If we are thinking about the same condition, it causes what I call knee hyper-extension (KH). This is completely different than calf ridge (CR). It causes unacceptable discomfort in the knee(s) basically carrying the weight of your legs and is usually more pronounced on the outside knee. If employing some of the strategies previously mentioned above do not do the trick for you, then you might consider what worked for me.
Now I am going to give my 2 cents ramble with the caveat that everyone is entitled to HYOY. Equally important is everybody is built different and has their own sleeping nuances. For me, personally, an uncomfortable hammock is unacceptable. Stuffing a bunch of crap under various body parts in order to make a hammock comfortable is equally unacceptable. I would probably have to be more tolerant if the hammock was a China ebay hammock or a Wally World camping special hammock, but a top dollar hammock from a reputable cottage vendor must be comfortable or I will happily pass it along to someone who can more fully enjoy it. That hasn't not meant that every hammock I've owned has fit like a glove right from the vendor. In fact, I have had to tweak every hammock I've owned, except two, a WBRR and a DH Raven. Since I have been hanging full time, a comfortable hammock is essential and not optional.
However, the WBRR was not near as comfortable as a tweaked Hammocktent hammock (alpha, beta, gamma, and gamma UL (I like hammocktent hammocks)), so it was passed along for someone else to enjoy. I never tweaked the DH Raven probably because I it was a SL and I always used a pad in it. An inflatable insulated pad, preferably an Exped, goes a long ways toward resolving any CR or KH. I also had an Exped Ergo for a while and I was able to tweak the suspension to make it very comfortable. But the Ergo simply took too much diagonal fidgeting compared to a Hammocktent ninety degree and I passed it along. I have had to tweak the suspension on my Hammocktent hammocks, but if you can tie a figure eight it is simple and permanent unless you want to retie and tweak it some more.
But since you are specifically referring to GEs I will pass along what worked for me with a WBBB XLC and a DH Sparrow. I added a six inch continuous loop to the structural ridge line (SRL). I took a carabiner and wrapped the SRL around the biner using different numbers of wraps, and commensurately adjusting the suspension tree straps tautness accordingly, until I found the sweet spot where the KH and/or the CR were no longer a problem. At first I thought I would replace the continuous loop with a SRL of the appropriate length that suited me. But I decided to keep the SRL/biner system so that I can return to the OEM spec if I resell the hammock, and so that I can do further tweaking and testing as time goes on.
The potential downside is if it takes too much additional SRL the topcover/net may no longer fit. On the WBBB XLC there was enough extra elasticity in the system to easily accommodate the additional SRL. For the DH Sparrow there was not. So that meant no net or top cover on the DH Sparrow until I make or order a custom replacements. However, I have been sleeping in the DH Sparrow for the past three weeks and if the decision is a comfortable hammock or a top cover/net, comfort wins hands down every time...for me.
I have seen posts where other folks have shortened the OEM SRL and have had success. Using a similar biner system will help you figure that out too, before you take a knife to the SRL
Originally Posted by Carrico
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