Hammock issues when not using a pad

[ThePantologist]

Equipment: ENO DN/Atlas Straps/Whoopie Sling RL/Amsteel Continuous loops on end of hammock


So here is the issue...I have had my ENO DN for about a year now. I have slept in it several times outside while using a pad (sometimes two depending on temperature). At that time I used a non-adjustable RL (103 inches). That being said, I just purchased my first UQ (HG Incubator 0 degree, which hasn’t shipped yet). In anticipation of this I added some eye bolts in my walls inside my house and setup the hammock to start messing with the RL length, etc. during this cold Michigan weather. Up to this point I have never slept in the hammock without the pad…only napped etc. When I set the positions of the eye bolts, suspension…bla bla bla… I used Derek’s Hammock Hang Calculator. So here are the two issues

1. No matter what I do, the hammock squeezes my shoulders. I have messed with RL length going all the way from 85inches to 103inches trying to understand the relationship but with very little change. I have tried shifting my body to different angles as well as moving the fabric from one side of my body to the other (hopefully that made sense). I believe that when I was using the pad, the “square’ness” to it helped push those shoulder areas out so I didn’t notice it.

2. The second issue is that I can’t actually make the math work on Derek’s calculator. For the parameters and dimensions I have given it, it is telling me to shorten my suspension. The problem with that is that I physically cannot. It would be pulling the hammock WAY too tight if I went with the numbers given.

I have read several articles online as well as within Hammock Forums and I am still having this issue. I guess I’m just having a hard time understanding the relationship between the different lengths/numbers. I slept in the hammock last night and woke up with a fun shoulder ache. Hoping someone can help with this frustration.

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[paulw]

I had the same problem when I started hanging indoors ,when I had the pad , no shoulder squeeze ,but I got a u.q. and noticed it right away,with the same setup ( length of hang ),I was slightly under the distance using the hang calculator as I could not get my suspension close enough ,but I got some speed hooks from dutch ( discontinued for now ) which allowed me to shorten my suspension to where the shoulder squeeze went away ,something to think about , I messed with my r.l. also ,but went back to the original length and so far so good ,hope this helps a little bit

[FLRider]

While many folks find that ENO's offerings work for them, I've never been able to get comfortable in less than a 10'6" long hammock and find that an 11' long by 56"+ is the true secret to comfort. Below that, one or more of three things happens to me: I wind up with shoulder squeeze (especially when the hammock is hung tightly), I wind up with serious knee hyperextension, and/or my feet begin to fall out of the hammock.

I would recommend spending $30 and getting one of Dutch's 11' long hammocks or spending $15 and making your own out of 4 yards of material.

Hope it helps!

[WaffleBox]

Ditto what FLRider said. The problem is almost certainly due to the short length of ENO hammocks.

[Bubba]

Measure your ENO's length so you know where you are starting from. There is variability among hammocks and you can't trust what their packaging says. Once you get your hammock's length, set your RL to 83% of the hammock length and then try adjusting your RL longer and shorter to find where you are most comfortable. I think you are right in that the pad previously help with shoulder squeeze. Keep in mind everythime you change you RL length you'll have to adjust your suspension length get your RL at the proper tautness. The shorter the RL becomes the longer the suspension and the longer the RL the shorter the suspension.

[ThePantologist]

Thanks for the help guys. I will most likely purchase the 11ft hammock from Dutch and try that.

[WaffleBox]

Thanks for the help guys. I will most likely purchase the 11ft hammock from Dutch and try that.

One thing to warn you about - your ProFly is a hair too short to use with an 11' hammock. If it rains, your suspension will most likely end up getting wet.

[Maddog5150]

For issue number 2, are you sure that you are entering the proper lengths into the calculator? Make sure you are using the proper hammock body length and suspension length. The suspension length starts where the body ends. I know i messed this up when I first started using the calculator.

[BillyBob58]

Are you using the pad in the picture from your OP? In that picture, it looks like you have abundant shoulder room.

I don't have anything to offer you that you have not already tried. I have only had that problem in any of my non-bridge hammocks that had no RL and I hung them too tight. It was always just a matter of hanging them with a bit more sag to get rid of any squeeze. That includes my Speer 8.5 and my 10 ft long Claytor, although that last one is so narrow it is hard to ever get squeeze in it, very forgiving about adjustments. Of course, I may not be the one to comment, because I don't even complain of shoulder squeeze in my 1st model (probably had it for ~7 years) JRB BMBH, so that right there puts me in a small group. And I am fairly broad shouldered and at 6'1" run 205-220 lbs.