Hammock lay: fail. Constant ridge under my neck..

[mr tickle]

Hey.

I recently made a DIY hammock. It is approx 11' x 60" and made from pertex 4 which has a very minor amount of stretch. It is gathered via dyneema loops through the end channels.

When i first made it i made a makeshift paracord ridgeline, it was somewhere in the region of 110" although paracord of course stretches. It was very comfortable. Anyhow, i bought a load of dyneema and spliced some rigging for it and now for some reason i just cant get it to hang right.

For some reason there always seems to be a minor ridge under the legs and a more noticeable one under my neck, the one that bothers me is the neck as it makes my head kind of roll to the inside. In fact my body seems to keep rolling a little to the inside too. Usually on my other hammock i sleep with my head on the edge facing outwards with np.

So i have spent a good 2 days now messing around with the RL length, i have been up and down around six inches either way progressively and it remains. I used the methodology i have been using for the past years: legs hyper extended = too much sag; ridge under legs = not enough sag. This has worked well for me in the past. This time round the ridge gets worse on either extreme and in all honesty i have noticed very little difference in comfort throughout the range.

I thought it must be the gathering, so i tried the knotty method again, nope, so i put the loops in the end channel again. I switched the ends and side that i lay, nope, so this makes me think it is not a problem with the gather.

At this point i am very frustrated. Is the methodology i am using correct? I can't find a decisive article on it. Also can you think of anything else i might have messed up? The hammock is definitely square at the ends, it is millimeter perfect.

It was right at some stage, so it can be again. I think i might just have a very particular angle where i am comfortable and need to rethink my approach.

I based the size off the WBBB XLC, so it would also be great if someone knows the length of the RL on that when it is not fitted.. I do not know if brandons measurements are fitted or layed out (there would be a minor difference). Also i could have sworn his site used to have a 110" RL listed, now it is 111". Tomorrow i was going to keep the RL static and mess around with any other variables i can find; unless some suggestions come forward ofc.

Cheers.

EDIT:

I have tried raising the foot end too.

[SilvrSurfr]

I would imagine your gathering method is the issue, though you should dump the paracord tout de suite.

I use sewn channels only; predictable and repeatable. Every other gathering method I've read about just seems like a black art. I do understand that other gathering methods allow a more customizable lay, where you can tighten the sides or whatever, but sewn channels with a continuous loop are always consistent for me.

[Nodust]

Try without the ridgeline a few times. A RL only helps get a consistent setup.

Get in hammock with head end lower than feet by 6". Play with suspension lengthening head end/shortening foot end until you get comfortable. Once you get it set have someone tie a ridgeline on without changing angles.

[hangNyak]

When you lay in the hammock, check to see if you can bend the ridgeline almost vertical. I've had problems in the past, due to too tight of a ridgeline. It should not be guitar string tight. Also, 110" may be too long for an 11 ft. hammock, I would say more like 108-109".That's around 83% of the hammock length, which always seems to work for me. YMMV

[mr tickle]

The paracord was just a temp until the amsteel arrived, i only really mentioned it as there is no way of replicating how i had it with the stretch and all. It is since making the new dyneema rigging that something has been amiss.

That's the thought process i use for running through the end channels opposed to the knotty method (wb whip). I have switched back to end channel after trying the whip for the reasons you gave, it brought more problems than it solved.

Perhaps the loop is not seated correctly in the channel at present, my fiddling might not have been enough to even things out if that was the issue. I will take a look at that first thing tomorrow.

I hope it is something like that and not the width or fabric.

[mr tickle]

When you lay in the hammock, check to see if you can bend the ridgeline almost vertical. I've had problems in the past, due to too tight of a ridgeline. It should not be guitar string tight. Also, 110" may be too long for an 11 ft. hammock, I would say more like 108-109".That's around 83% of the hammock length, which always seems to work for me. YMMV

I will try the measurement given, i have heard that before for longer hammocks. The tension of the RL thing is a myth though, it simply sets the arc, if it changes the lay like that it is probably too long hence slack making it lay better. That is a saying back from the old days when high tension suspension was used and ridgelines where snapping.

[hangNyak]

I will try the measurement given, i have heard that before for longer hammocks. The tension of the RL thing is a myth though, it simply sets the arc, if it changes the lay like that it is probably too long hence slack making it lay better. That is a saying back from the old days when high tension suspension was used and ridgelines where snapping.

Not saying it will snap, necessarily, just that I have had issues when mine was too tight. Brandon from Warbonnet, also recommends the ridgeline not be too tight. I don't know if this is the cause of your problem, but if nothing else, you may want to try it.

[mr tickle]

Try without the ridgeline a few times. A RL only helps get a consistent setup.

Get in hammock with head end lower than feet by 6".

True, but i don't see how that will be much different to having tried a vast range of measure with a ridge other than ease.

I never realised six inches was the amount of slant, i only used a minor amount. I will try that too.

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Is the logic of hyper extension=too much sag and ridge = too little sag correct?

Sorry the replies are all over the spot, i hit refresh and more appeared :)

[mr tickle]

Not saying it will snap, necessarily, just that I have had issues when mine was too tight. Brandon from Warbonnet, also recommends the ridgeline not be too tight. I don't know if this is the cause of your problem, but if nothing else, you may want to try it.

Fair point. It is WB users i have seen say this recently. I just meant perhaps that the measure used in tat instance is too long. I failed to realise that i could also use that measure as a base with some slack (it is getting late here, i will come back in the morning after some sleep).

Cheers

[Nodust]

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Is the logic of hyper extension=too much sag and ridge = too little sag correct?



That's how I see it. I just listed the steps I go through to get mine dialed in the first time.

But I am a firm believer that when you think the feet are high enough, raise it up some more. I have gone over 12" higher on the foot end and all was good. That also helps me shift more to the head end and I think this leaves more room for my legs to get comfortable. Maybe it is because my legs will be more in the center of the gathered ends allowing the fabric to lay flatter? Not really sure the reason, just how I like it.

[mr tickle]

Sorted it. It was not the whipping. It seems i have a very small comfort margin when going for the 'more sag' approach.

My old hammock was narrower and worked better with a tighter pitch, i could move the ridge line by a couple of inches and notice no real difference. This one is different, after a massive amount of going back and forth with an adjustable RL and re whipping the ends i noticed no real difference with sensible changes.

So, i re-measured the ridgeline and realised that i was losing 0.75" on each end after fitting it (should have been obvious) making the actual length 108.5" not 110". I then checked my calcs, it turns out 109.5" [fitted] is what it should have been, i must have rounded up to 110" previously. Now it is spot on comfort wise again. It seems to be at the 'sag point' just before the 'knee ridge' stiffens up and becomes a problem. It took about an hour for it to become truly comfortable due to the fabric.

So, it turns out, at least for me:

An inch [or less] on the RL can make all the difference, i tried inch increments when using the adjustable ridge so i missed the sweet spot at 109.5".
Just over an inch and a half is lost after fitting the RL to the hammock which does matter.
The 83% rule is **** accurate and time is probably being wasted deviating much from it if your hammock is a sensible length/width. There is a point that seems as comfy as 83% if i put a lot of sag in the hammock, but it caused knee ache after a couple of sleeps.
Some fabrics need a little time to shift, so it is probably best to give a bit of time before making adjustments on taffeta style fabrics.


Problem solved, although i do have another question. The blackbird xlc is advertised as having a 111" RL, my hammock has the same dimensions and that length seemed terrible. So, is that 111" the fitted length? If not, what is the fitted length of the RL?