So I thought I'd try to make a trapezoidal asym, based on Hammock Engineer's design. His directions for whipping were a little spotty (as in "follow what Arkwater did"), and so I tried my best to follow those directions and make them work for a trapezoid (which, I think, is in this case a parallelogram, isn't it?).

Let me state for the record that I was using some fabric I'd used before. Successfully. And yet: oh my.

I pitched the thing and then, fifteen seconds later: wham! I'm on the ground wondering what happened. I can see now that the whipping simply didn't hold, and the supports slid off the end.

I whipped that end again, tighter this time. As tight as I could physically make it. Watching it closely as I sat down, I saw the support slide up to the whipping and then the whipping start to slip. Quickly, I stood up.

Thinking that... well, I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I tied an overhand knot in the hammock instead of my whipping and sat down.

Wham! The *other* side slipped. That was the third slipped whipping in a row on the same hammock. The fabric was a known quantity, and was (is) successful on another hammock. The cord for whipping also has a proven record. What doesn't have a proven record is Arkwater's whipping technique. I'm officially unsold. And sore.

I tried a straight gather-whip (non-W) and everything held, but that trapezoidal asym is undoubtedly uncomfortable. Maybe it's simply too small for my 6'2" frame, or maybe my new (old) whipping technique is wrong for an asym hammock.

I have learned a lesson, however. I hadn't ever really thought about my wrapping technique, but now I've got the bruises to show that they're actually surprisingly important (more experienced hangers may wisely nod their heads here).

Now as far as my trapezoidal asym goes: what should I do?