centering between trees

[reeock]

how important is it centering your hammock between two trees? is it not possible to get as equal a good hang if one end has to be longer, say to avoid a shrub or rock?

[gmcttr]

If the long end is higher on the trees than the short end so that the hang angle is correct and the relationship of the heights of the ends is normal, the lay will be exactly the same as if the hammock was centered.

[MAD777]

Remember, with gathered end hammocks, you usually want the foot end a few inches higher then the head. If your two tree straps are equally high, you can achieve this by offsetting the hammock from center.

[Nodust]

If I have to cheat to one side I like the foot end closer to the tree.

YHMV

[Algonquin_bound]

As already said, no reason you need to be centered between trees. Just adjust your setup as required for a comfortable lay.

If you use a fixed ridgeline, (as I do....) it's super easy..... just adjust so the foot end is at the height you prefer. I still try to get close to the 30' angle for my suspension, but it doesn't really effect the lay like it would without a fixed ridgeline. So that allows for a lot of flexibility in the setup, especially in less than ideal spots to hang.

[Firesong]

You need to be close to a tree. Easier to puke and not fall over after drinking hard.

[ntxkayakr]

gmcttr worded a very good response which I strongly agree with. I would add that in very unfavorable or non-ideal locations where I have occasionally hung on a steep hillside (which is generally not recommended for obvious reasons). One tree may be well up the hill from the other and I cannot place the hammock very close to that up hill tree or crack in the boulder etc because the bottom of the hammock would be touching the ground or low growing briars or poison ivy etc. Therefore the suspension webbing "tree huggers" on the down hill tree are much further up on it and I will go a head and trim back the undesirable vegetation there just enough to get that end of the hammock very close to that down hill tree. I had a few photos of something like this but HF has that warning about not abusing server storage space so whatever, I don't like to lose control of my photography on the Internet anyway. BTW a hanging location like this is theoretically a little risky especially if your cord is very old and worn and minimally thin, but I do a good risk assessment and my possible tumble down the mountain side is blocked by various natural obstacles then such a location can offer a great view of the valley below.

[DuctTape]

I have also found that some hammocks and suspensions are more forgiveable in comfort with less than optimum angles, etc... In general I don't worry about centering, I try to get my trees as close as possible so any variance from center is minimal.