Boy Scouts Hexagon Hammock Stand

**DavidWa** · 05-08-2010, 00:10

The Boy Scouts in W.V. will be camping on the grounds of the state capitol in Charleston, W.V. this weekend to commemorate the 100th year of Boy Scouting. I delivered my 14 year old son there this evening about 8 p.m. He will be camping with the group of Scouts which will be attending the National B.S. Jamboree in July in Va. at Fort A.P. Hill.

http://www.dailymail.com/News/201005060827

One of the goals this weekend is for the boys who will be attending the Jamboree to become familiar with each other and with the gear they will be camping in at the Jamboree. We attended a meeting a month ago which was to educate us on what to expect, what they should bring and tell us what they will be camping in.

Half of the boys will be in tents with cots, the other half will be in hammocks. At the meeting there was no mention of what model of hammock and how they would be supported. The meeting was to rushed to get an answer. I only knew they said they would have stands to hang them on and that they would be able to lay flat in the hammocks. I was imagining some recreation of Baden Powell's hammock from 100 years ago. Which was a design called a Ashanti hammock. Really just a suspended cot.

http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/hi...whyhammock.htm

This evening I found out that the hammock they will be using is the new Hennesey Expedition Asym Zip hammock. I helped my son set up his hammock and I was telling him that it is different from our hammocks and you enter through a slit in the bottom. It was rather dark and we couldn't find the bottom opening. Eventually we found the side zipper. He of course believed I did not know what I was talking about.

http://hennessyhammock.com/specs-exp...nasym_zip.html

They had 3 or 4 hammock stands set up from which to hang the hammocks.
The stands were each capable of hanging 12 hammocks. The stand was hexagon in shape and made from pipe and 4 feet or so in height.

Each of the six sides were about 12 feet in length. Each vertex was supported by tripod of pipe to the ground. Each vertex also had a pipe leading to a hub in the center supported by 6 pipes to the ground, or 2 tripods , depending upon how you wish to view it. Thus each stand can support 12 hammocks. The hammock suspension was attached at the vertex points and below the pipe.

Sorry I don't have any pictures. Perhaps I can take some pictures of the stands tomorrow. But not sure I would know how to post the pictures here. Or perhaps someone here has seen this type of stand before. I tried doing a search and could not find anything.

I don't know if this is something the Scouts came up with or something Hennesey developed. I suspect it is something Hennesey developed. I found a post to Hennesey patents. But my iMac seems to lack the plug-in s.w. to permit me to view it. Here is a link to the forum post with the link to the Hennesy patent page. Maybe someone here has looked at it before and could comment if this stand design is Hennesey's. Or I may be able to find out tomorrow. The Scout leaders were all quit busy dealing with arriving Scouts this evening.

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...81&postcount=4

My son, Jonathan, took a sleeping bag and a Z-rest pad and should be fine this evening. Its supposed to get down to 57 degrees. But tomorrow night the temps are supposed to drop to 38 degrees. So I texted him that I could bring the Yeti UQ for him to use Saturday night if he is not required to switch to the tent or just wants to switch. I think the Scout leaders are wanting the boys to try both arrangements.

So has anyone seen this type of hexagon pipe stand in use before anywhere?

D

**Rockdawg69** · 05-08-2010, 06:21

Yes, they were on display at the 2005 National Jamboree. Have not seen them in actual use but think they would be excellent for LNT. However, does not seem convenient for backpacking, but car-camping is a yes.
ASM Trp 165 Rincon, GA

WV · 05-08-2010, 08:57

This is exciting for hammock camping enthusiasts (us)! These boys are being introduced to hammocks now; think of the choices they will make as backpackers in 10 or 20 years. One of those choices will be to introduce their kids to hammocking (as DavidWa is doing now). It reminds me of the state of soccer in the US twenty years ago, when hundreds of thousands of kids were playing youth soccer but there were no professional leagues here, and the USA was still a wannabe on the world stage.

**sparkyjim** · 05-09-2010, 08:46

To the OP, if you get a chance, please get some pics. They would be most useful for a lot of us involved in Scouts. We weren't able to make the Jamboree, and info doesn't always flow so well in our organization.

**DavidWa** · 05-09-2010, 23:15

Sparkyjim,

Below is a link to six pictures of the hexagon hammock stands. I believe the stand was made by men in the local state BSA organization from plans provided by Hennesey, but I could be mistaken on that point. Information doesn't always flow well here either. I was only able to have a short conversation with the Scout leaders and was often interrupted by someone needing their attention while we were chatting about the hammock stands. With a thousand or so boys at the camp there are lots of demands on their time.

Temps at the camp out dropped into the 30s Saturday night. I had taken my son my Yeti UQ and and extra wool blanket and figured he'd be warm enough. Only to get a text message at 7 a.m. Sunday morning that he froze. He later admitted that when he rolled out of the hammock this morning that he found that the UQ had popped out from under him during the night and was hanging off to the side and not under him.

I mentioned to one of the Scout leaders this morning that they may need to get UQ for the hammocks. However, he stated that the hammocks and stands would only be used at the National Jamboree in July/Aug in Va. and then be sold back. I'm not sure who they are to be sold back to, Hennesey or to the national BSA organization. Point being that they will not be retained for use year round use , nor at the new BSA Jamboree site currently under construction here in W.V. , near the New River Gorge, where the temps even in late summer will be much cooler than at Fort A.P. Hill in Va.

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/a...hp?albumid=406

Not great pictures, but perhaps they will give an idea of what the hexagon stand looked like. Unfortunately I couldn't get a higher bird's eye photo. I hope the link works correctly. Its the first time I've tried to upload images to an album.

D

**DavidWa** · 05-09-2010, 23:41

I case the album link doesn't work here is one thumbnail picture which give a quick view of the hexagon hammock stand.

**canoeski** · 05-10-2010, 00:09

Now that's downright cool.

My troop (well, OK, I) want one!

Except that I can't recall anywhere we've camped, except one state group site, that we could have set that up.

**sparkyjim** · 05-10-2010, 07:25

DavidWa:

Thanks very much, I believe with a couple of mod's those would be very handy to have in our scout trailer!!

**Rockdawg69** · 05-10-2010, 07:35

Just like the ones on display at National Jamboree in 2005. But I haven't seen any in use in my travels. A great idea for large scale camping trips in a fixed location that need LNT. But Not a good idea for backpacking IMHO.

Has anyone else seen these in operation, either with BSA or other events????

Edit: Here is pic from 2005 Jamboree.

**oldgringo** · 05-10-2010, 07:36

A rigid, manufactured, universal hub that would accept widely available tubing, such as chain link fenceposts, would open a lot of doors. You could create an entire village, if that's what blows your dress up.

I'm thinking back to pictures of the tripod that MacEntyre used in Big Bend...such a hub would be perfect for that.

And yes, I'm old enough to have fond memories of Tinker Toys.