Question about nylon straps

[GrizzlyAdams]

As relatively cheap as webbing is, I wouldn't be overly concerned about it.

I'll be backpacking with the Explorer for a week later this month. I think I'll wait until after getting back to civilization before tinkering with it.

Grizz

[Darby]

PS....How long are most people using? I've been thinking 12' (each end) but have been considerering 15'. In reality I've been using 10' without any problems but don't want to be caught short. This is with the ring system.

Miguel

I use 14' due to large trees and/or long spans

[Miguel]

I bought 12' to go with an HH Desert Rat that I modified with rings that are tied to cord which replaces the stock rope, and the cord is tied onto the hammock body in the same way that HH does. I have also a HH Explorer Ultralight, whose ropes I left. I can tie those rings anywhere on the rope length I like, using knots that loosen after use. At the moment I'm using those 12' straps on the Explorer, but they are way more than is needed if I move the rings down the rope. I'm thinking about cutting the straps in half....but haven't yet. I want to be sure I can keep moving those rings whenever I want, before slicing the webbing.

Grizz the cautious

Are there any pictures floating around Cyberland of your settup? I'm not sure what you mean by moving the rings up and down the line.

Miguel

[gumby]

Nylon does streeeeeeetch. I bought some from REI awhile ago, hooked them up to my byer, pulled them tight. When I sat down I went from about 3 1/2 feet above the ground to a quick butt slam into the lawn. Then the hammock sans me returned back up to where it started. Oh yeah it took a few layers of skin off my back.

Now if you want to make a really long range slingshot.....

[GrizzlyAdams]

Are there any pictures floating around Cyberland of your settup? I'm not sure what you mean by moving the rings up and down the line.

Miguel

I did some searching on this forum and found a picture by gstepclassical that serves the purpose well :

http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery....php?i=802&c=4

Imagine the long length of spectra that comes attached to the end of your hammock. You can slide the rings over the rope and position them 2', 4', 6'---whatever---from the hammock body, and then afix them there using (as shown here) an anchor knot with a couple of half-hitches. In the picture the rings are at the end of the rope. If you positioned them close to the hammock body you'd have lots of left-over rope hanging out of the last half hitch.

By way of explanation, or clarification of intent. Lots of folks here say they like the rings because of how quickly they can then string the hammock. I find that with pottering about stretching out the HH side pull-outs, attaching and tuning the underquilt, putting up the tarp, fixing guy-lines, etc., the difference between hanging the hammock with rings or with knots and tree huggers is small relative to the rest of it. What sells me on the rings is how much easier it is then to tighten things up. Against this backdrop, additional time I spend positioning and tying the rings (at most once per campsite) is small, in the larger scheme of things.

Truth is, when I'm putting up camp I'm not in much of a hurry, unless it is raining.

Grizz

[Drop]

I'm not sure about the length of my poly straps (but it's a metric length).
I'm currently hanging them from my first floor* window with some bricks to stretch them a bit.
I haven't found them too short yet but the cord attaching the rings to the hammock is quite long and I was thinking if I had some spare with me I could always add some more length there if needed.

Drop
*ground floor, first floor, second floor etc. right? I can never remember how that goes in different countries.

[Miguel]

I did some searching on this forum and found a picture by gstepclassical that serves the purpose well :

http://www.hammockforums.net/gallery....php?i=802&c=4

Imagine the long length of spectra that comes attached to the end of your hammock. You can slide the rings over the rope and position them 2', 4', 6'---whatever---from the hammock body, and then afix them there using (as shown here) an anchor knot with a couple of half-hitches. In the picture the rings are at the end of the rope. If you positioned them close to the hammock body you'd have lots of left-over rope hanging out of the last half hitch.

By way of explanation, or clarification of intent. Lots of folks here say they like the rings because of how quickly they can then string the hammock. I find that with pottering about stretching out the HH side pull-outs, attaching and tuning the underquilt, putting up the tarp, fixing guy-lines, etc., the difference between hanging the hammock with rings or with knots and tree huggers is small relative to the rest of it. What sells me on the rings is how much easier it is then to tighten things up. Against this backdrop, additional time I spend positioning and tying the rings (at most once per campsite) is small, in the larger scheme of things.

Truth is, when I'm putting up camp I'm not in much of a hurry, unless it is raining.

Grizz

Interesting!!! You have me reconsidering my setup. I don't have any spectra attached to my hammock. Why couldn't I tie off a piece of strong cord simiar to the one in the pic by using a bowline loop at the hammock and then the anchor knot to attach the rings. I like the idea of using only one cord from the hammock to the rings, plus as you said, you can then adjust it. I just posted another thread titled "best knot" but after rereading this I may reconsider. Any thoughts???

Miguel

[gstepclassical]

By way of explanation, or clarification of intent. Lots of folks here say they like the rings because of how quickly they can then string the hammock. I find that with pottering about stretching out the HH side pull-outs, attaching and tuning the underquilt, putting up the tarp, fixing guy-lines, etc., the difference between hanging the hammock with rings or with knots and tree huggers is small relative to the rest of it. What sells me on the rings is how much easier it is then to tighten things up. Against this backdrop, additional time I spend positioning and tying the rings (at most once per campsite) is small, in the larger scheme of things.

Truth is, when I'm putting up camp I'm not in much of a hurry, unless it is raining.

Grizz

I would add that it makes centering the hammock much easier and faster.

[FanaticFringer]

I would add that it makes centering the hammock much easier and faster.

Not to mention more options such as long tree spacing and wide trees.

[GrizzlyAdams]

Interesting!!! You have me reconsidering my setup. I don't have any spectra attached to my hammock. Why couldn't I tie off a piece of strong cord simiar to the one in the pic by using a bowline loop at the hammock and then the anchor knot to attach the rings. I like the idea of using only one cord from the hammock to the rings, plus as you said, you can then adjust it. I just posted another thread titled "best knot" but after rereading this I may reconsider. Any thoughts???

Miguel

One cord from hammock to rings is certainly the cleanest solution. And (depending on the cord used), strongest, because any time you have a knot in a line you lose some strength.

The bowline is not what you want to use on the hammock end though. If the connection between hammock and rope is purely tension, you want a knot whose loop tightens with tension. A bowline does not.

I could speculate what knot to use, but my money says there's folks on the forum who are doing this already. Probably there are pictures up already. Go with the voice of experience on this one.

Grizz