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  1. #1
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    How tight do you pull it, so to speak?

    I had a real "duh" moment a couple of days ago. I guess I have never used by Hennessy hammock without the super shelter attached, though I would have sworn that I had. But I only got the hammock about two or three days before I left for my Wyoming trip. So the first time I actually used the hammock was in cold weather camping. And it's been pretty cold most of the recent months, and I guess only just recently has it been warm enough for me to consider using the hammock with out the super shelter. Anyway, I get in the Hennessy without super shelter, and I am totally amazed at the change in the hammock regarding a sense of roominess and spaciousness. And for the first time ever, when I lay diagonal, the mosquito netting is no where near my face! Now I'm amazed that that slight elastic surround on the undercover could make that much difference in the ability to open the hammock up when guying out the side elastics. Though I had read on this forum that the super shelter tended to cause the Hennessy to collapse inward, I was amazed at the difference.

    But then it dawned on me that there were a couple of other variables that might be involved. Number one, I had used my hiking poles to attach the Hennessy rain fly to, and had attached the side guy out cordage to that pole, which allowed me to pull things a bit tighter and higher from the ground than usual. In addition to that, I realized I had perhaps tied my hammock a bit tighter to the tree substitute than usual. Anyway, bottom line was I simply reattached the undercover leaving everything else the same. When I got back inside, things were collapsed towards the middle very slightly compared to without the undercover. I got out and tighten the hammock up a little bit more, and the collapse inward effect was even less.

    So here is the bottom line to all this rambling. How tight do you guys normally pull the ropes in the attachment to the tree huggers? I realize this might be something kind of hard to describe, since people vary in their strength and it might seem to one person that they are pulling very tightly on the rope, and to somebody else it might not seem all that tight even though they are actually applying the same force. But the essence of this new discovery is that the tighter I pull this thing, the more that mosquito netting stays away from my face. So I'm trying here to find a way to describe this. What if I place the tree huggers at about the same height as my shoulders or face, and then pull on the Hennessy rope through the tree huggers until I have virtually a straight line across the tree hugger/rope/ridge line? Do you guys think this would be too tight? For whatever reason, whether damaging the hammock ridgeline or what ever? Or another thing to consider is the angle of the rope to the tree, since I have seen all of these discussions indicating that the straighter the rope, the more force applied to the trees or anchor point. So most of the time previously I had been hanging my tree huggers up a bit higher, and then pulling until the hammock was about the height I wanted it to be. That would usually result in the ropes hanging down a bit from the tree huggers to the ridge line.

    So, I'd like to know the various techniques used by the Hennessy hangers in determining how straight and tight you pull the ridge line. Obviously this is a Hennessy hammock specific question, since with my Speer there is nothing to pull tight, and I just adjust it as to my best guess of how much sag there should be.
    Thanks in advance
    Bill

  2. #2
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    I pulled my HH as tight as I could. The sag was set by the ridgeline.

    When it was new, I would get in, jump around, and then get out and retighten to take out the slack.
    Is that too much to ask? Girls with frikkin' lasers on their heads?
    The hanger formly known as "hammock engineer".

  3. #3
    Senior Member Bird Dog's Avatar
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    I have an Explorer Asym UL. I put the huggers at about face-height and pull the lines until the hammock (in skins) is parallel to the ground. I pull the ropes just about as tight as I can and have never had a problem. After being in the hammock, I can readjust as necessary. Remember, your HH is going to sag the first several times in it and will need to be adjusted. After you hang in it a few times, the ropes and fabric should stretch to a point where this will not be as necessary in the future. BD
    Just Jeff made me do it

  4. #4
    Senior Member Bird Dog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hammock engineer View Post
    I pulled my HH as tight as I could. The sag was set by the ridgeline.

    When it was new, I would get in, jump around, and then get out and retighten to take out the slack.
    Should have known I'd get beat to the punch. BD
    Just Jeff made me do it

  5. #5
    Senior Member Otter1's Avatar
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    Tighten 'er Up!

    Bill,

    You are right, the tighter it's hung, the less "sag" factor I've found in the netting. I don't think you'll damage anything unless you bear down on it "too much". What's too much? Well, when I'm inside and I can easily slide fingers/my hand between the netting and ridgeline, then it's not too tight. In addition, if It's too tight I don't get ENOUGH sag in the hammock body itself.

    YMMV! In fact, someone with more experience than I have might shed a little light on whether I'm off base. Keep hangin'...I discover new tricks and stuff all the time, thanks to folks on this site and WB.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bird Dog View Post
    Should have known I'd get beat to the punch. BD
    What can I say. I'm not the top poster by accident. Read I spend a lot of time on my PC.
    Is that too much to ask? Girls with frikkin' lasers on their heads?
    The hanger formly known as "hammock engineer".

  7. #7
    Senior Member blackbishop351's Avatar
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    I always pulled my ULB as tight as I could get it, for the very reason you're describing. If you don't get the ridgeline tight enough, the netting sags down on top of you. And if you hang any gear from the ridge, this problem just gets worse. I could generally get a bass note out of my ridgeline!
    "Physics is the only true science. All else is stamp collecting." - J. J. Thompson

  8. #8
    Senior Member Bird Dog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hammock engineer View Post
    What can I say. I'm not the top poster by accident. Read I spend a lot of time on my PC.
    Haha! BlackBishop is gaining on you tho! BD
    Just Jeff made me do it

  9. #9
    Senior Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bird Dog View Post
    Haha! BlackBishop is gaining on you tho! BD
    Yeah, when I leave he will take my place. You have a ways to go.
    Is that too much to ask? Girls with frikkin' lasers on their heads?
    The hanger formly known as "hammock engineer".

  10. #10
    Senior Member Bird Dog's Avatar
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    Ive got a LOOOOONNNG way to go. then again, I dont have a doorbell rigged to my computer like BB that "dings" evertime you post! (Its true, Ive seen it) BD
    Just Jeff made me do it

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