My "test" trees in my back yard are about 16-17 feet apart and last weekend my boys wanted to do backyard campout so I was out for the night, I had the staps up about 8 1/2' into the tree and my butt was less then a foot from the ground and I still couldn't quite do a 90 degree bend. Maybe I should try them even closer together??
+1 to many of the concerns about the BB. I do, however, feel that some hammocks work for some, they don't work for others. This is not a direct limitation of the WBBB, but of the dimensions of the WBBB... for some users. Others may get similar negative results with a hammock with a set of dimensions that doesn't work well for their body dimensions.
I have put quite a bit of stock in the idea that there are dozens of factors that impact hang comfort; some are user dimensions (weight, height, center of gravity, etc.) others are hang dimensions (distance between trees, suspension attachment point on the tree, suspension tightness).
Two hammockers with the same hammock but with vastly different body dimensions show up to the same set of trees. The hang dimensions obviously would be the same for 2 users even though they have different body dimensions, but how each user would have to adjust their hammock for the same lay would be very different.
The user dimensions make the fiddling of certain hammocks exponentially more difficult IMHO.
Just sold my WBBB for a Switchback after dozens of nights in it and probably a hundred backyard hangs.
If the hang dimensions were off (trees a bit too far apart, too close, having to attach my suspension too high or too low), I had calf pressure.
YMMV
I think so. If you have any closer together trees to use, try them! I always shoot for 13 or 14 when possible, with the longer hammocks ( or tarps) needing the longer end of that range. My WBBB has a measured 98"/ 8.1 foot ridge line. It is 116"(9.6 ft ) between cinch buckles. 10 or 11 feet apart might even do it for a WBBB. For sure 12 or 13.Originally Posted by kykayak
I will almost guarantee one thing: you will find it much easier to stay about chair height above the ground with trees 11 ft apart vs 17 or 21. As long as there is enough room to tie off the hammock and the tarp, you should still be able to adjust your RL slack or tightness by doing what you do now: move the straps up the tree and loosen the buckles as needed, or vice versa if that is too much slack. The difference will be you won't have to climb nearly as far up the tree to stay off the ground.
Exactly. There is no engineering reason for the distance to more than the minimum required to connect it with the chosen ridgeline. None.
The only reason you look for greater distance is that it cannot be less the minimum.
I have another set of trees in my yard that are closer to 13' apart and wow what a difference. Then on Sunday I took a quick Kayak trip to 18 mile island (up river from Louisville) and messed around with a few different set ups, I can see now why some people would want to shorten the SLR. Being taller it seemed totally counter intuitive to me but now that I've messed with it... well let's just say it was a "duh" moment. Thanks Billy and Demost for setting me straight!
BillyBob noted in another thread that he is sometimes forced to tie up shorter at the head end than at the foot.
Think of a rope hanging in an arc, with the ends at the same level. The gathered end hammock is just the overlaid portion of the arc usually, here, always always hung in the middle. Let's visualize the head of the hammock on the left. Slide the hammock over toward the foot side, to the right, and the head gets lowered relative to the foot. Also, the rope to the left of the head end has become longer as the rope to right has gotten shorter. (That's the off-center hang that Law Dawg has noticed works for him.)
The center of gravity of most men is behind the navel. Left to drift, as during sleep, the body falls to have the navel at the lowest portion of the arc and hammock. If the hammock has been shifted to the right of the arc, the encroachment of the gathered end is further away; there's more room for the legs to get diagonal, and maybe there's more room, too, for furrows to be gently flattened out.
WOW!!! This thread sure taught me a lot. I had to rack my brain to understand a couple of these, but I have it now, and will have to try out the ideas on my next hang. Thanks to all of you for the great info.
I like to get as close to 10 feet apart as I can.. Always seams to be the best hang and less swinging
I always wondered about this myself. After seeing a lot of recommendations on the 90 degree twist it made no sense to me that the setup should be based on a variable you can't determine until after everything is hung. (That, and my old HH BPUL was most comfortable with a taut RL.)
Luckily for me, I find my BB most comfortable when the ridgeline is taut. It makes setup (with the huge amount of variables well covered elsewhere in the thread) easy. Ultimately, overall comfort varies from hang to hang. I suppose with a hammock stand all the variables could be covered adequately to get that "perfect" hang every time. Not so in the woods.
Pure conjecture on my part: I believe that the WBBB used to have a longer ridge line in earlier models, thus the oft heard 90 degree twist recommendation (the RL was a bit too long for comfort (generally speaking)when hung taut). The newer ones have a reduced RL length, so may be more comfortable with the RL taut.
I only have experience with gathered/whipped hammocks, and it seems inherent to the design to have a slight propensity for a bit of calf pressure. I'll still take hanging in a hammock (even with a little calf pressure from an imperfect hang or hammock) over laying on the ground any day.
Of course this all varies by the individual. There is no way that a set RL length (one size fits all) will fit everyone. A majority? Possibly. But the wonderful thing about hammocking is customizing - taking the general and making it individual. Experiment with different RL lengths, hammock types etc. and find the right fit for you.
Last edited by HappyHiker; 10-21-2011 at 02:50.
After 5 years of hanging, I know what is right for me. so after about 2 months of just letting the ridgeline be as it came, I adjusted it (shortened it 3") to fit ME. It was a one time adjustment. If in doubt, it may take a few more tries to get it right, but once set, you should be "Golden" for the life of the hammock.
Hang your WBBB in the position YOU find comfortable, have someone measure from where the suspension attaches (foot end?) to the other end where the suspension attaches, then tie your ridgeline to that length. DONE!
Without seeing it in person, sounds like you need to shorten the ridgeline at least 3", maybe more. My ridgeline never didn't support the bug netting, but it just wasn't perfect. Now I'm happy.
OH, also: don't forget to hang with your head end a bit lower than your feet end. That also may make a difference. I do "eyes & nipples" Foot end at eye level, head end at nipple height. For me it's about an 8" difference, on level ground. IF hanging on a hill, I just guess, usually get it right, but if not it takes about 30 seconds to fix.
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