Truck hanging rig - not for gram counters, possibly crazy.
This may not be original, but I haven't been able to find anything like it. Those who cut corners off of their maps may be deeply offended.
Basically, in addition to backwoods hanging, my wife and I would like to combine our new love of hammocks with conventional car (or truck) camping. Calling around, most campgrounds couldn't give a clear answer on the availability of suitable hanging sites, or simply said no - they wouldn't give us the OK over the phone.
Not being one to leave stuff to chance, or to pass up an opportunity to use angle grinders and welders, I took a hundred dollars or so of scrap tubing and made this:
http://i.imgur.com/FtHKyh.jpg?1
This is a single WBBB, although it fits two pretty nicely. At this height, the final sag does not bump into the sides of the bed except under extreme circumstances. The tie-outs mount nicely to screws under the fender.
Some details:
This is the base of the forward posts - one at each corner. The base is bolted to the bed of the truck, and the upright locks into t and is also held by the original picket pocket. This is very strong, and useful for all kinds of stuff - I've decided to leave it in place all the time, although it comes down in 30 seconds without any tools.
http://i.imgur.com/cjHhX.jpg
Here is the upright locked into the original picket pocket.
http://i.imgur.com/pcUpFh.jpg
At the top is a hefty mount, with two height options. I run a heavy clevis through here to connect the two front supports with a tight chain rated at 1/2 ton. (I put the chain on before inserting the uprights - it would be too tight to attach later.) The chain gives lots of options for spacing out the hangers.
http://i.imgur.com/sHYWK.jpg
At the back, the rear base is two pieces of tubular steel - the 6-foot 2" piece slides into the hitch receiver, and the 2.25" bracket slides onto it, held with pins at both ends.
http://i.imgur.com/Cq7l5h.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/rCVr8h.jpg
The upright drops into the bracket and slides freely - there's a bit of motion involved, and pinning this piece seemed to increase the stress everywhere else.
http://i.imgur.com/eI15oh.jpg
At the top of the upright, there are additional height adjustments, and another heavy clevis. It's easier to attach a carabiner to the clevis than fitting it through the steel. At the bottom is another hole to mount a ratchet strap to stabilize the rear support - see the first picture to see it in place.
The rear upright can also be turned to face backwards for hybrid tree/truck hangs - I'd move the strap to the top and anchor it to the front chain in this situation.
In all, it takes about 2 minutes to set up, and the steel seems plenty strong - less than an inch of deflection.
All in all, I think it'll be a fun way to travel, with my wife beside me and our dog on his bed below us. It came to a final weight of 143 lbs, but you can go without the rear clevis if you want to shed a few grams. Feel free to tell me how crazy this is. :)
