My portable hammock stand is still in development mode. It is made with low tech skills and cheap materials. It is lightweight and small in mass. Here are some photos of it in use in the last few months.
It is made from locally harvested bamboo in Kentucky. The poles are 3/4 - 1" in diameter and up to 66" long. They were not "properly" cured. Two of the first ones I used split most of their length. I taped them and they continued to function until I replaced them. Now I taped the ends of all the poles pre-emptively. So far they have not split.
The tripods are made with simple lashing. A chain link fence top rail has been cut into three pieces to make the ridgeline, using one connector piece. The top rail was a dinged one, and cost just under $5.00. The connector was $1.88. The ridgeline rail hangs from the lashings with a cord loop.
A prussic knot and toggle are used to connect the hammock to the top rail, not the tripods. This makes a compressive force that holds the sections together. The tripods each hold only 1/2 my weight with a downward force.
Limiter cords are connected to the lower part of the tripod legs to limit their spread. A shock cord is taped midway down one leg of each tripod with a shower curtain ring to draw up the limiter cords under tension when the legs are gathered closed for bundling, to prevent tangling. 4" squares of rubber shelf liner stuff under the legs protects smooth wood, laminate or tile floors and helps stablize them.
The bundle of six bamboo poles and top rail weighs 15 pounds and is 5" in diameter.
I am 5' 8" tall and weigh 185 lbs. This stand system has not dropped me yet. It is fairly low to the ground. I lower my self gently into it, gingerly testing the system each time. It feels amazingly stable once it is weighted.
I welcome your questions and suggestions for evolution.
The photos show the stand in actual situations where I have set up for overnight stays without moving any furniture ( other than a floor lamp once so that I could read without using my headlamp.) The tripod legs fit in among and over stuff amazingly well.
BTW -- the photos show Mac's IX 5-in-1 Jerry chair underquilt with cordura shell. This bundles the hammock, topquilt and stand together nicely. The hammock shown is a Trek Light with a 9'2" rail for indoor use . I use a slightly longer ridgeline rail when I use my Switchback for an outdoor camp, by changing out the shorter section of rail.
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