Hammocks

[Ken Thompson]

Hang it from the suspension line.

[Marc Kokosky]

Jolly,

I would say WBBB 1.7 but I've heard your stories on SEBP lol.

Seriously though, and this is only going from those podcasts, the WBBB 1.7 should work for you. My guess is that you either weren't laying in it correctly or hadn't pitched it correctly, both of which take some practice when you first start out. Over on hammockforums, there's regular discussions about guys 6'6/6'7 having no problems in the WBBB.

Another issue in getting a flat lay in the WBBB may not be your height at all, but your weight. Again, from hearing your podcasts, you are near the upper limits of the "flat lay" in the WBBB 1.7. Getting a custom (as I did) would help in that as well.

PM me offline and I can maybe help further.

[Marc Kokosky]

I do one of the following:

1. Throw it underneath me on the ground on a piece of tyvek that I always carry
2. Attach it to the suspension line – usually do this if the ground is saturated or expecting a downpour. Or if there is wind coming from a particular direction it helps to act as a barrier
3. Throw it in my hammock with me at my feet

As for hammocks:

1. Clark NX-250
2. Grand Trunk Single
3. ENO Doublenest
4. WBBB 1.7
5. Custom WBBB Triple Layer, 1.7 and 1.1

And I have only been hammocking for 9 months lol.

[William Puckett]

Grizz made a bridge for me (6'5") that was longer and wider than standard and did a first-rate job. I can't say enough good things about the work he did.

After two nights of trying it, I determined that I was not as comfortable as when using my Warbonnet Blackbird. Grizz was good enough to let me send the "Beep Bridge" back to him. He may still have it since I returned it about 3-4 weeks ago.

Bridge hammocks are a somewhat elegant design that are actually lighter than a full gathered end hammock, BUT, they don't work for everyone. The JRB bridge is generally too narrow and too short for someone my size…or yours!

[shawn weld]

Thanks for all the "What to do with your pack" advice…much appreciated.

[BER —]

Shawn,

Another option for your pack and footwear and such: a gear hammock or the recently released gearbox. Essentially a small light hammock for your gear that can be hung under or near your hammock. The gearbox has the benefit of being waterproof being made out od Sil. Have one on order. See following link.

http://www.mollymacpack.com/box.html

[Andrew King]

+1 on gear hammocks. They are also a nice way for keeping your gear organized and dry, and can also double for use as a pack cover. For me they were more useful for hennessy style hammocks, since you could sit on the entry slit and browse through gear, but even after switching to top entry, I still bring one along frequently to keep my gear organized, reachable and clean while sitting on the ground. But I suppose that use could be made of any pack cover.

Here's a link to some DIY instructions:
http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeGearPackCoverGearHammock.html

You can buy here at Jacks R Better:
http://www.jacksrbetter.com/JGHPC.htm

[tim mckay]

so i am really considering getting a hennessy hammock since i backpack quite a bit in colorado. i had a question though. would a hennessy hammock hold me (145lbs, 5'10) and my dog (45 lbs) and if so anyone got a genius idea how i would get myself, my dog and my sleeping bag in there? the backpacker weighs 1.5 lbs or so and the others about 2.5, my backpacking tent two person weighs 5 lbs so its a great trade off if it would work. appreciate the advice!

[Tom Clark]

Andy,
There are plenty of people with lots more hammocks than you…
– Henry Hennessy
– Brandon Waddy
– Peter and Paul Pinholster
– Ed Speer

just to name a few folks (of course they actually sale hammocks occasionally).

[Jarrod Handwerk]

Glad to see they put in a Hammock section
by the way this is greenlespaul :)

[Daniel Fosse]

OK, so I've been learking over at HF for a year or so. I could never find a thread that told me exactly what I need to do to start hangin. I'm one of those people who gets mental paralysis when presented too many options. Plus I'm still on an uphill battle with all the new terms like slings and woopies and what not.

This new forum should be great because I want to hammock under the following restrictions:

No major compromise to my UL kit. Most of the nice folks on HF don't put pack weight first, I know some do. Hopefully having a hammock forum here at BPL will create the perfect storm of ideas.

A rig on a dirtbag budget is a must.

Something that will hold up a 200lb meat bag (me), is needed. I know people do it, but I'm still in disbelief that 1.1oz ripstop will hold me up. I will sleep nervously the first night :)

[The Cossack]

daniel- i had this old hammock i got as a gift from the guy who owns hammockbliss whaen i lived in tucson arizona- i had never used it till a few months ago- it weighs 15 ounces sleeping in it for a week has me convinced that hammocking is the way to go- i rigged up a golite poncho tarp for rain protection and have a headnet for bugs- all pretty cheap and about a pound and a half-

[Chris Peichel]

Daniel
I think you could keep hammock cost down to pretty cheap if you want to make your own.
Check out backwoodsdaydreamer.com – he has 1.1 oz ripstop for $3.00/ yd in camo (68" wide) and olive green (64" wide)
he also has some 1.5oz ripstop for $3.85 / yd

you could make a double layer of 1.1, or a single layer of 1.5 in a gathered end for really cheap. I used the 1.1 camo 68" wide single layer ( I weigh 160 lbs)

Don't get webbing for tree straps from backwoodsdaydreamer it is way too heavy.

You can get 7/64 amsteel for whoopies and webbing for tree straps from arrowheadequipment.com

Both of the folks are great to deal with.

PM me if you want any other details, hammocking can be done fairly cheap, at least to start. Then you start wanting to make underquilts, topquilts, etc…

[Daniel Fosse]

@ Michael, that's what I'm talkin about. Light-n-cheap

@ Chris, I think making my own is the way to go. I will contact you for sure. Thanks!

[Andrew King]

Hey Tom, lol, just caught your post. Guess I better subscribe to this thread. Oh believe me, the list of persons with more hammocks than me is quite long. You should check out a guy named Cannibal on HF sometime. But I'm always on the lookout for my next acquisition ;) Good to see all this hammock chatter going on around here. BTW, we have a backpacking group with 6 hangers in it heading out to the CO high country next week for a 5 day adventure. I will be posting a trip report on that for sure. It should be epic.

[Tim Marshall]

is 1" poly webbing from BWDD really significantly heavier than 1" poly webbing from Arrow Head? I am not saying it isn't i am just surprised. I have some from BWDD but nothing to compare it to. Seems fine to me though. I'd love to know if there are lighter options that still can hold my 300#

-Tim

[Marc Kokosky]

Tim,

I can't attest to the weight of each, but I have AHEs and it is pretty light. And it definitely holds my 315# with no problem whatsoever. It's the only place I'll get my poly straps from now on.

[Tim Marshall]

when making tree huggers what threads are people using? I used some nylon 69 but it is a tad big for my machine and doesn't turn out pretty. Also those straps were from some 2" seatbelt webbing i had on hand and are way over kill (before seeing the BWDD webbing). I have some poly Tex 40 from thru-hiker. Will that get the job done on my next set or do i need something special?

-Tim

[Ken Thompson]

when making tree huggers what threads are people using?

Gutterman heavy duty. Get the cheap tie down straps from Harbor Freight for the webbing.

[Chris Peichel]

I ordered some of the 1" polyester webbing from BWDD, it is rated at 3000#'s!!! It has the look and feel of heavy seatbelt webbing. I was unable to sew it, it is waaaay too heavy. I ended up cutting apart some poly tiedown straps that I had to make my tree straps. I will either end up ordering webbing from AHE, or getting the cheap harbor freight straps and using the webbing from them. (I need to make a longer set of straps, big trees around here).

I had great success with the gutterman poly thread from AHE. I used it to sew my tree straps, hammock and tarp. Worked great. AHE has it for a good price, shipping is cheap and they sent my stuff out immediately. I will look for reasons to order from them, great service.

@Tim – the tex 40 should be great for sewing tree straps, from what I can figure I think it is a tiny bit thicker thread than the gutterman from AHE.

Edit:
I don't want you to think I am dissatisfied with BWDD…they are fantastic with the quality of their ripstop nylon and their price is unbeatable, the service is outstanding as well. I only wanted to say that their 1" poly web is too heavy, at least for those trying to keep the weight down. I just ordered more ripstop from them to make an underquilt. I love buying from people who care about their customers. Both BWDD and AHE are great.

[Judi Henson]

I put my GoLite Jam 2 under my legs in my hammock. It works great in conjunction with my Exped Downmat 7 (Short) for insulation, as well as letting me sleep with my knees bent a little. I don't hang in bear country so I feel safe about all my stuff being in bed with me. Peace. Thia was in response to the question, where to put my pack.

Normally I just put my pack underneath me where I can easily reach in and grab things from my hammock. On occasion I will hang my pack from the suspension on one side of the hammock as well.

[Keith Selbo]

HH hyperlite. I swapped out the asym tarp for the HH tarp-cape. It's a great combination. Weighs little, cost's much (but worth it IMHO).

I hang my pack from the suspension line at the entrance end. I can get into it pretty easily if I need something in the middle of the night.

I have a Scout that I lend to friends who want to try a hammock.

For insulation I use one wal-mart pad in the summer and two in the winter.

I've seen pictures of tree huggers used like a noose. That is, one end of the hugger goes around the tree and is then threaded through the loop of the other end forming a noose around the tree. Then the hammock is attached to the free loop. That arrangement puts twice the load on the hugger as the conventional threading the hammock support through both loops does. Since I've not heard of any failures, it probably means the exisitng huggers are stronger than they have to be and there is a potential weight savings.

The best way to get into a mummy bag in your HH. I stand in the entrance, step into the bag and pull it up over my shoulders, then I sit and pull my feet up and inside in the normal way. I have a removable backpack pad that I stand on when I do this so the bottom of the bag doesn't get dirty.

[tim hower]

"I've seen pictures of tree huggers used like a noose. That is, one end of the hugger goes around the tree and is then threaded through the loop of the other end forming a noose around the tree. Then the hammock is attached to the free loop. That arrangement puts twice the load on the hugger as the conventional threading the hammock support through both loops does. Since I've not heard of any failures, it probably means the exisitng huggers are stronger than they have to be and there is a potential weight savings."

If all your doing is running the strap around the tree and back to your hammock what keeps it from sliding down the tree? Unless you strap wraps an extra loop, that would solve the strap sliding down, around the tree you've still got one strap width worth holding you up. It's not doubled at that point. If your strap loops around the tree an extra time you'll need extra length on your straps which I would say would probably negate any weight savings. If the trees are big you'll need lots of strap.

I've never seen anyone hang a hammock the way you describe. Can you post a pic, maybe I'm just not getting what your saying.

[Keith Selbo]

I'm sorry I didn't see this post sooner.

I only go behind the tree and directly back to the hammock if the tree is to big to form a complete loop around it with the ends of the straps coming from behind the tree to the hammock.

If I hadn't seen pictures first, I never would have tried it. As it was, I wrote to Hennessy asked if the strap would slide down the tree. They said no, and to date, it's worked just fine. Apparently, if the tree is too big for a complete wrap-around, it's there's enough friction to keep the hammock from sliding. Zoom in on the tree in this photo and you'll see there isn't a complete loop around the tree.

[taetum shelyn]

Hey man noticed you had an enos double nest and that this post is pretty old if your still on here can you tell me weather you still have it and weather you have had any problems with it?

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