First "stupid move" on my journey..

[Mountain Gout]

Well, Gander mt. was having a heck of a sale today.Been reading alot preparing for my first hang-hunting trip 1st of May.. (extreme budget)
Long story short, I walked away with a hammock ( cloth like material)
8x 10 tarp and a 100 ft. of paracord for a whopping $10.73...
After talking the wife out of her car dashboard protector reflector, feeling rather cocky, I set out to the backyard, grand daughters on my heels
to set up for a first evening hang.. Trying to adjust to stretch- angle, all the while my grand daughters confirming this was taking "way" too long. I suddenly realized I had bought a kid sized hammock.. In spite of it all, I did manage to lay in it for awhile almost falling asleep, but so small, I would have to get out of it just to change my mind.. Well, the grand daughters have a new hammock
(which they both love) and I chalk one up for lesson learned.. Sorry for rambling... Take care all....

[Hawk-eye]

Hey either grand daughters or you have your first "gear" hammock! So not a mistake just an alternate route!

[gargoyle]

Good one Stan. Welcome to the club. I takes a strong guy to admit something like that in your first week.

[Just Jeff]

Haha - that's a good one. At least you got to lay in it before they claimed it!

Are you hanging from the paracord? I've broken those a few times...the real 550 cord I cut off a chute myself. I don't hang from it anymore... Just trying to save you from your "Second 'stupid move' on your journey" if you are!

[MacEntyre]

...grand daughters have a new hammock
(which they both love)

Success!

Well done!

- MacEntyre

[Mountain Gout]

Just Jeff... No, I was saving it for the tarp.. That is amazing you broke the paracord.. Something cut it maybe? I buy that stuff when ever I see it. Another one of my sicknesses.. I make belts, survival bracelets etc..
I had a good laugh over the whole thing, I have my mind made up so, I will be out there in May, enjoying the journey!!

[Rain Man]

Are you hanging from the paracord? I've broken those a few times...the real 550 cord I cut off a chute myself. I don't hang from it anymore... Just trying to save you from your "Second 'stupid move' on your journey" if you are!

Agreed. Nice "dumb mistake" story to read and especially that you are doing things with the granddaughters! I have plenty of dumb hiking stories. My last one involves peeing on my cell phone on the Appalachian Trail, but let's leave that for another thread. LOL

As far as the "string" to use, there are several threads here that discuss that, some also dumb and some that elucidate.
Figure 9 maximum weight?
Strength of rigging parts
There are others. I did a search for "physics" and "geometry" to find these.

Boiled down to its simplest, when hanging from rigging you do NOT take your weight and then look for parts rated a little higher, and assume it will hold you. This is because of the physics of the geometry of horizontal v. vertical rigging. Not to mention that knots and sharp edges can reduce strength tremendously. Same for any bouncing (dynamic force) in your hammock.

As an ex-caver, I admit I am very safety-minded and conservative, because my life often "hung by a thread" (at least a rope sure looked like a thread to me, hanging in the dark hundreds of feet above a pile of rocks). I use the rule of thumb that professional riggers often use, which is 10-to-1. That means a 200 lb hammocker needs 2,000 lb components for rigging his hang.

Here's a little chart (below) that explains one portion (out of four: rigging angles; line strength; dynamic v. static forces; and knots/sharp edges).

Anyway, enjoyed the story very much! And don't want your next hang to be a "my hammock rigging failed on me" story!

Rain Man

.

[Just Jeff]

Yeah - 550 cord is rated to 550 lbs, minus the strength degradation cause by the knots and such that Rain Man posted about. The force on the support is a trig function...

h = (.5 x user weight) / sin(support angle)

...which is often much higher than your weight divided by two. 30 degrees is the break point where your weight is about what's on the rope.

[Mountain Gout]

Points well taken folks.. .. I am loving this site..

[poker88]

That was a fantastic deal for your granddaughters' hammock! <g> I'm sure they'll love it.