XLC Hang Question

[Immortalviking]

Im a tad confused here. I hung my updated XLC this weekend and for the life of me couldnt get it hung like my older XLC. The ridge line was super tight so i loosened the suspension; almost to the point that my hammock was touching the ground. My older XLC hangs great from the exact same spot under our gazebo (the strap marks are on the wooden posts), the hang angle is at 30*, and no problems with the ridgeline.
When lowering the head end, should i be lowering it from the strap height on the post or by the strap length at the buckle ?
There was A LOT of finicking around and was starting to get frustrated because i never had this issue with my other XLC.
I eventually got it so that i could get some ridgeline flex but it seemed like i had excessive footbox fabric drooping over my feet.
My head and shoulders were next to the pull outs, calf ridge was not a problem and I slept pretty good too.
Just not sure what im doing wrong or why the difference.

[Towerdog]

I generally start at eye height and go from there as far as strap height... Then check for my 30 ish degrees and adjust my buckles if need be. Have you seen those hang levelers? That might help out

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[Towerdog]

It's called the Hangle from Tato gear... They sell them over at Dutchware, very cool piece of gear.

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[TrailSlug]

Did you measure the ridge line on both to ensure they are the same length? These custom hammocks can vary from hammock to hammock so start with measuring the ridge line.

[Immortalviking]

I have not measured the ridgelines to compare but i will. Seemed i couldnt get as a diagonal lay as i could in my other one.
For the XLC do you guys adjust the head height by strap/buckle adjustment or by moving the suspension down the tree ?

[Snaps]

For the XLC do you guys adjust the head height by strap/buckle adjustment or by moving the suspension down the tree ?

I do it at the tree first to achieve hammock height off the ground, then adjust the buckle to achieve a favorable hang angle. If you do it only at the buckle (or wherever your hammock connects to your suspension), you are consequently changing your hang angle.

[James Fowler]

Did you measure the ridge line on both to ensure they are the same length? These custom hammocks can vary from hammock to hammock so start with measuring the ridge line.

Just started experimenting with an adjustable ridgeline on one of my 11' Dutch Netless hammocks, so still figuring this out... Should you also need to measure the length of the fabric, possibly each side? I think the CLs on my XLC are cinched down around the "bulk" of the gathered end, as opposed to running through the end channels like my Chameleon. So the "drop" of the hammock would be based on the ratio between the ridgeline and the length of the hammock between the points on the CLs where the ridgeline is attached?

[James Fowler]

It's called the Hangle from Tato gear... They sell them over at Dutchware, very cool piece of gear.

I think I've seen posts that imply a fairly small change in ridgeline length (like a wrap or two around a split ring or small 'biner) can make a noticeable difference - does that sound right?

I know that using a shallow angle, with or without a ridgeline, can add a lot of stress to the trees (and I suppose the whole system). Using too deep an angle (say, 40 degrees) would typically negate your ridgeline, as it would just hang slack, right?

So the Hangle gives you an easy way to set your lines at 30 degrees. My understanding (please correct me if I'm wrong!) is that a structural ridgeline basically "fixes" the geometry of a GE hammock such that it achieves the proper intended hang independently of the angle of the suspension. While it can't help if your angle is too deep, if you get it a little shallower than optimal (say 25 degrees) the SRL will allow it to maintain the same "feel"? If that's the case, would the ideal (practical) angle for a GE with an SRL be a little shallower than for a GE without a ridgeline, to allow the ridgeline to "do it's job"?

Also, given that you've found your "optimal angle", will it vary based on things like distance between your CL (end of your hammock) and anchor point (tree...) or angling your ridgeline (dropping head end lower than foot end)?

And what's this sudden "affectation" with "double quotes" again? Thought I broke that habit years ago...

[Immortalviking]

I measured the ridgelines on two of my XLCs and they were 107". The website says 112", but im assuming thats before its wrapped around the gathered end ?

[warbonnetguy]

There is no difference between old and new that I can think of that would cause anything like that...same body length, same Ridgeline length (at one point we were using 111" instead of 112" but that is a pretty minimal change that shouldn't really effect setup)

RL length is the length of the ridgeline removed and measured all by itself.

The footbox fabric will be loose if your feet aren't laying right to the edge of the fabric, the weight of your feet right on the edge of the fabric seam would cause that to tighten up, but that should not effect comfort one way or the other.

If you are just going by marks on the post of your gazebo, that doesn't account for the amount of webbing between the post and the head or foot end...that difference right there would account for tightness of the ridgeline, height of head vs foot end etc...there's alot of adjusting that can be done without moving the straps up or down, perhaps it was just something simple like having the head or foot end set tighter or looser than normal.