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  1. #1
    New Member
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    Is hammock suspension possible with Kelty poles?

    I'm in South Texas...DEEP South Texas...a lot. Most times there's not much but a lot of cactus, along with some creosote and mesquite bushes and they won't support the hammock.

    I know I can set my Hennessy up as a quasi-tent, but I'd like to figger out a way to get my butt up off the ground. Especially in the heat we have down here.

    I've got a couple of the Kelty adjustable poles that have been MONSTERS in high wind, tarp-centric environments. They have held up in situations where tents, tarps, bungees...everything else failed but them.

    What I'm wondering is if there is some way to hang my hammock from 'em. Intuitively, it seems like there'd be too much lateral shear on the poles, unless the hammock was fixed to the very top of the pole.

    Does anyone have any experience/thoughts/comments on the idea of being able to suspend a hammock safely (without tearing up my great poles) on poles?

    It'd be awesome if I could go off into the brush country areas down here or in the desert areas of the Big Bend country and get this thing up off the ground.

    I'm planning a coyote/bobcat/hog hunt down along the border and plan on spending my horizontal time in the hammock...carrying all I need for a week in a backpack (except the rifle and ammo). I'd like to know that if there aren't any mesquite trees big enough that I can still set this thing up to be strong enough to put up with my big *** for several nights..

    [I did some searches and didn't find anything immediately, so excuse me if I missed some massive thread on exactly this same topic! I'm new here. Be gentle!]

  2. #2
    gunner76's Avatar
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    Test them in you back yard first but do so over a soft surface as I expect you will find your self on the ground.. I have had 4x4 post break on me.
    I am still 18 but with 52 years of experience !

  3. #3
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    Owww... Dammit!

    I don't have anything soft here. Rocks in the yard, thistles and cactus everywhere else.

    Maybe I can take to a State Park and fall down there.

    I was hoping to figure something out. Dammit.

    Thanks for the reply, though

  4. #4
    Senior Member XTrekker's Avatar
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    Sorry if this isnt quite the answer you are looking for but...

    The problem I see with normal adjustable hiking poles is they just are not tall enough or strong enough against the forces being applied against them. I would recommend using a solid wood or even better ---Bamboo Poles, they are very light and are excellent hiking staffs.

    Both my Bamboo Hiking Staffs are just over 5' tall and I plan to make the next set around 66". I always insert a wooden dowel plug into the top of the staffs and secure with non expanding wood glue and then add screw in Eye rings to the top. This allows my Bamboo Staffs to double as Tarp/Rain Fly posts.

    Most store bought trekking poles are = or less than 55". This may be possible to lift a hammock off the ground with decent tension but the problem is they are not designed for this kind of load. This is why I recommend the bamboo staffs. They are VERY light weight when fully seasoned and extremely strong. The drawback is they are not collapsible. Its a trade off for gaining the strength of the bamboo. It is possible to make the bamboo poles collapsible by using pool stick thread connectors but it is a sacrifice to its overall strength.

    Anyways sorry to tangent my answer so badly. I hope some of this may be of some help to you. If you ever need any advice or help working with anything bamboo I would be more than happy to share my expertise. If you have trouble finding bamboo just shoot me a message and ill take care of ya.


    Bamboo Trekking Pole Tutorial

    http://youtu.be/C-fBfluSo2Y
    Attached Images Attached Images

  5. #5
    Senior Member
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    There is always Alamosa's Portable Hammock stand. It's pretty much a suspension bridge for your hammock. Made from 1 inch and 1.25 inch EDT electrical conduit and some fancy pegs the EDT carries your vertical weight and the suspension run keeps the poles vertical. Towards the end pages you'll see my setup at SPADfest 2012 in Newton, IA. (model airplane event)

    The bad part is needing to pack in the two poles and 6 anchors. If you're not getting far off the road it's no big deal, they all nestle inside each other and you just need a smallish bag for the suspension lines. But it is another 10-15 pounds I'd guess. Really should measure it. Still, I just lifted it out of the truck, walked 300 yards and set it up and it kept me up 5 nights with no problems. Went through one wind storm too. The ground was dang near concrete hard, so if you're not living on a sand boil I imagine it was similar to yours. Though I couldn't find any half inch cracks that went down to the brink of Hell, which should be pretty easy with the drought and a Texas summer. They're probably 1/4 inch wide in Wichita by now.

  6. #6
    New Member bikerbobbo's Avatar
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    I've had some success hanging down the beach using some heavy duty aluminium extendable painting poles that I purchased at a hardware store. I weigh about 105 Kg ( 230 pounds ) and they have not broken or bent on me ..... so far.

    I have used some extra WB suspension straps to attach the top of the poles to anchor points.
    For anchor points I have used rock climbing loop straps attached to large rocks or screw in sand anchors ( www.rapidanchor.com/The_Wombat.htm ) . I have also used some blue plastic sand screws ( http://www.altrec.com/nrs/blue-screw...nd-soil-stakes) for tying out the tarp.

    I am still in the process of refining my set up to make it portable enough to take on my motorbike or mountain bike.
    One of the problems with trying to hammock camp in many parts of Western Australia is there can be a lack of suitable trees , so bringing your own can be your only option.
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    Last edited by bikerbobbo; 07-15-2012 at 08:58.

  7. #7
    lattie11581's Avatar
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    I definitely would not try the kelty Noah s staff. If thats what you're referring to by 'kelty poles' they are great for a tarp but I wouldn't trust them to hold up my 220#'s. Any other option I could suggest would be to heavy to hike in over any distance. Except the "turtle lady's " design. She usrs a series of bamboo poles for a hammock stand.
    http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=27777
    "It's better to keep your mouth shut and let people THINK your stupid than to open it and PROVE it" - SFC Kagawa, United States Army (my old platoon SGT)
    *Originally -Abraham Lincoln 16th president of US (1809 -1865)

  8. #8
    Senior Member Jayson's Avatar
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    After reading this and then rereading Alamosas thread. My brain has begun to spin. I have been thinking about building myself a DIY dixon style roller pack...i have back problems. Now I am wondering if it would be possible to use the roller pack parts to assemble a portable stand.

    Wonder would pvc pipe with a wood insert be strong enough for a stand? Are there TEE fittings for the metal conduit?

  9. #9
    Senior Member Fish<><'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jayson View Post
    Wonder would pvc pipe with a wood insert be strong enough for a stand?
    Yes maybe but I would only consider it as a tripod, and turtleladys stand would be much lighter.
    "We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it, we go to smooth it."- G. W. Sears

    My forum name is Fish<><; I'm in the navy; and I hate sleeping on the ground. If I didn't need ground to walk on or measure resistance to, I think I could happily give it up.

  10. #10
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    Sorry for the confusion...

    My poles aren't trekking poles; they're tarp poles.



    They're shock-corded, 4-section poles, that extend from about 7' to 9'.

    They're about 25mm in diameter and made of aluminum.

    I know they work great with tarps (even big heavy canvas tarps!), work great in wind.

    I just don't know if they'll work with a hammock...

    Thanks for all the ideas.

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