1st hang & questions...

**khai** · 04-28-2010, 23:32

Tonight I finally got out in my new WBBB for a first (and second) hang.

The first attempt wasn't great - my 6' huggers don't go very far in Western Canada, and I had to improvise and hang off a split - which didn't seem like an ideal loading situation for the Dutch clips. The trees were also a little too far apart, and my Whoopie Slings were close to maxed out just to get the hammock attached - not leaving much room for sag. Somehow I ended up on the ground anyhow.

My second attempt was better. Different park (just a few blocks away), I was able to find two smaller trees, closer together. This time the huggers looked better (though I think I'll need to get at least one longer one), and the Dutch Clips didn't look like they were bearing the entire load. The hang felt pretty comfortable, and man - that WBBB is roomy!

One thing that's bugging me though, is that my ridgeline seemed like it was too tight. It had plenty of slack before I weighted the hammock, but once I was in it and lying down, it was very tight. I loosened up the lines a fair bit and it didn't help all that much. Maybe I didn't have enough angle, but I was pretty close to as high as I could reach on those trees (and the hammock wasn't that far off the ground). Please don't tell me I need to carry a little stepstool wherever I go to set up my rigging...

The WBBB with Whoopie Slings, 6' huggers, dutch clips and bishop bag- 766g

2nd hang attempt:

Colour coded head/foot Slings - yellow for the head:

And grey for the feet:

Foot suspension angle:

Head suspension angle:

I'm torquing fairly hard on that ridgeline - and it ain't going very far...

Any suggestions?

**mbiraman** · 04-28-2010, 23:53

Well a couple of suggestions. Find trees that are a bit closer, 14-16 ft or so. I'm guessing but yours look closer to 19-20ft. The farther the trees are apart the higher you have to hang the BB ,have enough slack to get the right angle,30 degrees or so and a good lay. Don't worry about getting it perfect the first couple of try's. You'll get a sense very soon what trees you need for a good hang. I don't think it will hurt to have the RL too tight once and a while but it works better when there's a bit of flex in the RL. You'll find the sweet spot soon.

**Doctari** · 04-29-2010, 00:02

FWIW, I suspect you are not going to break the Dutch clips, I used to (pre whoopie slings*) sometimes hung my 200 Lbs directly from them as my set up at work it was easier to clip to the DCs with the 2 biners I have to hang from as the DCs don't fit over the eye bolts. If I did the math correctly, it works out to around 800 lbs on the clips & biners. So I wouldn't worry about that, they are surprisingly tough.
My max hang distance is 30' without touching the ground. I'm actually still about 12" off the ground. Oh yea, I"m only 5' 7" tall, so my reach isn't that great & I stayed off the ground after 7 hours in the hammock at the 30' mark. I had the whoopies as tight as I could get them, but at that distance even they stretch some.

Edit: My ridgeline is often that tight, that is how I like it. I think I'm the only one with as little sag as I have, or as tight a ridgeline. As stated, you will find YOUR sweet spot soon enough. Every time I change something major, it takes a few days to get back to the sweet spot, so be patient.

*Now I just clip directly to the Whoopies.

**swampfox** · 04-29-2010, 05:47

I set my ridgeline sag to be able to twist it 90 degrees before I get in. When I get in, it looks like yours and that's ok with me.

**Ramblinrev** · 04-29-2010, 06:29

You don't need a step stool if you already ordinarily use trekking poles. You can boost the tree huggers up higher with the aid of the poles. I have done this several times but I don't go anywhere without the trekking poles so I always have them.

**beep** · 04-29-2010, 09:36

From the pictures, you need to get your tree attachment points higher (more sag). For trees 20 feet apart (as in my backyard setup), the tree attachment points are 7-8 feet above ground for acceptable sag. A foot higher would likely be even better, but I'm lazy so don't want to push 'em up.

**Cranky Bear** · 04-29-2010, 10:15

Basically what everyone else has mentioned, the lay is very subjective and personal, with that said try to make sure that you have a 30* angle so the further apart the tree's are the higher your attachment need's to be, you can reach this by just what Ramblinrev mentioned, other than that hang it, lay in it, and enjoy!

**khai** · 04-29-2010, 16:11

Thanks everyone - I'll look for some trees that are closer together and maybe stretch a little more when hanging the huggers. A little more fooling around with the hammock certainly isn't a chore...

Within a few weeks I hope to have my OES tarp and Perfect Trees topquilt in hand so I can really give the full system a proper test - as well as seeing how the local PD feel about yuppie vagrants!