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  1. #1
    Member ame's Avatar
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    The importance of levelling

    How important is it? I don't know, but I'd like your opinions. I try to get my tarp lines and treehugger straps at the same height (ignoring the undulations of the ground). I then try to make sure the same amount of strap is played out at each end of the hammock. Sometimes I think the hammock is too tight or too loose, but I don't know for sure.

    So... for my next hang I have prepared two things:

    1) A laser pointer with a level indicator attached.
    I made this this afternoon. I got a laser pointer and a cheap bubble level from a dollar store. The laser pointer is cylindrical, about 2" long. The bubble level came apart easily and yielded three tubes with green liquid (containing a bubble) and reference lines marked on the outside. I used tie-wraps to attach one of the bubble tubes to the laser pointer. I then rolled the tube around the outside of the laser pointer bit by bit until the beam actually pointed level. I superglued the bubble tube to the laser pointer.

    I will be able to use this contraption to check that two points on two trees are level by shining the laser from one to the other when the bubble is level.

    2) I have attached two weighted strings to each end of my tarp, where the ridgelines are attached. When the tarp is set up the strings will hang down. The strings will cross the hammock supports at some point, so I will be able to see how the hammock is positioned with respect to the tarp. Obviously I want the hammock to be centred under the tarp, and I want the ends to be level with respect to the tarp. What this will also let me do is record the actual position of the hammock (by noting the point where the vertical strings cross the hammock supports). Afterwards I can gauge the comfort of the hang and know *why* it's comfortable or not.

    Until now I have just been eyeballing it, and I have become frustrated when I cannot reproduce a comfortable hang because I am not sure the ends of the hammock are level, or that I have the right amount of sag.

    Once I find a comfortable setup that I can reproduce easily I can sew a button to the straps as a visual indicator of where the string should hang.

    If anyone thinks this idea is crazy or pointless please tell me. If it's not crazy then I'd be keen to hear suggestions for improvement.

    Thank you,

    A

    PS Of course, I use the word 'level' for appropriate values of level.

  2. #2
    Senior Member gargoyle's Avatar
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    I do not hang level. I always go with the foot end higher by a few inches.

    Blood flow, body mass, keeps you from sliding towards the foot end.

    Neat sounding device you created tho.

    Tarp does not need to be level.
    Ambulo tua ambulo.

  3. #3
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    The laser pointer gizmo, while nifty, is totally unnecessary. All you need is the bubble level... or really, just a single weighted string (you're looking for the weighed string to be at a right angle with respect to the ridgeline).

    As noted, the tarp does not need to be level. I usually pitch mine low and at an angle to have more headroom for sitting/cooking at one (usually the foot) end. You definitely want the foot end of your hammock to be a 4-6 inches higher than the head end. Otherwise it's hard keep from sliding down. A 'structural' hammock ridgeline can help you dial in the sag and reproduce it every time.

    How much tree strap you use shouldn't really matter, unless they're made of stretchy nylon.

  4. #4
    Senior Member amac's Avatar
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    Add me to the list of those who don't think level is necessary. The tarp can work just fine level or not. The hammock, however, ought to be foot-end high, for the reasons already stated. But if the level-gizmo helps you get a comfortable hang, then go with it. But to answer your question, I concur with the previous responses, level is not important.
    "Every minute outside ... is a good minute!" -> Calvin & Hobbes, 8/1/1993

  5. #5
    Member ame's Avatar
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    Hi all,

    Thank you for the responses so far. It's all good, especially to know what's *not* important. It's been bothering me that I couldn't be sure of a level hang, but now I see it's not a problem. Also, my efforts to keep the hammock level might have been the cause of my less-comfortable nights- I should have the feet higher. Maybe.

    Anyway, I am still going to try and measure my next hang, so that if it's particularly comfortable I will be able to reproduce it.

    Thanks,

    A

  6. #6
    Senior Member
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    I'm in the not necessary hammock camp also. I Eye-Ball my setup each time then do a couple of laydown and feel it comfort adjustments. That all I have ever done or needed. Sleep like a baby every time

  7. #7
    Senior Member kayak karl's Avatar
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    i put feet higher. tarp i don't care.

    for an outdoor level just look through a bottle of water across the surface.
    "Tenting is equivalent to a bum crawling into a cardboard box, hammocking is an art" KK

  8. #8
    Senior Member gargoyle's Avatar
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    Practice makes perfect. After a while, the proper set up will be an old friend.
    Ambulo tua ambulo.

  9. #9
    Senior Member oldgringo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gargoyle View Post
    Practice makes perfect. After a while, the proper set up will be an old friend.
    Yes...that.
    Dave

    "Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self."~~~May Sarton

  10. #10
    Senior Member WV's Avatar
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    I also eyeball it, but I think others may have missed one of the possible virtues of your gizmo. To use a plain bubble line level, you need to first string your hammock with the ridgeline taut, and then evaluate it's position and adjust as necessary. With your device (if I'm reading you correctly), you decide on an attachment height for one tree, and then point the leveled laser to locate the correct height on the other tree. Then you move to the other tree and attach the line. Most of the time I find eye-balling plenty accurate, but on steeper slopes it gets more difficult, and I have sometimes needed to stand back and adjust several times. Also, there's the problem of how high I can reach when tying to the downhill tree. I might try to make one of these if I can find a really light (no pun intended) laser.

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