Hammock lay

[tomsawyer222]

questions....

Has anyone tried pulling their gathered end hammock almost tight between two trees? instead of going for the diagonal lay?

would pulling the hammock tight cause the fabric or the suspension to fail at lower weight?

For the bridge guys do you still hang your hammock with sag? or is it fine pulled tight?

does anyone have a way of getting rid of the wall of fabric that pops up to one side when you lay diagonal?

Does anyone think that splingting the gathered end into two seaperate bundles would cause a hammock to spling down the middle?

How does hennessy get his hammocks not to split open? does he reinforce them? or will it simple not happen?

Is there any other way to get the hammock bed flat other then laying diagonally or using a bridge hammock? Is there any other type of hammock?

what is the lowest anyone has hung there tarp and still been able to use the hammock under it with out hitting the ground?how did you do it was it a bridge hammock or gathered?

If you have a seam across the hammock fabric with it be tighter and stretch less then the rest of the hammock? That is if the seam does not fail...

as far as Hyperextension of the knees is concerned Does anyone use a pillow,bottle or stuff sack under their knees? How big did it have to be to work well? how stiff? Was it bothersome to use? if it would stay in place magically would it be better/would you use it more?

Other then the knee problem is there any other problems with laying inline in the hammock?

has anyone ever had a crosswise seam or diagonal seam in a hammock? I know that sewing into the body wont make it fail since Clark and hennesy both do it Clark does use a pretty tough hammock bed fabric and eno has lengthwise seams which seam to hold up.

[slowhike]

That's a lot of questions, but I'll take a stab at a couple.
I hang my hammock w/ less sag than most. I still may lay slightly diagonal, but not always. I sleep both on my back & sides.
I also made my gathered end hammock much more narrow than most... about 48" wide, but almost 11' long.
I also use a single spreader bar above my head that simply holds the top edges of the hammock apart & open.
I use one of the thicker, insulated air mats as well, like the Exped Down Air Mat (DAM).

This type hammock is plenty secure to lay in, but leaves me w/ a good view of my surroundings. Very comfy, I sleep in it every night.


More pictures on pages 12 & 13 of my gallery.

[titanium_hiker]

first of all everyone's experience of hammocking is different and you'll need to try this stuff out to see what works for you.

questions....

Has anyone tried pulling their gathered end hammock almost tight between two trees? instead of going for the diagonal lay?

Mega shoulder squeeze, very uncomfortable. Sag is best.

would pulling the hammock tight cause the fabric or the suspension to fail at lower weight?

I guess it might, because it doesn't have "give" but perhaps some of the engineer-types will chime in.

I'm not a bridge owner.

does anyone have a way of getting rid of the wall of fabric that pops up to one side when you lay diagonal?

isn't this one of the selling points of the warbonnet blackbird?

Does anyone think that splingting the gathered end into two seaperate bundles would cause a hammock to spling down the middle?

Try and see! The most likely cause of failure is seams, particularly seams perpendicular to the ridgeline.

How does hennessy get his hammocks not to split open? does he reinforce them? or will it simple not happen?

Hennessy hammocks: the slit isn't structural, your weight rests off of the slit.

Is there any other way to get the hammock bed flat other then laying diagonally or using a bridge hammock? Is there any other type of hammock?

There's the hammock that had a dome bugnet, Just Jeff, didn't you review one?

what is the lowest anyone has hung there tarp and still been able to use the hammock under it with out hitting the ground?how did you do it was it a bridge hammock or gathered?

I hung under a desk for a while, the limit is how low you hang the hammock, not the tarp! http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/Tarps.htm check out the bottom right picture- tarps pretty low there.

If you have a seam across the hammock fabric with it be tighter and stretch less then the rest of the hammock? That is if the seam does not fail...

I bought not enough fabric. I sewed a pad pocket on, seams perpendicular to the ridgeline. OF COURSE THIS WASN'T LIGHTWEIGHT RIPSTOP but a heavier fabric. Worked fine.

as far as Hyperextension of the knees is concerned Does anyone use a pillow,bottle or stuff sack under their knees? How big did it have to be to work well? how stiff? Was it bothersome to use? if it would stay in place magically would it be better/would you use it more?

your knees are not my knees. Rolled up towel, sweat shirt. don't always need one. stiff- go for soft!

Other then the knee problem is there any other problems with laying inline in the hammock?

Banana back. (Mine won't curve due to spine surgery, so banana is uncomfortable)

has anyone ever had a crosswise seam or diagonal seam in a hammock? I know that sewing into the body wont make it fail since Clark and hennesy both do it Clark does use a pretty tough hammock bed fabric and eno has lengthwise seams which seam to hold up.

yep, I have, see above. Heavier duty fabric: no problem. Lightweight ripstop? Check out Just Jeff's Edison hammock. (recently posted) seams stretch!

woah man, that's a lot of questions in one thread!

TH

[Bleemus]

As a Bridge hanger I don't hang it that tight. Just snug and back off a bit.

[Just Jeff]

Has anyone tried pulling their gathered end hammock almost tight between two trees? instead of going for the diagonal lay?

Yeah - I hung mine that way the first few times. Major shoulder squeeze...I woke up sore in the morning.

would pulling the hammock tight cause the fabric or the suspension to fail at lower weight?

Yes. The closer your hammock is to horizontal before you get in, the more force you'll put on the supports. Increasing the sag reduces the amount of force on the supports.

For the bridge guys do you still hang your hammock with sag? or is it fine pulled tight?

I have the JRB BMBH. I pull it just tight enough that the curve on the bottom of the hammock levels out when I lay on it. If it's too tight, your hips can be a little higher than your feet and head. Too loose, and your hips will be lower. This is the only bridge I have experience with.

does anyone have a way of getting rid of the wall of fabric that pops up to one side when you lay diagonal?

Not that I've read about. You can make it hang a little lower or higher based on how you whip it, whether or not you pull out the sides, etc...but it's always there. If it's not high up, then it's saggy and lets your TQ fall out (or your body...sometimes I could hang my feet out of my old DIY one...very comfortable to lounge that way but I never slept like that.)

Does anyone think that splingting the gathered end into two seaperate bundles would cause a hammock to spling down the middle?

Not sure what "splingting" is...did you mean splitting?

If so, then I don't think it would necessarily split, but you'd have to watch it carefully to be sure. Most of the stretching force in a hammock is parallel to the ridgeline...so if the slit is also parallel to the ridgeline it shouldn't be under too much extra strain.

How does hennessy get his hammocks not to split open? does he reinforce them? or will it simple not happen?

The opening stops well before where you put your butt when you sit down...so after you sit, the force is parallel to the ridgeline. See above.

There's a small circular reinforcement sewn at the bottom end of the opening.

Is there any other way to get the hammock bed flat other then laying diagonally or using a bridge hammock? Is there any other type of hammock?

I tested a Crazy Creek...it had a semi-circular poles to hold the bug net up, and they affected the lay of the hammock much like a bridge's spreader bars. Except the hammock body wasn't cut like a bridge, so it wasn't all that flat unless I pulled it tight and used a thick inflatable pad in the pocket.

I don't know of any other type of hammock that lays flat...the Mayan and Brazilian are basically like the gathered end hammocks that we use, and there's the normal backyard style that aren't very comfortable, and the bridges.

I've seen hammock that are a flat sheet of material attached at four corners, but these are mostly at resorts and such. There's an image in the HF gallery of one of these styles, but it's propped up by a pole at each corner, and the pole is staked to the ground. Not sure how comfortable it was, but the basic principle is the same as a bridge.

what is the lowest anyone has hung there tarp and still been able to use the hammock under it with out hitting the ground?how did you do it was it a bridge hammock or gathered?

I've had the hammock's ridgeline pressing against the tarp when I set it up, but the hammock drooped a bit when I got in, so the tarp ended up being just a couple inches above the hammock's ridgeline. This works much better with a bottom entry hammock.

But as already posted, you can hang your hammock as low as possible and then stake your tarp to the ground.

If you have a seam across the hammock fabric with it be tighter and stretch less then the rest of the hammock? That is if the seam does not fail...

Generally yes, but using a zigzag seam can reduce the tension. I wouldn't try to sew a two-piece hammock body that way...I think it would rip. But if you sew a pad pocket or flap of insulation to the hammock body, it works well. I've done that with several models of insulated hammocks and haven't had a problem with it. (One of them ripped after I used a seam ripper to take off the insulation cover, and that left a hole...that my heel found just before the hammock dropped me on the floor. But that was b/c I put a hole in it and not b/c of the seam.)

Also just made a stupid project with seams perpendicular to the ridgeline (the Edison Hammock)...when I laid down, I could see light thru the seam b/c my weight was pulling it apart. Didn't lay there long... Project was a failure but it reinforced a lesson I had forgotten.

as far as Hyperextension of the knees is concerned Does anyone use a pillow,bottle or stuff sack under their knees? How big did it have to be to work well? how stiff? Was it bothersome to use? if it would stay in place magically would it be better/would you use it more?

I've used all three. How big it needs to be depends on the hammock, on what you think is comfortable, etc. It was much less bothersome than hyperextended knees. I'd rather it not stay in place, but be able to move it around like a pillow. When I roll over onto my side, I put it between my knees/thighs to relieve lower back and hip pressure.

Other then the knee problem is there any other problems with laying inline in the hammock?

Shoulder squeeze, as described earlier, or lower back pain caused by laying like a banana.

has anyone ever had a crosswise seam or diagonal seam in a hammock? I know that sewing into the body wont make it fail since Clark and hennesy both do it Clark does use a pretty tough hammock bed fabric and eno has lengthwise seams which seam to hold up.

I've done this a few times... http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeGearDownHammock2.html

Use a zigzag stitch and don't cut the hammock body and you can make it work.

[tomsawyer222]

Ok all good information I realize alot of people will respond with try it out for your self but....

i Have! i have tried so many dfferent hammocks and ways of hanging them but making different hammocks to address different problems gets spendy so i figured i try out the problems in a virtual world and see what people thought i am by no means new too this

My question involving the inline lay Is more of if the hammock were pulled tight you would not get the "bannana" lay you only get that if you try to lay inline with alot of sag

[tomsawyer222]

Jeff when you hung your hammock tight how wide was the hammock? I have tested pulling it tight with a full 60Inch hammock and did not get any shoulder squeeze? at least not real squeeze that is i mean the hammock was laying on my shoulders but it was loose....

I have read your whole site before jeff very good stuff all of my questions are really directed at thinking out of the box

Also one question a little off topic how do you determine how much down to put in a single baffle of a quilt? Is there a formula using the baffle length and height? If so what is it?

[ikemouser]

I recently experimented with the things your talking about here. Noticed the same things as the others. I think its important to get the height of your huggers correct, or attachment to tree point. If they are 15 feet apart 5.5-6 feet is good, if they are 30 feet, obviously you hvae to go much higher. Probably 9-10, just a guess.

[Just Jeff]

I think that hammock was full-width...about 60". I guess how you whipped it would have some effect on whether or not the sides sagged in, but I definitely had shoulder squeeze.

If you hang it with sag and lay inline, the only way I've found to not lay like a banana is to put one foot on either side of centerline. If your sides are loose, your feet will drop off a bit and it's pretty comfortable. I don't think I could sleep like that all night but it's pretty comfortable for lounging in some of my DIY ones.

Re: how much down, you just divide the total ounces of down in your quilt by the number of sections you have. If you have 10 ounces in your quilt, and 10 chambers, you'll have one ounce per chamber. Assuming the chambers are equal size...if not, then just measure the volume (LxWxH) and add whatever overstuff you want.

[tomsawyer222]

Re: how much down, you just divide the total ounces of down in your quilt by the number of sections you have. If you have 10 ounces in your quilt, and 10 chambers, you'll have one ounce per chamber. Assuming the chambers are equal size...if not, then just measure the volume (LxWxH) and add whatever overstuff you want.

But i am creating the quilt so i dont know how much down i will need.....