Lying diagonal in my Explorer Ultralight

[bearbaithangin]

I have a new Explorer Ultralight I set up for this first time this weekend and camped out in the basement. Did all the research. Set up the hammock with the proper 30 degree sag. Adjusted...re-adjusted.

I slept fairly well...but when lying in the hammock there is a very noticeable raised "wedge" or ridge created in the bottom of the hammock down the center from my feet to my waist. Basically right down the entry door.

It pretty much prevents lying diagonal as your legs are across this very uncomfortable wedge. I can lie straight on either side of the wedge and get fairly comfortable. Or lying on my side with knees bent was ok.

Anyway I adjusted the hammock repeatedly but can't get rid of the wedge. I'm curious if the zipper model does this also...or if the under entrance door is the culprit? Any suggestions?

[captaincoupal]

You might want to look at how far apart your trees are; I have a HH Ultralight Backpacker and sometimes get the same problem, especially when the trees that I'm hanging from are too close together. Hang from a pair of trees that are a little farther apart, and then (if you're up to it), don't hang the hammock "straight across and tight" like Tom Hennessy suggests in his videos, but rather closer to the 30 degrees angle that you see everyone else talking about. You should see the ridge disappear.

[bearbaithangin]

Ahhh...I see from some searching...(I know...should have done earlier)...that I may be experiencing the dreaded "calf ridge". If anyone has some links to additional fixes I would appreciate it. (Newbie forum member here.)

Also looking for information on who can do a side zipper mod to my HH Explorer?

[captaincoupal]

These guys have been doing the zipper mods for years. As for eliminating the calf ridge, there are a couple of suggestions out there besides the distance between trees:
1. Hang the suspension looser than HH recommends. Dehoha has a great video about using the HH with a 30 Degree suspension hang eliminating the tarp sag; I'm planning on testing that this spring.
2. Hang the foot end of your hammock 4-6" higher than the head end.
3. Put something under your legs/knees.

Here's the thread that I reference, in hammockforums.com. It's a very common issue that can be awful when you wake up with a numb sensation in your legs, whatever. Yuck.

[bearbaithangin]

You might want to look at how far apart your trees are; I have a HH Ultralight Backpacker and sometimes get the same problem, especially when the trees that I'm hanging from are too close together. Hang from a pair of trees that are a little farther apart, and then (if you're up to it), don't hang the hammock "straight across and tight" like Tom Hennessy suggests in his videos, but rather closer to the 30 degrees angle that you see everyone else talking about. You should see the ridge disappear.

Thanks captain. I will try to lengthen my hang. Looks like the calf ridge is a normal hammock symptom sometimes. Hopefully I can get my setup right to alleviate it.

[BillyBob58]

I recently cured that problem on a 68*F night by adding a leg pad. Also, sometimes I can fix it in this hammock by not being quite so diagonal, or the things you already mentioned. But I'm sure as you will find in the threads you found in a search: it is a very common problem with many different hammocks with lot's of suggestions for a cure. In the meantime, while you are trying to figure it out just put a pillow or stuff sack under your knees. Also, experiment with hanging the foot end higher.

If you want a guaranteed cure, get a bridge hammock.

[captaincoupal]

Bearbait, BillyBob58 knows EVERYTHING about Hennessy Hammocks, so if he suggests changing the direction of the lay or a leg pad, definitely try that too!

I recently cured that problem on a 68*F night by adding a leg pad. Also, sometimes I can fix it in this hammock by not being quite so diagonal, or the things you already mentioned. But I'm sure as you will find in the threads you found in a search: it is a very common problem with many different hammocks with lot's of suggestions for a cure. In the meantime, while you are trying to figure it out just put a pillow or stuff sack under your knees. Also, experiment with hanging the foot end higher.

If you want a guaranteed cure, get a bridge hammock.

[Banjoman]

Another guy that battled with calf ridge problem here. I found that the thing that worked the best for me to get rid of (or minimize) it was having the foot end higher than the head, as already mentioned above. Adding a pad does work, but I move around a lot and it was aggravating to me to keep replacing the pad into the correct spot.