noob here in need of advice

[Lighter Knot]

Hey guys, great site ,lots of great info. I just received my first hammock, HH explorer deluxe. Last night I set it for a test run in the back yard, got settled and within a few min the back of my knees began hurting. I adjusted according to various posts on knee hyper-extension that Ive found and still cant get comfortable. I put in my girlfriends rei inflatable pad inside and laying on it, it seemed to help.(guess it flattened out the fabric?)I really dont want to sleep with something like a stuff sack or pillow under my knees so im asking, go with a pad,adjust my ridge line, or sell the HH and try a wbbb? The pad I used is tapered at the foot end, if the answer is pad which shape?? Tapered or Square?
thanks in advance

[dejoha]

When I've used pads, I found that rounding corners, or shaping them helps them to stay in the hammock, but I agree that they can be a nuisance. I used my inflatable pad a few times, and yes it can help to flatten out the hammock a bit.

I don't like having something under my knees either, partly because I sometimes shift to my side and it's a pain to keep everything situated.

I would try different positions for your legs. I find that through the night my legs will shift from crossing, to one leg bent at the knee, or both knees bent and turn to the side. Sometimes switching which legs are crossed on top can help too.

I think most end-gathered hammocks have this situation, in part because they have limited width. Wider hammocks allow you to get much flatter with less tension on your legs. But, those hammocks are also heavier and require more room, etc. I think the knee issue is one that most people deal with to take advantage of the other benefits of camping hammocks.

[sandykayak]

I've wondered whether the hammocks with rope "ends" spread out more and offer a flatter lay (lie?) than gathered ends.????

I've also wondered if the ropes are less bulky (and lighter) than all the fabric in the gathered ends ones??

My Byer's Moskito Traveller (16 oz with net; no tarp; no suspension) weighs 16 oz. See pix here ($29!! - I got mine when they were $20 - now $40 at most places).

http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CDMQ8wIwAg#

Hope this isn't considered hijacking...I'm addressing lying flat on the diagonal

[Bubba]

I remember reading somewhere that people tend to lay a little more in line with the HH's. Other hammocks like the WB allow a more diagonal and therefore flatter lay. A flatter lay would mean less stress on the kneess. I am not positive about this but have this recollection on the subject.

[TinaLouise]

HH explorer deluxe. Last night I set it for a test run, got settled and within a few min the back of my knees began hurting.
I adjusted according to various posts on knee hyper-extension still cant get comfortable. I put in inflatable pad inside and laying on it, it seemed to help
I really dont want to sleep with pillow under my knees
so im asking, go with a pad,adjust my ridge line,
or sell the HH and try a wbbb?

With my HH (Expedition asym zip) I sleep sideways (or way off the center line of the hammock). With your Explorer, do you also lay in it like that or is it more of laying right down the middle?? I've found that the more off center I am, the flatter it seems to feel. If I've got to much of a curve, my knees will hurt (I've even had my ankles hurt).
Exactly what did you do to try to fix the problem??
A pad under you is normally for insulation, not to fix a hyperextension problem. Since you did find a bit of comfort with one, maybe it was affecting the hamock's curve somewhat??
The warbonnet is a really nice hammock, I've got one of them also. I still will use the HH that I have too. All 3 of my hammocks seem to hang differently with different requirements to get the best hang from them. I had to experiment with each to figure out how to do that. I personally wouldn't get rid of the HH until I'd tried every thing I could to try to get comfortable in it. If after all that, I wasn't comfortable, then I'd look into a different sort of hammock.

TinaLouise

[Lighter Knot]

TL, Ive raised the head/foot end, went closer and farther head and foot end from the trees. I lay asym as instructed, just seems the hammock bottom angles too much when my body weight pulls it tight. Ive hung it with a loose ridge line and a tight one. when the pad is in with me it flattens out the bottom of the hammock so less material is pressing against my legs. So whats next?

[perrito]

Hey guys, great site ,lots of great info. I just received my first hammock, HH explorer deluxe. Last night I set it for a test run in the back yard, got settled and within a few min the back of my knees began hurting. I adjusted according to various posts on knee hyper-extension that Ive found and still cant get comfortable. I put in my girlfriends rei inflatable pad inside and laying on it, it seemed to help.(guess it flattened out the fabric?)I really dont want to sleep with something like a stuff sack or pillow under my knees so im asking, go with a pad,adjust my ridge line, or sell the HH and try a wbbb? The pad I used is tapered at the foot end, if the answer is pad which shape?? Tapered or Square?
thanks in advance

How long is your hammock?
How tall are you?

[Lighter Knot]

How long is your hammock?
How tall are you?

Im 6foot tall 170lbs, my hammock is rated for a 7foot 300lb person... off to get a thermarest of some kind.

[perrito]

Im 6foot tall 170lbs, my hammock is rated for a 7foot 300lb person... off to get a thermarest of some kind.

OK, but how long is the hammock?

[dakotaross]

Im 6foot tall 170lbs, my hammock is rated for a 7foot 300lb person... off to get a thermarest of some kind.

I went to a stuffed stuff sack under my knees and that solved it for me. But I also did notice that I laid flatter with a pad. I always used a shorty which means I gained a little flatness with my feet hanging off the pad. I also noticed, after going from a 1" Thermarest to a 3" Big Agnes, that I was able to get real, real flat if I inflated the BA real good - something that wasn't comfy for me on the ground, but in the hammock it worked. The TR was not comfy that way and was never as flat as the BA.

I think given time, if you use the pad to flatten yourself and alleviate the hyperextension for now, that over time you will learn a little bit more about how to hang and will eventually get a better handle on what your real needs are. So, I would hang on to what you have right now, try some pads, maybe try the pillow under the knees again, and see where that takes you.