I'll start off by giving credit to VaraVild, his YouTube video, The Single Tree Hammock Option, is where this started for me. That was several yrs ago. I didn't really understand how it worked, so I tried setting up a replica in the back yard using a Kelty tarp pole, and a tree. I tied off the pole with two lines at a roughly 60-70 degree angle, to solid anchors. It held me fine.
I thought it was cool, but didn't use it. I guess I didnt trust it enough to try it in the wild. Eventually I took the pole on a trip to Great Sand Dunes N.P. I tried using it there without success. I'm still not sure why it didn't work, but it caused me to play with the setup again when I returned home. I tried using tent stakes for the tie-outs rather than fence posts. Realizing that most soil was not a secure as my grass covered lawn, lead me to using dog bones to improve the anchors holding power. Now rather than 1 stake per line I had 2, 4 or more depending on how many dogbones I wanted to use. That change greatly increased my confidence in the system.
I took the pole on a few car camping trips and used it several times with success. Last spring was the first time I took it on a motorcycle trip. With experience using it and confidence it would work, I found I was picking campsites that previously would not have gotten a second look. All I needed was 1 good tree, or a shade structure in the camp ground. I also found that with the bike I didn't even need to stake out the lines. I could position the bike and anchor the pole to the front and back wheels. By the end of the summer I was using the pole about 50% of the time. It is very nice to have so many more options on where to camp. If I took 2 poles I guess I could setup almost anywhere.
This Feb, 2021, I went out to spend some time kayaking with my son on the lower Colorado River. I took the pole and the hammock. The pole bent, probably because I had become overly confident and wasn't looking at the position of the pole when I tested the setup. The pole needs to be vertical. Side loading to left or right can flex the pole. I normally look at that and then reposition the pole to vertical. The pole is now stronger and shorter. It is still adjustable between about 5 & 6 ft, but the default will be about 5 ft, or where I want the foot end of my hammock set. The pole will also be about 12 or 18 inches past the foot of the hammock and the tie-up point for the tarp. By being stronger and shorter (it was about 8 ft) I expect this to be my go to setup.
Obviously I can still use trees, but I don't need 2 trees at the right distance apart. I can also orient the hammock to what I want based on wind direction, what I want to see, fire ring etc.
Learning to use the pole and the hammock is part of the joy of hammock camping. I like to try new things. Hammocks, tarps, poles and different setups are all part of that. Nothing wrong with tents. My wife uses her tent/cot setup and is very happy with it. She has it set up in half the time it takes me. She's wiping down her bike or sitting in her chair with a cold beer before I'm done, but I'm in no hurry, were camping. If I was in a hurry I wouldn't bring an alcohol stove or ride a bike. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...d8e19cc2b2.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...81f5398e32.jpg
Sent from my couch
