Big hammock trouble

[matthiastrek]

yeah, the 15* angle is a bit too steep. that should, in effect at least double the weight you put in it. so your 140lbs ended up being 280 and with the hammock really tight, it just went over the "line" so to speak.

not to mention GT's are a little on the thinner side, and since you already had what i think is the lighter one, it made a big difference. what you experienced was hammock body failure, which is caused by the weakest link being overloaded. and in this situation, if it wasnt a defect being the week link then it was the fabric.

thanks for the info. I didn't mention the angle in my message to the person I bought it from, so I'm still hoping for a refund.

[olddog]

I think mouseskowitz hit the pertinent questions. Made a hammock last year out of polyester suit lining material super light but it scared me thinking that it wouldn't hold my 220#. It did short term but still was scary.

I've looked at all the weight loading tables and the, my, mind just seems to reject the amount of stress applied and multiplied when hanging a hammock. Being that this is an evolving process a few unexpected failures should be expected. I've been playing with a SLS lately but MADD777 has inserted that little twinge of doubt about any set of trees being able to withstand the multiplied weight and resulting tonnage applied when hanging. But then I always observe rule #1 of hanging. "Hang low, the effect of gravity is reduced the closer to the point of impact". Not sure if Sir Issac Newton worded it that way.

[Caribou Bentspoke]

I avoid anything super light, but having said that, I think Loner was using one of those, and it nearly made the whole AT.

[gmcttr]

...And I didn't buy it directly from GT, rather from wrightstuff off of ebay...

GT is still the manufacturer and would have any warranty that might apply.

[Mak]

It might be worth a try contacting Grand Trunk. Just tell them it has only been used 10 times and you don't have your receipt. They might be willing to work with you...maybe you only pay shipping.

[ibgary]

I think this is a good point to look @ the structural part of the SRL. As the angle decreases the Srl takes the load off the hammock. It sets the limit of sag and then holds the load, which protects the hammock. I see a lot of posts saying the SRL should not be overly tight, but I think the tightness is a factor of the load which is determined by angle and weight. I'm guessing that when the failure occurred there was little or no load on the SRL.
Good luck .

[Miguel]

I definitely did not have anything in my pockets, nor was I suspended over any sharp or pointy objects.

I'm pretty sure the hole I started in one of my original hammocks was a result of a zipper pull on the back pocket of a pair of pants. I don't buy pants with zipper pulls anymore. I'm also careful about what's in my pockets as I've had stuff fall out more than once.

Hammocks definitely require an added degree of care. Your hole/weak spot may have been started prior to the time it finally gave way.

Miguel

[J.Andersons]

If hammock suspension angle are 15 degrees not those recomended 30, I think this gives doubled stress not only on the trees but on hammock fabric also. This situation easily could overload hammocks fabric. Hang loose next time.
Here hang calculator confirms just that doubled stress.

[Mouseskowitz]

If hammock suspension angle are 15 degrees not those recomended 30, I think this gives doubled stress not only on the trees but on hammock fabric also. This situation easily could overload hammocks fabric. Hang loose next time.
Here hang calculator confirms just that doubled stress.

That's a neat calculator!!!

[matthiastrek]

Just contacted GT, and they are sending me a free replacement as soon as they get mine. Thank goodness for cool companies and thanks to y'all for good advice. I'm still a noob, so I hope you don't judge me too harshly.