We spent many hours the last two weekends testing a pair of Trekking Treez on our property (5 acres of woods) in the Pacific NW.
We have two hammocks and a wide tarp and are practicing the 1 tree, 2 hammock set up.
The 30cm boomstake anchors seem to be incompatible with our soil (loose sandy soil with lots of rocks). These had been recommended to us by Cheryl based on our weights (125-130 lb and 145-150 lbs).
Either the stake pulls out (vertically), or more commonly, the stake and anchor drags horizontally through the soil towards the pole as I (130lbs) sits or lies down on one hammock for seconds to only a few minutes. We didn't even trust to put the tarp on the same anchors (they had their own groundhogs).
We could acquire different anchors that might work here, and we have already ordered two Orange Screws to try at home. But we still wouldn't know which anchor to take with us backpacking, because we rarely if ever go to a place we've been before, so we won't know soil conditions. (We have had trips where it was hard to drive 8 inch groundhog stakes all the way in.) And it's not practical to take with us 30cm boomstake anchors and 40cm and large Orange Screws to account for all possibilities.
We had bought the Trekking Treez as insurance/security if we arrived at a site and couldn't find 2 trees to hang two hammocks from. But at this point, we've spent over $400, one of us is carrying heavier poles than in the past, plus an additional 2.3 lbs and bulk. And we can't trust it yet for 5 minutes of one only person. Let alone 2 people, 4 anchors (plus tarp anchors) and getting in and out of hammocks in the middle of the night. If we add 2 large Orange Screws to complement the 30cm boomstake anchors, that's an additional 12.25in x 2, plus 7.2oz total.
We really want to make this work, if there is a workable solution. But at the moment it feels like we are getting further away from the basic backpacking principles of multi use, compact, minimalist, etc.
We have emailed Tensa for advice or recommendations. Awaiting to hear.
But we figured maybe the forum community might have other thoughts.
And yes, we'll be re-watching Shug's video on going to ground as our last resort if we can't make this work.
Any help would be welcome.
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