Tensahedron Stand Field Test in Tropical Storm Gordo

[jeff-oh]

Spent the weekend in Southern Illinois using my DYI Tensahedron Stand. Rating on this stand is fantastic. The stand was easy to set up and the hang was extremely comfortable. Having fixed joints on the stand provided a repeatable perfect hang every time. I only had one stand issue. That was on my first night ever in this stand. I tossed and turned and could not get comfortable at all. Woke up at 3:00am and found myself in the bottom 1/3 of the hammock. The tension line had slipped a little with each toss and turn and by the time I woke up the stand had rotated a lot. After fixing this and tying a better knot all was well and I finished the night out just fine.

Second night Tropical Storm Gordon hit us with 4" of rain. It came down in sheets and we had gusting winds up to 20mph. The rectangular tarp kept me perfectly dry. Only Issue I had was that the basic wire stakes I had kept pulling out of the saturated ground. Other than re staking the tarp a few times I was high and dry in my luxury floating bed. By morning the area was all under about 1"-2" water.
Salem1.jpg
The rain from Gordo lasted all day Saturday and was plowing at 45 deg's at some points. I closed the doors down on the tarp that night the hammock and quilts were perfectly dry.

The third night was the worst ground yet. The ground was so saturated the pegs stakes would not hold at all. I did not trust even my large stakes to prevent a taco-mouse trap fall into the still flooded ground. I was able to tie one end to a tree and on the other end I tethered to a 20" piece of re-bar I drove into the ground. Even then I used the tree as the foot end and main anchor.
salem2.jpg
The wind was still whipping and I could not keep the tarp staked down. Finally I closed up shop as best I could and wrapped the tarp around the stand poles and cross stakes the ends closed. This worked as the stand supported the tarp against the wind. It also kept the wind out completely. I was surprised that once inside the stand and set-up was still plenty roomy and comfortable. I had an uninterrupted nights sleep from 10:30 until 7:00 am when a friend wondered if I was still alive in there.

Bottom line, last weekend was one of the worst rain storms I have camped in and the Tensahedron stand worked like a super star. I highly recommend making or buying one of these.

[BambulanceMan]

Nice! Glad to see it work out so well!

Medic, Coffee nerd, Otaku, Fisherman.

[Latherdome]

That's a lot of water! There are some bragging points yet available for first to rig a floating tensahedron. I think 2 canoes or kayaks with prows joined into an A, where the stand's baseline is the crossbar and the foot end is anchored to the prows, could work well.

My winter tarp has an internal pole mod to hold the sides out some from the hammock; I hadn't really thought of the stand's legs as tarp supports of last resort, but it makes sense.

[MAD777]

Impressive results in an acid test! I just saw the commercial version demonstrated at the Maine Lobster & Lighthouse hang and it looked like magic! Nice report.

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[jeff-oh]

The key for me was getting a tarp to match the stand. I had a perfect tarp and all I had to do was adjust the suspension lengths to balance the hammock length to match so there is no sag in the tarp. The full protection mode of wrapping the tarp corners around the pole and cross pinning worked fantastically. To get in and out all I did was un-peg one corner, pull the tarp back and step over the poles. I did not have to crawl out the end under the apex. Amazingly roomy inside as you lay between the poles anyway.

[Tony c]

The key for me was getting a tarp to match the stand. I had a perfect tarp and all I had to do was adjust the suspension lengths to balance the hammock length to match so there is no sag in the tarp. The full protection mode of wrapping the tarp corners around the pole and cross pinning worked fantastically. To get in and out all I did was un-peg one corner, pull the tarp back and step over the poles. I did not have to crawl out the end under the apex. Amazingly roomy inside as you lay between the poles anyway.

since you claim to have the perfect tarp for the stand, can you disclose the dimensions and shape? I am thinking of getting a basic tarp to match the stand. I figure a more bombproof silnylon and 11ft is the starting point.

[jeff-oh]

since you claim to have the perfect tarp for the stand, can you disclose the dimensions and shape? I am thinking of getting a basic tarp to match the stand. I figure a more bombproof silnylon and 11ft is the starting point.

My post should be read as I already had a tarp that happened to fit my DYI stand perfectly. It is just a standard rectangular 10x10 PU coated nylon tarp I got for $6.50 using a Vipon coupon. Fairly confident it would not fit the Tensa4 well. I think what you describe would work very well based on the posts of people with the Tensa4.

Sorry for any confusion due to my wording.

[Hammichael]

That’s so cool that the stand shape made it possible for you to deploy doors on your tarp!


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[MickOz]

Great write up, I often wonder how fellow stand user's get on in tropical storm conditions.

[jeff-oh]

Great write up, I often wonder how fellow stand user's get on in tropical storm conditions.

I was at a Machinery Show. I am the only one Hammocking. The other people all have Campervans or larger Motorhomes. They all make fun of me slum living outside like the animals.

I show Massey Ferguson and Little Grey Fergies.

Here is a picture of me in full storm mode. storm1.jpg It is really snug and protected this way, though a little hard to get in (stepping over crossing lines etc.) but it is very Storm Proof. The following year 2019 I was at a show in Dover, Ohio and a thunderstorm hit the park square on. We had 50+mph (80km) winds. Several caravan awnings were lost, the Boy Scouts had one tent flattened. The non-Scouts had several tents rolling down the fields. I road the storm out again high and dry. Only real issue is this set up is there is very little protected ground space under you for your pack.

One other plus I found with the Tensa stand. Again, last year (2019) I was at a show in Lanesville, IN. the camping area did not have electric, thus every campervan had a generator running. Most were very loud. Sleeping amongst 30 lawn mowers. At 2:00am I could take it no longer. I pulled the steaks, folded the stand with hammock, quilts, tarp, clothes and everything inside. Like a swagman I slung it over my shoulder and relocated to a quiet corner of the grounds and in 5 min's I was back comfy in my nest. In the morning as I was folding everything back up the security guy asked why I was there. He laughed when I told him about the noise and had to check out the hammock rig. Though it was all very intriguing.