Need push/hand holding??

**TFC Rick** · 08-19-2010, 08:03

Ok guys and gals,

I have to agree I have grown not to like you guys. This little thing is addictive!

I just hung up my in door rig. May be short spanned. about 11-ish feet I think. My attatchment points are in the wall at the top of the wall, seems too high as my sag is really pronounced, I have to raise it pretty high to lessen the sag. I tried to sleep in in last night, but didn't go so well. I think part of it was me just expecting the rig to fail, but the other being I was banana-ed up pretty good.

Tell me it's going to be ok!!!

I'll take some pics tonight so I can better 'splain it. Love IKEA hooks!

Rick

**Just Jeff** · 08-19-2010, 08:32

Were you laying diagonally in the hammock? It's supposed to have a lot of sag, but you don't lay down the centerline. I like a lot of sag in my hammocks, but not everyone does...so if you're laying in it correctly and you don't like it, you'll have to play around. Hanging high up on the walls with such a short span might indeed cause too much sag. You could either put the anchors in at a diagonal across your room, increasing the span, or you could lower where they're hung on the walls so you can take out some sag.

Keep in mind that if you lower the hammock and take out some sag, you're also increasing the force on the walls. As long as the supports hang at about 30 degrees, you're about the right spot for the hammocks. Whether your walls can support that or not depends on your home's construction.

**Bubba** · 08-19-2010, 08:33

Good for you for sleeping overnight indoors.

I assume you are using fixed hooks on the wall? If your hooks are high (top of the wall is greater then 7 or 8 feet?) and you are trying to keep your hammock at chair height, you will have a lot of sag. If the span is 11 feet you actually need to lower your attachment points on the wall to about 5 or 6 feet. In the woods you can adjust your sag because you can move your straps up and down the trees. Also, did you lay diagonally? Even with a lot of sag you should still be able to lay flat on a diagonal. Keep us updated.

**KerMegan** · 08-19-2010, 08:39

or try sleeping curled up on your side,(?) that is a good spot for me, but I use a sag-setting ridgeline to help replicate the physical aspects of the set-up.
KM (sorry -too many tech manuals this a.m.)

**TFC Rick** · 08-19-2010, 10:22

Would a side ways pull on a hook/bracket stress that hook/bracket more so than a in-line?

For example, if I leave one hook where it is and move the other down the wall so they are diagonal to each other, will there be undue stress on the hook?

Rick

**Bubba** · 08-19-2010, 10:50

Originally Posted by TFC Rick

Would a side ways pull on a hook/bracket stress that hook/bracket more so than a in-line?

For example, if I leave one hook where it is and move the other down the wall so they are diagonal to each other, will there be undue stress on the hook?

Rick

You'll want to keep the hook as even as possible. You'll slip down if you lower one end too much. You don't want to have the two hooks diagonal from each other. You can lay in the hammock so your body is diagonal or you can put hook in the corners of your room so you are diagonal and therefore increasing the distance form the anchor points as Jef suggested.

**TFC Rick** · 08-19-2010, 12:07

Sorry about that. In re-reading my post it may seem I meant to lower one bracket towards the floor.

I actually meant to move one bracket (east-west) of the other creating a diagonal in relation ship to each other. I'm concerned of the sideways stress issue (if it is an issue)

I will take some pics tonight so I can better articulate my situation.

Rick

**Bubba** · 08-19-2010, 12:56

Originally Posted by TFC Rick

Sorry about that. In re-reading my post it may seem I meant to lower one bracket towards the floor.

I actually meant to move one bracket (east-west) of the other creating a diagonal in relation ship to each other. I'm concerned of the sideways stress issue (if it is an issue)

I will take some pics tonight so I can better articulate my situation.

Rick

That makes sense.

**TFC Rick** · 08-20-2010, 07:50

Here are some poor quality pics, sorry about that. But hopefully it will help 'splain it!

The hooks I am using are pretty beefy. Got them From IKEA. They cost a whopping $1.99 for 2. As you can see, I have some lovely old school wood paneling circa 1950 that actually does a good job in helping grab onto the 3.5" deck screws I use to attatch the hooks.

I am having difficulty finding the right spot. I have a three panel hammock. When I try to achieve the diagonal lay, my head in right on the seem, or my feet fall off the other side. I'll get some "action shots" tonight and see if I can illustrate it better.

Does the angle look good? My hammock is only 9' long. I am 6'5"-ish. Is that maybe a reason I feel squished?

One of the pics shows the bracket. I haven't cut off the hooks from my tow strap just yet. They actually hook on quite nicely.

Would a "sideways" pull deminish the strength of the bracket? I am considering shifting one of the brackets down a wall to the opposite corner to create more space between them. This would place a slight "sideways" pull on the bracket. Would it be more likely to fail in that configuration?

Should I just buy a new hammock? I would love to anyway, but I'd rather wait til christmas-ish time.

Sorry for the ramble, and thanks for the input. I am super excited and will not get discouraged!!

Rick

**dakotaross** · 08-20-2010, 08:09

My early experience in a hammock was such that I didn't feel like it was just so great a night's sleep, but since it was outside and a relatively short time after a terrible night in a tent, I could clearly feel the difference of... 1-I felt like I could get up and go immediately after waking from the hammock as opposed to the tent (how I felt physically), and 2-that I had a longer period of uninterrupted sleep in the hammock as opposed to the constant tossing I did in a tent.

My point is really that if you go from a mattress to a hammock at home, you're not likely to experience the Aha! moment that steels us as hammockers. Nothing like waking up in the woods that first day and realizing how good you feel after a better night's rest. However, keep listening to folks here and you can learn how to hang better, and have an even better first time experience when you do get out.