Is there a trick to accomplish the magic 30 degrees?

[ThreeTracks]

Well, since it's freezing cold and the snow is deep, I can't go out and try my new hammock, so I'm thinking a lot about it instead. Maybe over-thinking even.

Seems that accomplishing the optimal 30 degree hang must involve a whole lot of trial and error. I understand that you get the feel for it with time, but for a newbie like myself... Must be a bother to lie or sit in the hammock, try to estimate the angle of the ropes from that position, get out, make adjustments, repeat, repeat, repeat.

So, is there a trick here that can be used to know when the angle is about right when the hammock is unloaded? 'Cause unlike in the YouTube videos I can't lie in the hammock and stand at the tree at the same time.

[kthompson]

A couple
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...se-your-iPhone

[SilvrSurfr]

The old finger gun works for me. That's about 30 degrees.

finger_gun.jpg

Just hold your finger up in the finger gun, eyeball it, and that's about all I do. Of course, some people take it a little further and get a bit anal retentive with the Hangle:

hangle1-page.jpg

https://dutchwaregear.com/product/hangle/

If you've got $10.50 to spare, go for it.

[Vanhalo]

I never check it.

1. I always look for 15’ spans,
2. suspension head height at my eyes (in my case 68")
3. feet at "hands in the air like I just don’t care" level (in my case 80")
4. confirm sit height is just high enough for my feet to be flat on the ground
5. Check that the ridgeline is thumb flexible but taught.

I am pretty sure this is not 30 degrees. Ask me how I slept.

[Rex Clifton]

Set up is a snap if you check the ridgeline. First off, whenever I buy a new hammock, the first thing I do is replace the ridgeline. I need one that is brightly colored and sized correctly. The ridgelines from manufacturers are almost never the correct length, some have been way off. I use 2mm zing-it sized at 83% of the hammock length. When you set up the hammock, check the ridgeline, it should sag just a bit so that, when you get in, it tightens up to where you can move it with your thumb and forefinger. Done! Once you do it a few times, it's like fall'in outta bed.

Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

[Vanhalo]

Set up is a snap if you check the ridgeline. First off, whenever I buy a new hammock, the first thing I do is replace the ridgeline. I need one that is brightly colored and sized correctly. The ridgelines from manufacturers are almost never the correct length, some have been way off. I use 2mm zing-it sized at 83% of the hammock length. When you set up the hammock, check the ridgeline, it should sag just a bit so that, when you get in, it tightens up to where you can move it with your thumb and forefinger. Done! Once you do it a few times, it's like fall'in outta bed.

Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

Last hammock I bought(SLD Tree runner) I asked for an adjustable ridgeline. I agree.
This has helped me in the past.

[Bubba]

...When you set up the hammock, check the ridgeline, it should sag just a bit so that, when you get in, it tightens up to where you can move it with your thumb and forefinger. Done! Once you do it a few times, it's like fall'in outta bed.

Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

This is what I do as well.

[oldgringo]

I do not agree that 30 is optimal; it is a ballpark, and for me, a minimum. In many cases, more is gooder.

[sidneyhornblower]

I do not agree that 30 is optimal; it is a ballpark, and for me, a minimum. In many cases, more is gooder.

+1 on the above. It's a place to start, not necessarily a goal to attain every time.

Derek Hansen's book popularized the 30 degree angle and it's discussed A LOT in various threads here. My understanding is that the angle applies before you get in the hammock, though Derek's illustrations are sometimes ambiguous. For instance, on the web page with the calculator, his illustration shows a person in the hammock:

http://theultimatehang.com/hammock-hang-calculator/


On the other hand, his How-To page shows the measurement taken on the hammock prior to occupancy:

http://theultimatehang.com/2012/07/0...k-camping-101/


There's a page or two on his website where he does say explicitly that the measurement applies without a person in the hammock. Most people do, however, put some gear like quilts or even a pack in the hammock when measuring so there is some load on it.

[BillyBob58]

I agree that it is a ball park figure, though I often try not to have much much less than 30.

Some of my fav hammocks have no RL. Claytor No Net, my bridge hammocks. Even my old Speer. The comfort suffers not at all from this lack of RL, I just eyeball it. or all of the bridges, I pull it tight enough so that the bottom has just a bit of reverse sag to it. IOW, viewed from the side, rather than seeing a shallow bowl or a banana with the ends higher than center, it is inverted with the center bottom slightly higher than the ends. Works great. I have on occasion checked the angles, and it is usually 25-30*.

One or two of my GEs that have no RL ( Claytor, Switchback) seem to work a bit better hung with a little less sag than other hammocks. I have not checked, but I suppose that would give me a little less than 30*. I just adjust them so that they don't have as much sag as some of my other hammocks. But not much tighter in any of the above cases.