Help with Amsteel please....is Amsteel

[raiffnuke]

What if you are using a Mylar space blanket as part of your insulation?

Have you ever seen shrink wrapped charcoal?!

[TadTheTinker]

With the amount of current that would be flowing in a bolt of lightening, it won't really matter. The amount of amperes it will have would push it through anything.

[MAD777]

So, my take-away from all this is - don't hang from the tallest trees

[Shotgunred]

God's aim is true. If He wants you, He will get you whether you are on the ground or comfortably hanging.

Amen brother!

[Knotty]

Air is an insulator. Wood is an insulator. Right?

But that matters little when dealing with the type of voltage in lightning.

The more important issue is not being one of the taller items in the area, so pick smaller trees and avoid ridge top hangs when the weather is threatening.

[BearChaser]

Here's a little lightning fun, a game. Keep Leon the Lion safe, and check out question #10 if you think a tent might be better. You'll also get a kick out of the genius in #9.

Lightning Safety Game

If your a parent, this would be great to set your kids down in front of for a learning experience.

And once again NOAA NWS Lighting Safety. Stay safe out there everyone, use common sense and knowledge to do so, and don't forget about widow makers. Hammock or tents, unless your setup in the middle of a field.

[wamyteipen]

Is there any record of a hammocker being struck by lightning? I've not heard of any. I'd find other things to be worried about like driving your car. The statistics are much more concerning.

[bhinson]

Attach leads to one end of a 9 v battery and then to your Mylar space blanket at one end
And then at the other leads to a small light bulb if it lights up the bulb then it will light up your backside if stuck by lighting

Just my 2 cent :-}

[nothermark]

the principle on which Faraday cages work is that metal conducts EM much more easily than air, so the charge/wave will go along the metal rather than straight thru the air. in a hammock what you have is a much larger 'spark gap' for the energy to jump, as nylon is more of an insulator than a conductor-thus it will be less likely to go thru you to get to the ground than the tree it has already hit. (though as said it might follow the path of least resistance down the wet ropes and over to the next wet tree, if that is the easiest path to the ground...)
HTH, KM

Assuming one is worried about the conductivity of wet rope and hammocks one can also assume wet nylon/cuben etc over the hammock. All are insulators so the conductivity is mainly whatever the impurities in the water provide.

Considering it a bit more, I think it more likely the strike will right up/down the wet tree rather than make a bend to the insulated hammock under a minimally conductive wet tarp. In any case the field strength around the strike will be higher than I want to be part of.

FWIW - it's the amps that kill you but it's the volts that get them there. High current alone is not a big deal. Ask your local welder.

[gargoyle]

Wet amsteel is the least of my worries...
If I live thru something likes this, I'll be plucking feathers from my charred nylon encased body.