100% ridgeline?

[kc_joe]

So put down the pitchforks and save the straight jacket. I KNOW this isn't ideal or common but if a person were to want to rig their hammock 'straight' (the 100% ridge line is just a way to visualize but no actual ridge line) is the only issue comfort? I believe that many would not enjoy this but my real question is will this be an issue for the suspension or hammock body? Particularly I use VERY light materials (1.0 fabric) and what I don't want is to end up on the ground because this idea puts to much stress on any part of the rig.

[leiavoia]

The forces on the fabric become disproportionately stronger the straighter the angle. For 1.0 fabrics, you would certainly be looking for trouble. I would even advise going with a very deep sag with those fabrics just to reduce the stress.

[MAD777]

Don't do it. If the Ridgeline end suspension could remain horizontal with you in it, the load would be Infinity.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[jeff-oh]

So put down the pitchforks and save the straight jacket. I KNOW this isn't ideal or common but if a person were to want to rig their hammock 'straight' (the 100% ridge line is just a way to visualize but no actual ridge line) is the only issue comfort? I believe that many would not enjoy this but my real question is will this be an issue for the suspension or hammock body? Particularly I use VERY light materials (1.0 fabric) and what I don't want is to end up on the ground because this idea puts to much stress on any part of the rig.

As others have said. The flatter the set up the higher the loads are in the suspension and fabric. To give you an idea at a 30deg angle the load in the suspension is equal to the weight of the person in the hammock. At a 20deg hang the load is ~1.5* the weight of the person in the hammock. At a 10deg hang the load is about 3 times the weight of the person. At a 5deg hang the load is about 6 times the weight of the person.

If you think hey that doesn't sound so bad. This assumes you got in the hammock safely and are not moving at all. Once you start putting in dynamic force the loads can quickly double or more and you may cause loads of multiple 1000's of pounds.

Reference poor old Greenbean's last moment. (@ Time: 4:52) Shug removes his ridgeline and pulls the hammock flat. The sacrifices he has done for our community.

[cougarmeat]

In my experience, the main reason a person wants a "straight" hammock is because they mistakenly think that's the way to get a flat lay. Instead, it puts tremendous stress on the fabric and suspension. If possible, I take a handkerchief and, using it as a mini-hammock, show them the banana shape if they lie parallel to the ends. Then I show them that with the right amount of sag, and a diagonal lie, they have a nice "flat" surface for sleeping.

[bluesam3]

In addition to the loads on the hammock being far higher, the loads on the trees are proportionally higher, so you need many times wider tree straps to protect them properly, if you did use a hammock fabric strong enough to survive the punishment.

[MAD777]

To carry bluesam3's caution further, there have been a few instances of trees coming over, even under normal circumstances. Probably not a good idea to tempt fate with a piano wire tight setup.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk