Calculated Hang Too Low

**Jack777** · 05-22-2020, 00:28

Hi folks, I'm a new convert! I've used a couple of online perfect hang calculators and both result in the hammock being less than a foot sit distance off the ground when I follow all the other measurements. Is that a glitch others have found with these calculators? To correct it, and get sit 18-20 inches off the ground, I've shortened the suspension straps and they look more like 30° (I went from 117cm to 100cm). Good/bad idea?

**kac1269** · 05-22-2020, 01:17

If you have the room slide the suspension further up the tree, it won't change your angle, but should give you a taller seat hight.

**hangerdave** · 05-22-2020, 01:53

Morning

This is my own take on it, shortening or lengthening suspension straps no problem in most situations, there is no perfect set up and trees have a nasty habit of growing different widths apart

, I have foot end of my hammock 50cm from the post on my hang in my back garden and more angle is more like 25 degree on that side of suspension strap, but it has a decent structural line to help give you correct sag, cannot make it out from photo of your set up but is that yellow chord a structural Ridgeline that came with the hammock or something you put across to hold your tarp up, this will effect sag so hammock will sink to ground more if not correct, also as previous reply hang straps a bit higher if you can, got to do what you got to do to make it work, in the beginning we spend half our time playing with the set up to be comfy , for a guideline for myself when setting up I have my WBBB xlc whipping knots foot end at eye level and my head end at belly button , normally comes out pretty good then.

**Jack777** · 05-22-2020, 03:01

Originally Posted by kac1269

If you have the room slide the suspension further up the tree, it won't change your angle, but should give you a taller seat hight.

Thanks, but I can't reach much higher and there isn't much more room anyway.

**Jack777** · 05-22-2020, 03:05

Originally Posted by hangerdave

Morning

This is my own take on it, shortening suspension straps no problem in most situations, I have foot end of my hammock 50cm from the post on my warbonnet hang and more like 25 degree on that side, but it has a decent structural line to give you correct sag, cannot make it out but is that yellow chord a structural Ridgeline that came with the hammock or something you put across to hold your tarp up, this will effect sag so hammock will sink to ground more if not correct, also as previous reply hang straps a bit higher if need be, got to do what you got to do to make it work, in the beginning we spend half our time playing with set up to be honest

Thanks. That yellow rope is an adjustable ridgeline which came with the hammock. I set it to the length the hang calculator quoted which works out at 87% of hammock length.

**hangerdave** · 05-22-2020, 04:32

When the over the pond lads wake up, they will give you more advice as well

**cmoulder** · 05-22-2020, 05:32

Originally Posted by Jack777

Hi folks, I'm a new convert! I've used a couple of online perfect hang calculators and both result in the hammock being less than a foot sit distance off the ground when I follow all the other measurements. Is that a glitch others have found with these calculators? To correct it, and get sit 18-20 inches off the ground, I've shortened the suspension straps and they look more like 30° (I went from 117cm to 100cm). Good/bad idea?

The problem with calculators is that they don't account for knots cinching tighter and hammock and strap stretch settling under full body weight. Even though some people assume polyester and kevlar have no stretch, they do have some stretch which must be compensated for when setting up.

You have done it exactly right by shortening the suspension straps until you achieve the desired 18" height above ground under full load.

What's useful now is to employ your body as a metric for proper setup... note how high the strap-to-CL connections must be initially set up for your personal preference. For example, I set up such that the head end strap/CL connection is right in the middle of my sternum and the foot end connection is right in the middle of my forehead. Works every time, and if any tweaking is required it is very minimal.

**Singlespeed** · 05-22-2020, 05:57

Hi Jack.
Here's a diagram showing the loading for a two leg lifting sling at various angles. If you flip it upside down, it's essentially the same as a hammock.

79acc09728a9669320a3de67d0db3d88.jpg

The hang calculators based on the 30deg will have your weight felt on each leg, and a fairly usable amount of space between the legs

If you stretch it out tight, you have loads of room, but disproportionate forces on the suspension and fabric of the hammock.

If you hung it really slack like a basket, each side would only be holding half of your weight, but it will not work as a hammock.

Circa 30deg is a reasonable compromise.
Try to bend your ridge line when you're in...
If it's really tight, lengten the suspension and move it up the tree as required.

**Jack777** · 05-22-2020, 09:07

Thanks @Singlespeed. I understand the 30 degree principle, I just didn't understand why the calculator didn't work for ground clearance when I had all the other settings bang on. I also didn't know which to adjust. I can't move it higher up the tree because I can't reach any higher! When I shortened the suspension straps, they looked more like 30 degees underload anyway.

**Jack777** · 05-22-2020, 09:13

Originally Posted by cmoulder

The problem with calculators is that they don't account for knots cinching tighter and hammock and strap stretch settling under full body weight. Even though some people assume polyester and kevlar have no stretch, they do have some stretch which must be compensated for when setting up.

You have done it exactly right by shortening the suspension straps until you achieve the desired 18" height above ground under full load.

What's useful now is to employ your body as a metric for proper setup... note how high the strap-to-CL connections must be initially set up for your personal preference. For example, I set up such that the head end strap/CL connection is right in the middle of my sternum and the foot end connection is right in the middle of my forehead. Works every time, and if any tweaking is required it is very minimal.

Thanks @cmoulder. Is the CL where the whole suspension system joins the hammock body end, or where the tree straps cynch into the fixed cords on the ends of the hammock? Also does this body position reference work for whatever distance the trees are apart?