I get better cheese and park by rivers when we're around them, the rest of the time it's wilderness dry camping. Though I'm not sure it's still "camping" when you live that way.
I get better cheese and park by rivers when we're around them, the rest of the time it's wilderness dry camping. Though I'm not sure it's still "camping" when you live that way.
I agree and it's probably not a great idea.
I have a Tensa4 and there is no way it would fit in the van. The Promaster City is the size of a mini van. The cargo area is only 87" X 60" and 52" high. There's no way a full Tensa setup will work in there. And it would take up the entire cargo area.
I'm going to look into some sort of Tensa Solo type stand for the front. The concern I have is how to anchor it. The stand would need to be placed so far forward the only anchor point is going to be the same anchor point in question. The pole may help transfer some of the force to the floor but I wouldn't think much.
When I bought the van the fleet salesman suggested I do some sort of bolt through the roof and reinforce with a metal plate. I think reinforcing the front anchor point might be worth it. From my inspection it looks just as solid as anywhere in the van. I may try finding a body shop I can trust and consult with them as to whether that anchor point will work. If not how I can reinforce it so it does.
This is my daily driver so I don't want to start making "ugly" modifications to it. If all else fails I'll just build out a slat style bed or maybe just a tri-fold mattress on the floor.
Got time to breath, you got time for music - Brisco Darlin
hmm. i understand space is tight there, but here's what i was thinking/what i meant with the "half tensa": if you have identified a long enough ridgeline for a hammock going across diagonally (which you have), and you have verified that the path for the hammock while in use, with that ridgeline, is not obstructed (so you can hang the hammock between those two points, and if you put some light dummy load in the hammock, it will not cause the fabric to touch anything in the car) -- which i don't know if you have tested -- if these criteria are fulfilled, then a tensa (or half a tensa in this case), will take very little space extra compared to the hammock itself while in use, anywhere up to say half way from the attachement point going towards the ground (as you continue towards the ground, the extra space it needs compared to the hammock increases). but your space is most limited at the attachement point i think, not at the floor level, so if hanging a hammock with a load in it will work, there's a chance that half a tensa might be convinced to fit too. half a tensa will need very little anchoring, which the existing attachement point will be able to handle easily, most of the load will be on the tensa struts as you know from your tensa4, unlike the tensa solo which would need significant anchoring power.
another problem is that, if i understand your dimensions correctly, you need to use an offset hanging scheme (which most hang calculators cannot help with, but it's simple to understand if you draw it on a piece of paper). in short, as you want to be a bit further from the front attachement point (because that's in the front cabin, and you don't have any space there), it would mean the attachement point in the cabin should be higher than in the back, which might be difficult with so little height (i guess dropping the rear attachement would be the only way, but that might leave you with too little space to hang.
regarding the roof: in general the roof is sheet metal, so imho it won't help much to add strength. you want to bolt on to something which was meant to be structural (the roof is almost never so, in general it will have anti roll struts inside it which will be quite strong, but the roof itself, especially for bolting something through it, is likely to disappoint you). if you want to go that route, i strongly recommend you talk to an engineer that understands how these vehicles are put together, the dealership salesman is likely not such person (and i mean that with no disrespect, this is no trivial topic, i make no claim myself that i'm able to do anything but scratch the surface of what it implies).
Last edited by nanok; 01-13-2021 at 09:07.
I didnt read all the replies. I'm hanging in a Dodge Caravan. I went without a ridgeline. I anchor off the gathered end knots and into an amstel loop mounted through the van frame front and rear. I have 4 inches or so clearance of my underquilt from the floor when I'm in it.
I like refried beans. That's why I wanna try fried beans, because maybe they're just as good and we're just wasting time. You don't have to fry them again after all.
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If this picture isn’t big enough to show the detail I’ll follow up with a larger version.
Heres how I hung a gathered end hammock in a Toyota previa minivan for three years with no problems. This is the rear door. There’s a bolt where the seatbelt attaches. I found a broken leaf spring in my garden, looked at it and had an inspiration. I drilled a 3/8 inch hole in the leaf spring and bolted it on where the seat belt would attach. I ran a second bolt thru the end of the leaf spring and hung the hammock off of that.
For the front I removed the passenger side visor. The two mounting screws were exactly right for the D ring I had. I wasn’t sure at all about it but it held me just fine for 3 years with no signs of stress. I did remove the passenger seat to make room for the hammock.
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I did have to shorten the hammock. I did it by tying a knot in the fabric. My underquilt just barely cleared the floor.
Very comfortable though and I loved how packing the hammock and bedding opened up space in the van.
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Last edited by nancybee; 01-22-2021 at 00:45. Reason: Added better picture
My plan exactly. Thank you for posting. Your solution is quite innovative. Seeing at least two people attach a mount to the front visor gives me confidence I can do the same without structural damage.
I'm on the larger side 235-240 depending on the season. So that's my biggest concern. I have the M6 35mm eyebolts now. I need to find the time to get in the van and rig everything. I'm thinking I still want to put some sort of metal plate behind all the attachment points to reinforce and not rely on the threaded metal to hold me.
Got time to breath, you got time for music - Brisco Darlin
Do you have an update?
nancybee, I’m glad that is working for you but I’d watch it. In another discussion about anchoring on a car, someone pointed out that the luggage rack - for example - is often only held by sheetmetal screws - not bolts and nuts (and washers). The manufacturer gets away with that design because people seldom use the roof rack and if they do, it’s to stabilize containers of gear, not hang 100 lbs (or more in my case) off them. So when I see those eyepads you are hooking to inside the van, I’m wondering if the car manufacturer has a lbs. rating for them. A lot of things work for a little while; until they don’t. Be safe.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
I have a 1983 Cherokee Laredo and a pair of 1/4" thick 8"x8" Aluminum plates work well. Put a thick silicon cushion between the roof (interior and exterior) and mount your steel eyebolt. The thick silicon boil in bags with the sliding plastic seal work well.
https://www.amazon.com/Stasher-Bag-L...07C13VS1M?th=1
Bisect the bag with scissors. You can retouch the paint when if you sell, or keep it as it is for another hammock traveler.
Or... just invest in a roof rack and attach to the interior bolts used to secure the roof rack.
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