Just got back from Bacon Fest and I had plenty of eyes on the BGBH. Expect more begged soon.
Just got back from Bacon Fest and I had plenty of eyes on the BGBH. Expect more begged soon.
Get lost in the woods and find yourself again. A vacation,to me, is working with your hands and surviving because of the fruits of your labor. In the business world I teach;in the natural world I learn.
I hang my head slightly higher. If is slide down a bit towards the foot end, it causes me no problems with comfort at all and keeps my OCD from making me spend an hour trying to level itOriginally Posted by Postal
But for the grace of God, there, I go...
To be honest not sure yet. Maybe both by the time I am done. lol
I cant count the number of times I got up. Of course the first time I got in I felt like I was a kid on slide going backwards and facing up......I hang my head slightly higher. If is slide down a bit towards the foot end, it causes me no problems with comfort at all and keeps my OCD from making me spend an hour trying to level it
Where ever you go,
There you are.
I actually have the head end of my Happy Medium slightly lower than the foot end.
I need to keep my shoulders directly under the bar due to various back and shoulder issues. Having the head lower also makes it easier for me to slide under the bar. I have a combo of small cushions for adjusting my actual head height. I'm much smaller in size than those who typically use a TE bridge, so I have more "play" room than most.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Empire-5...3038/100169030
That's a line level for those not familiar.
Usually... they are made for mason's twine. All the one's I've ever had have been. They might fit on Dynaglide but not on 7/64" amsteel (what most of you have on the Lux/BG)
I do recall seeing some bigger ones though from when I used to do roadwork that might fit. Just haven't gotten around to it yet.
All that said:
Level is a reference... and a starting point.
These bridges have nearly 8' of bed space and any sleep position you want.
Squidmark likes to be way under the bar (like you were belly sleeping but face up).
Some like to dangle their feet in the breeze and slide down on a warm night.
Many sleep dead center.
Even if you sleep dead center. Your personal center of gravity is not. Since these are bridges for bigger folks... most of you are more torso heavy than your average men's medium manikin.
Your center of gravity is probably between your belly button and bottom of your breastbone. (as opposed to your belly button or a hair lower)
One thing I really like (and I think you do too)... is that this bridge does not have a sweet spot. Anywhere, anyplace you find comfy in the hammock is your sweet spot.
Which is a long winded way of saying that everyone of you uses this bridge a bit differently.
So...
It will probably take you a dozen to 30 nights to figure out where you like to sleep.
Once you do... you may find you slide to one end or the other a bit during the night.
If you do... raise that end an inch. (not a foot- this isn't a gathered end).
Try again. For most... 1-3" out of level is usually about all it takes to balance the bridge.
Having a home hang or a pair of trees who are old friends is helpful to sort it out.
I'm a carpenter by trade. So level at home or in the field isn't too tough for me... but I do appreciate we all have our own gifts and eyeballing a 12' line to +/-1/8" may not be yours, lol.
So to bring it back around... I'd like to source a line level that works for these to make that an option for you guys to have along if you need it.
For an ounce or two it would be handy to have that as a reference.
Since each of you are different... that might mean dead level... or a 'bit o bubble past the line' as an old carpenter showed me when building my first exterior deck.
A little 'pitch' may be needed so you don't flow out of the bridge as the night goes on.
Ha! Wish I could have joined you... glad you escaped captivity long enough to scoot up there.
Hello fellow Towns-End BGBH users! I'll be doing a 4-day backpacking trip in the Pisgah NF (near Brevard, NC) in a little over a couple weeks from now. I will be packing my BGBH for the first time in a backpack hike vs. my usual car-camping trip. Not a long hike to the group site - a big group of us go this time every year. But seeing how everything is backpacked I'm being minimal as to what I bring. I'll take some shots of the BGBH in use!
Hey Bill - hope everything is working out OK with the new location so far!
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...uly-20-22-2018
Retired US Navy, 10-year Stage IIIb colon cancer survivor. I believe my last words will be "Hold my beer..."
Looking forward to seeing the hammock.
Ken in NC
I collect vintage camp stoves.
I roast coffee at home.
Officially moved in on 6/28... Quite a few trials and tribulations with the rehab and the sale of my house unfortunately.
My day job got hyper busy again this spring so I leaned on some local folks to do some work and that didn't go well at all.
Several problems and a near lawsuit with selling my previous home caused further fun and excitement... but we are finally finished with that so I'm not carrying the cost of two houses any longer.
Work appears to be down to 55 hours or so for a few months at least now as well...
I've got one bathroom to go (hopefully this weekend) and then I'll be setting up the sewing shop in another week or two.
When all done, it will have been worth it... but been a tough slog for sure.
This rehab/move further slashes our financial costs as a family, but healthcare remains a problem overall that will keep me at my day job for the next few years. My youngest is 4 so my wife and I are hoping to switch roles once my daughter is in school so I can sew full time and she can return to the workforce to provide health insurance.
It's been very tough turning folks down along the way but on the flipside I've received several very heartfelt and uplifting messages from those I did get bridges to before I officially shut down. As well as very nice feedback from the very first testers going on hundreds of nights of use and those who only squeezed in a weekend. Folks who are enjoying the woods, retiring their beds, sleeping well, feeling good, and even losing weight; those testimonials and kind words of thanks have really kept me going. Even something as simple as a father enjoying the once a year long weekend camping with a child or scout troop really resonates with me.
I did get two sewing subcontractors going over the last six months who are producing a bit of work, so I have a pile of 30 or so bridge bodies waiting on me to install splicing, fine tune and wrap them up. However even working with hammock vendors to do the sewing there are limited sewing machine operators capable of the work and none who I would use to complete the bridge itself at this time.
I hope to get those completed towards the end of July and begin reaching out to those who contacted me already. Realistically that backlog will keep things fairly quiet as far as 'opening up' again. I'd like to clear those customers and referrals off my plate before I open my mouth and the website so likely things will continue to stay quiet for for a while on my end.
The financial reality is this will likely be a part time business for me for the next several years as the options to truly ramp up production are not really there with these bridges.
They 'take what they take' as far as skill and time and there are no corners to cut, so build up will need to remain slow to maintain quality.
But so long as I can keep helping folks enjoy the woods I'll keep at it.
Not much news to share really, but I wanted to give a quick update and share a bit of where things are at.
Thanks to everyone for the encouragement, for the patience, and to those who have a bridge already for spreading the word!
Money is necessary, but purpose and positive impact are priceless.
So thank you all for this goal to keep pushing myself towards!
Those of us who already have your hammocks can consider ourselves one of the lucky few! It took me several different hammocks from different vendors to finally find my happy place once I got your Towns End BGBH.
Family first Bill....and we'll still be here when you're ready!
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