First hangs/impressions on the trail

[urbansix]

My hammocks arrived Friday afternoon (Claytor Expedition - 11 days (!!) from Thailand, pleasant surprise) as I was packing my backpack to head for a 3-day hike on the GA AT. Since I had already purchased the webbing, rings & biners needed for the suspension upgrade, I spent the rest of the evening swapping it out and cursory setup testing in the back yard.
I hit the trail Saturday morning with the hammock instead of my tarp tent. The weather was perfect.

Fist night I spent I was disappointed. I tried lying diagonal but could never find the "flat" sweet spot. My feet were too high and I spent a restless night with fidgety feet, tossing and turning, and constantly trying to pull myself up the head-side slope. Even had a dream where I dumped myself out, ripping the bug netting, to the jeers of the rest of the camp site.

I was on the trail early, and about a mile up the trail passed a camp of several HH hangers just waking up. First time I saw one of those in person. They are certainly nice and wide. I spent the rest of the day wondering if an HH might not be better suited for this "asym" flat sleeping, despite their drawbacks vs. the Claytor design.

Night #2 - at the camp site I could not find 2 trees far enough apart, so resorted to a much steeper sag than the night before, with the rings practically touching the trees. EUREKA - discovered for myself that the sag is the secret to the asym sweet spot. I slept much more comfortably, even able to roll onto my side, almost my stomach. However my feet and head were on the bugnet seams when on the ideal asym angle. I was also 2x more exhausted, (asleep before sunset, no weird hammock dreams) so that may have influenced my observations.

So I feel like I can make this work without resorting to the ground or an HH after all (although they are oh-so-conveniently available at REI). I am thinking about a structural ridge line, perhaps, to "lock in" the ideal angle. Anybody done one? Is there an optimal length, or is it an optimal angle one is after? Also considering trying this asym W-fold and whipping mentioned on the DIY forum. Has that been done on a Claytor, abandoning the channels?

I can't believe I hauled this brick of a camera with me and didn't take any pics of the hammock hanging.

[Hector]

Couple of things:

First, it's not that unusual to take a night to adapt to hanging. Try taking a nap in the hammock before your next trip.

Second, get ten feet of good cord (like 7/64" Amsteel) and tie a loop in one end. Use a trucker's hitch at the other end to get an adjustable ridgeline. When you find the sweetspot, tie a permanent loop at the other end at the right distance and cut off the excess cord. That's the way I've always made my structural ridgelines. Once you have the ridgeline setup, try a hanging torpedo level from a hardware store on it to help you get the hammock to the right pitch, until you get used to it.

What "drawbacks" are we talking about in the Hennessey? I still think the zipperless bugnet and bottom entry are the best, most bombproof way to handle insect-free hanging. But takes all kinds, right? :)

[Coffee]

I don't care for the hh, but that is just me.

It takes awhile to get the sag and hang of the hammock just right. Give some time and practice and you will get the feel just right for you.

[Narwhalin]

I think it is really awesome that you discovered the sag by chance! Yes, quite a few of us use structural ridgelines. It sure is nice to know that no matter how far apart the trees are, the ridgeline is going to give you that familiar lay that you really like. Spend a few minutes adjusting your ridgeline between a few different settings, and you will soon find the right one.

If I were in your shoes, I would try adjusting the sag with your hammock setup as it is, and spend a few more nights getting used to hammocking. If after that you are still feeling there is more to be desired, try some of the different whippings. I found the HH whipping from the DIY HH tutorial to provide a spot in the middle that was noticibly flatter than my homemade Speer. However, I made the hammock too short, and it is not comfortable to me. So, until I make another one, back to the Speer. (Which is uber-comfy, so no worries! :D) I guess what I am trying to say is, hammocks are comfortable by nature, and when you find a good amount of sag I am sure you will be happy with what you have.

Added: Or, if you want to try two different designs at once, make this: http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/homemade-gear-discussion/4506-grizz-joins-club-claytor.html

Happy Hangin!

[Youngblood]

Hammocks, like a lot of gear, have a learning curve to go through.

What I have found that helps me with my hammocks (no structural ridgeline) is to first try to determine the span, or the distance between supports. Everything else starts from that.

How high I tie off and how much suspension line I use on each end of the hammock is determined based by what the span is. If you use equal lengths of suspension line on each end, your hammock will end up centered. If you don't, the end with the longer suspension line will drop farther when you get in the hammock.

How much suspension line you need is also a function of the hammock length and the sag angle you want, as is how high you tie it off. I'll attach a diagram to give you and idea of what the geometry looks like and how the span effects things. Don't worry too much about the precision of the numbers because you can't do that in the field. You will usually make your best approximations and then make adjustments to get it the way you want it. You will learn to recognize when the ends of the hammock or the bottom of the hammock is where you want it relative to the ground and when the hammock has the right shape, or sag, to it.

[urbansix]

Thanks for all the input already! You guys are great!


What "drawbacks" are we talking about in the Hennessey? I still think the zipperless bugnet and bottom entry are the best, most bombproof way to handle insect-free hanging. But takes all kinds, right? :)
Not drawbacks per se, just features in the Claytor that appealed to me more when shopping, sight unseen.
From my what-hammock-should-I-get pro/con list:

double bottom on Claytor (could live without now that I have a Big Agnes, I think)
zip open bug net on Claytor- not make-or-break, just added feature
side entry on Claytor seems more convenient for reaching gear, plus hammock could double as lounge chair,
the Claytor converts to a ground-based bugnet/bivy for a tarp tent setup, in a pinch
Cost - yes, HH comes with tarps, but I have tarps (aside: potentially using a poncho, once I work out all the ridgeline kinks, saving another 8oz in redundant gear). Lower initial investment to try one out.
I don't know Mr. Hennessy's back story but he'd be hard pressed to have one as cool as Mr. Claytor's :D

The HH does appear roomier, and probably faster setup with the integral tarp, available at retail with a solid REI walk-in return policy, so all in all likely a solid choice as well. But you have to choose a path and stick with it for a while. ;).

[Ramblinrev]

So much depends on personal preferences and needs. I have played around with top loaders but to be very honest I don't see that I will ever go that route consistently. I have some mobility issues that make it difficult for me to get out of a top loader. The bottom entry of the HH is made to order for me. By the same token, what some people see as indispensable (the bugnet zipper mod for example) are of little interest to me because I don't want something I can top load. Now before folks get all bent out of shape, this is a _personal_ statement only. I see the point. I see the attraction and knock yourselves out. I am a big guy coming in at around 250. The idea of maxing out or exceeding the limits of a smaller unit is not real exciting to me. Plus I got this one at such a deal I couldn't resist it. So the assets and deficits of hammocks are very individualistic. I am glad to see so many choices.

[Tobit]

I am a big guy coming in at around 250.
I'm bigger than you, 74" 295 pounds, and this is why I went with the Claytor Jungle. :D

[Ramblinrev]

But did you get it free? :P I'm not bragging here but how could I pass that up.

[bigbadwolfusa]

YB...
Sorry if this is a dumb question...does the recommended heights go for the bigger hammocks like mine...still learning here...

Mike

[bigbadwolfusa]

If I may ....

while thinking about this further...is it better to bring the distance in or bringing it out... I know the farther apart the trees are the higher up you have to hang...but to me a rookie...it seems the closer the trees are the more I am going to be shaped like a banana...true? what is the most comfortable distance to hang...or is this another stupid question...

Thanks for putting up with me...

Mike

[Youngblood]

YB...
Sorry if this is a dumb question...does the recommended heights go for the bigger hammocks like mine...still learning here...

Mike

No, your HH Safari needs to be tied higher. My guess would be on this first diagram. For comparison the second diagram is an overlay with the recommendation I posted for the conventional hammock. Sorry I started out with the 12 foot span, that is just my normal cut off for shortest span.