Super simple, strong, fairly cheap, very quick bipod style stand.

[Marc S.]

I lucked out and found a deal on 21' sections. I know it has a pretty big foot print, but I needed some room for my big guy bridge, walking room and coverage for a couple others if it rains. I cut one full 21' rail in half for the top and used 7' leg sections. I had two old aluminum tent poles that worked well to spread the tarp out. 4 corners staked out and the center tab of each side. It's holding together very well and much sturdier than I thought. I'm a pretty big guy @ 6' 3" 275, and am enjoying the open space while still covered for a bit of rain. This forum is a wealth of knowledge and inspiration, thanks again for all of the help.

[planenut]

Wow, Thats big!..

I was thinking 15’ wide and wanted poles long enough that it is 6’ tall.

Thanks!

[Bigmeats]

That's my 12' Winter Haven tarp. Not much room to spare. I didn't account for losing about 3" when putting the pipe together. 14.5' top rail. It still works fine but you can see I can't attach the tarp to the eye bolts. Instead I put the lash-it line around the first L connector. Works fine.

Hey OneClick! Long time..........Its been a while since I have been on HF and doing some catchup as of late. I want to build this stand. I love my trutledog but this seems better in my opinion. I have read through this novel and watched your video on YT but still am not 100% on the measurements. Any chance you would share with me what you finally came up with for lengths of the legs and top pole please? I need to build one of these!!

[planenut]

Finally built one… all fence rail pieces are close to 6’ 4”. That size will fit in the bed of my truck.
It stands just under 6’ tall and 12’4” wide. Probably a little too tall so I plan to cut some off the legs.I still need to put some cordage between bottom of legs and get some S hooks, etc.

IMG_3511.jpg70829799111__D0616FD2-57EF-42AD-A52E-C72462A48F5D.jpg

[joe_guilbeau]

Here is a lighter version of the bipod stand using Schedule 40 Aluminum 6063-T5 pipe tubing. These generally come in 20-foot sections and weight 0.581 per foot (23.24-lbs for 2-sections)..

From Westbrook Metals Part#: API6114 20-foot 1" Sch.40 Aluminum Pipe 6061-T6 (1.315"od x .133"wall) at $58.00 each.

This version needs two 20-foot sections and each section is cut in thirds. The end result of four cuts is 6-sections of Schedule 40 Aluminum 6063-T5 pipe tubing (4-legs) and (2-top rails) with each tube measuring at 6.6-feet or 6-feet 7.2-inches.

Total cost will be 2 x $58 = $116 with a $5.00 cutting fee.



Then from Tarps.com come the following five pieces.

(1) Product Name: 1 3/8" Tubing Splicer - 2 Way Fitting (FC-138) $5.40 ea
https://tarps.com/products/1-3-8-tub...tting-fc-138-1

(4) Product Name: 1 3/8" Flat Open L - 2 Way Fitting (FOL-138) $7.15 ea
https://tarps.com/products/1-3-8-fla...pr_seq=uniform

Total $34.00 Dollars at Tarps.com along with the purchase and cutting fees of $121.00 from Westbrook Metals comes to $155.00 excluding Sales Tax and shipping from Tarps.com (Westbrook Metals is local).

I will be using this for kayak camping with Amok 3.0 and a 4x4-meter tarp draped over the top rail and secured to the legs of the stand on all four corners.

If the legs are set at 45-degrees (5-foot spread), the top rail will be 72-inches off the ground. Should be very sturdy.

The top rail will be about 13-feet, so the 4x4-meter tarp will offer full coverage.

[joe_guilbeau]

For some users, a simple 3-Way Corner 1-3/8" Canopy Fitting w/Down Slope/Angle (FV3JSL) - Fits 1 3/8" EMT Pipe or Chain Link Fencing Top Rail That has an Outer Diameter of 1 5/16"

The angle is right at (102-degrees) which makes the leg angle 78-degrees.

Three Way 60 Degree Canopy Fitting.jpg

Plugging in your leg lengths into this Triangle Calculator helps the final design.

In the link I inserted my 60-degree angle to get my heights in the previous post.

To use this three way connector you have to plug in 78-degrees and then plug in your leg lengths to massage the design.

Just scroll down the results page to the height section for the top rail height above the ground.

[circusfreak]

Wow, 8 years later and 700+ posts this thread is still going! I had to check the original post date to be sure, as it seems like that is waaay too long ago!

My original stand still has not been modified, and I still break it out for a portable solution for the backyard or when I road trip. Great to see all the mods and improvements you folks have made to it. In 2021 I switched over to more a built-in solution which has been great (and a much higher WAF !)

From the day I built this stand I have been a full-time nightly hanger and it's been so great. How many of you guys are full-timers?

Cheers!
Rob

[RobScottStewart]

I am still a nightly hanger and just stopped using this stand as I don’t have the room in a smaller house. Now I have mounting points on the walls of my room and just hang from there. I still have the stand for camping and the beach.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Zeusrex]

I'm building a pair of these stands as a semi-permanent bed replacement for me and my wife. I really like this design as the leg angle is adjustable (this is appealing to me for various reasons).

Yesterday, I put up the 'proof of concept' first-build and when I put weight on it, one of the ends was more securely tightened than the other, and the 'loose' side pulled inward.

I'm thinking about drilling a hole at the eye-bolt locations in the ridge rail, but I'd rather not lose the flexibility of being able to adjust my leg angle if I don't have to. For those of you who have been using this model consistently, have you drilled holes? or are you tightening the eye-bolts down with a lever (screwdriver/marlin spike/etc.) to really bite into the ridge-rail? Or is there another method to securing the pole without going to extremes?

FWIW, I'm about 240 lbs (109kg), so I understand that my weight is a factor in why simply hand-tightening isn't sufficient.

[LowTech]

Remember that your hammock should be attached to the ridge pole and not the legs.

"Sent w/o me knowing"