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  1. #1
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    How to setup the Switchback?

    I am a newb and am trying dif. hammocks.
    What's your favorite way to comfortably hang the Switchback?
    I have tried and returned a HH exped(too small), a WB1.1dbl(calf pressure), a HH Safari(too big and heavy) --gonna get this right if it kills me!
    and am now considering between a HH Deep Jungle(pretty comfy w/ no calf pressure except in a couple spots) and a Switchback 1.1dbl not thoroughly tested yet, but w/ hardly no calf pressure also, but some shoulder pressure(from sides) and bugnet hanging close to face.
    I want to test them properly and only have a backyard with a fence post and a support pillar of my patio to connect to. The fence post is about 6ft and the pillar is about 8ft. The distance between these connection points is about 18 feet.
    Anyway I always wind up having the foot end connected to the pillar w/ the tree straps at about 7-7.5ft and the head end to the post at about 5.5-6ft. And with this height and distance I'm noticing that I almost always have a center ridge on all hammocks I've tried and they wind up with a fairly tight lay or if I loosen the lay I wind up close to the ground.
    Is it the distance? or high foot end? or not getting the 30deg. angle on the low fence post connection which is causing these problems?
    I also am getting the bugnet almost in my face from the sides of it, not the top. I put the bugnet line above the marlin spike w/a small biner, but the head end is attached to the low fence post. --maybe should be higher?
    Bottom line -- what type of layout do you suggest with a Switchback, that is, distance? angle? tight or loose?, keeping bugnet up?, etc. Should it be centered between connection points?
    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

  2. #2
    Senior Member ^shane^'s Avatar
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    The SB and SBLH don't require a 30 degree angle (and to me are not as comfortable at 30 degrees). I hang my SB and SBLH at somewhere between 15 and 20 degrees. It's not a "tight" hang, but it is not as "loose" as the 30 degrees required for my WBBB. I generally hang one end about 6" higher than the other and that high end will be my foot end when I sleep, but I can make it the head end while just lounging to enjoy the view out of the hammock.

    Another difference in the SB and WBBB is that you don't have to get nearly as diagonal laying across the hammock to get a flat, ridge-free, lie.

    (I told you most of this in my reply to your PM but thought I'd post it here for others. Good luck!)
    "One of the best things you can do in this world is take a nap in the woods." ~ Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry

    "While it may be a lot of work, the view is best from the summit." ~ an anonymous staff member of Philmont Scout Ranch

    Enjoy the day
    Shane

  3. #3
    Senior Member MAD777's Avatar
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    You probably are pitching your hammocks too tight because you don't have the flexibility in your setup. Is there a park you could go to nearby for testing. I only have two trees in my yard, one in the front and one in the back - makes for tricky setups. But there is a park about 5 minutes drive away.

    Actually, if any hammock would be happy with your conditions, it's the Switchback. They seem to like a tighter than normal pitch. (I own a WBBB and a SB).

    As to the bugnet on the SB, I tie it off to the tieouts at the ends of my tarp ridgeline. That way the guylines for the netting are protected from rain, under the tarp - plus, this lifts the bugnet up and out of the way. It sounds like you don't have room to deploy the tarp, but trust me, the bugnet is one of the best things about the SB.
    Mike
    "Life is a Project!"

  4. #4
    Senior Member BillyBob58's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by charlieb View Post
    I am a newb and am trying dif. hammocks.
    What's your favorite way to comfortably hang the Switchback?
    I have tried and returned a HH exped(too small), a WB1.1dbl(calf pressure), a HH Safari(too big and heavy) --gonna get this right if it kills me!
    and am now considering between a HH Deep Jungle(pretty comfy w/ no calf pressure except in a couple spots) and a Switchback 1.1dbl not thoroughly tested yet, but w/ hardly no calf pressure also, but some shoulder pressure(from sides) and bugnet hanging close to face.

    Kudos on not giving up and trying about everything to see what works for you! Other than a bridge, looks like you are going to try them all!

    I want to test them properly and only have a backyard with a fence post and a support pillar of my patio to connect to. The fence post is about 6ft and the pillar is about 8ft. The distance between these connection points is about 18 feet.
    Anyway I always wind up having the foot end connected to the pillar w/ the tree straps at about 7-7.5ft and the head end to the post at about 5.5-6ft. And with this height and distance I'm noticing that I almost always have a center ridge on all hammocks I've tried and they wind up with a fairly tight lay or if I loosen the lay I wind up close to the ground.
    Is it the distance? or high foot end? or not getting the 30deg. angle on the low fence post connection which is causing these problems?

    I imagine that- if this is the support system you have used for all of your hammock testing- that all of the above is likely part of your problem. 18 ft is a pretty far distance- I always shoot for about 13 feet if possible. Even this distance is mainly required for the tarp, because I find that when I use my Vario hammock stand I can use even shorter distances. But the main thing is: the farther the trees/posts are apart, the higher you are going to have to hang 'em. If much beyond the ~13 ft, I may have to have both straps well above my head ( I am 6'1" ft) and might even have to use hiking poles in order to push them up high enough. So hard to say exactly what is causing your problems, but I doubt 18 ft apart AND only ~5 ft on the head end is helping you any. It would be nice if you could test with some sturdy trees not quite so far apart!

    I also am getting the bugnet almost in my face from the sides of it, not the top. I put the bugnet line above the marlin spike w/a small biner, but the head end is attached to the low fence post. --maybe should be higher?
    Bottom line -- what type of layout do you suggest with a Switchback, that is, distance? angle? tight or loose?, keeping bugnet up?, etc. Should it be centered between connection points?
    Any help would be greatly appreciated.

    Bugnet in your face will drive you crazy! But I don't know specifics on a SB yet, so no help from me. With the DJ (XL?), if your RL is fairly tight after you lay down, AND if your side tie outs are reasonably tight, there should be no net problems- never have been for me. Though I did struggle with a HH Explorer UL's net. The biggest help I found was:
    1: make sure the RL is not actually sagging, and pull suspension tighter if it is
    2: with the head end tie out (or both), run the tie out to a hiking pole ( maybe with the tarp attached to the same pole) that is 3 or more feet high, or run it out to a tree/bush. Using an extension line if needed. If your tie outs are on a stake in the ground, when you lay down and the hammock sags, you get closer to the stakes/ground and those side tie outs loosen up. If they are attached to a tree above hang height, they may actually tighten up.

    Good luck, "hang" in there!

    .................................................. ................................................

  5. #5
    Herder of Cats OutandBack's Avatar
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    Hi Charlie, It is a bummer you have such a poor testing site.
    No way can you get the >30 degree angle with a 6' pole at 18' for the wbbb to hang correctly.

    As mentioned above a nice group of tree would really help.

    You might have a chance with the SB since a better whoopie angle is 15 to 25 degrees.
    15-18 feet tree distance is my prefer distance for the SB.

    Adding 1 net spreader bar will probably help with the net in the face, if you sleep on your back.
    You'll need to raise your tarp higher to prevent any net to tarp interfere.

    Once you get in the SB I find a 15 degree asym lay to hit the sweetspot.
    If you are not laying perfectly flat with no calf pressure on your back or either side you have something wrong with the setup.
    Change the whoopie angle.
    The SB has no head/foot end so try all 4 positions to see which is most comfortable.

    I own 2 netless hammocks, ENO double & WB traveler and
    3 netted hammocks; HH Exped, wbbb1.1dbl, & SB1.9 single and get a great nite sleep in all of them. It truely is all in the setup.

    HTH
    Last edited by OutandBack; 07-26-2011 at 11:45.

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