The Bridge: Sonny Rollins (jazz saxophonist).
The Bridge: Sonny Rollins (jazz saxophonist).
If not the name, I like the bridge hammock.
Is that too much to ask? Girls with frikkin' lasers on their heads?
The hanger formly known as "hammock engineer".
i like bridge hammock too. even the jacks were calling theirs the bear mtn bridge hammock.
Is that too much to ask? Girls with frikkin' lasers on their heads?
The hanger formly known as "hammock engineer".
I have sent an email to the contact person for the web site. Now just waiting to hear back.
Seems more people favor "Bridge Hammock". Has a nice ring to it.
If I don't hear back from the Sydney people or they don't know who originated, then, since that name has the most votes to date, we'll go with that.
The more I work with this hammock, the more impressed I am and the more I really like it.
I know of no other hammock which you can do ALL of the following:
1. Adjust the sag on both the head and foot sides of the hammock independently by varying the spreader bar lengths. That allows you to adjust the shoulder squeeze and the foot squeeze independently by differing amounts to your own liking. With a regular hammock, the ridge line adjusts the sag for the whole hammock at once.
2. Independently adjust the "flatness" of the hammock by varying the length of the ridge line. With regular hammocks, the most you can do to "adjust" the flatness is to vary the amount you lay on the diagonal. Since the amount you can lay on the diagonal with a regular hammock is determined by how you make/fold and whip the hammock ends and the width of the hammock material, the amount of flatness is pretty much determined and set. You can not vary it without remaking the hammock. With this hammock, you can vary the ridge line to lay like a banana for those who prefer that, lay like an inverted banana or as flat as you desire. Adjusting the flatness is independent of the sag for this hammock. Also, a regular hammock limits the flatness because the sides of the hammock naturally curve up as set by the whipping. With this hammock, the sides do not curve up, but remain flat. The discussions of how to whip a regular hammock are reduced to whether you are going to use webbing or rope for the end arcs. No more concern about whether you fold, or roll, or use the 'W' whipping or pull the sides or whatever in order to obtain the proper lay of the hammock and the sides. All gone Just adjust the length of the ridge line as desired.
3. Adjust the height of the ridge line above the occupant. With a regular hammock, the height of the ridge line is determined by the hammock length and the ridge line length. If you vary one, you vary the other. For a regular hammock the hammock length is set once when you cut the fabric. No further adjustment can be made unless you make a new hammock. Once the regular hammock length has been set by cutting the fabric, the ridge line length can then be adjusted, but doing so varies the sag and hence the comfort of the hammock. Also, if the hammock length is short the ridge line will be close to the occupant as in the HH ULBA. If the hammock length is long, the ridge line is up high as in the HH Safari. A short hammock is lighter than a long hammock, but a long hammock affords much more room and comfort. The height of the ridge line above the occupant affects the lay of the bug netting and the ease of entry/exit. If the ridge line is low as in the HH ULBA, the bug netting is close and leads to a feeling of claustrophobia in some people. Also, the ridge line is in the way during entry/exit. A high ridge line is better in that the ridge line is not in the way of entry/exit and it lifts the bug netting up off the occupant. The height of the ridge line for this hammock can be varied independently by varying the length of the sides of the triangular portion of the suspension lines. Making the legs of the triangle long, raises the ridge line. Shortening the triangle sides, lowers the ridge line. This has an added small benefit. If I make the sides of the triangular suspension longer for the foot side than for the head side and hang with the ridge line level, the foot side ends up lower than the head side. For people with GERD, Gastroesophagus Reflux Disease, who have to sleep with blocks under the head of the bed, this makes it easier to hang their hammock to achieve the same result.
The way I have made this hammock all of the above adjustments are easily accomplished simply by untying 1 or 2 round turn with 2 half hitch knots, adjusting the cord length and retying the knot. Adjusting the length of the spreader bars can be accomplished in the same manner until the desired lengths obtained. Then long term spreader bars cut to the desired length.
Last edited by TeeDee; 06-24-2007 at 17:14.
This hammock, as I have made mine, weighs a little more than the HH ULBA, but when hung the interior provides more usable space, it is more comfortable and the packed size is approximately 1/3 the size. You lose all of that unusable material from you to the whipping.
I could reduce the weight by about 5 oz by eliminating the steel rings in the suspension and the ridge line.
I could easily eliminate the 4 ridge line rings and not lose anything except the ability to easily and quickly detach the ridge line and re-attach the exact same ridge line. But that loses only 0.8 oz in weight.
I would not eliminate the steel rings on the suspension. Eliminating those rings would save about 4.2 oz, but I would lose the ability to use my treking poles for spreader bars - Note the steel rings on the suspension are stainless steel and rated for a high load, the ridge line rings are not stainless steel and not rated. Also, I would lose the ability to make spreader bars from branchs picked up along the trail. Thus, I would lose about 4.2 oz, but gain a minimum of 3 or 4 times that in weight in specialized spreader bars I would have to carry. I would also lose a lot of the ability to easily connect accessories such as draft stopper panels, under quilts and undercovers/underpads. I use 3/4" steel rings and 1" steel rings at the four corners. The 3/4" rings provide attachment points for the above. The 1" rings provide an easy way of attaching spreader bars, whether bars designed expressly for that purpose or my treking poles or branches from nature. The 1" rings also eliminate abrasion on the suspension from the spreader bars.
Your reports are making me want to try one. Have you thought about posting directions here?
Is that too much to ask? Girls with frikkin' lasers on their heads?
The hanger formly known as "hammock engineer".
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