Hammock & tarp on same dutch buckle?

[Erayd]

Is there any reason why I should not attach both my hammock suspension and my tarp ridgeline to the same dutch buckle? I cannot think of any reason why this would cause a problem, and it would allow me to ditch the second set of tree straps I currently use for my tarp.

I normally snug the buckles right up near the tree, then hang the hammock via whoopies - so this hopefully won't cause any sagging issues with the tarp depending on whether or not the hammock is loaded - but I would like to make sure it's safe before trying it, in case I've missed something that might be an issue.

Before someone suggests just running the tarp ridgeline (1.75mm zing-it) directly around the tree, I would prefer not to do this - I get a *lot* of wind in my area, and many of the trees have soft or thin bark - I would prefer not to damage them with my tarp suspension when the wind gets up. This means that tree straps on the tarp are a must for me.

For the avoidance of any potential confusion, I am *not* referring to cinch buckles. I'm using these: http://theultimatehang.com/2012/04/the-dutch-buckle/.

[SilvrSurfr]

Check out Hennessy Hammocks - they've been hanging the tarp from the hammock suspension for years. Personally, I think it's a very poor design; the tarp sags when you enter the hammock. I almost immediately went to a separate 1.75 mm Zing-It continuous ridgeline when I had a Hennessy.

Dejoha over at The Ultimate Hang talks about Hennessy hammocks and suggests that if you get a perfect 30 degree hang, and clip the tarp further up the hammock suspension (using a prusik), and maybe put shock cord on the guy lines, you can alleviate the sagging tarp.

http://theultimatehang.com/2014/01/r...-hammock-tarp/

I tried it and didn't see much improvement - I just find that attaching the tarp to the hammock suspension doesn't work for me. I would rather suspend the tarp separately.

[clean]

Yep. ^That.

Most of us that have tried the Hennessy method have come to the same conclusion.

Another advantage to hanging the tarp separately is you can put it up first or break it down last in the rain, giving you a dry spot to unpack. It's very handy.

[clean]

I applaud your desire to not damage the trees but I wonder if you need a full tree strap to achieve it. Perhaps you could use mule tape for the tarp suspension? I think I've also read about people using a sleeve of larger hollow core line around zing-it. Maybe you could gut a few feet of some 10mm climbing rope or something like that? I don't know if that is the right material...

[dirtwheels]

Try this, it works very well, and his hammocks are very comfortable indeed.



OK, so he uses cinch buckles, but it's clean, fiddle free and effective.

Now thinking about your method of placing the buckle right up against the tree with very little play, it seems very doable. You'd only have minimum movement of the buckle when you enter the hammock, so why not give it a try? I lost a pair of those, great piece of kit IMO. Hated leaving those and the straps his hanging...

Please post your results.

[SilvrSurfr]

Before someone suggests just running the tarp ridgeline (1.75mm zing-it) directly around the tree, I would prefer not to do this - I get a *lot* of wind in my area, and many of the trees have soft or thin bark - I would prefer not to damage them with my tarp suspension when the wind gets up. This means that tree straps on the tarp are a must for me.

If you want to carry tree straps for your tarp and don't mind the weight, more power to you. You gotta do what you gotta do. Or you can try the Hennessy method so you don't have to carry extra tree straps. If the winds are that high in your area, and the trees that fragile, I would imagine the Hennessy method of hanging tarp on hammock suspension would prove very annoying.

You can also look into the Single Line Suspension (SLS) - used by a small minority (not commercially sold). I believe some people attach their tarp to the SLS.

Wellington certainly looks like an extremely windy place, with gale-force winds about 175 days out of the year. However, I'd rather use tarp tree straps than have the tarp attached to the hammock suspension. It's too fiddly and a pain in the butt for me.

[Erayd]

I hadn't considered mule tape - that's an excellent idea. It seems likely to be sufficient to avoid tree damage - my main concern was what the zing-it was doing in high wind situations, and mule tape should spread the force enough. I'll give that a try and see how it goes.

Thanks heaps for the suggestion - I was so focused on eliminating the extra strap I didn't even consider that the problem might be solveable in a different way!

[Passinthru]

If your Dutch buckle is close to the tree, as you said, then the tarp ridgeline tension won't be effected as much as if it were attached closer to the hammock. As for safety, as long as you connect to the Dutch buckle in a way that does not compromise the hammock attachment, I don't think there is any issue.
The biggest drawback I can see is that you won't have much adjustability in tarp ridgeline height.

I say it's certainly worth a try.

[GadgetUK437]

Windy huh?
suspending the tarp from the buckles snugged up to the tree will mean that the ridgeline will be quite high (unless you choose trees close to your minimum separation); that means more exposure to wind, both going under the bottom and against your high-rigged sail!
That's the big attraction of separate suspension for me, adjustability; high and airy, or low and snug.

[Mofolio]

I had to do this recently because of the tree sizes in my area and my solution was to hook it around the cinch buckle "hook" and the main problem as someone mentioned was my tarp was too high for some situations but it did hold up fine on a windy day. I use a stinger on each end of my tarp.