stacking hammocks?

**turk** · 12-10-2006, 19:22

Multilevel Hammock pitch.

I have been kicking around this idea since I bought my first hammock.
Just havent had much success. Tried an ascender system, tight-rope
walking. All sorts of things. One trip to the hospital for stitches are about
the total fruits of this labour.

You have probablly seen this pic floating around Ebay for ages.

Inspired by pics I have seen here, (Slowhikes multi-hammocks under one tarp pics) I have been trying to work out a system to "stack hammocks" under one tarp. I am ordering a GG/Neo 12x12 tarp to experiment with stacking a Just Jeffs kids hammock, an ENO and an HH under one tarp.

There are some obvious safety issues. Not to mention a fair bit of
acrobatics involved. I am wondering how feasable it will be to hang
each hammock while standing in the lower one. Any thoughts
suggestions considerations?

One specific question. ... If I put a HH in "chair mode", do you think its safe to stand on? Assuming one can balance. This
would allow me to arrange my 3 hammocks so that I can put my kids hammock in the middle of the stack or the top.

**slowhike** · 12-10-2006, 19:57

we`ll see what others say, but i`ve been told, seen & herd the importance of giving thought to not putting to many PSI in one spot.
as in raising up on your elbows, or at least one elbow, putting a fair amount of your body weight in that small spot.
seems like i remember someone talking about kids walking in a hammock & ripping it.
and i was present when ed speer raised up on his elbow one cold night on the side of mt mitchel, nc, & herd a ripppp!!! i won`t repeat what ed said<g>, but i helped him set-up his pea pod on the ground as bivy.
now that was a well used hammock. it`s the one on the cover of his book "hammock camping". great book BTW. i believe ed estimates that he had over 5000 hrs in that hammock.
but the point is still about concentrating to much force in one small area.

**Just Jeff** · 12-10-2006, 20:09

Yep - I wouldn't stand in a hammock even if I were a tightrope walker. Someone who used to post on the yahoo group (Dawn, I think) tried to stand in one to get out...and put her foot through it (someone else's hammock, I think).

Hanging them side by side works, though. You could hang you and your girlie side by side, then put the little one above you two. You could just lift her up in there...then hope she doesn't fart all night. With a big enough tarp, you could all be under one. And you'd have a cool bistro-style dinner area if you face each other with the lower hammocks in lounge mode.

**titanium_hiker** · 12-10-2006, 22:25

It's a cool thing to have lots of hammocks together! Real cosy.

I would guess at 3 levels- one as low as possible, one as high as possible, one somewhere in the middle. double up as needed.

but Jeff, hot air rises!

TH

**Just Jeff** · 12-10-2006, 23:08

Yeah - but her little hiny will be right in his face at ignition. At least the hammock would filter it a bit.

**Grinder** · 12-11-2006, 11:17

All I can think of; is "Cue the AFLAK duck"

Good luck.
Tom
PS are you related to Evel Knievel??

**jakethesnake** · 12-11-2006, 12:52

While working at a scout camp there was a troop that only slept in hammocks, and they would stack 3 or 4 high. It was interesting watching them get in and out of them. They would just climb them up them like a ladder. Now there hammocks where made out of some heavy material so they were not prone to ripping due to point loading.