Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 11
  1. #1
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    south carolina
    Hammock
    none
    Tarp
    none
    Posts
    829

    First Impressions from a Hanging Newb

    Right. So last week, I came home to a happy happy day. I wanted to hang that night, but they were calling for cold temps and perhaps some white stuff. As rare as the white stuff is for my area, I decided not to chance it because I wouldn't be prepared.

    So, this weekend the temps go into the 70's...oh lucky day.

    I took the hammock out in search of trees. Boy, I sure didn't realize all of the trees in my yard were so far apart, so a road trip was in order. Ended up outside of town at my grandfathers old house.

    Strung up between a light post and a pecan tree limb.

    Took me a few minutes to figure out how to get everything situated and I can see, now, why people use the snake skins. I'll be looking into making a set for myself soon. Anyway, my rain fly hadn't show up yet (got it today, thanks to Ed Speer...it's very nice) so I couldn't sleep outdoors just yet, but I did take a short nap. I can pull my legs up a bit and sleep completely on my side which is handy because sleeping on my back results in me waking up several times a night.

    After I woke up from the nap, my back felt great. The legs were fine and I didn't seem to have any pressure points like I do in a regular bed or on the ground.

    Overall, I am truly satisfied and can't wait to try it in the real outdoors.

    I have one question. With my weight in the hammock, how tight should the ridgeline be? I was kind of worried about stress points because it was almost as tight as a guitar string. Should I loosen the supports a bit?

  2. #2
    Senior Member Cannibal's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Denver, CO
    Hammock
    Warbonnet ON!
    Tarp
    SuperFly or MacCat
    Insulation
    Yetis & Mambas
    Suspension
    Webbing and rings
    Posts
    13,605
    Images
    136
    Congrats on your new toy!

    Don't yank the ridgeline tight when you're setting up. I think Brandon suggests a 30 degree angle from webbing to hammock. I don't know about all that precision stuff, I just hang it so the ridgeline is drooping a bit. Once I climb in, the ridgeline takes over and it's sweet ZZZZZs from there. Stuff is pretty strong, no worries.
    Trust nobody!

  3. #3
    Senior Member GrizzlyAdams's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Illinois
    Hammock
    GrizzBridge Ariel
    Tarp
    HG Cuben Winter
    Insulation
    DIY UQ
    Posts
    4,777
    Images
    564
    welcome to the hanging vets club!

    There's no need (and no particular reason) to have the ridgeline be so taut. All that it needs to do is keep the ends of the hammock from separating farther apart than the length of the ridgeline. Try moving the tree straps up higher on the trees, that will take some of that tension off the ridgeline, and also cause the hammock to drop less when you get in.

    Grizz

  4. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    south carolina
    Hammock
    none
    Tarp
    none
    Posts
    829
    thanks for the advice. I'll give it another go this weekend once I get some stakes in and set it up all proper like. Since my tarp came in today, I'll finally be able to do an overnight in it.

    I'll also go in search of trees that are a bit farther apart.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Cannibal's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Denver, CO
    Hammock
    Warbonnet ON!
    Tarp
    SuperFly or MacCat
    Insulation
    Yetis & Mambas
    Suspension
    Webbing and rings
    Posts
    13,605
    Images
    136
    Quote Originally Posted by fulminated View Post
    I'll also go in search of trees that are a bit farther apart.
    Golf courses work good!
    Trust nobody!

  6. #6
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    fort collins, co
    Posts
    4,648
    Images
    47
    yes, as grizz and cannibal mentioned, the tightness in the rl comes from you pulling the suspension too tight. the webbing should run at about a 25-30 deg angle. if you hang it tighter than this (closer to horizontal) it puts more stress on the rl, your suspension, and causes the hammock to "drop" once you weight it. hanging the webbing no flatter than 25 deg solves all those problems, but may require attaching higher on the tree and/or using trees closer than 20' apart. set the hammock the same height off the ground, but just raise the straps on the tree causing the webbing to run uphill at a steeper angle.

  7. #7
    Senior Member GvilleDave's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Greenville SC
    Hammock
    DIY Camo Cocoon
    Tarp
    Tricked out SWT
    Insulation
    DIY 4 layer IX
    Suspension
    straps & buckles
    Posts
    517
    Images
    185

    From One Newbie to another

    Welcome aboard! I'm sure you're finding as many helpful folks around here as I am.

    I had the same problem when I tested hung my BB last weekend. My trees were too far apart (about 20' or so) and my stapps were connected too low, so when I adjusted tension to get the hammock up to a comfortable sitting height the RL was tight. As Brandon (Warbonnetguy) pointed out this caused the hammock to stretch down and sink down as I got in. Brandon gave me the following information on my similar thread a few days ago:

    "here's an illustration, your blackbird has different dimensions so the numbers won't be identical, but the idea is the same: http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/a...5&d=1219329859 "

    Good luck and have fun.

  8. #8
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    fort collins, co
    Posts
    4,648
    Images
    47
    that link doesn't seem to work, try this one: http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/a...5&d=1219329859

    as you can see, beyond 18 feet or so, the height needed strart to get higher than you'll be able to reach. best to just find trees 13-18 feet apart.

  9. #9
    Senior Member E.A.Y.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Rescue, CA
    Hammock
    Warbonnet BlackBird
    Tarp
    MacCat Deluxe
    Insulation
    Down top & bottom
    Suspension
    Strap and buckle
    Posts
    934
    Images
    69
    Quote Originally Posted by Cannibal View Post
    Golf courses work good!
    ok, now you've done it. I'm going to have to check out the nearby abandoned golf course.

  10. #10
    Senior Member Cannibal's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Denver, CO
    Hammock
    Warbonnet ON!
    Tarp
    SuperFly or MacCat
    Insulation
    Yetis & Mambas
    Suspension
    Webbing and rings
    Posts
    13,605
    Images
    136
    Quote Originally Posted by eay View Post
    ok, now you've done it. I'm going to have to check out the nearby abandoned golf course.
    I did it in Florida. It was the most fun I ever had stealth camping! Security drove their little golf cart past me a couple of times and never saw me. Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky.
    Trust nobody!

  • + New Posts
  • Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

    Similar Threads

    1. Initial impressions of first time hanging in TX-150
      By Penfold in forum Clark Jungle Hammocks
      Replies: 2
      Last Post: 05-27-2014, 09:36
    2. Hanging Newb
      By britfacex in forum Introduce Yourself
      Replies: 6
      Last Post: 08-15-2013, 21:14
    3. 1.1 D vs. 1.7D first impressions
      By Lorax in forum Warbonnet Hammocks
      Replies: 16
      Last Post: 04-16-2012, 20:01
    4. BB Impressions
      By Alamosa in forum Warbonnet Hammocks
      Replies: 8
      Last Post: 05-17-2011, 13:36
    5. newb to hanging, not to camping.
      By tcr03 in forum Introduce Yourself
      Replies: 6
      Last Post: 06-10-2010, 22:49

    Tags for this Thread

    Bookmarks

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •