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  1. #11
    Senior Member coolkayaker1's Avatar
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    Good thoughts

    Thanks, BillyBob, for your input and opinions. I’m sure you’re right about the flex—although it seems minimal, I do not use a ridge line, so I can’t tell.

    Your photo gallery on HF is nice, and plenty of shots of you using the Vario. Sweet. Also some shots of your homemade hammock stand. With all due respect, the Vario looks a tad more compact than your homemade one.

    Nice house, sorry you lost your snapped off tree out there. With the Vario, I suppose it doesn’t matter much, BB.

    Have a wonderful weekend. I’m hopping back into the Vario with my Kindle once I swap out whoopee slings that I just got from AHE to my Hennessey. Then I've got tons of chores this weekend, unfortunately, that I have been neglecting.

  2. #12
    Senior Member
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    The height of the sides, and the bar under my back, is why I went the way I did when I had my stand made. I haven't weighed mine yet, but I think it's in the same ball park. I had a cheap-ish stand along the same lines as the vario (fewer adjustments) and it worked, sort of. Like I said, the limits of that one is why I went up with the lenthwise bar.
    Bad spellers of the world Untie!

  3. #13
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by coolkayaker1 View Post
    Thanks, BillyBob, for your input and opinions. I’m sure you’re right about the flex—although it seems minimal, I do not use a ridge line, so I can’t tell.
    Yes, CK1, RL hammocks are tougher to use with it. My Claytor works as well with it as with any trees. It is hands down the best of my hammocks to use with this stand. I'm sure there is some flex, but it just doesn't seem to matter much. I'm still as high off the ground as I wish to be, with out having to start out up in the stars, and with the sag just about right for total comfort. I don't know why this hammock works so well with this stand. My Speer ( NO RL), OTOH, s*cks with this stand. I'm either on the ground, or it is high enough but I have a hard time getting in it and then a devil of a time getting out. Although, it is comfortable enough once I am in, assuming my butt isn't hitting the ground. But I always dread trying to get out!
    My other hammocks(HH Expl,WBBB), either RL or bridge, fall somewhere in between, and not bad. And my HH safari is great if I can stay off the ground by an inch or two. I basically have to way over tighten the RL ( or net on the bridge), causing some flex to start with. Then when I get in and more flex happens, it is sometimes about right but most often with some sag in the RL. But, still usable/doable. I have also used a rope or ratchet strap to cause considerable pre-flex, but I mostly don't fool with that any more. I'm sure you will get much use out of yours. Despite my complaints, I have still spent more time hanging from this stand than from any trees, or my wood stand. And my only indoor hangs are with this stand. I've gotten a lot of use out of it.

    Your photo gallery on HF is nice, and plenty of shots of you using the Vario. Sweet. Also some shots of your homemade hammock stand. With all due respect, the Vario looks a tad more compact than your homemade one.
    You got that right, that stand wasn't going anywhere! It was 15 feet long, plenty high enough, and nothing but grass under my back. And ZERO flex! That top bar took all the load. I spent quite a few nights ( some at 10-11*F) hanging from that baby. But after a year or two, my wife was really complaining about the eye sore! I thought it looked pretty good! Plus I need something portable, and the wood was really starting to weather. So down it came, replaced by the Vario! It is history now, a pleasant memory!

  4. #14
    Senior Member stoikurt's Avatar
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    Here's the picture of my hammock on the Vario Stand with a hanging bucket acting as a counterweight to keep the tarp tight.
    Stoikurt
    "Work to Live...Don't Live to Work!"

  5. #15
    Senior Member coolkayaker1's Avatar
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    Shadowmoss--I hear where you’re coming from Shadowmoss. Your stand is exceptional, and yes, you have no ground bar. I like your thread and photos. Hope to meet you someday, especially since you’re an Indiana native (but one heck of a long stride from Indiana now, I see on your profile).

    BillyBob---your thoughts on the Vario are from hours and hours using it, which is very nice. That is really something about the different types of hammocks performing differently on the stand. I have yet only tried my ENO DN and SN, and both with stretchy SlapStraps, but they seems to be doing alright, even when I slept overnight in them. So, that makes me feel good. I know what you mean about it being wonderful to have a place to hang even with no trees. Thanks for your input, which is now here for all future Vario considerees. And I think your comments on the home wooden stand may influence richtorfla, above, to consider a steel stand before making one out of natural wood. :-)

    Stoikurt—that is fabulous that you used it amongst all those tents. I’m sure you had every gear wonk out there asking if they could lie in it—probably you should have charged 50 cents each for the hang. Lol Hey, by the way, I had to move mine out of the living room (my wife got back from a weekend away with girlfriends outside Chicago, and the first thing she did was lambast me for having that huge contraption in the livingroom. And I didn’t even have the ridge line and that Rube Goldberg bucket weight on it yet, either!). I moved it to my front office, but one person cannot move it. Somewhat because of weight,, but mostly because of bulk and the tendency to twist. Anyhow, I love your wheels. That’s a great idea, and I might look for some at Lowes or HDepot. Thanks for the idea. If you have more ideas, now that I’ve stolen the wheels and the JustJeff/Stoikurt bucket ridge line tightener, throw them on here. I’ve become a savvy criminal here on Hammock Forums.
    Last edited by coolkayaker1; 08-15-2010 at 19:37.

  6. #16
    Senior Member coolkayaker1's Avatar
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    The Flex Of The Byer Vario Stand Revisited

    Byer Flex—I have studied the Flex that BillyBob mentions for the Byer hammock, and when I watch my 123 lb wife get into it, I can really see it (more than I can feel it when I settle in)! In fact, the bottom bracket flexes down toward the floor by at least 1 inch! Alarmed, I went and got a couple hardcover books (I read on a Kindle now and books are little more than paperweights and hammock stabilizers in my house these days) and put them under the middle of the bottom bar in hopes of “helping the Vario out”. Well, lo and behold, when I sat in it and the bottom bar hit the book and would not flex, what happened? The four “feet” came off the floor! (Grizz and Kuzuko and the math whizzes would have known this without “War and Peace” under there).

    Ah ha! Like those banana shaped wooden hammock stands—it suddenly dawned on me—this Vario is already precisely calibrated to allow flex in the uprights and the bottom bar. Each takes its own percentage, if you will, of the total flex, which allows a weight of up to 300lbs to hang from a 12.5 foot distance on a 60 lb contraption.

    So, in the end, I think “pre-loading” the flexible uprights with cam buckles, or putting books under the bottom bar as I just did, is not recommended. The steel stand works best, and is least likely to have shear force wear and metal fatigue and breakage, if it is just left alone and enjoyed.

    With all that said, I could be wrong.
    Last edited by coolkayaker1; 08-15-2010 at 19:34.

  7. #17
    Senior Member sandykayak's Avatar
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    I've used my Switchback on the Vario with no problems. Also, several other types. Usually have to hang them from my easily adjustable Byer's micro-rope.

    Didn't think it was possible to hang a tarp. Some people have built extenders for their tarps.

    I was interested to read the other posts as I find getting out a problem. I put a lifejacket over the knobs to protect the back and butt in case....

    Mine's outside and the rubber feet protectors have split are are useless.

    You can buy the wheels for about $15 from a hammock company. You have to make sure that it will fit your Vario. I haven't tried yet, so was glad to see someone did use them.

  8. #18
    Senior Member SmokeBait's Avatar
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    coolkayaker1, did you have a promotional code or something to get free shipping? I went to fogdog.com and they wanted $34.33 to ship the thing. even more from Byer direct. Was just wondering. Not that my wife would let me put it in the living room or anything

  9. #19
    Senior Member coolkayaker1's Avatar
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    Smokebait

    Quote Originally Posted by SmokeBait View Post
    coolkayaker1, did you have a promotional code or something to get free shipping? I went to fogdog.com and they wanted $34.33 to ship the thing. even more from Byer direct. Was just wondering. Not that my wife would let me put it in the living room or anything

    I see that now; they must have changed it!

    amazon.com $150 and free shipping. Check it out. Great stand.

    Here's the link:
    http://www.amazon.com/Byer-Maine-Mod...2009363&sr=8-1

  10. #20
    Senior Member stoikurt's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by coolkayaker1 View Post
    Stoikurt—that is fabulous that you used it amongst all those tents. I’m sure you had every gear wonk out there asking if they could lie in it—probably you should have charged 50 cents each for the hang.
    I did have several people stop by and check it out. No one asked to try it out...and I really wasn't offering, either. I did promote it and try to answer any questions.

    Quote Originally Posted by coolkayaker1 View Post
    Anyhow, I love your wheels. That’s a great idea, and I might look for some at Lowes or HDepot. Thanks for the idea.
    I purchased them from another hammock site as mentioned already. I don't remember which one. It's hard to see in the picture but there is a little piece of flat plate welded on the inside of the curves on the pipe (you can see it in the pipe in the foreground. I had to drill a hole in it for the U-Bolt to go through for mounting the wheels. The wheels do help a lot when moving it around outside.

    Quote Originally Posted by coolkayaker1 View Post
    I’ve become a savvy criminal here on Hammock Forums.
    You can't be a criminal when we freely offer our ideas.
    Stoikurt
    "Work to Live...Don't Live to Work!"

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