Hello,
I tried all of the double-hang methods such as the spreader bars and the over-under method. I did not care for any of these methods. The spreader bars work but they cause the hammocks to go up and down which makes pitching the tarp a pain. I did not feel safe using the over-under method.
The method I use now is basically an anti-spreader bar method. Let's just call it the "gap-defining" method because it defines the gap between the two hammocks.
When double hanging I find that I need three trees. I tie the foot-ends of the hammocks to one tree and then tie the head-ends of the hammocks to two different trees. The head-end trees must be farther apart than the hammocks will ultimately be apart. I don't have any pics but I have hung my hammocks on trees that were quite far apart.
Also, for the sake of convenience, one of the head-end trees may be farther from the foot-end tree than the other head-end tree. In this case, the line going to the farthest head-end tree would be fixed higher on the tree. Putting the line higher in the tree will allow both hammocks to hang at the same level. I put plastic line levels, from lowes, on my ridgelines to help me hang hammocks. Double hanging from multiple trees is a bit tricky and the line levels are a great training tool!!!!
The gap-defining method may be best suited for hammocks with ridgelines because when only one hammock is in use tension is transferred to the unused hammock. This increase in tension will cause the hammocks to rise and fall a few inches.
The picture below should be self-explanatory. The orange line is the "gap-defining" part. This method requires only an extra piece of line but the use of two rings such as those seen in the picture make this method very easy to use. So, one piece of line and two rings are the suggested materials for employing the gap-defining method. I hope this helps some double-hangers!!
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