Tensa 4 Hammock Stand

[Dublinlin]

I'm no physicist either! My gut feeling is that the Tensa ridgeline would act to put most of the (any?) force toward compression on the tubes. I'm thinking: no big deal. That, combined with the bungee suspension of the tent, would seem to minimize any problem. I'd want that bungee to be as weak/light as possible and still hold up the tent, enough that it could stretch to the ground, if possible. Also, if the connection at one end of the bungee is intentionally weak, it could serve as a "fuse" should your buddy get overly frisky.

Just my 2 cents worth and undoubtedly worth every penny!

TominMN, maybe I am worrying without cause! Especially if, like you suggested, I rig the elastic cord connecting point to snap before pulling down too much on the Tensa frame...

Do you have to hang the dogs shelter? Are you talking about the dogs weight being suspended, as in his own hammock, or do you just mean a wall of fabric from the ground being suspended- just to hold it up- from the apex? How do you insulate that for him, with a CCF pad?

I'm sure you are not talking about suspending the dogs weight from the head end apex, as that would not be good. I mean, I usually counterweight the head end, but only with a few lbs, which still allows some movement ad a mouse trap collapase if I get careless enough. So you must mean you are suspending some fabric from the stand which contacts the ground. So, what about some extra tarp material added- maybe just on one end, and coming all the way down to the ground, on one or both sides? As a wind break? With a CCF pad on the ground as insulation? Or a really small one man tent pitched under the head end, but far enough away from the stand that he can't slam into it when laying down?

BillyBob58, the photo below shows what I have been using shelter-wise for the dog. We've used this extensively for hiking trips since the components (including the CCF pads to put over the tarp floor) fit easily into Rem's (the dog's) backpack. I was just concerned that this same set-up might not be a good idea with Tensa4. But, like TominMN suggested, if I use flimsey elastic cordage to anchor it to the tip of the Tensa, then it should break rather than applying much force to the Tensa. It'd be a pain to me to have to get up in the cold and re-rig it, but it'd sure beat possibly damaging my stand.

[Dublinlin]

Looks like you were able to get that tarp tightened up a good bit. That post from Dublinlin annotated with the arrows and such is a really good visual of how to get those tarp extenders adjusted to take out that slack. I usually get my tarp attached so it's kind of loose initially, then adjust those bottom straps on the tarp extenders to take out the slack in the tarp.

I think after a few setups/take downs you will probably get it dialed in. It took me a few times setting up in my backyard before I was comfortable taking it on the road.

Thanks, Crazytown3!

[BillyBob58]

TominMN, maybe I am worrying without cause! Especially if, like you suggested, I rig the elastic cord connecting point to snap before pulling down too much on the Tensa frame...





BillyBob58, the photo below shows what I have been using shelter-wise for the dog. We've used this extensively for hiking trips since the components (including the CCF pads to put over the tarp floor) fit easily into Rem's (the dog's) backpack. I was just concerned that this same set-up might not be a good idea with Tensa4. But, like TominMN suggested, if I use flimsey elastic cordage to anchor it to the tip of the Tensa, then it should break rather than applying much force to the Tensa. It'd be a pain to me to have to get up in the cold and re-rig it, but it'd sure beat possibly damaging my stand.

OK, got you! It does not look to me that set up- even with out using thin shock cord or something else breakable- would apply too much force to the stand. Even if Rem leans back into the nylon wall a bit, I don't think that would be all that much force. I routinely counter weight with about 5 or 6 lbs, and that is still no where near enough to prevent a mouse trap, just slows things down enough so that I can react in time to prevent it. And does not appear to cause any problems. Unless Rem managed to get his entire weight on top of one of those tent walls- with the wall fabric between him and the ground, I don't think he would be putting much more weight on the apex than 6 lbs or so. But, then again, I don't really know! Also, what do you think are the odds of him getting off of the pad and getting a tent wall between him and the ground? But as I think about it more, a piece of shockcord should ease your mind, even a thick enough piece that won't break with just 5 or 10 lbs.

[Dublinlin]

OK, got you! It does not look to me that set up- even with out using thin shock cord or something else breakable- would apply too much force to the stand. Even if Rem leans back into the nylon wall a bit, I don't think that would be all that much force. I routinely counter weight with about 5 or 6 lbs, and that is still no where near enough to prevent a mouse trap, just slows things down enough so that I can react in time to prevent it. And does not appear to cause any problems. Unless Rem managed to get his entire weight on top of one of those tent walls- with the wall fabric between him and the ground, I don't think he would be putting much more weight on the apex than 6 lbs or so. But, then again, I don't really know! Also, what do you think are the odds of him getting off of the pad and getting a tent wall between him and the ground? But as I think about it more, a piece of shockcord should ease your mind, even a thick enough piece that won't break with just 5 or 10 lbs.

Well, what doesn’t show up in that photo BillyBob58 is that the “walls” fold under and are sewn to actually cover the entire floor of the shelter (the gray CCF pads are set on top of the tarp floor). So, when he flops his entire 117 pounds onto the tent wall, the only “give” is from pulling the wall down from above. He’s not a graceful dog.

[TominMN]

Just had another idea: Are you familiar with ID card lanyards with a safety link in the cord? Something that's designed to let go and able to be reconnected. Could be the ticket if you want to incorporate something in that tent suspension.

[BillyBob58]

Well, what doesn’t show up in that photo BillyBob58 is that the “walls” fold under and are sewn to actually cover the entire floor of the shelter (the gray CCF pads are set on top of the tarp floor). So, when he flops his entire 117 pounds onto the tent wall, the only “give” is from pulling the wall down from above. He’s not a graceful dog.

Just had another idea: Are you familiar with ID card lanyards with a safety link in the cord? Something that's designed to let go and able to be reconnected. Could be the ticket if you want to incorporate something in that tent suspension.

OK, then, he is a bit of a bruiser, so sounds like shock cord is the answer, or perhaps a a safety link.

[Micah]

Just walking into this thread so forgive me if this doesn't make sense, but are you at all concerned with the load /reload that a shock cord would create? As in, if it did snap under load creating a whiplash effect and throwing the stand? What about a set of small rare earth magnets with a longer shock cord tether just to keep his tent from completely collapsing?

[P-Dub]

Set the dog shelter up under your foot end, and if his weight affects the stand, it will only reinforce the anchor.

[TominMN]

Set the dog shelter up under your foot end, and if his weight affects the stand, it will only reinforce the anchor.

That won't "reinforce" the foot-end anchor. If anything it would send a bit of shock to the head-end anchor.

[Dublinlin]

Just had another idea: Are you familiar with ID card lanyards with a safety link in the cord? Something that's designed to let go and able to be reconnected. Could be the ticket if you want to incorporate something in that tent suspension.

OK, then, he is a bit of a bruiser, so sounds like shock cord is the answer, or perhaps a a safety link.

Just walking into this thread so forgive me if this doesn't make sense, but are you at all concerned with the load /reload that a shock cord would create? As in, if it did snap under load creating a whiplash effect and throwing the stand? What about a set of small rare earth magnets with a longer shock cord tether just to keep his tent from completely collapsing?

Set the dog shelter up under your foot end, and if his weight affects the stand, it will only reinforce the anchor.

Ok. Rather than re-inventing the wheel (trying to design an entirely new way provide a wind break as I initially thought I needed to do), after reading everyone's input, I'm feeling more comfortable with simply using the same set up I use under the trees with my Tensa WITH the caveat of using a FLIMSY elastic cord that will not only provide give, but, more importantly will just plain snap if it is loaded to heavily or too abruptly.

OR...I just this moment had another thought!... I don't know why I have been coming at this thinking I had to fasten the pup tent to the top end of one of the Tensa legs. Shoot!...I could just fasten the pup tent to the CONTINUOUS LOOP of my hammock...that way if my ox decides to crash down against his tent wall, it is no different force-wise on the Tensa frame than if he had decided to crash down into my hammock because the force will be carried to the Tensa frame through my hammock which is suspended between both ends of the Tensa frame. In my mind this is different from the force being applied solely to one end of the Tensa frame. ...maybe it is the same difference whether I tether to the pup tent to one end of one leg of the Tensa as it would be if I tether it to the hammock's suspension instead...I don't know...but, I feel a lot more confident that I'm not potentially creating a problem if I just go with tethering it to the HAMMOCK itself rather than to the Tensa frame. I will still use elastic cordage (as I always have)...but not go to even thinner, quicker to break, cordage as I was planning on doing a few minutes ago.

Anyway, thank you all for helping me think through this whole thing! Before we all started "talking" together about it, I hadn't even considered that I could make my former wind break solution work with my current set up...I was busy thinking that I needed to come up with something totally different and was mulling how I could use a small tarp to stake into the ground along one side and somehow fasten on the opposite side to form a tarp "wall" for the dog to provide the wind break. I hadn't even considered just going with what I already have until TominMN quizzed me about what I already had. Thanks!

I'll let you know how it goes!