Got my new NX-250 yesterday - how to hang it right?

Hi all,

My new (read first) hammock arrived yesterday while I was out on a hike (figures right!). Even though I was tired and sore I had to get out in the yard and play with it, had some fun figuring out the webbing straps for the trees and the knots on the rope with the Clark drip protection like in the videos on this site. I've been searching and reading various threads on how to hang this hammock, and I've heard things like hang it so the bug net is a bit loose and the hoops a bit towards centre etc, but I've also heard the 30 degree rule all over the place...

I'm having a hard time getting 30 degrees and the right amount of tension on this, is that normal or is there a 'trick' to it I'm just not getting?

Thanks from a total (but well read) noob

Guyturf

I got my Clark last summer. It takes some trial and error.

I started off hanging mine fairly loose - with the hoops bowing in - then get in - zip up the net and check how tight it is. Adjust suspension accordingly.

I can get it pretty close now... for me anyway I hang it a bit tighter (less than 30 degrees probably) than my old Skeeter Beeter.

Pick a nice day and go out and experiment :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Guyturf

Hi all,

My new (read first) hammock arrived yesterday while I was out on a hike (figures right!). Even though I was tired and sore I had to get out in the yard and play with it, had some fun figuring out the webbing straps for the trees and the knots on the rope with the Clark drip protection like in the videos on this site. I've been searching and reading various threads on how to hang this hammock, and I've heard things like hang it so the bug net is a bit loose and the hoops a bit towards centre etc, but I've also heard the 30 degree rule all over the place...

I'm having a hard time getting 30 degrees and the right amount of tension on this, is that normal or is there a 'trick' to it I'm just not getting?

Thanks from a total (but well read) noob

Guyturf

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I, too, have a NX250. The best help I got was to change out the suspension to something much easier to handle and adjust. For me it made a big difference, easy incremental adjustments without wrestling the stiff rope. Others here seem to have a strong attachment to the stock suspension. Ultimately it comes down to what comfortably works for you. One thing for sure, when you find the 'place', you will know it, and really begin to enjoy your new hang.

First rule: Be careful of stringing it too tight. Even with a proper sag the netting & weather shield will look loose and may suggest to you to shorten the connections. Resist the temptation. As the directions state, the netting should zip smoothly with your weight in the hammock.

I also changed the stock ropes to a buckle & strap setup. I find it much easier to adjust the sag with this setup. Paul at AHE can provide a simple and easy conversion kit.

Have fun with the NX-250. It is a bombproof rig that will keep ypu comfy in nasty weather.

Jim

Had a chance to setup the 250 again last night. I found a couple of trees that were a bit further apart than last time which seemed to help, I'm wondering if the first attempt was too close together.

I'm using the clark stock ropes with them setup to use the clark dripline ring as an adjuster, and I'm fairly happy with how well/easy that is to use.

Didn't have much time to hang in it, but it felt better than it had, still not perfect though cause the zippers were a bit too tough to do up in the corners.

I'll keep trying though. This was the first time I had the tarp setup as well, I have the vertex tarp and that thing is huge!

How high above the hammock should the tarp be? I had it set so that it was pretty much touching the top of the hammock until I got in, then once I sat down I had lots of headroom.

Tips appreciated by the way!

Guyturf

I put up with the rope all last summer but I've since swapped to rings/straps. Much easier to adjust!!

As for the tarp height, for me that depends on the weather - if its cool/rainy I usually keep everything pretty close to the ground to keep out wind/water.

If it's nice I raise hammock to catch breeze and either skip the tarp or put it higher than normal just to keep sun off.

Jim

I've posted my beliefs and opinions liberally and too often already here in the last year. Basically, you can hang pretty comfortably with the NX-250 zipped up and you looking on proudly at it as the forest-schooner and floating tent of the night that it is, with the ridgeline of netting or weathershield barely sagging.

Or, you can be more comfortable, in an opinion reinforced by more experience than just novelty, if you let the hammock sag much more.

Oh, but the sag in netting!! Solution: Cheap, light sewing elastic ---,or for really bushcrafters --ultra-light shock cord, of course -- tied between loops at the top of the hoods back to the ends of the hammock to pull the hoops and netting back, restoring the primary or secondary function of holding up the netting

Other:

• • Practice in your back yard.
  • Discipline yourself on best ways to thread the rods
  • and not forgetting, dropping, or losing them.
  • Notice that except for looks, the hoop at the foot end doesn't add much.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Guyturf

Had a chance to setup the 250 again last night. I found a couple of trees that were a bit further apart than last time which seemed to help, I'm wondering if the first attempt was too close together.

I'm using the clark stock ropes with them setup to use the clark dripline ring as an adjuster, and I'm fairly happy with how well/easy that is to use.

Didn't have much time to hang in it, but it felt better than it had, still not perfect though cause the zippers were a bit too tough to do up in the corners.

I'll keep trying though. This was the first time I had the tarp setup as well, I have the vertex tarp and that thing is huge!

How high above the hammock should the tarp be? I had it set so that it was pretty much touching the top of the hammock until I got in, then once I sat down I had lots of headroom.

Tips appreciated by the way!

Guyturf

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If the weather is nasty, I have the rain fly just a few inches above the clark.
Good weather, about as high as I can reach with comfort.
It really usually is not a big issue with me, cause the clark for me is a sleeping shelter and once I'm up and out in the morning,The Clark gets packed up and I'm back on the trail. These other modes of hanging a ridge fly ( such as "porch" mode), I rarely use unless I am in one spot for an extended time such as MAHHA Spring and Fall events.
Just too much to enjoy out there in God's vast beauty of nature to sit in one spot very long unless the weather is foul.

Rain fly as high as comfortable to reach, unless it is raining or I think it will, then on down. Haven't been in any heavy or wind blown rain yet, reckon my luck will hold? Nah, probably not.

next question, I've been looking at other threads on attaching the guylines to the tarp, what method do you guys recommend for easy adjustability and quick setup?