Hey there! I am a relatively new hanger, and ever since joining the HF I have been on a part-time quest to find an existing or craft my own portable hammock stand for those instances where I am left with one tree/structure and nothing else -- the one tree hang. I dunno why, but my mind keeps thinking about how to craft one that is as close to portable, durable, and reasonably lightweight, all without being overly expensive. Yeah, yeah, yeah… I know… that is a combination likely to never to see the light of day. But one can dream, right?

There have been lengthy, yet inspiring, threads here on HF like:
@TurtleDog stand
@turtlelady's bamboo stand
@Almosa's portable hammock stand

As well as products like:
Byer of Maine's Madera bipod stand
TreeMount's stainless steel bipod stand

♪♪ But I still haven't found what I'm looking for...♪♪
I think the TreeMount comes closest as it has a great aesthetic… but it's fairly pricey at nearly $200!

I'm no engineer, but I have found myself doodle-sketching possible ideas and taking time at work to noodle through some concepts w/ my engineering-type co-workers. I've even taken to Google SketchUp to mock up some drawings, where most ideas fall short of reality.

However, my latest idea kind of has me jazzed -- I know that this will fall short of the lightweight and inexpensive criteria, but I like its potential as a portable stand. I don't have the budget to buy the materials to test it out, but I figure it might be worthwhile to see where this goes..…. thus, I am posting this for all to critique, and possibly see if someone would dare give it a shot. As I've mentioned, I AM NOT AN ENGINEER, so I ask that you forgive my ignorance of terminology and physics… but I think this might-could work. Yes? No? Maybe?

There are TWO ideas that I wanted to address:
1. COLLAPSIBLE -- the stand is portable because the structure is collapsible, and the bulk of its parts can be packed within itself.
2. COUNTERWEIGHT -- use your own weight, when in the hammock, to counter (partially?) the force that would otherwise pull the hammock stand towards center. I actually have no clue of this would work, but it seems to make a bit of sense in my head? The premise is

So, here are my SketchUps -- they're incomplete without the bolts/wingnuts and the telescoping pins. But I hope these drawings are able to give you the big picture. I'd love to hear your thoughts on how to improve on this, or if this idea is even viable. (Be kind )