View Full Version : Speer-type hammock - weighbearing ridgeline or not?
Johnny Swank
11-17-2006, 11:52
All,
More questions. Does anyone use a weightbearing ridgeline with their speer hammocks to permanently set the sag? I love having a ridgeline to hang stuff from, and get tired of messing around to get the sag "just so." I'd like to just crank the ends off and go like you do with a Hennessy.
Thoughts?
Arkwater
11-17-2006, 11:58
Almost every hammock I have has one now. Like you I like having a place to hang stuff. Makes for a near perfect sag setup every time.
headchange4u
11-17-2006, 12:39
I have a removable weightbearing ridgeline on my hammocks. I almost always have the ridgeline attached.
Just Jeff
11-17-2006, 16:13
I put one on every hammock I make now.
titanium_hiker
11-17-2006, 21:08
grr... I'm getting tempted to try one on my hammock... perfect sag every time sounds tempting.
:)
titanium_hiker
blackbishop351
11-17-2006, 21:09
Yeah I think I'll add one to my Speer type when I get the chance, too. Woohoo! Another project I don't have time for right now! :eek:
Jonas4321
11-18-2006, 10:31
Okay, so if you have a ridgeline on a Speer-type hammock that you leave in place when you stow the hammock, how do you get the thing into skins? I untie one end of my ridgeline every time so I can put it into the skins (which, with the gear hammock and the bugnet tube) is a little bit of a tight fit). I think that if I have a ridgeline that I left in place, I would end up with more-hammock-per-inch and bunching up something fierce at some points.
I guess Hennessey hammocks have this issue, but I have never used one.
Thoughts? Thanks.
Jonas
Just Jeff
11-18-2006, 10:38
You just stuff it in the ends...there's room.
blackbishop351
11-18-2006, 13:25
You can kinda roll the hammock, the same way you do a tarp. Before you slide the first skin on, roll the hammock body AWAY from the center. This keeps too much material from bunching up in the middle and creating that irritating bulge that interferes with your skins. I think Tom Hennessy has a demo video on his site showing how to do this.
I put my hammock, underquilt, and ridgeline all into the skins. That way the ridgeline will not get tangled. I found that I can put my underquilt into the hammock before the skins. That gives it a little more mosture protection in my pack.
I am playing around with using 1 40' piece of webbing for my straps. I am going to tie loop in it and hang the hammock of the loops. That will give me a about 16' of webbing on each side of the hammock. The downside is it is going to weigh more than a simple ridgeline.
slowhike
11-18-2006, 16:31
I put my hammock, underquilt, and ridgeline all into the skins. That way the ridgeline will not get tangled. I found that I can put my underquilt into the hammock before the skins. That gives it a little more mosture protection in my pack.
I am playing around with using 1 40' piece of webbing for my straps. I am going to tie loop in it and hang the hammock of the loops. That will give me a about 16' of webbing on each side of the hammock. The downside is it is going to weigh more than a simple ridgeline.
don`t forget to take into account that the knots may reduce the strength of the webbing... according to how you do it. ...tim
Right. I wonder how much a knot weakens it vs sewing thru it. The webbing as something like a 4000 lbs breakage strength. I'm not too worried about the stuff I am using.
slowhike
11-18-2006, 17:23
wow... that`s strong stuff. were did you get it? do you know the weight (silly question). ...tim
40' weigh 16.6 oz, the same length of webbing from Ed Speer's site would only weigh 8.3 oz. Looking at it that way I will probibly order some from him and switch it out. I was just did not want to wait shipping. I got it from the local outfitter. It was in the climbing section.