Could the existing SRL be a guide to the best setup? Going slacker is an option but it's not advised to be any tighter?
99% of the time I hang mine it's probably too slack, I just prefer it that way.
Could the existing SRL be a guide to the best setup? Going slacker is an option but it's not advised to be any tighter?
99% of the time I hang mine it's probably too slack, I just prefer it that way.
That was my assumption. The 90 degree rule of thumb is an easy guide for most people, but you could go tighter or looser. I thought the purpose of the SRL was to put an emergency stop in the tightness for those hangers who wanted to hang it max tight and might possibly overload the strength limit engineered into the hammock. Kind of a governor for the load. As long as you stay within the normal tightness of the SRL, you are good. I personally find the loose 90 degree spot pretty easy to find with minimal adjustment and find it comfortable.
Have you tried to hang the WBBB so that the ridgline is pretty tight?
When I got mine, I had trouble with calf pressure and a ridge running under my legs. I thought that more sag would be the solution and got an adjustable ridgline. But more sag made it worse and worse. So I started hanging the hammock tighter. One day I had it pretty tight (I was just about able to bend the ridgeline to 90°) and the lay was perfect. No calf pressure, no ridge under the legs. I think there were 3 things I did right to get the perfect hang:
- I got the suspension angles right.
- I had the hammock *not* in the center (I think the foot end was closer to the attachment point than the head end was to its attachment point; I didn't have a lot of difference in attachment point height).
- I started lying in the hammock differently.
With regards to lying in the hammock - Brandon wrote something similar in one of the previous posts: try different positions in the hammock. Going completely diagonal creates some ridge, but if you shift a little bit to get your weight more to one side, the ridge will go away (at least it does for me).
I'd suggest to try this - I could never get comfortable in the WBBB with lots of sag.
BTW, if I hang the hammock as the maker recommends, it actually holds the netting out of my face. For me, the ridgeline is pretty important to help me get a consistent hang (once I figured out what I had to do).
Hours???
With any new piece of gear, there will be some learning curve.
But hours sounds like your looking for a needle in the haystack syndrome.
With experience I think you'll find your comfort zone and then you'll be able to easily replicate it in the future.
Finding the appropriate trees, with perfect spacing. Getting the proper elevation of your straps and the hammock. The right angles. Foot end higher. It all takes time and experience.
And then theres your "perfect" comfort zone. Which is such a personal thing.
The ridgeline is a "reference" point. If more sag is better for you, adjust it accordingly.
The ridgeline does serve a purpose in my opinion..that is so the netting does not become over-tensioned if the hammock is strung too flat. Removing it (in my opinion) will take that reference point away and will take a lot more attention when setting up to get things "right". And potentially lead to damage to the netting and/or zipper.
No one piece of gear is perfect for everybody.
Good luck in your quest for hammock nirvana.
My point was that if you have a ridge line it should make for a comfy hammock when tight. Isn't that the point of a srl? To provide structure when ideal conditions don't exist? This BB is probably the least comfy I've ever been in a hammock. It only took me 5 hours to get all the kinks worked out so i could sleep. I was having just as many issues as i set it up tonight.
It honestly is starting to tick me off. I've never read a single negative review of the blackbird. Yet, im having so many comfort issues I'm thinking of bringing my tarptent on this weekend backpacking trip. I spend countless hours on HF. I have many hours and nights in my old Hennessy(that has its own problems imho) I have set the blackbird up for the last 3 night and have probably 4-6 hours into adjustments per night and things just don't pan out. I don't think its the hammock at this point. I think ill give it a few more nights and if i cant figure this thing out it'll be in the for sale section along with the rest of my hammock equipment.
Maybe bridge hammocks are the answer but i dont' have the time or money to invest. Built a diy bridge for the girlfriend and that thing is so awkward under a tarp it ain't funny. Cant get in it without putting a hole in the tarp with the spreader bars.
Im putting the stock ridgeline back in it and going to give another go to brandons directions. If the problem persists and i cant get it figured out on the trees in my yard then i will never trust it in a situation where it is my only shelter because like my yard the perfectly spaced trees are just as elusive in most designated camping areas.
I'm actually having a hard time figuring out how you could pitch a WBBB with a ridgeline so loose?? I always seem to have it very tight when I'm laying in my hammock...
Move the tree straps up on the tree and let out more webbing.
this seems to be a common concern and has been reported by multiple users that i've seen as of late. i know of one member who recently sold his beloved wbbb's (plural) for another hammock based solely on the calf ridge issue. -(he did not experience the ridge with said new hammock).
now, everyone is different. i myself have seen comfort & discomfort in my wbbb. that said, for me there has been a definite sweet-spot, and to be honest...i still don't know how i find it. maybe its the suspension angles, height, distance----or maybe it has to do with my position in the hammock. likely both. but, it is an enigma to me. to be fair... i do get pretty much the same issue with my HH ULBP.
i've unscientifically narrowed my results down to the the SRL. i don't get a massive calf ridge in my TTTG switchback/litehiker. nor do i experience it so much in my treklite double; both of which are SRL-free. now, sure, i'm probably not getting the 'same exact' sag each time its hung, but i do feel that over time i've gained enough experience to hang the hammock how i like, without risk of damaging equipment. now...as aforementioned in this thread... the SRL in a HH or WBBB seems to me as a safeguard against torn bugnetting on account of stretching the hammock "too flat" between trees. ( i could be wrong here ). but yes, it also appears to support the bugnet from drooping into the users face space. -(oh, and consistent sag)
the comments on the adjustable SRL are valid. i've found my conditions and testing with tweaking an adjustable SRL to yield more confusion. i still don't know if i like a lot of sag. i'm leaning towards less sag nowadays- a "flatter stretched out" hmmmk seems to solve my calf ridge problems. i've laid right down the center of a TTTG Switchback with no ridge- center line or calf. the same on a diagonal in the SB too.
of course... each trip has its own protocols. if i'm hiking distance and am dead beat tired after a long day, anything is better than the ground, and i can sleep like a baby in my wbbb. theres no real fiddle factor: i string it up and i'm out before i remember to tieout the pullouts. i can load up the shelf and jam my feet into the footbox. sure, i get a calf ridge, but i don't care so much because its about waking up not on the ground and ready to hit the trail.
if i feel like affording some luxury, having fun with my setup, and going for all out comfort... then its the tttg sb/litehiker hands down. (and this is actually becoming my go-to 100% of the time----so this statement may not hold too much merit ).
what i've said is a long-winded vent that i've sorta been watching develop as i read about calf ridge issues. everyone's responses are dead on, and the hmmk provides comfort which intrinsically means different things to different people. spending thousands to find your sleep # or on latex, or springs, or whatever mattress fads they push on you at sears... its all the same. and some are happy with rolling out a pad, and sleeping on the pine floor under the stars. the good news is we have options, and it feels good to support local folks who are trying sustain themselves on the business of getting us out into the woods.
i wish everyone the patience to explore hmmk options that suit your needs- be it backpacking, car camping, basecamping...whatever. there's a lot to learn, a lot to tweak, a lot to focus on- all things that disappear when you go the tent route- set it up and forget it. it comes down to what you want your experience of the outdoors to entail. the hmmk is a great way to exercise one's mind, share stories and experiences here at HF. be it new suspension ideas, high-tec cordage, ways to stay warm, you name it. and i've met great people here with a common love of the outdoors at the core. hammocking has become a hobby that rescued me from a rockier past of ill-advised choices and given me a new focus.
SRL..........love/hate.
"Jeff-Becking"
DOWNTOWN BROWN!!!!
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