Questions about setup

[OldMan]

Seems like the longer I think about setting up my BB the more questions I generate. I have read a lot of the post here and answered many of my questions but still have a few left.

1. How do you get the hammock level? Just eye it up, or is there some other trick or tool that you use.

2. Is the rain fly best pitched as a rectangle bisected by the ridge line, or rotated 45 degrees like the Henessey seems to have.

3. Pro's and cons with attaching the rain fly to the hammock suspension system rather than having a separate ridge line just for the fly.

Thanks for your help. I've learned a lot so far.

[pgibson]

Be sure to check out Warbonnet guys video herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWlM0pROnpU that helped me a ton.
But 1. eye works close enough, then lay in it and give it a feel, if you need get out and tweek it till it's good.
2. you will get better coverage with a rectangle side to side and end to end, unless your tarp is huge, then what ever works.
3. do the tarp to the trees one way or another, on the suspension you will be fighting back and forth trying to keep the tarp tight when you lay in the hammock.

Adjust and adjust some more, it will get easier and easier the more you set it up and take it down.

[lori]

1. How do you get the hammock level? Just eye it up, or is there some other trick or tool that you use.

I don't worry about it. I get the angle of the strap to the hammock about 30 degrees on each end by eyeballing it, and then shove the foot end strap a few inches higher than the head end. It's harder when one tree is higher on an incline than the other, but possible.

2. Is the rain fly best pitched as a rectangle bisected by the ridge line, or rotated 45 degrees like the Henessey seems to have.

I'd pitch a rectangle as a rectangle. I had a Hennessy - unless you have a huge tarp pitching it in a diamond will let rain sneak in and get your quilts wet. Within three weeks of getting the HHULB I had a much larger cat cut tarp.

3. Pro's and cons with attaching the rain fly to the hammock suspension system rather than having a separate ridge line just for the fly.

I've tied off to the biners before. It works much better than the Hennessy method of tying off to the suspension ropes/straps. I am using huge trees sometimes and when you're wrapping a strap around a 5' diameter pine tree, the tarp rope I have falls a little short. I get lazy and set up with the tarp line on the hammock biner. Stays pretty taut. At some point, I'm going to get longer tarp lines.

[Lorethian]

1. How do you get the hammock level? Just eye it up, or is there some other trick or tool that you use.

In my experience you don't want the hammock to be level. You want your feet to be a little higher then your head. As the night goes on if your head is higher you will sink toward the center of the hammock, but if your feet are higher you stay in place very nicely.

2. Is the rain fly best pitched as a rectangle bisected by the ridge line, or rotated 45 degrees like the Henessey seems to have.

I have always pitched mine as a rectangle. If you don't I think you will not have enough length to cover the ends of the hammock and come a rain you will have hell to pay as the water comes in the head and feet side of the hammock.

3. Pro's and cons with attaching the rain fly to the hammock suspension system rather than having a separate ridge line just for the fly.

My first hammock I bought had the rain fly attached to the hammock suspension. It is probably the most complained about feature of that hammock system. When you get in the hammock the tarp will get loose and as you get out it will tighten up. Your weight is effecting it when your in the tarp, and it is a terrible system. I HIGHLY recommend you attach the tarp to the tree's via it's own suspension system.

Hope that all helps and hope you enjoy the hammock.

[Mustardman]

3. Pro's and cons with attaching the rain fly to the hammock suspension system rather than having a separate ridge line just for the fly.

Even Tom Hennessey doesn't attach his tarp to the suspension lines when he hangs his hammock. That should tell you something

The problem with attaching to the hammock suspension is, when you lay down in the hammock, the suspension sags downwards because of your weight in the hammock, and the tarp, which was tight before you got into the hammock, is now loose.

Attaching it to the biners on the tree straps, however, works pretty well. I don't use a separate tarp ridge line though - I attach guylines to each end of the tarp and pull 'er tight with figure 9's.

[2Questions]

Attaching the rain fly to the hammock suspension assumes the hammock is set up first. In rainy conditions, for me the fly would usually go up first.

[OldMan]

Thanks to everyone for their help. The eyeball method for leveling a hammock seems pretty straight forward, so long as the ground is level. I guess experience will take care of the unlevel hangs. There are tiny little levels you can put into the refrigerator of an RV to help with leveling the rig. Thought there might be a tiny level you could hang from the ridgeline of something.

I have not tried to hang my 8*10 tarp as a diamond over the BB, although I did hang it in that configuration over a smaller pocket hammock that I played with one day. It had seemed to cover it OK and only required a pair of stakes. But I can see how with a longer hammock it could expose it more to the weather. I did find that with the 8*10 SilTarp, with 5 tie-downs along the long side, I could stake out using the second from the end that then play door with the outer section, giving a bit more protection.

I had wondered about the tarp sagging if attached to the hammock ridgeline, but I am sure I saw a video somewhere in the past few weeks where that was what was being done. It's all new to me though so I may well have missed something.

Thanks again to all.

[Hooch]

1) Just eyeball it. If it isn't "perfectly" level, it doesn't really matter. What matters is that it works for you, regardless of how it's set up.

2) This is pretty much a matter of personal preference. I pitch mine as a rectangle, but that's what works for me. Try it both ways and see which method you like best and go with it.

3) Not a good idea, if you ask me. Once you weight the hammock, then the pitch of the tarp changes by losing it's "tautness". IMO, a tarp that isn't pitched taut isn't as effective as it could be.

My setup on a recent overnighter at Deep Gap Shelter in NGA on the AT:

[OldMan]

My setup on a recent overnighter at Deep Gap Shelter in NGA on the AT:

How much separation do you have between the rain fly and the hammock? Can't tell if you have a bug screen or not.

[Ramblinrev]

Thanks to everyone for their help. The eyeball method for leveling a hammock seems pretty straight forward, so long as the ground is level. I guess experience will take care of the unlevel hangs. There are tiny little levels you can put into the refrigerator of an RV to help with leveling the rig. Thought there might be a tiny level you could hang from the ridgeline of something.


I had wondered about the tarp sagging if attached to the hammock ridgeline, but I am sure I saw a video somewhere in the past few weeks where that was what was being done. It's all new to me though so I may well have missed something.

Thanks again to all.

A mason's line level is what some people carry. I personally don't bother because I hang my feet higher than my head which is kind of a rule of thumb for many people as it prevents "slipping down the slope" inside the hammock. But that's a "do your own thing."

Spacing the tarp is a relative thing. High and wide gives more air circulation. Low and tight is less wind so somewhat warmer. Hard weather low and tight. Fair weather high and wide. Reallt fair weather string it up but leave it furled.

The tarp attached to the ridgeline is a Hennessy Hammocks degisgn feature. I think it is interesting that even Tom Hennssy no longer uses that technique. Hang it separately so you can hang the tarp in the rain and then set up at your leaisure underneath.