Hammock design - tailoring the shape to achieve a flat lay

[MutterMumble]

I'm not sure if this is a DIY question or if there is a better forum. It seemed the most appropriate to me so here it is.

I'm curious why there seems to be so little experimentation with the shape of the hammock body.

There's nothing new under the sun. So many questions i've had i've found answered a dozen times already on the forums and nearly every potential design idea i've had i've seen someone has already experimented with. I'm assuming someone has tried this too but I haven't found anything with the results...

Almost every hammock i've seen is either a gathered end or a bridge hammock (The exceptions are people experimenting with three point attachments, the clark two-persons, tentsile tents and the Amok Draumr). Everyone discusses increasing the length of the gathered end to get that flat sleeping position. I have not seen any discussion of shaping the hammock to create the flat lay beyond a little adjustment of the whipping, the knotty mod, or a simple triangle added to the edge. As far as i can tell even the HH Asym is mainly due to the bug net shape, not the hammock body?

Why is that?

I'm envisioning something closer to the design of the Draumr but at an angle nearer 30 degrees than 90.

Essentially the physics is similar to suspending from two diagonal corners of a rectangle instead of the whole end. The natural lay is then on the opposite diagonal. This is what the gathered end hammocks allow you to approximate but i am suggesting taking out the approximation by tailoring the material to the precise shape required. This would in theory eliminate calf ridge and create an extended foot box and head box without needing a 12' hammock and without creating floppy sides

Apart from getting a truly flat sleeping position it seems like this would also allow you to have a shorter overall hammock length which leads to a shorter tarp and so less weight etc etc.

Is it just that the gathered end is good enough and super simple? Or does actually having shaped panels sewn together weaken the load bearing ability of the fabric too much? Is it not worth the complexity, an actively a worse option, or does the physics just not work? Does optimising for one particular sleeping position and removing the natural versatility of the gathered end just end up being a bad trade? I don't have the means to do this experimenting myself but I am very curious to hear from those with the experience I lack!

(I'm fully expecting someone to point to another thread where this has been tried and and all the obvious flaws pointed out and the gathered end demonstrates itself to be the pinnacle of hammock design...)

[leiavoia]

It doesn't work in practice the way you imagine it in your mind. I've done some experiments with parabolic gathered ends and slanted gathered ends. It doesn't make a flatter lay; it just spills you out the side when you try to get in! It's hard to explain until you try it yourself.

I've thought about doing a full write-up on the topic, but haven't been motivated enough to do so.

If you want to experiment with it, get yourself a tablecloth from the table cloth factory and just whip the ends. You can easily try as many different permutations as you desire and get instant feedback on your idea. I think what you will find is that, aside from minor fiddlings, the known designs are simply the ones that work.

[TrailSlug]

I'm sure it's been tried as the basic hammock shape has been around for thousands of years and if the Incas couldn't make it better I'm not sure we can either but then again who knows. I would recommend experimenting and sharing your new designs with us if you come up with any that work and are comfortable.

[MutterMumble]

leiavoia - I can see how having the shorter centreline of the hammock will just spill you out (like trying to sit on a slackline), and the reverse would snap closed around you, but that's why i referenced the draumr - shaping the hammock body itself beyond just adjusting the whipping should allow for support along the whole length? It really isn't that far from the current diagonal position and a deep foot box/long knotty mod?

I'd love to see a write up or at the very least some pictures if you have any. Can this be the motivation you need? There is an audience for it!

[MutterMumble]

TrailSlug - Unfortunately I don't have the spare time, money, equipment, space or hanging location to do the experimenting myself. That's why i was hoping to benefit from collective experience here!

[leiavoia]

You might also consider this design:

[Mtngeronimo]

Perhaps the Hammock Bliss Sky Bed is close to what you are envisioning?
The concept was good but in practice it was not right for me.
The ultimate hang had a fair review.

[MutterMumble]

You might also consider this design:

That is essentially the same (from a physics standpoint) as a draumr with nettles/clews/rope instead of fabric. I'm wondering about extending some of those lines and shortening the others, bringing the bed round to an angle closer to parallel with the ridge line?

I think a physical model is the only way to test it and I had hoped someone would already have done it. Still hoping!

[1-Hung-Low]

You might also consider this design:

I can see "what a tangled web we weave trying to set that up in the dark while it's raining. Probably quite comfortable, but soooo easy to tangle.

[MutterMumble]

Perhaps the Hammock Bliss Sky Bed is close to what you are envisioning?
The concept was good but in practice it was not right for me.
The ultimate hang had a fair review.

It looks almost exactly like what I was envisioning! Thank you. I first dismissed your comment because I thought you were referencing the sky tent. I wonder how many times my brain has made the same edit because I had somehow missed the sky bed's existence despite visiting hammock bliss's site and the ultimate hang many many times. I knew it would exist somewhere.

So the question now becomes... is this a dead end design wise?

I'll go and read every review I can find now. Thanks again.