I have a one year old dutchware chameleon hammock. I feel like over the past year of pretty heavy use my bug net has started to sag down into my face and its not as tight as it used to be. Is it possible it stretched out some? Is anyone else having this issue. I also just bought a top cover a few months ago and it was the same way. Even with the pull outs on the hammock. Seems worse with my under quilt on it.
Asym or symmetrical? I have the symmetrical net and it can be floppy, due to the shape but it doesn't seem to be any more saggy than it was when I got it. I don't even use the pullouts. And by no means has it had heavy use. I got it during last years Black Friday sale and has seen around 20ish nights.
Any damage to the net that would indicate it got stretched? I would assume if it stretched, you'd see it in the mesh.
Also, check the ridgeline...longer than 110" (I think that's the standard length) would affect the hammock hang, making the curve a bit shallower. That could explain why you've got more bug net in your face if it has stretched over time.
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...leon-Ridgeline
Ditto Fl Turtle: Asym or symmetrical?Originally Posted by Mgl01
One thing that happens with heavy use is that the material becomes more pliable and 'drape-y'.
I'm guessing it's a symmetrical because I've got asyms with lots of nights on them and this is not a problem.
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
My bet is on the ridgeline having lengthened. I had the same thing happen with my Dream Hammock Raven a couple years back. The weave on the Amsteel had tightened over time- which caused it to lengthen by a few inches. I contacted Dream Hammock, and they sent me a new ridgeline free of charge. They also mentioned that they had begun "pre-stretching" their RLs for this reason.
I believe Dutchware uses Zing-It/Lash-It for their RLs- which is much thinner, and even more prone to stretching than 7/64 Amsteel. Pull it tight and measure it. If it's longer than 110", contact Dutch and see if he'll send you a new one.
This is kinda surprising to me having made a lot of my own ridgelines and such. It makes sense in a way, because "off the spool" the Amsteel isn't already stretched out all the way which allows you to create a bury more easily. Seems like this would NOT be the culprit with a Dutchware product, though, as my guess is they pre-stretch and tighten all their Amsteel. My bet would be something to do with the Chameleon being symmetrical. Mine is symmetrical and I haven't had issues with the bugnet stretching in any way whatsoever.
Iceman857
"An optimist is a man who plants two acorns and buys a hammock" - Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (French Army General in WWII)
Over the years I've read other reports of folks having issues with their Dutchware RLs stretching out. The prevailing thought is this happens more often with Zing-It/Lash-It (which is what Dutch uses for his RLs) than it does with Amsteel. I'm not sure if Dutch "pre-stretches" his Zing-It prior to splicing, or how he goes about doing it if he does.
Randy from Dream Hammock told me that he pre-stretches his Amsteel with 800lbs of force, using a winch to ensure that it won't stretch any more under typical hammock load. Obviously, you wouldn't want to exert 800lbs of force onto Zing-It, since that's basically the failure point for that particular cordage. But I imagine 400lbs would probably do the trick.
How could the bug net sag if the ridgeline lengthened? Wouldn't it become tighter? If I'm not imagining this incorrectly, wouldn't the ridgeline need to be shorter for the net to become saggy?
I think it's because the distance from the ridgeline to the hammock gets less as the ridgeline gets longer.
True, but at the same time, the net should get stretched more perpendicular. And the increase in ridgeline length from normal use shouldn't be dramatic. But if the length really is much longer than stated in the specs, I would simply try shortening it with a small biner to see if it solves the problem. Makes me once again appreciate the Warbonnet net design with the high tie-outs.
My hammock is an Asym one. Ill have to get it out and measure the ridgeline to see what it is. My first thought when I got it was about it not being amsteel. I actually bought mine in person from dutchware because I live close to them in PA and asked that question and the guy told me that if its hung properly there shouldn't be much stress on the ridgeline so that's why they use zing-it
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