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  1. #1
    Senior Member Drop's Avatar
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    Moskito for a first timer.

    Hi everyone.

    After the whole research, think, research, decide to make the plunge, pull back, more research cycle that I'm sure a lot of you went through before deciding to get a hammock; I finally have one .

    A good (lets make that very good now) friend has given me an Amazonas Moskito hammock as a Xmas present.

    To be fair it wasn't on my short list due to some of the reports I read but I'm determined to make a good go of it.

    I'm dying to hang it and give it a try but I reckon I have a few things I could do with advice on from people with experience with this hammock and hammocks in general.

    First of, it came as bare as it could, no tarp, no lines. I have some odd bits of rope, webbing 'biners etc from my climbing kit which I should be able to cobble something together as a start before moving onto some thing more permanent before i start to use it in ernest come the nice weather.

    From http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=15066 (and my general understanding of hammocks) I'm probably going to want a ridgeline, something around the 9ft/3m length?, I'm planning to use paracord. As I understand it this should be strong enough for a ridgeline.
    Am I right in thinking paracord wont have the strength to be used as the hanging lines (even if doubled/trippled up)? I can get ahold of paracord a lot more handily than spectra due to my location. On the spectra front roughly what weight would be a good start point? Should I go spectra all the way?

    Basically thats it for now, sorry about the long and rambling post, I have the fever bad, I cant see two poles, two trees basically two of anything without imagining hanging between them and thats before I have even got this baby strung up

    Thanks
    Drop
    Last edited by Drop; 12-30-2006 at 22:52. Reason: name

  2. #2
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    Welcome to the hanging world.

    My ridgeline is somewhere around 8.5 ft. Some people like 8 ft. That is completly a feel thing, and length of the tarp thing.

    I weight 225 lbs and have snapped para cord. I use straps instead of spectra. Just what works for me. Right now I am using some that I got from an outfitters that is climbing grade. I am going to downgrade to a different webbing that is about half the weight. Right now I have 1 40 foot piece of webbing that I use as the ridgeline and tieouts. I just formed loops where I want the hammock to hang from.

    Just wait until you start looking for the funnest places to hang. Places where a tent could never go. Next time I am going to try to hang over water. I should at least see some wild life that way.
    Is that too much to ask? Girls with frikkin' lasers on their heads?
    The hanger formly known as "hammock engineer".

  3. #3
    Senior Member Doctari's Avatar
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    I liked my Byer. Fairly well built great price.

    Wasn't sturdy enough for my 200(+) Lbs & the fact that I'm a klutz.

    Hints:
    The "ridge line" for me was 9', with a distance tween the trees 17' I could only marginally lay diagonally. IF, I shortened the ridge line to about 8' AND hung the lines 7 to 8 feet off the ground (needing a ladder or at least a chair) I could lay diagonally.
    Go to your local fabric store and get stops for each end of your zippers!! It's only about a buck each, But If the zipper pulls come off, there is no getting them back on.
    I too snapped a parachute cord ridgeline.
    3/4" nylon webbing seemed to do the trick. I got 28'.



    Doctari.

  4. #4
    Senior Member FanaticFringer's Avatar
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    I have a Mosquito Traveller that I use as an extra hammock in case I have company. Actually I now use my HH UL Backpacker for that. I slept in mine for one nite and could'nt get on the diagonal. I might could have made it work if I put more time into it but wanted to upgrade. Nice hammock for the price.
    My Speer webbing works great for this hammock.
    "Every day above ground is a good day"

  5. #5
    Senior Member Just Jeff's Avatar
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    Welcome to hanging, Drop! I wouldn't use paracord supports...I've snapped it doubled up before. It broke at the knot. But using it on the ridgeline is probably ok. For supports, just make sure whatever you use is low-stretch and has a breaking strength of about 600lbs. You can get by with less if you know what you're doing, but I use Ed's webbing b/c he provides a strength rating. Or Air Core Plus from BPL.

    Doctari - you snapped 550 cord on the ridgeline? I've snapped it on supports, but not on the ridgeline. Is that a typo?
    “Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall when the wise are banished from the public councils because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.” ~Judge Joseph Story

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  6. #6
    Senior Member Drop's Avatar
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    Thanks for the advice everyone.

    I went along to a climbing shop today looking for webbing or cord. I came away with some 5mm Mammut cord with a rating of 5.5 KN (1200 lbs?). The only webbing they had was a bit hefty and I prefer working with ropes

    My initial plan is to string the length between two points with a couple of butterfly hitches and 'biners to hang the hammock from (alowing me to play with ridge length).

    I'm allready sick of sorting out the tangles at the hammock ends, come the revoloution they're the first ones up against the wall. I've seen somebody using sleeves to sort this out. Long term I think I might replace it.

    Thanks for the heads up on the zip ends Doctari, they are sown fairly well but I can see what you mean, I'll be on the look out for some zip ends.

    Now all I am waiting for is for these gales to stop so I can throw this thing up

    Drop

  7. #7
    Senior Member Doctari's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Just Jeff View Post
    Doctari - you snapped 550 cord on the ridgeline? I've snapped it on supports, but not on the ridgeline. Is that a typo?
    UH, I thought I coverd that: I'M A KLUTZ!

    Yea, I did, thru a combination of errors: I weigh 212 Lbs in my work clothes, I used OLD line that had been my "bear bag line" for about 9 years, I'M A KLUTZ (No I'm not going to explain) And, "Snapped" is not exactly what happened, "seperated the outer sheath to the point of questionable usefullness" is more accurate. So, in hind sight, new 550 cord that hasn't been exposed over & over to Hoisting heavy food bags over rough tree limbs & exposed to the sun (I left it outside, a LONG time once OK!) & had knots in it, you should be OK.

    Sorry for the misslabeling


    Doctari.

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