Hi all!
This is my first post, so I'm sorry if I've put it in the wrong place. I also want to say, fantastic site! I've learned so much from trawling around on here.
I wanted to share a system I came up with. Lots of people, myself included, seem to have trouble with what to do with their backpack. I thought to myself "there has to be a better way..."
Enter; The Gear Line.
The Setup:
I have storm rings which my structural ridgeline also attaches to (but this should work with many different SRL setups). To those rings, I connected a cheapo carabiner each. Between the carabiners I ran a continuous loop of thin (but strong enough to hold my 10kg pack) cord with considerable slack. I then simply attached two more carabiners to one strand of the loop about two feet apart, and ran the other strand through the carabiners. Hopefully the photo makes this all clear. (I initially just ran the line through the storm rings, but when lying in the hammock the cord would foul on the other cords I have on there)
The Upshot:
Hook the bag lengthways to the binas, and it hangs off the ground. Like a clothesline strung between buildings, you can use the cord(s) to push/pull the pack back and forth along the line. The friction will keep the pack where it is, rather than sagging to the middle of the line. If you put the line at the right hight, the pack can be pulled into the hammock with you to do all you packing/unpacking (and so you don't drop stuff on the muddy ground). I found that connected between the storm rings it didn't make much difference to the hang of the hammock, and, importantly, can be stored up past the foot of the hammock for sleeping.
I've only tested this in the garage, but it seems field-ready for my next hike. If anyone else tries this, let me know and post pictures, I'd love to see how you go with it!
(Before anyone asks, the thing in the background is an archery target/backstop.) (With panda.)
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