Asked to do a hammock talk

[Ranc0r]

Howdy!

The Boy Scout troop asked me to do a presentation on hanging, outdoors at a local park (I've already scouted for suitable trees). Several boys already hang, and the troop sets up hammock racks at summer camp. The Scoutmaster has actively encouraged the boys to consider hanging when investing in their personal camping gear. However, since there is no "Scouting-approved Gold Standard" of hanging, the resulting purchases have been all over the map. There hasn't been a common body of knowledge for the boys to draw from, or a target goal to be aiming for.

My intention is to set up and "demonstrate" my gear, which includes a jungle hammock, a Dutch netless and a halfwit, a Hennessy, a DIY GE, and a Crazy Creek. I don't presently own anything by Warbonnet, and I have no bridge hammocks. I've got a couple of hex tarps, a blue poly rectangle, a cat cut silnylon square fly, and a DIY hex tarp. No winter tarps, beaks or doors. I've been hanging just about 8 years now, but I haven't done a long-distance thru with a hammock nor do I get out much below freezing temps (shoulder seasons). Yes, I have a copy of The Ultimate Hang.

The purpose as I understand it is to emphasize safe hanging and LNT. So we're going to talk about site selection, widow-makers, straps and huggers, 30* angles, and keeping warm - so pads, quilts and bags. My reference material will be links to Shug's videos, this forum, and a handful of cottage vendors with whom I've had personal experience.

My question is: if YOU were being asked to give this type of presentation, what info would you consider MUST HAVE to present to the scouts, nice to provide if there's time, or not relevant/don't waste introductory time with that drivel?

I know there are gaps in the completeness of my equipment, but I wasn't planning on buying EVERYTHING hammock-related IN EXISTENCE before this little talk. I want to stress the value of DIY, but other than one hammock and one tarp, I've mostly bought or customized rather than built from scratch (I have LOTS of DIY stuff sacks tho). My goal is to present as much relevant and useful information as I can in under an hour, and still leave time to actually hang a tarp and hammock.

Any ideas or comments will be appreciated. Thanks!

[SilvrSurfr]

I'd keep the talking extremely brief - no more than 15 minutes. Scouts typically have a short attention span and there's way too much to cover, even in an hour. Spend the bulk of the time on letting them try the hammocks.

[brazilianguy]

A MUST for me... Strap to keep trees safe. And hanging the leg side higher for ultimate comfort

[freekncreekn01]

I think the illustration that is "stickied" to the top of this forum could be a very useful guide on what to cover for beginners. Thanks to whomever created it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mowgli]

I would emphasize the importance of knowing the gear and site requirements before going out. When I first started my biggest problem was I'd pick trees too far apart or too close together and have to re-hang. Eventually I learned to step off the distance and attach at the right height on the tree to get proper sag. For me whoopie slings were a game changer for ease of set up and the variety of sites I could make use of. It seems there's a lot of products out there that aren't nearly as adjustable and could be frustrating and discouraging for those just starting out. Also, I see a lot of nylon suspensions that stretch overnight.

Another idea might be to let them feel a good hang vs one with common pitfalls. Maybe hang one hammock too taut vs another hung correctly and let them lay in each so they can feel the difference. Then, in the properly hung hammock have them try laying diagonal vs straight. Being coached to feel the difference would have saved me several restless nights. Good luck!

[P-Dub]

I think the illustration that is "stickied" to the top of this forum could be a very useful guide on what to cover for beginners. Thanks to whomever created it!

[It's by Derek Hansen, as it says at the bottom of the drawing -- he wrote The Ultimate Hang, many people's bible of hammocking. Check out his website: theultimatehang.com]

[durunner]

As someone else said, keep it short. Give them the basics and if they want to go beyond that later you can give them more. One thing that makes The Ultimate Hang so good is how simple it is.

Give them some advantages and reasons to hammock camp, work on site selection and safety. Give them just the basic components, hammock and straps, bugnet, topquilt and underquilt. Then show them how to hang properly, distance and angle and so they know it will feel.

They don't need a lot of details like underquilt protectors, peak bags or know about fleaz and tarpworms.

Keep it simple and show them as much or more than you tell them.]

[slugbait]

Definitely emphasize selecting safe trees- I caught a scout about to tie his hammock to a dead fir about 4" diameter on our last campout. I would show an underquilt as an example but demo using a pad as some scouts already have them and if not, can be bought cheaply. Also show how they can use knots they have learned in their setups. SilvrSurfer is right- you'll be dealing with short attention spans and hands-on instruction works much better. They will of course want to try a hammock- set some ground rules first(one at a time, no swinging etc.). I would also show how to use a plastic tarp as they work well, use knot skills and are budget friendly. Use of tree straps is important- the hammocks scouts generally buy come with rope instead. Don't forget to explain diagonal lay- this is another concept they seem to have a hard time with. Good luck!

[QFT]

Yeah short and sweet for sure.

- Here's a hammock
- Here's how far your trees should be; here's why you need to watch out for dead trees
- Use a strap to protect the tree, have the strap hang down like this (about 30 degrees)
- Connects to the hammock like this, here's how far it should be above ground
- Make sure you still bring a pad and a sleeping bag or your butt will freeze (I wouldn't mention quilts unless your scouts are likely to go drop money for them)
- Tarp goes on the trees like this, make sure it is this close to the hammock and has this much coverage on both sides
- Get in the hammock and sleep diagonally like this

I agree with others when they say that having them play around with it is worth more than a presentation/videos.