you have to live with sometimes. It's just physics. Hang the tarp higher so that your less likely to rub against it. A small square of micro-towel is handy for wiping things down. A good shake and lay the tarp over some bushes while you pack up and the tarp should be dry. If it's raining, pack your tarp on the outside of your pack.

Have fun on your next hang.

What MAD777 said.
And :thumbup: on your first hang!!
Way to work with your environment.

Wow, what a difference. I used a standard Walmart sleeping bag that I whipped cords to diagonal ends and then simply tied it up to the bottom. I used metal binder clips to attach it to the sides so the bag wouldn't dangle on the ground. Those binder clips turned out to be uneccesary because I simple folded the outside corners into my sleeping area.

The difference in the interior temp to the hammock is nothing short of amazing. I am willing to bet if I had a better quilt design that would match the size and shape of my hammock, there would be another "wow" moment. As it was, I can easily imagine needing much less quilt than I had. It's that much of a difference.

(I was still unable to make it through the night in my hammock, but that's another issue that I classify as personal, relating to leg cramps. Suffice it to say, I came out of the hammock so fast that I almost flipped over before my feet hit the ground, because of some severe cramps.)

I will be looking around at the Under Quilt construction methods that are being employed. But, for now, I can this another hammock hang success story.

First of all, don't worry about tarp weight when you're doing back yard test. This is just a way to learn.

I have found that a structural ridge line is a huge help. Once you find the right sag to be comfortable you tie a permanent ridge line between the ends of your hammock. For example, in this picture I was experimenting with a 2 piece ridge line which I could tighten or loosen to find my sweet spot.
http://www.brouelette.com/photos/hammock_016sm.jpg

Once I found that sweet spot (which turned out to be longer than I expected) my lay was WAY more comfortable
http://www.brouelette.com/photos/hammock_023sm.jpg

I took a piece of amsteel and put a locked brummel in one end.
http://www.brouelette.com/photos/hammock_024sm.jpg

I measured the length and allows enough extra amsteel to make another locked brummel and a larks head knot.

Once that's set up you simply hang your hammock and just set it so there is just the slightest bit of tension on that ridge line. It really doesn't matter if there's a little or a lot of tension, but you have to have some. When you have that bit of tension your sag is set and you will have exactly the same lay and the same sag every single time regardless of you far apart your trees are.

This is great though. I love hanging in my yard to test out new ideas.

GregB: That's some interesting suspension idea you have there. I was working with a ridge line, but the structural idea sounds very good. I'll have to work with that some...my budget set up is less than $100 for everything, most of what I already had on hand, except for my Hammocka hammock. I wam using some Walmart line right now, since I haven't bothered to find a supplier for Amstel yet. I have found the right sag and I really like the way the hammock lays now and your structural ridge line may be just the ticket. Thanks for your comments!

I do the same adjustable ridge line with two amsteel whoopie slings put together. I run them off the beaners on the end of my Skeeter beater and adjust the sag. Got the idea from Shug in of of his videos. Works great.

My very first hang was in a Hammocka and under a Walmart blue tarp just like yours! Those pictures bring back memories! I spent my night trying not to slide down towards the foot of the hammock. I was hanging with nylon tubular webbing from REI, and it stretched overnight. I didn't have a clue it was best to have the feet higher than the head end at that time, either. I soon discovered I needed a longer hammock. I think mine was shorter than it was supposed to be according to the specs I read later. Either way, I still loved it!

Have fun learning. I sure have. I don't have much as far as technical advice, but I wanted you to know you aren't the only one who started out with that setup!:D