Instead of always looking for two healthy trees to setup a hammock, why not take along a six or seven foot long pipe and use three ropes to stake it out as a support and just use one tree. Is it not going to be stable or is it just too much weight. Seems like in a campground or above the tree line it would be useful.
I'm trying to imagine backpacking with a 6-7' length of pipe. How would I strap that to my pack? The idea has been tried with sectional tubing but each added join creates a weak spot in terms of being to support a hammock. The ropes need to be very long to minimize the stress factors. I'm sure the quants could review the physics of this again. In addition the stakes need to be more than your typical tarp stakes in order to hold. Car camping in might be feasible but I personally I would rather use hammock stands for car camping. Less fiddle factor in terms of getting the system set up.
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
When you say above tree line, I am picturing the slabs of granite I'm used to seeing in the Sierras. Balancing a pole on granite and trying to hold it in place with lines tied to rocks doesn't sound like a great idea, given the physics involved. A metal pole in an open high area sounds like a great lightening rod, too.
Particularly in nasty weather, it's better to just camp low and hike high - you aren't exposed to high winds and confronted with the issue of no trees that way.
OK, I get it now,LOL. I just was trying to think of a way to not have to have two healthy trees to get set up.
A hammock without two trees is like a tent on water. It just won't happen.
I don't think anyone here can defy gravity, not even Shug :P
Actually there has been considerable experimentation, much of it successful, in finding alternatives to trees. Canoe paddles, ski poles, 2x4's and a variety of other things have been used. The search for treeless hangs continues. But there has been considerable success so far.Originally Posted by Divine_Light
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
I seem to recall Risk had a one tree/one pole/one rope setup.. darned if I can find the link, though- had to do with weight, tension and 'symmetritcal restoring forces' involved. anybody else got that handy?
KM ( just back from a week in the not-so-piney woods)
It's not all that crazy of an idea. I've done it with a stick and some stakes! Here are some examples:
Commecial Product
Risk's previously mentioned setup. Website
It was brought up in this thread
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...highlight=pole
And...well...there was this thread
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...highlight=pole
And I remember seeing a picture where someone had used something like t-posts driven in at an outward angle to hang there hammocks in the middle of a field. Will keep looking for that post.
Thanks for the responses, that commercial concept looks about right for stability and Rick's concept could also be useful. Will have to remember and be resourceful when the time comes. A pair of young saplings might be able to be bent into position also.
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