Measured my Chameleon Ridgeline...

**100 Ton** · 10-10-2018, 07:06

I have had my Chameleon since the the Kickstarter campaign, and spent many nights in it. For some reason I recently seemed to have a tough time finding the sweet spot, and have even been fighting a bit of calf ridge. I decided to measure my ridgeline and was surprised when it measured 120" between the gathered ends! Based on the generally accepted 83% rule, it should be more like 110" for an 11 foot hammock. I used a biner to shorten it to 110", and I got comfortable real quick.

Question is, did the ridgeline stretch??? Or, did I just not notice it all this time??? For the record, I weigh 195 lbs, but was probably 25 lbs heavier when I first got my Chameleon.

Would appreciate it if some Chameleon owners would measure their taut ridgeline and let me know what they get.

Thanks

**cmc4free** · 10-10-2018, 07:34

I don't recall if it was from a Chameleon or a Netless, but I know I have measured at least one of my Dutchware ridgelines before and found it was almost exactly 110".

**100 Ton** · 10-10-2018, 12:31

Thanks cmc4free. I never measured mine when I got it, but I know I never had any problem with comfort until recently, which has me wondering if the ridgeline actually stretched. I believe the ridgeline is made from Lash-it, and I have no other lines of that material so don't know if it is prone to stretch or not.

The ridgeline does appear to properly connected to the continuous loops at the ends.

Anyone else able to measure their ridgeline?

**cmc4free** · 10-10-2018, 12:51

My Chameleons did come with Lash-it ridgelines. I also have a couple of netless hammocks that I ordered with Reflect-it ridgelines. Neither material should stretch very much at all, certainly not from 110" to 120". I know they were very busy fulfilling the Kickstarter orders (got mine months after that) so perhaps a mistake slipped through.

Do the end loops on your ridgeline look typical sized? Not possible that the bury slipped allowing the loops to enlarge, which would extend the overall length? I believe they are locked brummels, so this should be pretty much impossible.

**100 Ton** · 10-10-2018, 16:57

Well, I removed it, stretched it out and measured. Not 120 after all, but still 117.25". The loops seem fine to me, and, I don't see any obvious signs of thinning or other signs of stretching. Looks like a new, adjustable UCR ridgeline is in my future!
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**cmc4free** · 10-10-2018, 17:16

2 Chameleons here - 1 ridgeline measured about 111" and the other about 113". I would say the 113” has seen more use, but that could also be a coincidence.

The cordage material itself is very low stretch, but the hollow braided nature of its construction does result in tightening of the braid and a little elongation under loading.

Making an adjustable ridgeline is a fun and not too difficult project, if you have the materials available.

**Dunckelman** · 10-10-2018, 20:17

Mine measures 110”. It is barely used - maybe 6 nights total. November 2017 purchase. Made from lash-it. I have not had any other ridgelines stretch that are made of lash-it.

**Rex Clifton** · 10-11-2018, 06:06

I swapped mine out right when I bought the hammock, measured at the time right at 110 inches. I replaced with a DIY made from 2.2 yellow zing it. I like my ridgelines a little thicker than the 1.75 that Dutch uses plus I can see the yellow line when I set up the hammock (I can't see the grey at all). When I'm pitching the hammock, I can pretty much tell from the way the ridgeline is hanging whether I have the right angle.

It looks like your ridgeline was just made wrong. I would check the netting and zipper perimeter to see if the extra length caused any stress damage.

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**100 Ton** · 10-11-2018, 08:15

Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond and share your thoughts on this. I did not find any noticeable damage to the netting or zipper, and I just placed an order for an adjustable ridgeline. It still blows my mind to think that I would not have noticed this a long time ago if in fact the ridgeline was just made wrong...which still leaves me a bit skeptical about the lash it for this application.

**cmc4free** · 10-11-2018, 08:17

When experimenting with a DIY tensahedron stand that did not have a ridgeline, I decided to make a 2.2 Zing-It ridgeline for the Dutchware netless hammock I was testing the stand with. I wanted the extra strength of the 2.2 to help avoid any catastrophes to the hammock from something unpredictable going on with the stand. I measured the Reflect-It ridgeline that I took off that hammock and it was also 110".

I agree the RL in the OP was probably just made wrong. They might stretch a little with use, but not 7 inches over nominal. I'd be highly surprised at that.