Video: A brief primer on the hang angle

[dbolster24]

Thank you for posting very informative

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[Rex Clifton]

I have one question, the hammock angle should be measured under load, right? So if I measure with an empty hammock, it’s gonna change when I get in.


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[leiavoia]

Let me ask a few questions

I am assuming that force per line approach body weight / 2 when the handle angle is straight up.

On the other hand, force goes to infinity as the angle approaches zero. Intuitively, that doesn’t sound right. I should be able to pull out whole trees by their roots just by putting my hammock up flat.

What am I missing?

[TominMN]

Let me ask a few questions

I am assuming that force per line approach body weight / 2 when the handle angle is straight up.

On the other hand, force goes to infinity as the angle approaches zero. Intuitively, that doesn’t sound right. I should be able to pull out whole trees by their roots just by putting my hammock up flat.

What am I missing?

You're missing the loud "snap" and "plop" when the suspension breaks and sends you to the ground. Maybe accompanied by the "riiiiiiiip" of the hammock fabric!

[GrizzlyAdams]

I have one question, the hammock angle should be measured under load, right? So if I measure with an empty hammock, it’s gonna change when I get in.
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yep. What's more it will be different when you sit in the hammock (deeper) than when you lay out flat in it, when it becomes shallower. I guess the key is to use strong enough fabric and suspension materials so that variations around 30 degrees don't really matter.

Let me ask a few questions

I am assuming that force per line approach body weight / 2 when the handle angle is straight up.

On the other hand, force goes to infinity as the angle approaches zero. Intuitively, that doesn’t sound right. I should be able to pull out whole trees by their roots just by putting my hammock up flat.

What am I missing?

You're missing nothing. Thought experiment, string a cord between trees and make it very taut, then hang a heavy weight on it. The cord will drop, it will be bending the trees and trying to pull their roots out and if the trees don't have enough 'give' in them the cord becomes overloaded as per TominMN's comment and snaps.

Thank you for posting very informative
Glad you learned something!
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[HandyRandy]

Now how does the often used technique of hanging the foot end 6”-18” higher play into this scenario? Would it be wiser to instead just shorten the foot strap and lengthen the head strap to achieve a similar result that won’t change the strap angles as much?

[TominMN]

Now how does the often used technique of hanging the foot end 6”-18” higher play into this scenario? Would it be wiser to instead just shorten the foot strap and lengthen the head strap to achieve a similar result that won’t change the strap angles as much?

That is exactly how I do get the foot end higher!

[HandyRandy]

That is exactly how I do get the foot end higher!

The impression I got is that most folks will actually raise the foot strap’s anchoring position, but that means the tarp has to rise with it to clear the straps that are now higher up on the tree. This will make the tarp less effective as a rain shelter. It also means you your head strap’s angle is now shallower.

So here comes another question for Grizzly. Let’s say you take a perfect and symmetrical hang in every way. Now all that you do is change the length of the suspension in equal, but opposite directions. You shorten the foot strap by X inches and lengthen the head strap by X inches. Have you increased the forces applied or simply shifted some of the forces from one tree to the other?

Likewise, apply those same questions to the scenario where you take the perfect hang and raise the foot straps anchoring point without any change in the strap lengths.

[Synch cord]

I am assuming that as the angle gets shallower and body weight % goes up that conversely if the angle is increased the weight % would go down. Are there risks to the continuous ridge line and hammock fabric decreased if you hang at a 40 degree angle?


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[Sailor]

Fifty plus years ago took that math class. Used a slide rule. Didn't use a hammock, but it would have made Trig more comfortable. Reminds me of the lift diagrams of wings in various angles of bank and resultant wing loading. Point being it was kinda like combining school, work and hammocks...oh, and hmph on whorl.