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  1. #1
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    Rollin' & swingin' in a Ridge Runner

    I took my WBRR out for its first real overnight this weekend. Man, I loved it! But for one thing: I'm an "active" sleeper, and every time I rolled from side to side I set the hammock to swinging which woke me and screwed up my sleep. It would settle down, I'd drift off, sleep a bit, roll again, wake again, swing again, and... You get the picture.

    So what do you other night-time kangaroos do to mitigate the movement? Or do you just get used to it?

  2. #2
    Senior Member Alamosa's Avatar
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    Personally, I got used to it. It does swing a little more than a GE, but since I was used to that, it was not a new experience. While sleeping, I know it is happening but it doesn't actually wake me up. It is part of the experience (like the sound of the wind or rain) and I enjoy it while sleeping.

    Not much help, but I would suggest just doing it more and more often and I think you will get used to it.
    We must, indeed, all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately. - Ben Franklin
    (known as a win-win on this forum)

  3. #3
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    Actually that is helpful, thank you. I suspected even while it was happening that it was just the weirdness of it that made me wake up. It makes sense that I could get used to it.

  4. #4
    Senior Member TrailSlug's Avatar
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    I wish I had a way to keep that rocking going on continuously. Like those wind up/battery baby rockers. Give it time and you may come to like the rocking.

  5. #5
    Senior Member groupertrpr's Avatar
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    I’ll second what Trailslug said. I’ve come to enjoy the gentle rocking. Sometimes I’ll try and move a bit to get it moving again.

  6. #6
    cougarmeat's Avatar
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    You said it was your first overnight in the RR but didn’t mention how much prior “in hammock” time you had. Going on the assumption this is a little new for you …

    The rocking is not a bug; it’s a feature. You might be like a beginner rock climber. At first, even though you are roped up, there is a strong primeval fear of falling. But you don’t really fall; you just come off the rock and drop a few feet until the rope catches - I am not talking about leader climbs with 30 ft run outs - just top rope beginner level stuff. But soon, very soon, the neophyte learns to trust her gear and climbing partner (or automatic belay if in a gym). Once that trust is established, there is more relaxation, more focus on the puzzle/challenge of the climb. In your case, more at ease within the environment of the Ridge Runner.

    For many people, the first night or two out, especially in a new location, is not restful. There’s an “alert” mechanism at play that hears every wind sound, every twig snap, and just knows there are critters out there, surrounding the camp, looking in from behind the trees and bushes, their eyes glowing in the dark. And they are looking at you, trying to decide … do they feel lucky?

    Additionally, in a bed, pressure points that cause the tossing/turning can develop. Those pressure points are not present in a hammock or greatly reduced (calf ridge is another issue). But your body may not know that yet. If you have a place/time at home where you can just hang out in your RR - read a book; listen to a podcast - then there is more and more, “This is a place to relax.” learning.

    You mentioned swinging but you didn’t mention falling out. And if you are not used to that side-to-side motion, it can be … disturbing. But soon, you may find yourself looking forward to a breeze strong enough to move you a little. You are safe in your little RR cocoon, nestled in cozy down, toasty warm. And you hear the swirl of the wind, but you are dry under your tarp (or open sky), and occasionally the wind gives you a little nudge. And you are at peace and closer to the natural world. It’s a good place to be.

    It takes a while for the muscles to learn they can relax. Even though I’ve been in hammocks for a few years, if I’ve been out of one for a while, it might take a day or two to re-learn they can surrender into the hammock's loving arm.

    Finally - you didn’t mention the distance between your apex points (where the two RR suspension lines come together) or that angle of your hammock suspension. Some have found that making that distance a little shorter - like 12 ft between the apex instead of 13 ft, and/or a greater hang angle - makes it less tippy.

    Finally+1, be sure you put one hand on the far edge of the RR when entering/leaving or you may have this experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDPZZDBZrrk
    Last edited by cougarmeat; 03-09-2020 at 21:08.
    In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.

  7. #7
    Senior Member WV's Avatar
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    Rocking bothers some people and not others. Everybody sleeps different. I've had some GE hammocks that seemed to swing a lot. A solution I used when lending one to a friend was to tie the hammock out to one side, with a short bungee in the line to act as a shock absorber. It lets the hammock move (as it should), but damps it down quickly.

  8. #8
    Senior Member
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    I have come to enjoy the gentle swaying of my Ridgerunner. I find it relaxing, like being rocked to sleep.

    I did experiment one time with trying to dampen the swinging motion using shockcord. I ran two shockcord from the head end spreader bar where it fits into the metal plates, crossed the cords like a “X” and secured them to stakes in the ground. If anything it seemed to make it swing more as one shockcord would stretch, then pull back causing the other to stretch, then pull, and so on.

  9. #9
    Senior Member
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    +1 on liking it. So much so that I will often take a length of Zingit, and either tie off to a tree, or stake out, 90ish degrees from my RR.
    I run it into the interior where my zippers meet on the bugnet, usually right where my hand lays when by my side. Just a gentle pull on it occasionally, to keep the swinging going.
    Just make sure you leave enough slack on the inside to feed back out as you swing to the opposite of the side where you have it tied off.
    Rarely pull on that string more than 3 or 4 times, as the motion seems to put me right to sleep.
    Hammock motion is different for everybody.
    Hope you can embrace it.
    I know it's not the lightest gear, and it's a lot of stuff, but I use a canoe, so it's a lot like car camping, but without the other cars.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by WV View Post
    Rocking bothers some people and not others. Everybody sleeps different. I've had some GE hammocks that seemed to swing a lot. A solution I used when lending one to a friend was to tie the hammock out to one side, with a short bungee in the line to act as a shock absorber. It lets the hammock move (as it should), but damps it down quickly.
    As usual I agree with WV. Bridges tend to rock a bit more, or more accurately a bit longer than a GE. Almost the mark of a good bridge really.
    Some don't like it and the bungee trick is the best solution I know as well.

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