Who said setting up a hammock is fast?

[Catashep]

I went car camping @ Killbear park with my wife this past weekend. We set up her 6 person tent (that's right ... I sleep in my hammock and she understands) with fly in about 15 mins. I then proceeded to set-up my hammock and tarp. She asked if I needed her help and I said, "No thanks...I got this". She took chair down to the beach in front of our site and fell asleep. 1hr and 15 mins later, she came back to the site and said, "I thought you told me you can set this up in 5 mins?". Well, to this day, it has never taken me 5 mins. In theory it does but I "play" all the time...adding new zing-it ridgeline, new biners (since retired), soft shackles, dutch hardware, safety pins, shock corded tarp guy lines, hammock heights, under quilt position, pole mods for tarp, tarp height...you know the game. Well, my set-up time (in theory), has come down several minutes, I have a more comfortable hang, and a much lighter set-up. Yes...I spend a lot of time playing...BUT I LOVE IT. Sound familiar? I doubt I am alone.

PS My wife just read this over my shoulder and told me to add "I can do all this because I have the best wife in the world". I forgot to mention I have been home only 2 weekends since mid-may due to my "habit".

[dkurfiss]

Oh yeah, been there, done that. I can set up the hammock/tarp in 5 minutes in the rain but then I can't play with all the associated toys. What fun is that?

[Slowanderer]

Your post sounds vaguely familiar. OK, almost exactly as my outings! And I too just love it. Especially when I am finally able to enjoy the hammock.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. HA HA

[ckmaui]

all camping half the fun is playing with it and changing things like you say
kinda like legos and building that one thing ? then you are done ? not me would rather break it apart and build whatever every time different
even on multi day outings its fun to pitch things different etc.. each day

before I moved here with all the fire bans ? I used to start fires with flint etc.. just to have fun and other fun stuff to practice

now stopping over night on a long trip appreciate fast setups though

[Bubba]

I used to be that way in my first year but now I just set up everything in about 15 minutes and then I'm good to go. Once you get a system and your preferences down pat and when you have kids and your disposable income to spend on gear drops, your set up time also drops.

[Loki]

Tell your wife she's correct!

[ChrisP]

I helped my son set up his hammock (including attaching tie outs which I thought he had already done) and had mine set up mine within 20 minutes. That was great until I spent 5 minutes the next morning making adjustments, then another 10 playing with a porch, then another 5 with my son readjusting his ridgeline. One guy came by and said, "I see a lot of fiddling", I said yep, constant fiddling. I think the cinch buckles exacerbate the problem since they are infinitely adjustable.

[Nodust]

How fast I set up is related to

-how tired I am
-how much daylight I have left
-is rain coming soon
-how many times have I set up that exact hammock and tarp.

I can set up in the dark in just a few minutes. New gear slows things down.

[dakotaross]

...1hr and 15 mins later, she came back to the site and said, "I thought you told me you can set this up in 5 mins?"...

PS My wife just read this over my shoulder and told me to add "I can do all this because I have the best wife in the world". I forgot to mention I have been home only 2 weekends since mid-may due to my "habit".

That is a lot of fiddlin'!! See, what you do is you got your quilts and hammock in a lazy slug tube, your tarp in skins, and you go bam-bam-bam-bam, its up! Don't worry about adjustments. If its sunny, no need to stake the tarp immediately, just turn to those you are with to say, "yeah, 30 seconds and I'm set!" Of course you're not set, but they don't need to know that. You can fiddle all you want later.

Oh, and yes indeed, in terms of giving you the time to fiddle, you do have the best wife in the world!!

[99Star]

In a camp out last weekend, I'm not in hurry at all, took my gear one by one to string up, and answering curious parents' question. I came up 3am to re-adjust height, found that Woopie sling adjustment is not easy under the load, think I'll have a buckle web suspend the center to the ridgeline. Next system gonna be cinch buckle.