First Hammock Camping Setup

**nsutherl** · 08-07-2013, 10:43

I went camping/climbing in Big Bear last weekend, with it being my first hammock camping experience.

Overall, the setup went well, thanks to a lot of threads read here. I'm using a standard (albeit "heavy duty") tarp bought at Home Depot, due to cost limitations. I imagine it will be fine until it gets very windy, and then it will make a lot of noise. I'll use it until it becomes a problem though. Weather was mild (mid 50's overnight), so I just used a sleeping bag (no pad or underquilt) and was fine. General setup notes:

Webbing clove hitched to biners on hammock's ends. Separate ridgeline (3mm cord) wrapped around trees with 2mm prussik soft shackles (for adjustability) and tensioned with a Figure 9 on one end of the ridgeline. Tarp hung over ridgeline and attached using 2mm prussik soft shackles (for adjustability) and tensioned with another Figure 9 on one side.

Feel free to comment/suggest new things, or say what you'd do differently!

All set up

Setup sketch

**Zigerot** · 08-07-2013, 10:56

it looks pretty darn good for a first time set up. there are some things you could nip and tuck if your concerned about weight, but that only applys if you have to hike it in. nice auto cad drawing by the way.
does that make you a draftsman in theater or architecture?

**nsutherl** · 08-07-2013, 11:00

The sketch was actually done in Bluebeam Revu (PDF creator/editor). I'm and Mechanical (HVAC) Engineer.

**Zigerot** · 08-07-2013, 11:03

i knew there would be technition of some kind in there to make technical drawings

**Trambo** · 08-07-2013, 11:07

If it worked for you, that's all that matters.
Of course you will upgrade as you go, but utility trumps beauty
and weight when you start out.

You might think of another knot to use other than a clove hitch,
as these can slip after some time, especially when there is not
steady pressure on the hitch. Bowlines are always my go to knot
for suspension ever since I heard the story of the kid who tied a
one handed bowline to save himself when a blimp caught on fire.

Of course if you have reasons to use a clove hitch, so be it.
HYOH, hang your own hang! Good looking setup for your first one.

ETA: Oh My!!! It's his first hang and he's already got Dutch Clips

**Nodust** · 08-07-2013, 11:12

Looks great. No need to get rid of that tarp unless you want lighter weight for packing.

Nice P&ID's lol

**SilvrSurfr** · 08-07-2013, 12:55

Looks like a nice setup. Couple of questions:

What's the purpose of the min-biners on the hammock ends? I assume they're not weight bearing?

Also, why do you have Dutch clips on your tarp suspension? Dutch clips are for webbing-based hammock suspensions, aren't they?

**nsutherl** · 08-07-2013, 12:59

Thanks for the responses!

@Trambo I actually don't have the Dutch clips yet, the sketch shows what I WANT my setup to look like

I'm using mini climbing biners in their place in the mean time. I've implemented everything else from the sketch except for the small loops in the tarp eyelets. I am a big fan of both bowlines and clove hitches. For connecting the suspension webbing the hammock biners, I like the adjustability of the clove hitch, especially since it still takes me at least 2 or (or 4 or 5...) tries to get the hammock hung right. However, I try to use the bowline wherever possible, as I agree that the clove hitch has it's shortcomings (slipping when first loaded, slipping when not loaded, etc...)

@Nodust The tarp has worked so far, so I'll probably stick with it for the time being. I actually wouldn't mind packing it on a weekend backpacking trip. I tend to go pretty light on everything else, and the weather is always mild where/when we go, so weight isn't a huge concern. The tarp does weigh 3-4 lbs though, so it is a rather large chunk of lead in an otherwise fairly lightweight setup (hammock, webbing, ridgeline, hardware).

**nsutherl** · 08-07-2013, 13:04

Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr

Looks like a nice setup. Couple of questions:

What's the purpose of the min-biners on the hammock ends? I assume they're not weight bearing?

Also, why do you have Dutch clips on your tarp suspension? Dutch clips are for webbing-based hammock suspensions, aren't they?

The mini biners on the ends of the hammock are weight bearing. It's how I'm connecting my suspension webbing to the hammock. They are Black Diamond Neutrino carabiners. Full strength climbing biners.

It seems that I've botched up my nomenclature. I meant to say Dutch Hooks. Dutch Clips are indeed for suspension webbing adjustment.

**SilvrSurfr** · 08-07-2013, 13:59

Originally Posted by nsutherl

It seems that I've botched up my nomenclature. I meant to say Dutch Hooks. Dutch Clips are indeed for suspension webbing adjustment.

I hope the Dutch hooks are gonna work with 3mm cord. They were designed for 1.75 mm Zing-It. I just tried my Dutch hook on 2.2 mm Zing-It and it worked, but kind of tight.