Bridge hammock hangle

[FLScouthanger]

Just DIY'd a bridge hammock. Was wondering if there is a rule of thumb for the ridgeline similar to a gathered end design (e.g., 83%)? Thanks!

[kitsapcowboy]

Depending upon the specific design of your bridge hammock, your ridge line may or may not be structural in nature, so its length will depend on design factors, such as your desired hang angle and the dimensions of your suspension triangles.

For a non-structural bridge hammock ridge line used for utility purposes only (like holding up a bug net, mini lantern, or ridge line organizer) rather than bearing significant load, the distance it spans apex to apex on the suspension actually changes slightly as the occupant shifts from sitting to laying, so I like to include a 1/8" (doubled) shock cord section at one end of the ridge line to make it self-adjusting and remain taut. (If you heap a lot of weight into a ridge line organizer, this modification may not work for you, or you may need for strands of shock cord instead of two.) To estimate the appropriate length, measure the distance from apex to apex on the suspension while the hammock is occupied and use that as a ballpark; when you are sitting, a fixed ridgeline may sag a bit.

As for bridge hammock hang angle, I generally find I need to hang my bridges up to 5 degrees closer to horizontal than my gathered-end hammocks, around 25 degrees. HTH...

[FLScouthanger]

Depending upon the specific design of your bridge hammock, your ridge line may or may not be structural in nature, so its length will depend on design factors, such as your desired hang angle and the dimensions of your suspension triangles.

For a non-structural bridge hammock ridge line used for utility purposes only (like holding up a bug net, mini lantern, or ridge line organizer) rather than bearing significant load, the distance it spans apex to apex on the suspension actually changes slightly as the occupant shifts from sitting to laying, so I like to include a 1/8" (doubled) shock cord section at one end of the ridge line to make it self-adjusting and remain taut. (If you heap a lot of weight into a ridge line organizer, this modification may not work for you, or you may need for strands of shock cord instead of two.) To estimate the appropriate length, measure the distance from apex to apex on the suspension while the hammock is occupied and use that as a ballpark; when you are sitting, a fixed ridgeline may sag a bit.

As for bridge hammock hang angle, I generally find I need to hang my bridges up to 5 degrees closer to horizontal than my gathered-end hammocks, around 25 degrees. HTH...

Thanks for the quick reply Kitsap. I mirrored Bic's (aka, Hiking Dad) design. The only mod to the design was the cat cut on the long edges--I opted for 4" cat cuts vs. 6". Using Dutch's bridge adapters and 36" long .742" speakers from Quest Outfitters. Cinch buckles are larks headed to Dutch adapters 24" away (apex) from spreaders. Was thinking of putting a ridgeline on to get consistent hangle. Being in Florida, eventually I'll have to put a bug net on, so the ridgeline needs to be structural.

[kitsapcowboy]

Thanks for the quick reply Kitsap. I mirrored Bic's (aka, Hiking Dad) design. The only mod to the design was the cat cut on the long edges--I opted for 4" cat cuts vs. 6". Using Dutch's bridge adapters and 36" long .742" speakers from Quest Outfitters. Cinch buckles are larks headed to Dutch adapters 24" away (apex) from spreaders. Was thinking of putting a ridgeline on to get consistent hangle. Being in Florida, eventually I'll have to put a bug net on, so the ridgeline needs to be structural.

Actually, in that case, I believe the ridge line is not actually structural -- even when hanging a bug net from it. The RL is just a convenient guide to helping you determine how "stretched out" your bridge hammock is, as well as being useful for keeping the net off your face and small items in easy reach.

Assuming you're shooting for a 25-degree "hangle", and you have 36" spreader bars, the other input variable to determining your approximate ridge line length is the length of your Amsteel suspension dog bones, which will determine the height of your suspension triangles on each end, which are likely to be congruent with one another.

I will also assume the dog bones are within the typical recommended guidelines for length, i.e., in an 80% to 100% ratio with the spreader bar length, or between 29" and 30" long.

If your dog bones are 29" long, the height of the suspension triangles is about 20.5", so they will rise about 9" to 10" above the bar and about run 20" to 21" past the bars on each end, making your estimated apex-to-apex ridge line length approximately your hammock length + 40", and if your bridge hammock is a typical 80" long, your ridge line should be about 120" at 25 degrees (a rough lower bound for the RL length).

Conversely, if your dog bones are 36" long, the height of the suspension triangles is about 31.25", so they will rise about 13" to 14" above the bar and about run 28" to 29" past the bars on each end, making your estimated apex-to-apex ridge line length approximately your hammock length + 58", and if your bridge hammock is a typical 80" long, your ridge line should be about 138" at 25 degrees (a rough upper bound for the RL length).

You can use a piece of Lash-It with a spliced "whoopie" adjustment loop at one end to experiment within that 120" to 138" range and dial in your final desired ridge line length to whatever level of precision you deem necessary.