Tensa solo, suspension?

[Rivenin]

So my wife got me one of the things I asked for this Christmas, which was the base tensa solo. I had assumed I had the right rope but the top ridge is too small for the thicker rope I have… anyways!
Im going to order what I need in the next few days and just want to make sure I have it right…
my hammock has carabiners at the end, so my assumption is the following.

- Amstel Continuous loop to go on the ball of the tensa to my hammock carabiner
- 2 Amstel Whoopie slings to go from the tensa to my stakes (they would work in this scenario, right?)

Looking at just grabbing this set

https://www.etsy.com/listing/6662415...ef%3A666241582

[LowTech]

Wow, they must have changed the design since I got mine.
Mine has a soft shackle w/ a toggle on it to attach the CL to and a couple little loops at the very top to attach the tarp to.
I use UCRs for the guylines to ground stakes.

"Sent w/o me knowing"

[Rivenin]

Wow, they must have changed the design since I got mine.
Mine has a soft shackle w/ a toggle on it to attach the CL to and a couple little loops at the very top to attach the tarp to.
I use UCRs for the guylines to ground stakes.

"Sent w/o me knowing"

Ah, sorry. May have described it terribly.
it has 2 mini loops at the top for the tarp, and one ball toggle, but was wondering about the guylines to the stakes as I just got the base solo with no guylines. I’m sure the design is the same. 👍

As I’m new to this, UCRs and whoopie slings are basically the same, right?

[LowTech]

Yes they are only the UCRs being a straight line w/ no looping back on itself, like the Whoopi slings, is less line. I find them simple and easy. I also think it's what they sell w/ it when you include the anchor lines. I already had made some so I just used what I had.

I use a stand 99% of the time, which this year has been about 360 nights. I don't use the Solo unless I'm kayak or bikepacking but I do use the UCRs all the time.

"Sent w/o me knowing"
Attachment 191886

[Rivenin]

Awesome, thanks so much!! Just ordered my lines and should be able to get testing soon.

[Shug]

I'm curious what anchor system you are using? It is all about good anchoring. My video shows staking at 5:25 in....
Shug

[cougarmeat]

You can see the Solo "in the wild" in my post of 9/02/22, "Around Orcas in 8 days"


Here is a photo from when I tried it out for the first time on a day hike.
Yes - there are plenty of trees about - they were Plan B
You are looking at a GrandTrunk hammock, a RSBTR DYI bridge hammock, and a WB MiniFly

SoloPole.jpg


The Solo pole opens up so many more possibilities because you are no longer dependent on two trees the right distance apart. But you are dependent on a solid anchor. Note that it doesn't have to be a stake in the ground.

The first Solo I acquired used a small titanium piece that the hammock loops would hang on, later they switched to that ball on Amsteel because it was the same hardware used with the Tensa4 - no need to inventory both items when one would work for either product.

You can attach the hammock loop to the ball rather than add a carabiner and an additional loop. Your tarp will usually require about 12 ft - 13 ft distance (11 ft standard length plus a little room to fiddle) So, at that distance from your solid (i.e. tree) support, you'll be playing with the height of your attachment points to get the foot end raised (but not too much) and the give the hammock body ground clearance. My guess is, you'll have your head at the solo pole end.

From what I've said above, you can see a little practice, a little ~ "Getting to know you. Getting to know all about you ... " ~ time is necessary. Issues are more easily figured out at a local park in the daytime rather than on the trail - with the wrong kind of stakes - as night is approaching.

I've had a lot of luck with the boomstakes but stake choice is really dependent upon the sod/sand/pebbles/lava rock/duff you are working with.

There are a few posts about different anchor systems and finesses.

[dwighop]

I still find myself struggling to find the right anchors. Went to ground with tree roots last time the orange screws and boom stakes didn't hold.

[Shug]

I still find myself struggling to find the right anchors. Went to ground with tree roots last time the orange screws and boom stakes didn't hold.

Might need to add another stake or two. Maybe give the Peggy Pegs a go.....
Shug

[LowTech]

At this point I have a bigger collection of ground stakes than Shug has of hammocks and quilts .
So far the style that has worked the best for me in variety of situations is a simple "V" of aluminum. In the hard stuff I've been able to use ones that are about 9" long but I'm going to make some 12" ones as well. I don't backpack w/ them so I'm not super weight concerned, just use the Solo for kayak and bikepacking, but since I use pole stands most of the time I never know what kind of ground I'm going to run into.

I did do my first "one pole" setup where I used some tree limbs as my anchors for the pole a couple weeks ago and then forgot to take pics.

Ground anchors are definitely the most important part of the setup. I've used a variety of things for poles and even the guylines. Stuff like hammock suspension daisy chains, cargo cam lock straps, and Lawson's ironwire have all worked at different times (my partner has a tendency to forget parts of her setup if she's not focused).

@cougarmeat thanks for that explanation, I have the soft shackle w/ a tie piece.

I did notice that two of the "Solos in use" photos are of my setup when I went to their site yesterday. The one under the Joshua tree where I'm using the same UQP as the previous photo and the one after it showing just that end .

"Sent w/o me knowing"