DIY Single-point Suspension from GT Double

**NFA** · 07-23-2010, 09:39

I've been thinking it would be pretty cool to have a singe-point suspension hammock, but have been unimpressed with what is out there...the Bat, by Claytor, maxes out under my weight class, so that's off the table...

I woke up this morning with an idea of how to do it:

Jamie's Dumb Idea
1) take my Grand Trunk Double, and remove all of the suspension from it

2) make a frame of 1" PVC piping: two pieces @ 2 foot, two pieces @ 4 foot, four pieces of 90 degree angles with 3 holes

3) thread the 4' sides of the frame into the sleeves of the GT double (the 2' sides will hold the hammock a bit apart)

4) run 1/2" rope through the frame and out of the extra holes in the 90 degree angle connectors

5) connect the 2 sets of suspension ropes overhead with a carabiner

6) use a piece of nylon webbing for hanging off of the overhead suspension point

I'm going to try it this afternoon or tomorrow, will take too many pictures, and post them as the work progresses...

Jamie - nfa

**pedro** · 07-23-2010, 10:13

I'd advise extreme caution, Jamie. 1" pvc is not very strong. My gut reaction is that when the load is applied to what you propose, the 4' pieces will flex enough to: 1) pop out of the connectors and/or 2) break. I'm not saying that you shouldn't try it, just that you should have something soft under you and wear safety glasses. Good luck.

**NFA** · 07-23-2010, 12:35

Thanks for the advice!

I'm planning to hang it low and be ready to crash, but I'm also not so worried about the strength of the PVC as I'm not looking for it to bear a load as much as distribute it to help with spreading the hammock a bit to make my entry a bit more comfy...

My weight, and the strain on the system will be coming up through the PVC joints and up to the single-point suspension...the PVC frame is just serving as a spreader through which I will divert the load-bearing rope...

It'll be an interesting and pretty cheap experiment, even if it fails miserably...

Jamie - nfa

**NFA** · 07-26-2010, 12:38

I built a frame today using PVC, and after messing around with it for a while decided that the frame was more hassle (and potentially risky) than it was worth...

I ended up using my GT double with amsteel loops run through the ends...I joined the amsteel loops up above the hammock using a carabiner which I attached to a length of polypro webbing (to reduce tree stree/damage)...I looped the webbing up and over a solid-looking branch, and then secured it to an adjacent tree...

I sat in the middle of the bunched up hammock, and then unscrunched the head/foot ends and lay down...it squeezed my shoulders less than I would have thought, and was pretty comfy...I may try it with an cellfoam pad next time...

Jamie

**NFA** · 07-29-2010, 13:49

I took the single-point suspension hammock out for a test-spin (nap/read) this morning...it worked pretty well under both tree and cliff hanging suspension methods...

I drove to a spot near my home, with mixed hardwood forest and some gentle rockfaces...I wanted to test both of the suspension options under found/field conditions...I was worried about finding viable hanging spots, but was able to find both without any real trouble...

Here are some pictures:

Here's the complete hammock and suspension setup with a leatherman tool for scale...

This picture shows the Grand Trunk double hammock with amsteel loops, mounted to an oval carabiner...I added an extra rope to the carabiner with a long handle and loop, based on my experience trying to get out of the hammock after laying in it for a while...I also think of it as a "Plan B", in case the suspension shits the bed while I'm hanging over water or snakes or sharp punji stakes...if I looped it over my hand when I go to sleep, I would likely grab it before falling... :twisted:

The tree suspension setup: tree-hugger, poly-pro webbing (to loop over the tree-branch), and rings for tensioning

Stopper nuts in various sizes: 7, 9, & 11

The maple tree I found to hang from had a nice Y-branch about 12 feet up, and this bent trunked tree adjacent to it...I used this for suspension...tree-hugger to rings to poly-pro webbing...

This picture shows the connection from rings to webbing...I have about 25 feet of webbing, too much for many situations, but it's light and would work for higher hangs...

The poly-pro webbing goes to the carabiner, which attaches to the hammock via the amsteel through the hammock...

The view from inside the hammock while hanging from a tree at the edge of a drop...it made me nervous at first, but after I settled into it and felt more comfortable and safe, I bounced and jounced my 300 pounds around quite a lot with no ill effects (or falling and dying)...I started out laying down with my legs from my knees down out of the hammock, and then later shuffled the hammock material down so that I was totally enclosed...it was comfortable, and did not have a tendency to swing or dump me out (I think the tension stops it from sliding too much)...

After the tree-hang, I scouted out a suitable cliff-hanging spot, and jammed my small nut into the crack...

I hooked the carabiner to the stopper nut cable and slowly tested the hold/grab of the nut...it took my weight fine, but after my test-bounces and test-hang, the nut was lodged in the crevice pretty tightly...I was able to easily dislodge it with the use of my leatherman (some suggest a nut-tool, but I don't buy the need for a specialized tool when the leatherman worked just fine...

While hanging from the cliff, I made use of the "Plan B" rope, and although completely unneeded (especially given the 4-foot drop), it gave me a nice feeling of security (plus made it easier to sit up when I was ready to get out of the hammock)...

It was a cool feeling to be suspended above the ground from the rockface, even though I wasn't very high up...

I had a fun time, and am ready to take this system out on upper Saranac Lake for an "above the water" test... :twisted:

Jamie