Help! My Hammock is Sinking!?!

[41vi4]

Recently hanging at a Boy Scout Camporee using X-trestles in place of trees, I found the trestle legs sinking into the earth anywhere from two to four inches each. This caused my sweet hang to drop overnight to within a finger of the earth. Richtofla asked how this can be prevented and XexorZ came up with an interesting suggestion.

This is XexorZ’s idea:

So for all those of who may be contemplating using a bipod, tripod, X-trestle, or even an aluminum ladder, could you explain your thoughts on XexorZ’s idea or provide another way to prevent hang height loss due to soft, moist soil?

For those interested, you can find my trip report at http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=11313

[Rug]

You need something under the legs to distribute the weight. At home you can use a 2x4, in the bush look for some flagstone, or bring four 1/2" thick 4x4 'coasters'. They won't weigh too much, and will spread the weight out better then Xexorzs' idea.

Plus they do extra duty as:
Hot-pad/flat surface for your stove and/or plate/cup

[gargoyle]

http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery...s&cutoffdate=7

Looking at your photo of your setup at the "hangoree", either add some wider feet to your staves/legs of your frame, (a piece of plywood, 3-4 inches square or round), with a centering hole for your stave to rest in.

Or, lower your spreader piece, to within two inches of the ground, that way when your weight makes it sink, the force will be spread out the entire length of the lower horizontal stave.

You can adjust your heigth for varying terrain by adjusting your spread,( I'm assuming here?) Also, I'm wondering if you drilled holes for pins/bolts, you wouldn't need so much lashing. Nice set up by the way, thanks for sharing
your experience. I know lashing is fun and to show the boys the use of knots, but for ease of set-up, pins or bolts would be easier, IMO.

[pedro]

I love the look of your rig! Nice lashings.

You could lose the bottom/horizontal pole entirely, and replace it with a piece of rope to ensure that your uprights don't spread. Or, if your uprights have sufficiently pointy ends, you would not need a structural member there at all.

As far as the washer w/ double threaded bolt idea goes, think of the way that ski pole baskets or snow shoes work. That's what you're after. Personally, I've found that a circular plastic wall protector from Home Depot works pretty well. If you're not familiar with these, they are just a disk of heavy guage plastic that you stick on the wall after you have dented the wall with a doorknob. It covers the hole, and acts as a doorstop. Just drill a hole in the center, and mount it on the bolt with a fender washer on either side.

I hope this helps.

[41vi4]

You need something under the legs to distribute the weight. At home you can use a 2x4, in the bush look for some flagstone, or bring four 1/2" thick 4x4 'coasters'. They won't weigh too much, and will spread the weight out better then Xexorzs' idea.

Plus they do extra duty as:
Hot-pad/flat surface for your stove and/or plate/cup

Solid idea for using coasters.

I have a Dragonfly for use on larger pots that may benefit from having such a level surface. Thanks for your advice. I am sure to give it a try next time I boil up some crabs.

[41vi4]

http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery...s&cutoffdate=7

Looking at your photo of your setup at the "hangoree", either add some wider feet to your staves/legs of your frame, (a piece of plywood, 3-4 inches square or round), with a centering hole for your stave to rest in.

Or, lower your spreader piece, to within two inches of the ground, that way when your weight makes it sink, the force will be spread out the entire length of the lower horizontal stave.

You can adjust your height for varying terrain by adjusting your spread,( I'm assuming here?) Also, I'm wondering if you drilled holes for pins/bolts, you wouldn't need so much lashing. Nice set up by the way, thanks for sharing
your experience. I know lashing is fun and to show the boys the use of knots, but for ease of set-up, pins or bolts would be easier, IMO.

I hadn't thought about adjusting the height to accommodate varying terrain. It would definitely be worth testing. Thank-you for the idea.

I am thinking about using pins/bolts for hanging around the yard since I don't have many usable trees yet. While I am planning on planting a couple of apple trees this spring, it will be a few years before they are strong enough for hanging.

My next big project is making an Plains Indian Tepee for use when we have mixed Boy Scout and Cub Scout camping. Right now, I am contemplating how to join two, six foot poles together to form one 12 foot pole. I would rather use a single pole but then the pole would not fit in my Jeep.

I am also trying to figure out how to hang inside from the framework.

[41vi4]

I love the look of your rig! Nice lashings.

You could lose the bottom/horizontal pole entirely, and replace it with a piece of rope to ensure that your uprights don't spread. Or, if your uprights have sufficiently pointy ends, you would not need a structural member there at all.

As far as the washer w/ double threaded bolt idea goes, think of the way that ski pole baskets or snow shoes work. That's what you're after. Personally, I've found that a circular plastic wall protector from Home Depot works pretty well. If you're not familiar with these, they are just a disk of heavy gauge plastic that you stick on the wall after you have dented the wall with a doorknob. It covers the hole, and acts as a doorstop. Just drill a hole in the center, and mount it on the bolt with a fender washer on either side.

I hope this helps.

Your feedback on my rig is really appreciated and helpful. I hadn't thought about using a rope to secure the uprights. It would definitively reduce the number of staves I need to use.

I definitely like the idea of using the circular plastic wall protectors. They seem a lot safer than the more pointy option. The wall protectors may also be the ticket when I make my Plains Indian Tepee.