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**Jsaults** · 10-28-2010, 14:45

1. Sag Factor: I think you may have a winning diagnosis here! A 30 deg angle from ground places tension equivalent to your body weight on EACH end of the hammock, so imagine what the force is when the angle approaches zero deg. I would look into that forst.

2. A question for those more experienced with thread injectors than I: Is using a "blaa-point" needle better for the fabric, that is, results in fewer sliced fabric threads than if a "standard" sharp needle is used?

Jim

**E.A.Y.** · 10-28-2010, 14:46

I had a very long DIY hammock (which I later shortened) and I also had an unnecessarily long suspension on it, so the hammock required trees that were VERY far apart.
I had to have the straps as high on the tree as I could get to keep a reasonable angle on the suspension and not hit the ground.
I probably would have been better off if I had been able to climb the tree to put the straps on!
How high on the trees were your straps?

**rjcress** · 10-28-2010, 14:47

Originally Posted by DannyBoy2k

Wow, almost zero sag would put a ton of tension on your suspension and hammock. You probably had 8x or more multiplier of weight if you were that close to zero degrees off horizontal.

~Dan

It appears you are correct.
My logic at the time was that with the long span, it had to be that tight to get the 30 degree sag once I got IN the hammock.
Any less and it was more like 45 degrees and by booty was in the dirt.

Looks like the first lesson is NOT to try to hang from trees 20+ feet apart.
Now that the hammock is shorter, fitting between closer trees should be easier.

Live and learn, eh?

**JohnSawyer** · 10-28-2010, 14:50

I'd agree to the stress as the cause.

My current hammock is 1.1 ripstop from Sclittlefield (backwoodsdaydreamer) and I'm a bulky 220lbs. I've slept in it around 10 times, and there's no indication of failure.

My amsteel larkshead is double-looped around the hammock in an attempt to spread out the stresses to a larger area.

12'5" hammock? wow, that's huge! My first was 9', my second is 11', which I find my to be about perfect (I'm 5'11").

There have been a number of threads that talk about "calf pressure" which relates to a ridge that seems to tighten up near the center of the hammock, Not sure if this phenomenon had to do with an earlier posts' failure at the foot-end of a hammock...

John

**rjcress** · 10-28-2010, 14:54

Originally Posted by E.A.Y.

I had a very long DIY hammock (which I later shortened) and I also had an unnecessarily long suspension on it, so the hammock required trees that were VERY far apart.
I had to have the straps as high on the tree as I could get to keep a reasonable angle on the suspension and not hit the ground.
I probably would have been better off if I had been able to climb the tree to put the straps on!
How high on the trees were your straps?

<Homer Simpson Voice> Doh! </Homer Simpson Voice>
Of course! I could have moved the straps higher instead of tightening the whoopies. Why didn't I think of that?
Wait a sec. I can tell you why.

I was fixated on my shiny new whoopies (just made them ~2 hours before the "event"). Mesmerized by an opportunity to adjust my whoopies, I didn't consider the option of moving the straps higher. They were probably around 3.5-4 ft AGL.
I'm 6'4" and could have easily put them at least 7-8' AGL.

After falling from grace, maybe I'll remember this next time.

**rjcress** · 10-28-2010, 15:01

Originally Posted by JohnSawyer

...12'5" hammock? wow, that's huge! My first was 9', my second is 11', which I find my to be about perfect (I'm 5'11")...

Yeah, I had worked out that shortening by about 13" felt pretty good. Fortunately, it trimmed itself to just the right length.

The more I think about it, I'm getting the feeling that the hammock was just trying to correct my error.
I may have to call it "the Smart Hammock tm".

**DannyBoy2k** · 10-28-2010, 16:03

Originally Posted by rjcress

I was fixated on my shiny new whoopies (just made them ~2 hours before the "event"). Mesmerized by an opportunity to adjust my whoopies, I didn't consider the option of moving the straps higher. They were probably around 3.5-4 ft AGL.
I'm 6'4" and could have easily put them at least 7-8' AGL.

Oh yeah, that was totally it then. At the 'nominal' 15 ft distance, you'd be > 5 ft up the tree already. There was just another thread a day or two ago that had a great picture of height of tree straps vs. distance between trees. Have to see if I can track that down.

~Dan