cut that Ridgeline ?

[DocBurN]

After my first "hang" and spending the night in my blackbird for the first time (at -11 celcius).. I was wondering something.. remembering what Brandon said about the rigidity of the ridgeline.. what is the deal with this ridgeline anyway ??

Went I sit in the hammock, i got this ridgeline in my face.. when I lay in the hammock, it keep the mosquito net from my face.. is there any other purpose to it that i didn't find out yet ? I dunno, maybe something about knowing if the hammock is going to get too much tension and could cause harm to the fabric if the ridgeline is too tight...

the only way to test it, like in the warbonnet video, is when laying in the BB.. you can't really test the ridgeline when looking at it standing next to it ? (maybe you get skills after many hangin' and just know)

[Schneiderlein]

After my first "hang" and spending the night in my blackbird for the first time (at -11 celcius)..

And you did this with chest hair for insulation?

Went I sit in the hammock, i got this ridgeline in my face.. when I lay in the hammock, it keep the mosquito net from my face.. is there any other purpose to it that i didn't find out yet ?

The ridgeline makes it easy to get the hammock set up the right way every time. If you snug up the suspension to where the rigeline is just tight, you have the hammock set up the right way.

[beep]

One function of the ridgeline (that I really like) is that it is a good "tell-tale" about whether you have sufficient sag in your hang. I have a tendency to pitch my hammock too "tight" with insufficient sag. That's a guarantee of a discomfort and sleepless time in my experience. By paying attention to the ridgeline tension, I can get the optimal sag more-or-less right time after time without fiddling. It's also a good visual aid for leveling your hammock (or getting your feet a bit higher, the standard recommendation BTW).

It's sorta counter-intuitive, but you usually don't get a flatter lie by reducing the sag...it's just the opposite (up to a point). The ridgeline helps take the guesswork (aka "practice") out of the equation.

After my first "hang" and spending the night in my blackbird for the first time (at -11 celcius).. I was wondering something.. remembering what Brandon said about the rigidity of the ridgeline.. what is the deal with this ridgeline anyway ??

Went I sit in the hammock, i got this ridgeline in my face.. when I lay in the hammock, it keep the mosquito net from my face.. is there any other purpose to it that i didn't find out yet ? I dunno, maybe something about knowing if the hammock is going to get too much tension and could cause harm to the fabric if the ridgeline is too tight...

the only way to test it, like in the warbonnet video, is when laying in the BB.. you can't really test the ridgeline when looking at it standing next to it ? (maybe you get skills after many hangin' and just know)

[DocBurN]

And you did this with chest hair for insulation?

hehe, actually, we were way under-equipped for below zero temp at night. (When i see shug with sleeves, 2 isolations cap on his head, yeti, quilts.. and all.) but the resultat was pretty impressive.

I had put on every layer i had for clothing.. I had a -5 celcius sleeping bag, 2 pairs of socks.. regular and wool over it. The 2 problems i've had was cold feet at 4am in the morning.. the isolation of my boots was a little wet so i didn't put it on for sleeping.. and my upper lips had frostbites (disapeared after 3 days) from having nothing on my face while sleeping.. no quilts at all... i had a blue foam mat.. which do a good job, but way too big to carry in the wilderness to my taste.. i need to fix those things quick!



The 2 Blackbirds taken from a snapshot of a small video cam


And since we had 2 blackbirds, it was interesting to see the difference in hanging/distance/ridgeline,
my brother was on the left, distance between tree around 20 feets approx, I was on the right, with a shorter tree distance of around 10-12 feet.. My webbing was way lower that my bro

[DocBurN]

One function of the ridgeline (that I really like) is that it is a good "tell-tale" about whether you have sufficient sag in your hang. I for one tend to want to pitch my hammock too "tight" with insufficient sag. That's a guarantee of a discomfort and sleepless time in my experience. By paying attention to the ridgeline tension, I can get the optimal sag more-or-less right time after time without fiddling. It's also a good visual aid for leveling your hammock (or getting your feet a bit higher, the standard recommendation BTW).

It's sorta counter-intuitive, but you usually don't get a flatter lie by reducing the sag...it's just the opposite (up to a point). The ridgeline helps take the guesswork (aka "practice") out of the equation.

good to know.. as you all can see i learn by trial and error in the field but I now have better questions coming since i've spent 1 night inside the bird I just needed to say that i wasnt sure about this asym lay and footbox.. and after 30 secondes of trying it.. omg.. the flatness of the lay was incredible compare to what I was thinking..

So, about cutting the ridgeline.. the fonction you really like as a good "tell-tale".. beside being an indicator, I could still cut it when I get a better sense of sag and tension while hanging the hammock

[Shug]

hehe, actually, we were way under-equipped for below zero temp at night. (When i see shug with sleeves, 2 isolations cap on his head, yeti, quilts.. and all.) but the resultat was pretty impressive.

I had put on every layer i had for clothing.. I had a -5 celcius sleeping bag, 2 pairs of socks.. regular and wool over it. The 2 problems i've had was cold feet at 4am in the morning.. the isolation of my boots was a little wet so i didn't put it on for sleeping.. and my upper lips had frostbites (disapeared after 3 days) from having nothing on my face while sleeping.. no quilts at all... i had a blue foam mat.. which do a good job, but way too big to carry in the wilderness to my taste.. i need to fix those things quick!

That is why I bring all that gear ...... so I don't get frostbite and such!
I have had too many miserable nights in the woods in the past trying to leave stuff out for the sake of a wee bit of weight.
0ºF or colder .... at my age of 51 years .... I have learned to bring it. Is that not why I invested money, time researching and experimenting and all those miserable past nights in the woods shivering. Yes Shug ... that is why you bring it says me.
You will be happy when you get a UQ ... especially where you live!!!!!
Snug Shug

[DocBurN]

You will be happy when you get a UQ ... especially where you live!!!!!

Indeed, I had a lot of time planning but was inexperienced so made dumb decision regarding gear.. nah, I got chest hair, im a real canadian, I can survive any winter nights in my speedo only.. boy was I wrong, but the quality of my sleeping overall is rated by me at around 90%.. not bad.. something on my face would have fixed the frostbites, and will work on the cold feet thing..

My dear shug, you bring me to what I was talking about the size of the blue foam I brought.. way too big to negociate many kilometer in deep woods.. Does an Under Quilt REPLACE the blue foam.. ? in terms of isolation it give.. I guess an UQ would fit better in my bag as opposed to a blue foam rolled and tied outside my backpack.

[Schneiderlein]

but the resultat was pretty impressive.

Are you German?

[Hanson]

Does an Under Quilt REPLACE the blue foam.. ? in terms of isolation it give.. I guess an UQ would fit better in my bag as opposed to a blue foam rolled and tied outside my backpack.

Yes, that's exactly why I use an UQ. My Te-wa 3/4 UQ packs down small (6" cube), is lighter, and is much warmer than the foam. It's not long enough to insulate my lower legs, but the z-lite pad from my pack works great for that (I also use the z-lite as a seat - it's about 6 folds cut off a full length pad).

[DocBurN]

Are you German?

haha, nein, my girlfriend is born in Berlin but im a pure 100% Canadian from quebec city..

resultat = should have said "the result" but I was distracted by the taught of myself blackbirding at -11 in speedo