Double Ridge line vs. Single Ridge line

[ninjahamockman]

Might be a noob question but why would I need 2 ridge lines. Could some one also give the pro's and con's of each.

[Bubba]

A hammock only requires one ridgeline. it's generally referred to as a structural ridgeline because it provides a consistent sag if the angle of the suspension changes. It's good to have in situations where your trees are very far apart and you cannot raise the attachment points on the trees to attain a 30 degree suspension angle. Some use the structural ridgelines only as a guide for hammock set up so it is not pulled very taut in those instances. It also can serve the purpopse of supporting a bugnet. It's not necessary on hammocks without bugnets or on bugnets that are supported by tie outs.

The other ridgeline is the tarp ridgeline. Continuous ridgelines run from tree to tree and the tarp either hangs above or below it. A tarp can be set up without a continuous ridgeline by just tying the ends of the tarp to the trees. In this case, the top of the tarp can be referred to as the ridgeline.

[titanium_hiker]

Both are optional. :)

The big advantage for a hammock ridge line, besides consistent hang is that it helps to keep the bugnet off your face.

TH

[ninjahamockman]

So this deal right here gives me a structural ridge line and a tarp ridge line. http://shop.whoopieslings.com/2-Line-Tarp-Ridge-Line-TRL2.htm

[nothermark]

look at the lengths. This is for a no ridge line tarp setup. One line goes on each end of the tarp ridge seam. A lot of folks like it because they save the weight of the line length over/under the tarp.

A lot of us would rather use a continuous line as it is easier to adjust the tarp position plus adds support and a place to hang things under the tarp.

[ninjahamockman]

I think I am going to try to make my own continuous ridge line.

[SmokeBait]

So this deal right here gives me a structural ridge line and a tarp ridge line. http://shop.whoopieslings.com/2-Line-Tarp-Ridge-Line-TRL2.htm

No, that is just for a tarp, not a hammock. There are 2 lines with each connecting to one end of the tarp then they each will connect to the trees on the other end. Some prefer the 2-line approach ober a single, or continuous, ridge line to save a few grams of weight.

[SilvrSurfr]

I think I am going to try to make my own continuous ridge line.

A continuous ridgeline for your tarp is fairly easy to make. All you need is some Zing-It (I use 1.75 mm). To avoid knot tying (tough in cold weather), Nite Ize Figure 9s and Knotbones work great and are affordable.

Much cooler is a titanium Dutch Hook spliced on one end of the Zing-It, and a titanium Dutch Tarp Flyz on the other end for adjustment.

As mentioned before, you'll then just need a couple of soft shackle prusiks to center the tarp on the continuous ridgeline (and between your trees).

I make my soft shackle prusiks out of Zing-It 1.75 mm using Opie's pictoral (just search on "soft shackle prusik pictoral").

For your hammock, an adjustable ridgeline is essentially a whoopie sling. Mine are made of, you guessed it, Zing-It 1.75 mm. I use a Dutch titanium Ridgeline Biner to connect the adjustable loop.

I'm not gonna tell you that splicing whoopie slings and soft shackle prusiks is easy, but it sure is fun!

[ninjahamockman]

I will have to look it all up. I think I want to stick to dutch ware for my continuous ridge line. I price one to about 36 bucks that is alright.

[ninjahamockman]

by the way how long should the zing it be.

[Bubba]

For a continuous ridgeline, 30 feet should be enough for tarp set up unless youi have really large trees in your area.

[ninjahamockman]

I am thinking of buying 50ft of zing it, 3 dutch hooks, and a dutch flyz. The other 20 ft I am going to use to make a structural ridgeline and other parts of the continuous ridge line.

[SilvrSurfr]

I am thinking of buying 50ft of zing it, 3 dutch hooks, and a dutch flyz. The other 20 ft I am going to use to make a structural ridgeline and other parts of the continuous ridge line.

I'm beginning to think you might be confused, and should get unconfused before making a purchase. I understand 30 ft of Zing-It, one dutch hook, and one Dutch Tarp Flyz to make a continuous ridgeline for your tarp (though I like 35 ft). What are the other two Dutch hooks for? What other parts are there to a continuous ridgeline?

As for a hammock ridgeline, you might be better off with an adjustable ridgeline rather than a permanent structural ridgeline, so you can have adjustability. Your ENO Singlenest is 112" long. If you accept the de facto standard that your hammock ridgeline should be around 83% of your hammock length, then you're looking at making a Zing-It whoopie sling of 93 inches, or 7.75 ft. That means you'll need roughly 16 ft. of Zing-It.

Also, at the rates you'll be charged for 50 ft. of Zing-It, I'd just buy a 180 ft. roll for approximately $24, plus shipping. You can get it at http://wesspur.com and other places for around the same price. You can use the extra cord for soft shackle prusiks (to attach tarp to continuous ridgeline), guy lines, etc.

[ninjahamockman]

Ah nice I just thought I could copy this stuff could you give me a direct link to the zingit because I can only find it as a rescue thing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBjsARXn94U

[SilvrSurfr]

Ah nice I just thought I could copy this stuff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBjsARXn94U

In my opinion, that's just a waste of cordage and Dutch Hooks. All you need is one Dutch hook on one end, and a Dutch Tarp Flyz on the other.

I can't see that you gain anything by having a prusik with Dutch hook attached to a loop on the D ring. A simple soft shackle prusik to attach tarp to ridgeline serves the same purpose, unless your intent is to maximize the amount of cordage, Dutch bling, and weight of your ridgeline. The video poster also seemed to have problems with the locked brummel for the Dutch hook, so maybe all the other stuff is just to avoid having to do any further splicing (i.e., a soft shackle prusik). Or maybe he just likes knots rather than splices.

Splicing 1.75 mm Zing-It ain't easy, but you could simply tie a prusik to your tarp rather than going to all the effort the video poster did.

Here's a direct link to the Wesspur site at http://www.wesspur.com/Throw-line/zing-it-throw-line.html

Redden Marine also sells it, and there's a 5% discount if you use the code hammockforum. Here's the thread on that discount:

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=46241

And here's the direct link to Zing-It on Redden Marine:

http://www.reddenmarine.com/samson-rope-zing-it.html

I think that Wesspur comes out cheaper, as I recall. Redden Marine, even with the discount, charges an arm and a leg for shipping.

[ninjahamockman]

I also found a deal on Jacks R. Better.com I can get everything I need for 30 bucks and that includes shipping.(50 ft of zing it, 1 dutch hook, 1 duch flyz). I probably will order 125 ft of zing it because can one have enough zing it I mean look at the uses I can replace the rope I have on my tarp with zing it. and I would not mind having my own rope around.

[SilvrSurfr]

I've gone through three rolls of Zing-It in the last year. You can never have enough around.

[SmokeBait]

I've gone through three rolls of Zing-It in the last year. You can never have enough around.

Agreed! Great stuff.