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  1. #11
    all secure in sector 7 Shug's Avatar
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    For all the hanging I have done I have had a lot of different tensions on mine. Sometimes mine ends up tight and I adjust at the tree. Sometimes I mean to and forget. Never had a snap.
    Carry forth.....
    Shug
    Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven

  2. #12
    Senior Member SmokeBait's Avatar
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    The tightness isn't super critical. I like to have it taut. Not loose, not guitar string tight. Can't remember it was Warbonnetguy or Hennessy that showed using your thumb and first finger a couple of inches apart and trying to twist the line 90 degrees. That was always a good guideline to me.

  3. #13
    Senior Member WV's Avatar
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    To get a consistent sag angle, the SRL needs to be tight - i.e. not loose at all. To handle a 15 degree sag (as when trees are far apart - see Catavarie's post), it needs to be just as strong as your hammock rope. Then the force on the SRL is aproximately equal to your body weight. That's about twice the force that it takes at a 30 degree angle. The force on the hammock rope is the same. The force on your main suspension rope (from the tree to the SRL and hammock rope) is twice that.

    When you adjust your SRL, change it by small increments - 1" or less, not 8". Makes a big difference very quickly. Remember, you're adjusting to change the way the hammock feels, not to change the tension in the SRL.

    (Of course, you don't have to make your ridge line function as a structural component in your hammock suspension. You can just use it to hold up organizers and bugnets.)
    Last edited by WV; 10-08-2012 at 09:55.

  4. #14
    PapaSmurf's Avatar
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    I don't want to derail the conversation, but I'd like to clarify a couple earlier points made.

    Quote Originally Posted by Catavarie View Post
    Warbonnet hammocks have a non-structural ridgeline that is not meant to take a load and are only intended to hold the bugnet off your face.
    from http://warbonnetoutdoors.com
    "The Blackbird comes with a built-in structural ridgeline (100")"
    "...and also features a structural ridgeline to take most of the guesswork out of setting the sag. (98” RL)"

    Quote Originally Posted by Catavarie View Post
    This is partly due to the fact that Hennessy Hammocks holds a patent on the Structural ridgeline aparently, so Brandon can't add them into his designs.
    Tom Hennessy holds a patent on an improvement in hammock ridgelines where the cord is secured directly to the ends of the hammock fabric.

  5. #15
    Senior Member Gresh's Avatar
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    So here's what I'm taking away from this thread thus far:

    1) Everybody has an opinion, and there are two major trains of thought - tight doesn't matter vs. should be able to turn it with a thumb and forefinger.
    2) In my case, if it's guitar string tight, I should replace my Lash-It with Amsteel.
    I used to be a somebody, now I just camp.

  6. #16
    Senior Member WV's Avatar
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    You've extracted the essence from this thread. Experiment, and see what works for you. Many people use the terms "structural ridgeline" and "ridgeline" interchangeably, so it shouldn't surprise us that there are distinctions that get lost. Warbonnet's use of the "twist test" for his ridgelines is quite literally a rule of thumb (and a useful one, too). IMO it helps users to get the suspension tight enough to make his hammock and netting function optimally without overstressing the non-structural ridgeline. He has built in enough extra strength in his ridgeline cord and its attachment to other materials that it can tolerate a certain amount of disregard for that rule of thumb without damage to the hammock or injury to the hanger, so in part it can function as a structural ridgeline, but the twist test is intended to prevent users from overdoing it. This strikes me as a canny and responsible design and marketing feature.
    Last edited by WV; 10-08-2012 at 14:46.

  7. #17
    Senior Member Gresh's Avatar
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    It bears mention: I've got a 30* hang. My suspicion is that I'm just adding a good bit of load to my hang when I lay in it.
    I used to be a somebody, now I just camp.

  8. #18
    Senior Member Catavarie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gresh View Post
    It bears mention: I've got a 30* hang. My suspicion is that I'm just adding a good bit of load to my hang when I lay in it.
    If it tightens up when you lay in it, you could perhaps try a slightly longer ridgeline. I know mine tends to slacken when I lay in the hammock if I've got the proper hang angles. Of course YMMV.
    *Heaven best have trees, because I plan to lounge for eternity.

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  9. #19
    Senior Member jbrianb's Avatar
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    I weigh in the 230 range and use a Zing It 2.2 RL. Sometimes I can play the intro to "Smoke on the Water." Sometimes, I can do cup and saucer with the slack in it.

    I like it in between; tight but not about to pop, tense but with a little give. I use whoopies, so this is do-able most of the time. Sometimes I let it slide and I haven't paid the price yet... (yet).

    If you get it too tight, as long as it's decent material, it should hold. If it pops, as someone said, likely on entry, you have your suspension to catch you. The RL shouldn't support all your weight. It should keep your sag consistent. If it's properly on, it will take a little of your weight, but it should redistribute most of it to the suspension.

    Find the sweet spot between tight and loose. Maybe the deep note on a bass guitar. A little twist slack in the line... Don't sweat it too much. If you trust your suspension, that is...
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  10. #20
    Senior Member MDSH's Avatar
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    An engineer could explain the distribution of load across angles of load-bearing elements, Gresh. It all adds up to 360*, I think. The trees are columns that account, I believe, for 180 of the 360. Some angles have zero load, like the 60* above the 30* hang angle.

    When you mentally trace the load, which goes relatively 50% to one tree and 50% to the other, all else being equal, we find that there is a point in the bottom of our hammock, roughly in line with the suspension, that is the pivot for distributing the load one direction or the other.

    Without a SRL (emphasis on "structural") we are at the mercy of our hang angle and gravity. The entirety of our weight will gravitate to that low pivot point.

    By adding a SRL that pivot point is raised off the bottom of the hammock and the question becomes how high we want to raise it relative to our comfort. The higher it is the flatter the lay might be, depending on the hang angle (so you can use it to adjust the angle or adjust the angle by using it). If you need to use it to raise the pivot point the SRL begins to "work," which is a technical term in physics and philosophy. It begins to bear load. The more load it bears the tighter it gets.

    But it is not a rigid member that can separate the load-bearing ends of the hammock. So a hammock must always be hung at an angle less than the desired slack in your hammock that is comfortable for you. It merely equalizes and gives some control to a set a variables that includes your comfort, distance between trees, how high you place the straps, how long you have to fiddle with it ...

    Is there an engineer in the house? That's the best that I can do and may be completely wrong! LOL

    Mike
    Last edited by MDSH; 10-09-2012 at 06:30.

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