Good thoughts, moto. I advised someone to gather the ends, without considering the consequences of the taper. I guess I will have to hope they were short.
Good thoughts, moto. I advised someone to gather the ends, without considering the consequences of the taper. I guess I will have to hope they were short.
An emergency of my own making...is still an emergency.
Some observations on the Byer Moskito Hammock, since I just bought two in an effort to make my own DIY hammock setup.
The hammock and bug net are approx. 6 ft 6 inches. The maze of strings at each end that the hammock hangs from are approximately 2 ft. long. So when hanging, the hammock itself is 10.5 to 12 ft., by my calculations (it stretches).
I made whoopie slings for my suspension. The whoopie slings I made have a Brummel fixed splice with approx. 5 inches of bury. There's another 5 inches of Amsteel before the "whoopie" adjustable loop starts. Since my tarp should provide coverage for the adjustable loop (which acts as a drip string), add another 10 inches on each side of the hammock that your tarp ridgeline will need to cover.
Therefore, your tarp better have a ridgeline of at least 14 ft., if not more. I'm currently considering shortening up the bury on the Brummel splice to 3.5 inches, and maybe only 3 inches to the adjustable loop (with 10 inch bury). That would add only 6.5 inches on each side, in addition to the hammock's length (11 to 12 ft), on the coverage I need from my tarp ridgeline.
I could also put in a hammock ridgeline and shorten up the hang of the hammock so I don't need so much tarp ridgeline coverage. This doesn't sound too appealing to me but I may not even notice the difference. I'll experiment some more to see if I could hang the Byer with ridgeline at 8 ft, giving me a foot of tarp coverage on each side for the Byer rope suspension and whoopies.
I bought the Grand Trunk Funky Forest tarp ($29.97 at http://www.bargainoutfitters.com) under the impression it was a true 10x10 tarp. However, I'm suffering buyer's remorse and am afraid that this is not a true 10x10 tarp (which would give me 14 ft. of ridgeline according to the Pythagorean theorem).
My sons and I have experimented with ridgelines and never saw much of a need for one. We're not "princess and the pea" sleepers who need a perfectly repeatable hammock hang to get to sleep. I can't believe that I may now have to use a ridgeline just so it will keep me dry under my Funky Forest Tarp with my ultralong Byer hammock.
I thought this DIY hammock stuff was supposed to be easy. I'm glad I'm learning all this crap in the backyard before I head off to my Lake Lila, NY, five-day hammock hang next week with my sons. Field testing is much easier in the backyard than on a wilderness adventure.
I keep telling myself that this DIY stuff is more fun than buying some ready-made hammock system like Hennessy Hammocks (my other hammock). The problem is that DIY is a learning process, and learning costs money. I could have easily bought a complete Hennessy setup with the money I've spent on Amsteel Blue whoopie slings, tree huggers from http://strapworks.com, Byer Moskito Hammock, and Funky Forest Tarp:
Two 8 ft. whoopie slings = $8.40
Two 8 ft. tree huggers = $5.20
One Byer Moskito Hammock = $35.00
One Grand Trunk Funky Forest Tarp = $35.00
You could say I made two DIY hammocks for $83.60 each, but that wouldn't count the money I spent experimenting with tent tarps from the garage, buying seam sealer ($7.99) and tarp repair kits ($5.99), or shock cord bought to suspend said tarps, or experimenting with blue tarps from Home Depot ($16.95). Those experiments didn't work out. If time is money, I've spent a fortune of my time on this DIY setup.
My HH Expedition Asym Zip is looking more and more like the quickest and most cost-effective way to get hanging quickly and more important, staying dry. My wife thinks I'm crazy because, as soon as there's rain in the forecast, I hang the Hennessy hammock in the back yard. There's nothing like the sound of rain on a tarp (that keeps me dry) to make me sleep like a baby.
Still, the Byer is a much more comfortable sleep than the Hennessy. If I ever get the hammock, tarp, and suspension system set up to suit me and keep me dry, I may love it more than my Hennessy.
Let's hope that it keeps raining in NJ so I can keep experimenting and get a rainproof system for the Byer Moskito Hammock before next week. If the Funky Forest Tarp doesn't work out, I can always use them for a group/cooking area. Tyvek is still an option if I can just find some locally (for free, or near so).
Well, I finally got my Grand Trunk Funky Forest Tarp ($29.95 @ bargainoutfitters.com) and spent the afternoon figuring out how to hang it. There are no instructions accompanying the product.
The tarp comes in a stuff sack with cinch and mini-carabiner. There's another cinch sack with six surprisingly light stakes. They're probably aluminum, but they're much lighter than the lightweight aluminum stakes I currently own.
The tarp came with six tie-out cords (the packaging said I was getting six 14' tie-outs, but they were actually 7 ft. long) with a flimsy plastic doohickey with two holes that one would expect you would use to tension the tarp/cord. My old Coleman tent has the same tensioners. However, the rope is too slippery, or too small in diameter, for the tensioners to work, so I just wrapped the cord around the tensioner a couple of times.
The first thing I did was measure the tarp on the diagonal since I was concerned it wasn't a true 10' x 10' tarp, which should yield a 14' ridgeline. Sure enough the ridgeline was 14 feet so I'm happy about that. Anything shorter wasn't going to work too well with my Byer Moskito Hammock.
I know whoopie slings aren't great for hanging tarps, but I used a couple anyway just to see how the tarp hung. I was in a hurry because a thunderstorm was coming in. I attached the whoopies to the grosgrain loops on the ridgeline. However, that seemed to put strain on the center seam running down the diagonal. I decided to try hanging it below a ridgeline, feeding the rope through the five grosgrain loops sewn into the center seam/ridgeline.
I then built a couple of quickie prusik loops to tension the tarp along the ridgeline. I like the way the tarp hangs below a ridgeline rope much better.
The whoopies I use on my Byer Moskito Hammock, as well as the annoying twenty ropes that spread the hammock out, were covered by the tarp, but I decided I wanted more tarp coverage so there was no way the ropes/whoopies would get rain on them, dripping down and soaking the hammock. Therefore I used another Amsteel Blue whoopie and a soft shackle to make an adjustable ridgeline for the hammock. This shortened up the hang of the hammock, bringing the twenty ropes and whoopies further under the tarp, giving me a warmer fuzzy about staying dry.
I also ran the ridgeline through the two hoops on the mosquito net, and it now stays off the face much better than it did with the mosquito net suspension cord that came with the Byer. I also get a much sturdier ridgeline for hanging stuff using carabiners or soft shackles.
The tarp takes up a pretty big footprint so I tried drawing in the tie-outs to take up less width. This seems to work pretty well and not only shortens the width of the footprint, but might provide better wind and blowing rain protection.
Since I still had two grosgrain loops on each end that weren't utilized, I pulled these together with a soft shackle. It seems like this might come in handy during blowing rain. Oh, the corners of the tarp have grommets, but I'm not touching those.
I sure hope it rains like crazy so I can see if this tarp leaks. I'm probably going to seam seal it anyway just to be sure. Assuming it keeps me dry, then I'm overall pretty happy with the DIY setup of Funky Forest Tarp, Byer Moskito Hammock and whoopie sling suspension. Total cost so far:
Two 8 ft. Amsteel Blue whoopie slings = $8.40
One 10 ft. Amsteel Blue adjustable ridgeline = $4.20
One 3.5 inch Amsteel Blue soft shackle: $1.00
Two 8 ft. tree huggers = $5.20
One Byer Moskito Hammock = $35.00
One Grand Trunk Funky Forest Tarp = $35.00
Cheap ridgeline nylon rope = $3.00
Total $91.80
Just took the Byer Moskito Hammock on a four-day hang at Lake Lila, NY, in the William C. Whitney Wilderness. The hammock did fine, though my son did manage to tear the mosquito net hoops that attach to the ridgeline. Nothing a little Tyvek tape wouldn't fix.
I slept just as well in the Byer as I did in my Hennessy Hammock.
Well, I just found a reason why an adjustable ridgeline might be advisable with the Byer Moskito Hammock. I never saw much use for an adjustable ridgeline since I am not a "princess and the pea" sleeper, as I mentioned in an earlier post.
The Byer website doesn't offer much information, but I found this statement on the back of the packaging from the Byer hammock I bought at EMS:
"Lying in a hammock the Brazilian way
Many Brazilians sleep in hammocks every night. As a result, Brazilian hammocks are just as large and comfortable as our beds...if you know how to lie in them 'the Brazilian way.' Hammocks should be hung up loosely so they hang down deep to the center. In a loosely hung hammock you lie diagonally from one corner to the other. Your back stays straight, your head and feet are not much higher than the rest of your body, and you relax comfortably for hours. Hang your hammock as high up as your head and NOT MORE THAN NINE FEET APART, then lie diagonally, and enjoy the sweet nothing."
Well, you can see why I ignored this entire paragraph because it was just a bunch of marketing mumbo-jumbo, until you read the manufacturer's suggestion to hang the hammock NOT MORE THAN NINE FEET APART. However, poorly written, I think this is telling me what I refused to believe: that I needed an adjustable ridgeline to establish the manufacturer's recommendation of a nine foot hang.
Interestingly enough, I discovered this marketing mumbo-jumbo AFTER I installed an adjustable ridgeline (whoopie), which I futzed with for ages before determining on my own that it really slept best with a deep hang of approximately 9 feet between the ends of the hammock.
So using an adjustable ridgeline, with whoopies for the suspension, my tarp ridgeline really only needs to provide about 12 feet of coverage. I have 9 ft. of hammock, plus whoopie with fixed loop of 5-inch bury, plus 3.5 to 4 inches between the fixed loop bury and the adjustable whoopie. By my calcs, that means I need 9 ft. plus 18 inches of tarp ridgeline to keep me dry. I rounded up from 10.5 ft. to 12 ft. because experience has taught me that if the adjustable part of your whoopie is exposed to rain, then the water will drip down the whoopie and soak the whole Byer Moskito Hammock. That adjustable tail HAS to be under the tarp ridgeline with about six inches minimum to spare or you will have a miserable night.
Minimalists could try to get by on 10 or 10.5 ft of ridgeline coverage if you're using the Byer Moskito Hammock with whoopies, but I wouldn't risk it. I love sleeping outside in the rain, but only if I stay dry.
Last edited by SilvrSurfr; 09-13-2011 at 23:20.
I got this as my first hammock. Loved using it without the netting (flipped over). Nice, light, inexpensive. I have found, however, that the netted side is too small for me. I am 6'1" but my head and feet touch the netting at the same time. And the netting is not cut well for the ridgeline and hangs in my face. I will see if the kids can use it but I think the netting will fall in their face as well. Might just cut off the netting and make it a fun hammock. Not a good camping hammock for me.
I started swinging in an Byer Moskito Hammock. It was a great way to ease into hammock camping. However, I could never get the Moskito to quite work for me. The learning curve was a bit steep for a noob. I really tried to make it work. I added a ridge line. I tied the support strings in a knot. I did about a dozen other things suggested on various forums. In the end I kept hurting my back every night I used the hammock. :-(. I am sure it is a good hammock. I think I am just built funny. In the end I broke down and got a 1.0 WBBB. I didn't want to spend the money. However, I am very glad I did. I moved to another city and in the process ended up sleeping in the WBBB for a month while I waited for my family and furniture to follow me. My back was fine until the last 2 days. In hindsight I wonder if my sore back had anything to do with 3 days of unloading and moving boxes? :-P
Agreed on the first statement. Cutting off the strings to make a gathered end gives you a hammock that's about four feet too short. I don't have it with me, but I seem to remember the bed is about six and a half feet long and the strings give another two and a half feet on each end to make up for the short bed.Originally Posted by motorapido
As far as I can tell, the bed is short to make the bug net easier / cheaper / lighter and reduce the zipper length.
I'm not extra tall, but I am extra wide and double heavy and I can sleep with surprising comfort in this hammock.
If you watch the sale racks closely, you can see these hammocks selling for $20 a couple times a year.
This is my first post on hammockforums. This site is amazing. Thanks to all who make this site happen.
I have had the Byer Amazonas Moskito hammock for 2 years. It is the only hammock I have owned. I have found this hammock extremely easy to set up and maintain. I have not experienced most of the issues that others on this thread have encountered. The ropes on the hammock ends will get a bit tangled sometimes, but the real point is that it doesn't matter if they tangle some. With all the lines pulling to a single point, a little twisting makes little or no difference in performance. I have not made any modifications to mine. The one annoying problem I had was the bug net ridge line getting tangled up when I packed it. I fixed that by wrapping it around a small piece of aluminum tube. I use the Grand Trunk tree slings and have been pleased with them as well.
I know I don't have much experience hanging yet, but I felt like I should post a positive note about this little hammock. It has treated me well.
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