First test hang

[RasmusB]

Hello again!

So, today I tried hanging my HH Explorer Ultralite for the first time. Venturing deep into the vast Swedish outback (50 meters into a park right outside my apartment), I set out to find a suitable set of trees.

With me, I carried my HH, a "rings and biners" setup as shown in trekkingnut's videos and my camera.



Slapping the treehuggers onto the puny set of trees I decided to use, one of my initial concerns was put to shame. I had previously thought that the treehuggers would either slide down the tree before they were loaded, or grip the tree so tightly that it would be hard to adjust the length of the ends. I was surprised to see that neither occured, the treehuggers have just the right amount of friction! Of course everyone else here already knew that, but for me it was a relief



From there, everything was pretty straight forward. I had already installed the snakeskins, hanging the hammcoh between two doorhandles Some trees were in the way for the tarp stakeout lines, so the angles were a bit off. My next investment will be a pair of tent pegs.



Tying the hammock shock cords to the tarp and tensioning with taut line hitches, the hammock takes shape. The funky angles of the tarp are really visible from this angle. However, notice how nice and straight the tarp ridge is! This is the new "cat cut" tarp from Hennessey, and there was no tendency to slack in the top. Great!



Getting in I noticed that my butt was hitting the ground. I suspect a few reasons:

• I hung the hammoch to low. There was a bulge in the ground right under my butt, and I should have hung the hammoch higher to compensate.
• The tree at the head end might have been a tad to weak. The tree hugger easily fit three times around...
• The hammock head end was higher than the other, causing the hammock to lose its optimal shape
• Maybe poor centering as well?

Anyways, this was my first attempt so please give me your feedback and suggestions on how to make it better!

/Rasmus

[slowhike]

For one thing, new hammock & it's suspensions may stretch a little the first few times they get used.
Also, I've had trees the size of the one you're attached to in that last picture bend somewhat w/ a person's weight.
Keep experimenting. You'll get it the way it needs to be.

Anytime I feel my but touch the ground, scrape a limb or anything, I immediately get up & readjust.
A weighted, stretched hammock rubbing on anything that might be abrasive or cut is not good.

[BrianWillan]

One reason your butt may have hit the ground is due to the angle of hammock suspension. It is practically horizontal and that tends to put a significant amount of force on the suspension. Next time out try having your suspension lines closer to 30 degrees from horizontal and that should help out.

With the width of your tree straps I can't see you doing any damage to the trees that you hang from

Cheers

Brian

[Outdoor_Nut]

Congratulations on the arrival of your HH. I've been backpacking with an UL BP Asym for six years, and only the velcro is showing wear and tear. I've found that pulling the suspension tight and almost horizontal requires me to hang it rather high, since my HH sags a good bit when loaded. You'll get the "hang" of it- enjoy your new acquisition!

Glad you made it home ok from the "wilderness".

[RasmusB]

Thanks for the great tips, will make another attempt ASAP!

One reason your butt may have hit the ground is due to the angle of hammock suspension. It is practically horizontal and that tends to put a significant amount of force on the suspension. Next time out try having your suspension lines closer to 30 degrees from horizontal and that should help out.

Hmm, I heard about the 30 degrees before, but I thought it was supposed to be 30 degrees after you got into the hammock? For instance, in his videos trekkingnut seems to adjust the hammock to almost horizontal - albeit with a slight sag.

[The_Witch_Doctor]

Welcome to the forums! And greetings from Malmö!

[Shug]

Hallå där,
You are on your way......
I think the angle of suspension is to straight as well.
You will get it .... fiddling is fun.
Shug

[KerMegan]

next time you contact the ground, or underbrush, try just moving the tree huggers higher up the tree- you might have to loosen and re-tighten just one end or the other. you may be able to avoid retensioning the tarp by leaving a little slack in the line to compensate for the new height. Just a suggestion.
hope you are having a good time experimenting! KM

[RasmusB]

This weekend I took a trip into the real forest, trying to find some mushrooms. Of course I brought my HH to test the tips I got earlier in this thread

But first things first...

After lunch, it was time to try a setup, and then evaluate how well I hung it by taking a nap

Starting out, leaving a lot more slack in the line. After I took this picture, i took of the snakeskins and rainfly, so I could see how much tension there was on the ridge line.


After a few minor adjustments, I felt happy and reattached the rainfly.


I also tried adding a "ridgeline" for the rainfly according to trekkingnut's suggestions, but I'll have to test that further before I know what to make of it

All in all, I had a really good nap, and now I'm confident that I learned to set my HH up correctly! THANK YOU for all your tips and suggestions!

To show my appriciation I'll add a picture of my other findings from that day... Happy hangning!

[jtbradyl]

From the looks of that mushroom this will probably be your last post.