HELP! Hammock hanging problems

[wdanner]

I'm supposed to be going out this weekend for my first shakedown hike before hitting the AT in July. I've hung the hammock once before but this was the first time with the underquilt and the tarp. I had serious problems. I've attached an image of me trying to get it set up properly. Sorry for the rough quality. It was starting to get dark and my camera doesn't have a flash.

The numbers: The hammock is 11' 8" from gathered end to gathered end. The ridgeline is 120" long. I made the hammock long to try and lay flatter since it's just a simple gathered end hammock.

In the picture, the tarp is tied to a different tree (behind and farther apart) on the right than the hammock is. I hung the hammock on the tarp tree first. My problem was sag. I'd sit in it and the whole thing would drop probably 18 inches. So I had to hang the hammock so high to keep from sitting on the ground that I couldn't get the tarp over the hammock and still keep it close to the ground. The keep the ridgeline of the hammock close to the ridgeline of the tarp when I was in it, the hammock would be so high when I got out that the hammock would be above the tarp. I gave up and moved the hammock to the trees you see in the picture since they were closer.

I'm looking at this hammock hang calculator (http://theultimatehang.com/hammock-hang-calculator.html) and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I'd guess the two trees the hammock is hanging from in the picture are about 18' apart. I don't think it's supposed to sag like that (how could I possibly position the tarp properly?) and I'm guessing that's because my hang angle is too shallow (less than 30 degrees)? If it was too shallow then the calculator says my suspension length probably wasn't long enough. If I lengthen it will that fix the problem with my hammock ridgeline being limp? I pulled it in some to try and tighten it up but then that changes the lay of the hammock.

I suspect my hammock ridgeline is too long for the length of bungee cord that came with the underquilt because the bungee was so tight that it made the ridgeline hang even more limp and the underquilt when not around the hammock hung really high, as you can see.

Please help! I'm going to try this again tomorrow but I'm not sure what I'm screwing up.

IMG_20160421_200317522_HDR.jpg

[brutalguyracing]

I am a noob
But it looks like u need major length in uq suspension lines
Here is mine tonight
Trees 17-18' apart

The further the higher u need to pit your suspension
Maybe someone with more knowledge will chime in
Good luck

[mountainhanger]

Your ridgeline might need to be shortened some. But the picture is too dark to see what's what. What suspension type are you using? Yes ur angles are to shallow for typical hang but again it depends on what your using and I know I have a 12' and I use 120" ridgeline. The underquilt is suppose to ride high when empty but yours seem to be a little too high? Again need better pics.
I hang my 12' between 20' trees and my foot end is almost 8' high while my head is about 6-6.5 feet high. I use straps and cinch buckles. If I use whoopies the angle is same but I go down further. When I hang a tarp over it if I want it close to ground then it's right on top of ridgeline of hammock . As I get into hammock it goes down giving me clearance underneath. Good luck and another pic or t w o if you can!

[SilvrSurfr]

A longer hammock will require that you hang it higher, so an 11'8" hammock will need to be mounted at least 5'8" up the tree. If the ridgeline is sagging, go a bit higher.

My question: why is the tarp on different trees? That makes no sense. Also, how long is your tarp? It would need to be at least 11'8" inches to give proper rain coverage on both ends. And why is the underquilt not under the hammock?

Also, there is something very weird about how you hung that hammock. I can see the tail of the whoopie sling way outside the hammock on the right, but it's way inside the hammock on the left.

[wdanner]

A longer hammock will require that you hang it higher, so an 11'8" hammock will need to be mounted at least 5'8" up the tree. If the ridgeline is sagging, go a bit higher.

My question: why is the tarp on different trees? That makes no sense. Also, how long is your tarp? It would need to be at least 11'8" inches to give proper rain coverage on both ends. And why is the underquilt not under the hammock?

Also, there is something very weird about how you hung that hammock. I can see the tail of the whoopie sling way outside the hammock on the right, but it's way inside the hammock on the left.

The tarp is on a different tree because I started with the trees where the tarp is and thought they were too far apart. I moved the hammock to the front set of trees just to try and get the hammock right thinking the shorter distance between trees would help.

The line you see hanging in the inside of the hammock on the left is actually the tail of the adjustable ridgeline. I haven't cut any of the amsteel yet because I didn't know where the right fit would be ultimately. I'll trim it once I have the setup down. The suspension is whoopie slings and soft shackles. The whoopies have plenty of length left in them so the trees could be wider. However, I'm already pushing the tree straps close to the limits of my reach and I'm 6' tall. It's probably deceiving because of how deep the hammock is hanging. According the the hang calculator, the only way for me to get the suspension angle taller without the tree straps moving higher is to find trees closer together.

My tarp is 12' long. It just covers the ends of the hammock. The underquilt is not under the hammock because the bungie cord on the underquilt is so tight that it wants to hang that high. I hadn't stuffed the hammock inside the underquilt when I snapped the picture.

[TrailSlug]

Is this an April fools joke just a few weeks late? Why is the bottom quilt hanging above the hammock?

[wdanner]

Is this an April fools joke just a few weeks late? Why is the bottom quilt hanging above the hammock?

Because it was a bought quilt and the bungee cord is so tight that it doesn't hang down. I assume other typically use shorter ridgelines which is why it is so tight on mine. No joke. Honestly looking for help.

[goobie]

Shorten your RL about 4"and get the tree straps up higher, with a stick or trekking pole if need be.

What UQ is that? To the best of my knowledge, the vendors here send them out with plenty of suspension length.

[sidvicious]

your UQ will lift the hammock dramatically when you're not in it. it'll look strange.

also, it looks like your using ridge line hooks. try it first without them.

it's going to look odd because the UQ will ride up high, but that's how its supposed to be. you'll want the UQ tight. for a long hammock, you should have enough cord on your UQ to handle the length. you should check that, though as you gently lower into place.

[SilvrSurfr]

How long are your whoopie slings and straps? When I first started hammocking, I thought 8 ft. tree huggers and 10 ft. whoopies were intelligent (longer is better, right?). I had a heckuva time with that setup the first couple of years. Now, I use 11 ft. hammocks and 11 ft. tarps with 4 ft. tree huggers, Dutch whoopie hooks and 6 ft. whoopies. I usually end up picking trees at least 13 ft. apart. In your case, you'd probably need trees 14 to 15 ft. apart.

I doubt seriously your tree straps are anywhere near their max length. It looks like you're double wrapped (something I've done maybe once in six years). I'm 5'11" and can easily get my tree huggers 7 to 7.5 feet up the tree, so I think you have room to go higher.

FYI - the UQ will always pull the hammock up high if it's properly tight.