ENO issue i'm encountering

[Enobuffalo]

I noticed this myself and two items really made a difference.

1. Replace the knotted rope with Amsteel continuous loops. The large diameter knot of the original suspension creates those tight ridges.
2. Ridge line connected to each carabiner will bring the ends closer together, create more sag and allow you to sleep at more of a diagonal with your feet away from the ends.

[BillyBob58]

Im having a problem that whenever im laying diagonally in my hammock, there seems to be a really tight spot in the middle that puts lots of pressure on my legs. is this problem common, and how do i fix this issue? is it just the sag?

DRob, it is indeed a common problem. I'd say it is the most common problem to be found with a non-bridge hammock, the only thing that comes close is cold spots/gaps/drafts with quilts. It can range from a slight annoyance to a deal breaker. Sometimes the suggested solutions are contradictory, and what works for one does not work for the other. It all seems to vary with the person's body type, the hammock, the material (1.1 single vs 1.7 dbl for example) and hammock length. etc etc The one known almost 100% cure is a bridge hammock, which can bring a new set of challenges. But it by golly makes that whole calf thing go away for me. Any bridge hammock.

I hear ya bud, its that same reason that made me give up my eno double. I never noticed it as much while just hanging around but as soon as I tried to sleep over night in it .... Calf pressure! I picked up a diy 11ft'er and wow! It made a huge difference. As a heavy hanger a -11ft hammock is not very comfortable sleeping in. By first appearance a wider hammock would be more comfortable but for me this logic just doesn't hold water. Length is where its at. I'm 6'1 290lbs and 11.5ft hammock does me well. I still experience calf pressure but its reasonable.

So, just to be contrary, let me say that one of my non-bridge hammocks with the least calf pressure is my single layer Speer 8.5 footer. About equal to it is my Claytor No Net double, at 10 ft. Neither is very long by today's standards, and the Speer is down right short, but very little to zero leg pressure. I have an 11 foot WL, and it has very little pressure, but it certainly does not beat out those two in that regard. Go figure. The hands down champion in lack of pressure, among non-bridges- is my huge HH Safari. I don't know how long the fabric bed is, but it is way longer than my HH Expl UL which is maybe 1.5 ft longer than the Speer. I think the reason the Safari is so good in this regard is because I have room to lay on the other side of the center ridge before I even get diagonal. The ridge hits me about mid thigh, rather than in the calf, and causes no pain.

So what to take from all of that? It is complicated, except the part about a bridge solving this particular problem. A bridge also solves many UQ related problems, and even seems to make TQs work better, at least in JRB. But then you get the bars and their weight and rubbing of tarps requiring bigger tarps and/or side tie outs and for some shoulder issues etc etc, so.........

I just went back and read your entire post like I should have the first time. To resolve this there are three things you can do
1) Tuck a pillow under your knees while sleeping
2) Adjust your sag
3) Hang your foot end a little higher than your head end.

Taking into account these variables you should be able in greatly improve your sleep.

If your like me and nothing works then you may want to try a longer hammock. I picked up a dream hammock because Randy would build it to my dimension and help figure out what dimensions would work for me.

Yep, all of that tends to help. Still I have some hammocks that I can NEVER get rid of all of the pressure, and then sometimes I have no pressure in the same hammocks. It is hard to repeat every thing exactly, one of those things being exactly how I am positioned in the hammock.

thanks y'all. im gonna try the pillow tonight, and see if that works. the sag however, dosent make much of a difference on my singenest.

Sometimes, for me, sag helps a lot and other times it helps not at all, at least with this problem. Sometimes my only escapes is side sleeping.

Try hanging your suspension a bit higher……might help. Some say move legs in towards the middle of the hammock may help.
Try switching head and feet to other ends…180%. Might find the sweet spot.
Carry forth.
Shug

My HH Explorer often has a lot of leg pressure, but usually I can squirm around until I find that sweet spot and I can usually escape the pressure. Some hammocks I can never escape it.

I found for my dbl nest that making the angle of hang less than 30* works better. I have laid flat with minimal diagonal at about 15* pitch. I am 6', 225lbs.

I usually can best escape the leg pressure in my HH Explorer UL by going LESS diagonal. The the ridge runs closer to parallel with my calf rather than cutting across it and maximizing pressure on that nerve.

Bottom line for me as for the cause and cure of calf pressure with non-bridge: who knows? I'm sure if it was not for this one problem mainly, but combined with it's cousin knee extension and hip side extension when side sleeping, I never would bother with bridges and their spreader bars and bar/tarp issues/weight and shoulder issues, and for some types long distances between trees. But I seem particularly prone to these leg issues so I often use bridge hammocks. But if not for the leg problems mainly, I would just rather use my Claytor and Pea Pod, or even my starter kit of HH + HHSS. Though I almost never have these problems with that Claytor, I do have 2 weird nights on 2 different week long trips. Where I realized some strange leg shelf had developed in the middle of the night, last night of the trip both times! Picture laying there with one leg way higher up in the air than the other for no apparent reason, very uncomfortable. I think the 2nd time it happened I finally got it fixed by getting the foot end moved up way higher on the tree, having to experiment in the middle of the snowing/blowing night. Never found a cure the first time, just suffered all night, and I distinctly remember thinking: why the heck am I not in my JRB BMBH with an MW4 under me, a hammock in which I have never, ever had the 1st leg issue? Admittedly, all other nights of both trips were luxuriously comfortable, with 11-12 hours a day(counting naps) in the Claytor/Pod. But then 1 night on each trip where something mysteriously went wrong in my set up causing much agony of defeet, er actually delegs. I never did really figure out what caused that, what I did different and wrong.

Sometimes it just seems that any banana curved ( non-bridge) hammock is just a set up for various leg comfort problems. Some more than others, and there are many tricks to deal with the problems, but the problem is almost always there for me.

[DRobertson]

yah, im at the maximum diagonal degree i can get, but ive found that a pillow under the knees helps. I have not however modified my hammock, because im just not a packbacker. if fact, im almost an eagle scout, and we mostly set up camp where there are lots of trees, after all, we're in the big horn basin in wyoming. sorry bout that, i got ados (attention deficit ooh...shiny!) but yeah, im wondering if i should install a structural ridgeline, and what to make it out of. right now however, i have a hammock stand built, so i cant really adjust the hang angle much, if at all, but i appreciate the suggestions.

-David

[DRobertson]

Im only 5' 2", and 117 lbs, just wondering what would be best for my size

-David

[Scott8691]

Thank you folks, I'm having the same issue. The thread gave some ideas where to start!

[CBX133]

Old thread, but I am relatively new to hammocking and noticed this issue recently. I have basically tried every single suggestion regarding this issue. By adjusting My ridgeline to around 88" it seems to be better but ultimately, I agree with some that its just the nature of a sub9' hammock.

I was a bit annoyed to find that the ENO DN is actually only 104", so a 83% ridgeline is around 85". So I was definitely not able to get as diagonal using the 93+ ridgeline lengths I was trying based on the listed length.

What it comes down to fo me is I just can't see myself laying flat on my back with both my legs together strait out. That is really only when I feel the middle ridge in the hammock on my left upper calf/back of knee(its minimal with the 88" ridge, raised foot end and good diagonal). I can do figure 4 type of lay, slight side lays and full side lays with much more comfort anyways.

I do notice that it is harder to get as much diagonal lay when my underquilt is on though, so I feel the calf ridge more then. But same as I said above applies to the positioning,

My setup:
-ENO DN, whoopies run through end channels 2x, ASRL rub through the whoopies on ends.
-12.5' hammock stand, 62" hang height, 34"(ish) suspension lengths. Very close to 30* angle.
-87.5 ridgeline length. (Good sag)

There is my .02 on this topic. Lol.