Looking for the hive mind on hammock stands

[dkurfiss]

Good morning! I am seriously considering buying a new hammock stand for car and/or motorcycle camping. Obviously weight will not be an issue while size might be on the motorcycle so it must break down. I have looked at multiple stands and in fact own a couple which I have purchased used from the forums.

I have a DIY Tensa, a Turtle Dog stand, and even a Handy Hammock stand all of which I have purchased via the FS area. I like them all but they all have issues for me. The Tensa is good but the version I have does not break down small enough. The Turtle Dog is a good stand but the legs are too long to use with the bike. The Handy Hammock stand is a nice set up but I use a HH Classic (bottom opening) due to mobility issues and the stand does not work well with it at all.

So, if price were no object, which stand would you get and why? I am not interested in DIY again so please offer suggestions on commercial.

Thanks for your help.

[Smckinney0031]

For what you are wanting to use it for, absolutely the Tensa.
If you can find Cajunracer here on the forums, he uses his Tensa with his motorcycle and it fits perfectly! Depending on your weight, you could also look into the trekking trees from Tensa as well, because they are even more compact and double as hiking poles
I absolutely love my own Tensa and use it for car camping

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

[Shug]

Tensa~~
Packs down pretty small and about 11 pounds.
Shug

[carmen2kayak]

Santa brought me a Tensa4 stand and I absolutely love it. Currently, it is set up in our LR anchored to a recliner and an ottoman and it is totally secure feeling when I get in my hammock. My caution would be achieving the elevation you need for ingress and egress for HH Classic may be a challenge. You might contact Tensa Outdoors directly to inquire if others have used it with a bottom entry hammock. They respond quickly.

The fit and finish of the stand it terrific. Setting it up for the first time is a little daunting, but with practice, your time goes down dramatically. As Shug suggests, once it's dialed in, you are set.

My $0.02.
Nancy

[Boston Fan]

I agree with the previous comments. Based on your needs, there is not much if anything out there that will compare to the Tensa4. Since you already have a DIY version, the fiddle factor should be minimal.

Best to you!

[Crazytown3]

The Tensa4 is the one I would recommend. I use it A LOT for motorcycle camping. It's by far the best design, and easiest to deal with for that kind of traveling. Cheap? No, but worth every penny.

[cougarmeat]

It’s too bad the Tato stand does not pack smaller because self-standing (no anchors necessary) is a great feature. In some other post about Tensa4’s, an alternative, expensive, carbon fiber tensa4-isque stand was mentioned. I think it was self-standing.

[Salt]

The Tensa4 can be set up in the XX configuration to make it freestanding. The carbon fiber one you're mentioning is either the Carbon Tree (same style as the Tensa4) or the YOBO Cricket ($$$). Here is a (German language) comparison of the Tensa4 and YOBO Cricket.

If weight wasn't an issue, I'd go with the Tensa4 in a heartbeat. It seems like the most minimal, versatile, packable, and well executed stand on the market right now.

[Biker Bob]

I got the Tensa Solo for less bulk than the four. It is a little over 19 inches. It fits in a dry bag on the passenger seat of the thumper and on the luggage rack for the R100. The Orange Screw anchor work in some kinds of soil. East Tennessee no problem, sandy loam in Florida you're likely to end up on the ground. There is another type of anchor which does not appear to be likely to work any better in sandy soils.

The four reportedly puts less pull on the anchor and it should hold better, but I personally saw an Orange Screw break when used with a four. There are pictures of the one anchor point being a motorcycle. My research did not find another stand which would be any shorter. I need to measure the width of the bike with saddle bags mounted and see if another system is better, but either there is a stand with tripods and a ridge pole or anchors which still leaves the major short coming of the Tensa.

The Tensa telescopic poles may sometimes require using a stick to extend them. The Solo will probably go with to a rally in Waynesville, but not to any coastal events.

[Ithica]

I purchased a Tensa4 a couple of weeks ago and it works well with my Warbonnet Traveler XL and my Dutchware Wide 11' Netless. I had not tried it with my old HH Explorer Deluxe XL Classic. I took the Tensa4 out this afternoon to a local park and tried it with the HH Explorer Deluxe XL Classic. It worked fine. I am 6'-2" tall and the center of my knee is about 21" above the ground barefoot. I could hang the hammock with the slot opening at 20" which is fine for entry and exit. I could probably achieve 22" opening height. One thing to take into account is that your feet will be on the wrong side of the baseline but your CG will be on the right side of the baseline when seated. I tethered the head end of the Tensa4 to a tree to prevent mousetrapping. I had no problem entering or exiting. I had to make a few adjustments to the suspension with the stock HH Spectra cord. I used a Hennessey Lash on the foot end to the daisy chain section of the guy line. I used a Becket Hitch on the head end. I did use the Tensa ridgeline strap. If I was going to continue to use the HH Explorer Deluxe XL Classic I would install continuous loops and attach to the Tensa4 with soft shackles.

I forgot how hot and oppressive a netted hammock is in 80° F weather. I broke out in a sweat performing the test. It took about 20~25 minutes to set up and adjust. I think setup would be in the 10~15 minute range with a little practice and continuous loops on the HH.

Attached are a couple of photos of the HH installed on the Tensa4. The third photo is a view from the Warbonnet Traveler XL.

PXL_20220210_204415344.jpg
PXL_20220210_204353300.jpg
PXL_20220210_210907994.jpg