ridge lines love them or hate them

[rip waverly]

I'm perfectly fine with those folks (read: neo, rip waverly) who prefer to sleep inline. Heck, it's better than the ground. I won't complain. So, neo, if it works for you, do it. It's just interesting to me that when given the choice, the "canoe" is preferred.

well, i'd like to clarify-- that by 'canoe' i didn't mean 100% inline or banana'ed, but more a longer, bathtub style

in my speer and switchback-- i am able to get on a slight diagonal -- still keeping with that tradition of laying across the center line. by doing so, the effective length of the hammock is pulled longer between supports...but is still allowed to sag enough to minimize or eliminate shoulder squeeze, while providing a small amount of bathtub support, great for side sleepers.

i've found that with ridgelines .... lounging is really comfortable. but by 2am, my legs have fallen over the ridge, and into the "footbox" and i just can't seem to re-find the sweet spot i had when i went to bed. i hang a hammock nearly everyday- and spend a lot of time experimenting with all the variables i.e. sag, tree strap height, angles, all the great tips i've learned here on HF.
and while i love my wbbb's, HH's, detachable adjustable srl's......i have never been able to match the comfort i find in setting up a GTUL, SPEER or SWITCHBACK at the recommended ~25-35* angle without a ridge line.

an aside... even the way a gathered end is whipped tells a tale... be it gathering from one side to the to other, folding in half and gather at the fold, to the 'W', to a sewn channel , pulled up edges..... and so on. while its easy to say at the end of the day we are hanging a few yards of hi-tech fabric between 2 trees----- there is really so much fun to have finding one's preferred hang

[Meat Hunter]

Neo. I have the same hammock as you do. How did you go about trying to use a ridgeline on your hammock as our have the bug net built in. Did you make small holes in the bugnet and tie the ridgeline off at the ends of the hammock or did you go on top of your bug net and tie off at your rings?

I'm still figuring this hammock thing out. I too wanted a ridgeline for the simple fact that I wanted the same hang each time. I tried making my ridgeline by tying off from my descending rings but I just can't seem to replicate the same sag every time I rehang.

This whole ridgeline thing has really frustrated me. I think from all the hammocks I've seen with it, they all appear to be a gathered end whereas the Claytor is a sewn channel.

[neo]

Neo. I have the same hammock as you do. How did you go about trying to use a ridgeline on your hammock as our have the bug net built in. Did you make small holes in the bugnet and tie the ridgeline off at the ends of the hammock or did you go on top of your bug net and tie off at your rings?

I'm still figuring this hammock thing out. I too wanted a ridgeline for the simple fact that I wanted the same hang each time. I tried making my ridgeline by tying off from my descending rings but I just can't seem to replicate the same sag every time I rehang.

This whole ridgeline thing has really frustrated me. I think from all the hammocks I've seen with it, they all appear to be a gathered end whereas the Claytor is a sewn channel.

i dont do ridge lines lol.i hate them,where did you think you seen me using a ridge lineneo

[Meat Hunter]

i recieved a 11 ft hammock today with a 9 ft fixed ridge line .

Dohhhh....Read it wrong. Thought you said "received a 11 footer AND fixed a ridge line to it. My bad.

note to self. re-read posts while drinking beer.....

[neo]

Dohhhh....Read it wrong. Thought you said "received a 11 footer AND fixed a ridge line to it. My bad.

note to self. re-read posts while drinking beer.....

i have fixed line on my bias micro wieght weenie not my claytor jungle.i have not used the 11 ft bias hammock yet but i will not use it till october when bugs are goneneo

[jbrianb]

I'll offer my thoughts for what they're worth...

1) Often (when it's not bug season!) I hang without a RL in an 11 footer. The RL is not mandatory equipment. Feel free to toss it in your junk drawer.

2) The RL length was set to 9 feet for a specific reason. AngrySparrow noted that it should be right per the 83 percent "rule" and that's exactly why we made it 9 feet long. Not necessarily for old pros like Neo, but for newer hammockers who didn't have much hammock experience or even for guys who were used to a shorter hammock. This set ridgeline is to guarantee a reasonably comfortable sag without getting it too tight or too loose. Some folks have to dial it in some more. 83 percent isn't for everybody. Some like 90 percent... some 78. We also don't install the RLs because not everybody wants to use it. Again, folks have different ideas about comfort. That's cool. This is a "starting point" or a generic recommendation if you will. Not a rule set in stone.

3) The first time I plopped my big butt in an 11 footer, I found amazing comfort. It was a prototype I made... long and narrow based on some feedback from some customers and some experimentation. When I got the sag right, it begged for a 9 foot RL. tncamper and I got enough feedback from customers and friends (In particular, our friend smokehouse was a huge source of good advice) and liked our own prototypes enough that we updated the product line with longer hammocks. In doing so, we asked... "How do we convince people this is as comfortable as it is when they're used to short and wide?" Our answer came... a non-adjustable RL that locked in the sag. I found the calf cramps I used to get in shorter hammocks went away and my usual bladder pressure subsided quite a bit and I had little or no shoulder squeeze. Now I am used to the sag and can nearly nail it without the RL most of the time (and indeed do without often).

I know we all like different things and that's totally cool. I'm just saying that there's a method to the madness and the comfort factor may be easier to find once you let go of preconceived notions about short, wide hammocks being the key to comfort. And if not, that's cool, too! Everybody has different tastes... makes the world an interesting place.

I've learned a lot from the thread and feedback. Neo, thanks for starting it. It's been good to take in these ideas.

[gmcttr]

i have fixed line on my bias micro wieght weenie not my claytor jungle.i have not used the 11 ft bias hammock yet but i will not use it till october when bugs are goneneo

From the start of this thread, I've wondered why you bought a hammock that is everything you don't like and why you want to shorten it without even trying it first.

[neo]

I have worked all the bugs out.the bias 11ft weight weenie micro works great with the adjustable ridge line set at 10the ft.i have gotten the hang of whoppie slings.pictured also is my new toxaway tarp and jarbridge under quilt neo

[MAD777]

Congratulations Neo on your perseverance!
I like a longer ridgeline on my 11' hammocks also.

[Ewker]

From the start of this thread, I've wondered why you bought a hammock that is everything you don't like and why you want to shorten it without even trying it first.

you must be new around here