hennessy hammock: setup reboot.

[volks-man]

You might be close to Jacks-R-Better? If so, contact them for a visit. I'm certain they will be able to help you in person.

thanks,
i looked them up and they are around 3 hours away. blasted chesapeake bay is right in the way or it would be a short trip!!!!

[Ramblinrev]

i have been doing small sections of PA MID STATE TRAIL. i am going to be on the section above pa route 45 near r.b. winter state park (as memory serves) next, in the fall.

Let me know when... I may be able to meet you somewhere and camp the night if nothing else. That area is close to my stomping grounds.

[BillyBob58]

i have been having problems with the stock fly on my HH uba. i had asked in another thread about adding a fly ridgeline and have already made slingshot tensioners but i think i need to step back and look at this again.

what am i doing wrong?

Well, Volks, just join the crowd of folks who have struggled with the HH fly. Here comes some broken record: People have stayed dry through deluge but it can be a bit tricky. You can tie to the trees and get a really tight pitch, though not as tight as a Cat Cut tarp with two or more guy lines on each side. But, when I tie to tree with this small tarp, I always feel very exposed to wind driven side ways rain. No way that is keeping me dry, I don't believe. I need a bigger tarp to tie to the trees, IMO. You can can tie to the suspension as per the HH design, then you will have good coverage. But no matter how tight your initial pitch, when you get in and the hammock sags, the tarp is going to sag with it and things are going to be loose and floppy. But if you hang it EXACTLY per HH directions AND use a couple of tricks, it won't be near so loose and noisy and should be tolerable plus will keep you dry. If you attach to the suspension hooks and adjust correctly, the tarp will be right on or very near the RL, and will stay that close after you get in, giving good coverage considering the fly size.

i set the hammock up with some sag in the ridgeline. guy out the sides of the hammock and then toss the fly on top.

Don't have any sag in the RIDGELINE. You don't have to pull it real tight at all, but pull on it snug enough so it is good and straight. But I wouldn't have any obvious RIDGELINE sag at the start. Just go with what HH says: pull it the suspension moderately tight. Which should result in a sag free RL.

using the lighter hooks on the fly i clip it to the ridgeline and hook the heavy ones on but remain loose. then side guys go out in the same direction but further than the hammock guys. after sides are set i pull the fly adjusters along the ridge untill the fly tightens up bing sure i am centered over the hammock lengthwise.

OK, that sounds pretty darn good and correct so far. The only thing I would add is: when you guy out the sides, put some tension down on the Ridge line with the tarp. Experiment from a little to a lot of tension. This will cause a little bit of pre-sag in the hammock before you get in and cause some more sag, decreasing the additional trap sag and looseness. If you pull it ( the tarp DOWN on the RL BEFORE tightening up the Prussick hooks) real tight, you will get rid of a whole bunch of tarp looseness after you get in. The down side is that the tighter you pull the tarp down, the harder it is to get into the hammock without decapitating yourself on the RL. But if it is a real windy stormy night, it might be worth it. After all, how often are you going to be getting in and out of your hammock on a stormy night? It is mainly for sleeping when it is crappy weather.

i have also tried tensioning the top first, different side angles, weighted sides, slingshots on just the top on one and both ends, slingshots on just the sides, slingshots on all four points, and tree tieing on one and both ends.

no matter what i do the center of the fly is either loose and flapping or tight and resting on the hammock ridgeline until i get in then it's loose. the bound edge of the fly will tighten all i want, enough to start opening the heavy hooks on the adjusters, but the center will not comply without the side being super tight. i was under the impression that the fly is not to touch the ridgeline.

where am i going wrong?
any help appreciated.

Well, for me, the tarp is to touch the RL, SOP. But has it worked for you even then? I was about to give tips about weighting the sides and rigging the sides with hiking poles at a rather wide pitch rather than straight down. But it sounds like you have already been there/done that. Your story is the reason why so many folks just blow off the stock fly and go to most any other kind of tarp.

I have been able to get the tarp to behave much better by hanging stuff sacks filled with sand or whatever is heavy, from the hooks on the side guy outs- that is what they are there for. And I have found it better if the tarp is rigged to hiking poles on each side, rather than straight down to the ground.

But for me it is just a case of making it tolerable( noise wise) plus still keeping dry for the minimal weight and only two stakes. There is something just attractive about getting by OK with that minimalist approach, for some reason. But, I don't think you are ever going to match a Mac Cat tarp for a tight pitch, no matter what you do, even if tied to trees.

And since it seems you have already tried about everything, you might be better off cutting your losses and getting a better tarp and tying to the trees. It's too bad more folks don't know about these problems so they might choose the free larger tarp option. But, that tarp is a good bit heavier.

[BillyBob58]

the odd perspective to fit the whole thing in the shot kinda hides it but..........

between the corners at the bottom and top of the screen measures approx 109 and they have strings tied on them. the left and right corners measure approx 129 and were the ones i had on the suspension lines.

where does this leave me?

The only thing left for error is that you can still put the tarp on upside down. The ends that go to the suspension Prussick hooks can be right, but a common error is the tarp needs to be flipped over from left to right, it is upside down. But I don't think this is your problem, just a FYI, in case you didn't know. I did this a lot when new to the system.

EDIT: Oh, and have you called HH and described your problems? They might have a better idea of what the problem is.

[volks-man]

The only thing left for error is that you can still put the tarp on upside down. The ends that go to the suspension Prussick hooks can be right, but a common error is the tarp needs to be flipped over from left to right, it is upside down. But I don't think this is your problem, just a FYI, in case you didn't know. I did this a lot when new to the system.

thanks billybob.

i did make sure the side ties lined up with the hammock tie-outs. so i am 99% it was not flipped.
i think my problem lies in what you stated above: 'pitched perfectly and using a few tricks' (paraphrased). that aint gonna happen! even if it did work id worry that i wouldn't be able to duplicate it. i am now convinced that i need to add a fly-ridgeline tied to the trees. i would like to upgrade the fly to something better but right now it is not in the cards (or bank account). if ever the day comes that i can upgrade, the old fly will become an underfly per directions i found on justjeffs site.

i did string the wal-mart imitation paracord across it once and guyed the sides tight. it looked like ridgid walls or at least something more solid than fabric.
all i need to do now is make up some new aluminum hooks for the prussics and maybe a figure 9.

[Bunn]

I have found that even when tying off directly to the trees that the tarps ridgeline still does not get as tight as it could (it is better). I think this is a result of the manufacturing process. The finished outside edge stretches very little and the fabric on the inside of that is just a touch larger and because the perimeter does not stretch, there will always be that little bit of slack in the tarp that prevents the tarps ridgeline from getting as tight and smoothe as it could be. This probably varies from tarp to tarp and may explain why some set up better than others.

Anyway, thats my theory and I'm stickin with it.

[volks-man]

I have found that even when tying off directly to the trees that the tarps ridgeline still does not get as tight as it could (it is better). I think this is a result of the manufacturing process. The finished outside edge stretches very little and the fabric on the inside of that is just a touch larger and because the perimeter does not stretch, there will always be that little bit of slack in the tarp that prevents the tarps ridgeline from getting as tight and smoothe as it could be. This probably varies from tarp to tarp and may explain why some set up better than others.

Anyway, thats my theory and I'm stickin with it.

amen brother.
i am with you. it sure does seem like the edge maxes out before the middle tightens. between that and my inexperience i think you've nailed it!

[Ramblinrev]

One of the distinct features of the HH stock tarp is that it is one width of fabric so there are no center seams. As a result any stress you put on opposite corners _will_ stretch the bias to some extent. The long diagonals will do this less than the shorter diagonals. But all that plays into the floppy stretch you get. The fabric would play a big part in this. Some lots of fabric may have a somewhat tighter weave and so be less floppy. That's another advantage to a larger tarp. You can still do a larger diamond tarp by cutting the diamond out of the fabric in two pieces using the selvages as the center seam line. When that is a flat felled seam you will have a good tight ridge hang and the sides should tension out nicely.

I have not tried what I am about to suggest so it is for me unproven territory. But the question was raised in another thread about using webbing or gros grain ribbon on the center seam of a tarp. You _might_ be able to make some progress if you sewed a strip of ribbon on the long diagonal of the stock HH tarp. That would stabalize the interior of the tarp and reduce the bias pull. You'd have to seam seal the ribbon. The problem with a regular ridgeline is the tension of the tarp is still going to pull the bias no matter what, as you found out tying directly to the tree. Stablizing the ridge diagonal is the only thing that will prevent that pulling. _If_ you decide to do that, which would be cheaper than a new tarp, plan on making sure that ribbon goes on cine and straight and stitch two line of stitches close to each edge of the ribbon

I would use a snap line to mark a line on the edge of the long diagonal and pin the ribbon down well so it doesn't shift when you sew it. Good luck if you decide to try that. But be forewarned... you do it at your own risk. If it works good deal. If not... it was your idea to try it.

[gargoyle]

It looks like your fabric was tensioned too tight when HH sewed the hem around your tarp. Try to contact them with your photos.

If that fails, try to rig flexible tent poles between the tie downs, arching up your tarp.
Or stitch some loops on the outside of tarp to lift the sag out, and run an exterior ridgeline.

You certainly have it pulled tight enough on the edges, but that middle has got to be flapping annoyance. Good luck. Buying a new tarp with more coverage would be the other option, thats what most folks do.

[volks-man]

One of the distinct features of the HH stock tarp is that it is one width of fabric so there are no center seams. As a result any stress you put on opposite corners _will_ stretch the bias to some extent. The long diagonals will do this less than the shorter diagonals. But all that plays into the floppy stretch you get. The fabric would play a big part in this. Some lots of fabric may have a somewhat tighter weave and so be less floppy. That's another advantage to a larger tarp. You can still do a larger diamond tarp by cutting the diamond out of the fabric in two pieces using the selvages as the center seam line. When that is a flat felled seam you will have a good tight ridge hang and the sides should tension out nicely.

I have not tried what I am about to suggest so it is for me unproven territory. But the question was raised in another thread about using webbing or gros grain ribbon on the center seam of a tarp. You _might_ be able to make some progress if you sewed a strip of ribbon on the long diagonal of the stock HH tarp. That would stabalize the interior of the tarp and reduce the bias pull. You'd have to seam seal the ribbon. The problem with a regular ridgeline is the tension of the tarp is still going to pull the bias no matter what, as you found out tying directly to the tree. Stablizing the ridge diagonal is the only thing that will prevent that pulling. _If_ you decide to do that, which would be cheaper than a new tarp, plan on making sure that ribbon goes on cine and straight and stitch two line of stitches close to each edge of the ribbon

I would use a snap line to mark a line on the edge of the long diagonal and pin the ribbon down well so it doesn't shift when you sew it. Good luck if you decide to try that. But be forewarned... you do it at your own risk. If it works good deal. If not... it was your idea to try it.

thanks for the thoughts on the ribbon. i have been toying with the idea of making up a fly that whos pieces, at the top, ovlerlaps such as to create a tube of fabric down the middle to accomodate a floating, replaceable line of some sort.
hhmmmmmmmmmmm..........