Hanging from the Ridgeline

[GrizzlyAdams]

Funny strange, or funny "ha ha"?

funny == unanticipated

positioned in the center your hammock will be more-or-less level. For the same level tree-to-tree line, shove the hammock well off center, and when you get in the foot and head ends will no longer be at the same level.

You'll want to make the height correction on the tree closest to the hammock, because there you have the greatest impact on raising or lowering the hammock end closest to it, as a function of how much you raise or lower the connection to the tree.

Grizz

[Doctari]

I use un-sheathed spectra cord*, & NOTHING I tie to it will hold a prussik. The knots at each end (for the ring buckles) are figure 8s with a "safety hitch" & have held well for 2 years, but try as I may I cant get a prussik to hold even a little bit. Well, nylon accesory cord holds about 5 - 10 Lbs force, but only if I cinch the knot down very very tightly before pulling on it, once I release the pressure of pulling, the knot relaxes &, , , , if I was hanging from it, I would be a groundling rather quickly.


* Spectra is way slippery!

[TeeDee]

This has GOT to have been discussed here before, but I come and go and missed it I'm sure...I searched for it and missed there too...

SO...

One long rope or heavy spectra cord with two prussik loops attached...(allows for nearly all types of hammock ends to be used)...the rope allows for hanging from two anchor points WAY apart, the hammock is tensioned on the loops attached to the rope......as the hammock sags, the rope serves double duty as the Tarp ridgeline.....(weight will be an issue for the ultralighters / I understand that - maybe...How heavy would 25 to 30 feet of Spectra cord capable of safely supporting a hammock be?)

a link or two to prior discussions would be appreciated....

Not to discourage you or anything, but ....

I hang my tarp from a ridge line using Prussiks. Makes it easily adjustable. So in my constant search for easier and simpler, like you, one day in the distant past (more than 12 months back), I thought why not do the same thing with my hammock - hang the line tree-to-tree, 2 Prussiks, and hang the hammock from the Prussiks.


So I took some 2.8 mm (approximately 1/8") diameter Spyderline for the tree-to-tree line and used more 2.8 mm Spyderline for the 2 Prussik loops. I know, I know, same diameter, but since this isn't a climbing application, I thought it might work.

Used the Spyderline because of the polyester sheath over the dyneema core.

Strung the line, hung the hammock from the Prussiks, slid the Prussiks to adjust and thought "this is great".

Slowly and gingerly sat on the hammock, then slowly and gingerly swung my legs aboard and slowly and gingerly laid down.

Ahhh - I like this.

Then I shifted my weight.

Heard this horrible screeching noise and simultaneously dropped a few gut clenching inches.

Slowly and gingerly I swung my legs out of the hammock and slowly stood up and started breathing again when my weight was free of the hammock.

Checked the line and Prussiks. The foot end Prussik had slipped and slid about 3" to 4". The polyester sheath where the Prussik had slipped was smooth as glass and quite warm to the touch. Not the usual rough exterior. Tried to slide the Prussik back to it's original position. I couldn't budge it.

Unhooked the hammock and tried to untie the Prussik that had slipped. Very difficult to untie. The heat caused by the sliding Prussic had literally melted the polyester sheath of the tree-to-tree line and the Prussik cord and melted the two lines together.

I then took another line, 1/4" diameter, polyester sheathed dyneema core line and used that for the tree-to-tree line and the 2.8 mm Spyderline for the Prussiks.

That combination worked very well. Got in the hammock and vigorously bounced around. No slippage. The Prussiks adjusted easily and held very well.

Then I held that 1/4" diameter line coiled in my hand and decided that for car camping it would make an excellent suspension system. But for backpacking - way too heavy and the bulk of the required length left little room for anything else. The 1/4" diameter line is even more bulky than webbing.

So - conclusion: when using a method of transport in which the bulk and weight of the 1/4" diameter line isn't much of a consideration, the Prussiks on a line is an excellent means for hanging the hammock.

[SlowBro]

I have been playing with Tee-Dees, HeadChange4U, et al Single Line Suspension after reading ALL of the threads and Tee-Dee's extensive tutorial. The crux of the matter for me is after you tie the single line tree to tree then how do you center the hammock on that line. Although a Prussic attachment would be ideal if it worked, Tee-Dee's experience and others are not encouraging. However- in Tee-Dee's early write up, HERE, he used a Larks Head to the single line (instead of a prussic ) with a Marlin Spike stopper knot in front of it to keep the Larks Head from slipping. I think if I use a Prussic instead of a Larks Head I can easily slide the hammock along the SLS to center then quickly put in a Marlin Spike stopper.

Tee-Dee moved on from this early method and simplified his approach, but I seem to drag my hammock along the ground a lot when using his latter method of attaching the hammock directly to the Marlin Spike stopper knot. So I am going to give the Prussic with stopper knot a try.

-SlowBro

[E.A.Y.]

I use un-sheathed spectra cord*, & NOTHING I tie to it will hold a prussik.
* Spectra is way slippery!

I tried a prussik out of 2mm Marlow 100% polyester on 3mm Amsteel Blue (yes, I realize now that the line sizes were no doubt too similar) to suspend my little 'solitaire' maglite. The light just slid right down to the low point of the ridgeline.
It was kind of fun, lying there batting the flashlight up and down the ridgeline.
"Whack" up goes the light
"Whee" slides down into reach again
"Whack"
"Whee"
you get the drift ...

[Schneiderlein]

The crux of the matter for me is after you tie the single line tree to tree then how do you center the hammock on that line.

I don't recall exactly how TeeDee does it, but if you have two fixed attachment points for the hammock on your line, getting them centered is no problem. I lash one end to one tree, take the line to the other tree and keep that point on the line pinched between my fingers. Then, I go back to the first tree and compare the length from the first attachment point to the first tree with the length from the second attachment point to the point I kept pinched. I even out the lengths and tie bowlines (after first adjusting the lengths to get the right sag angle). It takes longer to describe than to do...

[jlb2012]

today was my first try at using the single line suspension - did OK so long as I stuck to what TeeDee had described but then I wanted to tweak the length of the line slightly and discovered something Not To DO : I had a fairly long loop at each end of the support line hooked onto the stick at the tree hugger marlingspike hitch so I thought I would just throw a couple loops around each end of the sticks to shorten the line slightly - this proved to be a Bad Idea - the extra loops moved the force from the hammock out from the center attachment point and as a result the sticks broke dumping me on the ground (twice) - no damage just a somewhat muddy hammock - I had made sure there weren't any rocks under me before trying the SLS

another item learned - I need to be more careful in how the bowline knot is drawn up - one of mine had a small blight from one part of the knot under a different part of the knot and as a result it was rather difficult to untie in the 2.8 spyderline

Oh well lessons learned the hard way stick better.