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  1. #1
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    Bridge hammocks - why the low weight rating?

    As someone who chokes a bit when sleeping on my back I often wonder how I'd like a bridge hammock but the max weight is always like 250lbs. I'm 230 so I don't want to be that close to the weight limit, what is is about bridge style that it can't support the same weight as a gathered end? Just curious

    I know there's a company that makes a bridge for big guys lol but I was more just wondering. My son really wants a ridgerunner so I may get a chance to try one soon, he's only 140 so he's good for a while lol

  2. #2
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    I think there are differential forces on the structure of the fabric for a bridge that may change from what you might see for gathered end (in addition to the limits of the fabrics themselves). The Towns End would be what I'd look at if I were you: This Gear Is For YOU – Get Outta Town! (thisgearsforyou.com)
    Iceman857

    "An optimist is a man who plants two acorns and buys a hammock" - Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (French Army General in WWII)

  3. #3
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    Rhody - one thing I like about my Ridgerunner bridge hammock is that you can adjust the spreader bar at the head end so that it creates an incline for your torso/neck/head. That might help your issue with sleeping on your back. Maybe the hammocks at This Gear Is For You have that same ability with a spreader bar.

  4. #4
    cougarmeat's Avatar
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    Rhody, There is more to a hammock setup besides just the hammock material and stitching. With a bridge, you also have stress on the spreader bars. How much stress - well one time I got in without checking that the spreader bar pins were in their holders - I use a full sock (spindrift) to block out light from the neighbor's house and a street light. When I got in the spreader bar was pushing against the ripstop sock. It poked a hole in the sock, fired like an arrow into a fence slat about 5 feet away with enough energy to bounce back past the hammock. I'm so glad the break was on the non-window side of the house.

    Also, some people have experimented with shorting the spreader bar length. If shortened to much, a weight the bridge is normally designed for is enough to damage the spreader poles. I've read about it in the forum but haven't seen a photo of what the damaged pole looks like.

    So definitely check with the vender first. Sometimes the only adjustment may be to go with a double layer (DL) option - gives you a sleeve for a sleeping pad if you want to use one. The DL's usually have a higher weight limit.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stogie Bum View Post
    Rhody - one thing I like about my Ridgerunner bridge hammock is that you can adjust the spreader bar at the head end so that it creates an incline for your torso/neck/head. That might help your issue with sleeping on your back. Maybe the hammocks at This Gear Is For You have that same ability with a spreader bar.
    That would definitely help!

  6. #6
    cougarmeat's Avatar
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    Rhody, I have both an older and newer (they changed the design a little bit) RidgeRunner. I don't know of any "adjustment" to the spreader bar that creates an incline. The older model had a 4 inch "extension" piece you could put in the spreader bar at the head end to make it a little wider - or more to its intention, removing it to make the body a little narrower so it was more of a "bathtub", and less tippy for some people. So there were three pieces for the head end spreader bar - two longer pieces that fit together and that 4" extension that fit between them. The newer model just has two pieces for the head end - making it the size size as the older model with the extension.

    You may not want to "incline" the hammock by lowering the foot end because there would be a tendency to slide down to that end. One solution might some kind of pillow to lift your head the desired amount.
    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 stevebo's Avatar
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    A bridge hammock is under alot more stress than a gathered end hammock. Some one on the forums had a formula- what ever the weight rating of fabric for a gathered end hammock is, figure 75% of that for a bridge. (Or something like that)
    As far as the 250 lb rating on most bridges, you have a couple of options. 1. You can go over that rating (within reason- use caution). 2. Buy a big guy bridge from Bill townsend. (Just do a search for big guy bridge hammock). 3. Build one your self - ripstop by the roll sells kits. A simple end bar bridge is pretty easy to make. By making it your self, you can adjust the weight rating by choosing a heavier fabric. Another perk of diy is, it really doesnt cost all that much to make a bridge hammock. If you are concerned about longevity and stress on the hammock,you can afford to replace one every year .
    Have fun! (I love bridge hammocks! And if the weight of the spreader bars is an issue, there are creative ways to use you trekking poles as spreaders- pm me if u have questions)
    Last edited by stevebo; 01-28-2023 at 14:50.
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  8. #8
    cougarmeat's Avatar
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    RSBTR does have a netless bridge hammock kit for about $42.25 for the 1.8 oz Airwave hybrid fabric. The specs give 78" x 45" but it's not clear if that's just the raw fabric or finished dimensions.

    The hardware for spreader bars (they used the term poles) to go in is $32 but you might work out something like WarBonnet does so you don't need that end hardware.

    The poles cost $35 (so $42.25 + $32 + 35 = $109.25 complete). They are 32 inches long so this is a little narrower than the RidgeRunner at the headend and a little wider at the foot end. A note on the poles - the end pins (about 7 mm) are thicker than the older or newer RidgeRunner poles. They will NOT fit in standard Fugal buttons. So let Nich know you need the larger size hole if you order them.

    For $20 more you can get a single layer, netless, RidgeRunner with color and some fabric weight choices.

    I have a RSBTR kit as a bridge day hike hammock. I carry a HUG bug net that attaches to an added ridge line. Works fine for me but with the narrower head end, there would be more shoulder squeeze for larger folk.
    Last edited by cougarmeat; 01-28-2023 at 19:22.
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  9. #9
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    Side- RR vs Happy MED.jpg

    Hopefully that comes through okay for Rhody to see?

    As Stogie mentioned- the Ridgerunner has a bit of a wedge shaped bed due to the use of different size spreader bars. Both he an Cougar are correct in that the spreader bar is a three piece which used to be built so you could 'choose your own adventure' by removing the small extender in the center. I'm not sure if you still have that option or not.

    BUT.. by using two different size spreaders in a symmetrical hammock it creates more of a wedge shaped bedspace.

    Point being- this can be good for folks with Gerd, Apnea, or whatever form of choking in your sleep you officially suffer from.
    So despite being close to the weight rating it might be worth a shot in a double layer with underquilt. (the RR configuration you would push 'the least')

    The other option if you're looking for that Lazy-Boy type sleep position is the AMOK Dramur.

    My premium bridges can be tweaked and played with to create something similar, but they really are designed to be 'flat' with the caveat illustrated in the drawing that flat doesn't actually look flat; but indicates that your joints are in line and the hammock is supporting you evenly.

  10. #10
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    Steve-

    Yar- that rule is my rule- 2/3rds to 3/4 of the gathered end weight rating is about right for the bridge rating.
    IE- a 300lb fabric holds about 200lbs. A 400lb like the Hex 70 does well even in my bridges to 300lbs.
    The lighter the fabric- the closer to 2/3rds you want to start with.

    Diamond weave is the most stretchy (hyper d)
    1/4" standard Ripstop is the highest chance of failure.

    8way or 6 way (depending on how technical you want to be) fabrics like Hexon, Mountain, or Brandon's version are the best bridge hammock fabrics I think.



    Everyone else- Thanks for mentioning me!

    As to the original question-
    The short answer is that; It's the way they came together.

    There are technical bits like the practical compression strength of the spreader bar at each end, and the required length of the dogbones used to suspend the bridge.

    As the bridge gets bigger- The spreader bar gets longer, the dogbones gets longer- the tree to tree distance increases.

    For an end bar bridge like the ridgerunner or banyon which already needs about 13-15' to set it up... making the thing about 1" wider would make it about 2" longer.

    So simply 'going bigger' doesn't always solve the problems as you get pretty impractical at some point.

    Going the other way- you can beef up the bridge components to achieve a higher weight rating... there are folks who are heavier than 250 who use a double layer ridgerunner with no pad. But if you don't sleep on your side or in a certain position... at some point you simply don't fit in the bridge anymore regardless of the rating. It's better than other stuff but not exactly great.

    For example, my Big Guy is rated to 350+ pounds. Why that rating? Because around 325-350lbs some folks literally don't fit in the bridge. I have some folks in the 390's who love them... I have some folks at 325 who hated them. The 250lb rating on the RR is not quite that extreme, but the ideal customer is likely closer to 200lbs and somewhat fit.

    Brandon (ridgerunner designer/inventor) is not a very large fella being a fairly fit, athletic medium sized person. The Jacks are fairly light as well but a bit taller. (inventors of the Bear Mountain Bridge). We all tend to 'build what works for us' and the Ridgerunner was Brandon's way of addressing some of the shortcomings of the Bear Mountain by changing things up a bit. It's a good 'one size fits most' sorta bridge as a result. As in.. if you're within a certain range of the person who made most bridges size... it'll be a good fit. As fer me- I've got some different issues- but the 'Big Guy Bridge' was NOT built for me. My perfect bridge is my Happy Medium. It just turned out that designing some crazy SUL stuff and my perfect bridge gave me the information I needed to take a crack at something bigger using the tricks I learned on something smaller.

    At some point... we all gotta be honest with ourselves too.
    It is supposed to be backpacking gear, or at least outdoor gear of some sort.
    You could buy an Aerobed, or a very nice exped foam mat that will give you a pretty nice night's sleep.
    Plenty of folks here will tell you a 12' gathered end in something like Hex 70 or Hexon 2.2 will let any 400lb fella sleep soundly.

    So to me... if you start going much past 2-3lbs or much bigger than a small daypack's worth of volume... you sorta crossed the line from backpacking gear to something else. Nothing wrong with something else... but most of the vendors you run into here are here to get into the woods a bit. I enjoy front country car camping as much as the next person, but I'm not sure you NEED to engage a small cottage company to build that gear. Most of my 'Big Guy' folks are getting off the trail a bit. It might be on a bike, in a boat, or on foot... but they do tend to need to pack and carry the stuff in at some point.

    Eventually from a vendor's perspective... who is actually going to buy it? At what price, and compared to what?
    And how many 'off the shelf' things will work with it... because not much point in offering a highly specialized product that requires you to also invent several products to go with it.

    I think... The Big Guy has about pushed the limits of that. I'm biased, but blunt.
    300 ish pounds is about ideal, with a little room to go depending on your size and sleep style.
    All those who 'are not most' and don't fit into something like the Ridgerunner and couldn't get a gathered end to work out.
    Still firmly in the backpacking category in terms of pack size and weight without making excessive concessions... IE a few extra pounds in your pack... not doubling your baseweight.
    Fits under a 12' tarp, amazing with a 13' can work with standard quilts well enough, etc.
    Most importantly to me; it still belongs in the woods. It allows the hike in hunter to get a good night's sleep, an 8 mile a day backpacker to get back out and the other folks who really do need it. It's not a tripple winch strap floating tent or some engineering gizmo requiring pumps, batteries, or helpers to hang it.

    I've played with the next size up... (my mountain hanger prototypes) but it failed my tests in that it would require too many specialized parts and pieces to use it in any meaningful way compared to other options. It would help a very small group of folks, but for most it would be a gimmick.
    IE- Just because you can... doesn't mean you should. That includes taking people's money if'n you cant offer them something of value in exchange.

    I suspect that 'gun to their head' other vendors could push a bit further, but then again I think folks have about the right balance of options for now. Despite the increase in popularity- this is still a hyper niche market.

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