When I fasten my rainfly to the hammock suspension lines I use a loop of 1/8" elastic cord on one end of the rainfly ridgeline attachment point on the rainfly. This will compensate for the potential change in rainfly ridgeline length when the hammock is loaded by my bodyweight. Rainfly sag is eliminated and the rainfly is protected from over tension.
If it's a smooth boulder, no, you don't smear it with superglue, press your suspension webbing to it, and hope for the best.
You hang a hammock between boulders by putting "anchors" in cracks and using them as attachment points. If you have rock climbing friends - actual people, not the hardware called "friends" or Cams - ask them about anchors (also called "protection") or use "rock climbing anchors" as the search string for YouTube/Vimeo streams.
Essentially, you look for a crack (or formation with two or more rocks), that begins at one width and narrows down. I'll use "stopper" because there's a picture of a set in an earlier post (the bottom set). See how the stoppers are different sizes? You pick a size that is small enough to go in the wide part of the crack but large enough not to pull out when it drops to the lower part of the crack. You connect to that cable part that extends out of the crack. Hopefully, that "hold" is strong enough to hold you. Rock Climbers risk their lives on such evaluations. When it's time to pack up, you unhook your suspension from the stopper and lift the stopper out of the crack.
I hope you gather this is not something learned "on the fly" from the above. Seek out some rock climbing (or spelunking) group and ask them to teach/show you about setting anchors. Do not buy an $80 Cam when an $8.00 hex or stopper will work. If you are dealing with very thin cracks, they have anchors for that but then you get into gear to hammer and retrieve.
Retro idea - these anchors were called "nuts" because, in the olden days, we'd put a webbing loop through a big bolt nut and jam into the rock crack. You could do the same. Without even a manufactured "nut", you could find a small rock that would jam into a crack and put a webbing loop around that. BUT YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.
Though it was marketing gold, Niki did a disservice with their "Just Do It" campaign. Same with Apple and their, "You don't need a manual" philosophy. People get hurt because they go to a store, buy gear, and use it without any training. Tech services make money because the computer owner doesn't know how to do the simple task of finding a file. But that's another rant.
That rant was inspired because when you talk about setting anchors in rock boulders, you are getting into serious business. For example, you may ascertain that the anchor will not pull out of the crack; but what about the stability of the boulder itself? Will it stay where it is with a potential 200+ lbs. pulling on it? Yes, it can be as simple as dropping a hex/stopper in a crack, hanging off of it, and lifting it out when done. But a lot of awareness goes into that simplicity.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
I'll give that a shot next time and adjust guyline tension instead of getting the end ridgeline completely taut before adjusting the guylines.Originally Posted by LowTech
My first ever test hang, this is exactly what I did. I got a rock and jammed it in between the two boulders, wedged it and it seemed to hold real well. I made sure it was soft dirt underneath me. I don't ever want anything hard underneath my hammock anyway because I'm always concerned about something breaking. After I removed the pull tape I could not move the rock out of the crack, it is probably wedged in there forever now.
Which brings me to the #5 hex. How much does a single #5 hex weigh and does it require tools to remove it? I'm interested in this but I'm real concerned about bringing all that extra weight when a rock jammed in between the boulders could work just as well.
REI says a #5 hex is 51 grams. A #5 stopper is 18 grams. There is nothing magic about #5. It's best if you look at the individual sizes and select the one that looks like it will work best in the area where you will use it. The rock around here is all volcanic. That's different than the granite in Washington's Icicle Creek Canyon area. Hopefully, it doesn't take tools to remove it (a #5 stopper is about $12, a #5 hex is about $17). In the ideal crack, you place it in the wider area where it will fit and maneuver it so it jams/wedges - in the crack with the wire "tail" coming out. You'll want a carabiner between the tail and your "fabric" suspension material to minimize wear.
Congratulations on McGyvering your natural rock nut.
Here's a link showing an example placement: http://tinyurl.com/ymy66ex8
Just [your search engine name here] the topic "placing a hex (avoid the witchcraft links)", "rock climbing protection", or a similar topic, and you'll get lots of visual examples.
Some hikers don't carry pegs. They will tie to roots, rocks, and bushes. If you were at a beach (the "beaches" in Washington are just smaller stones) that has rocks - or near a stream that has various sizes of river rocks, perhaps you can make a selection that will work for you. Note that you are relying on the integrity of your stone chock. Using a commercial product eliminates one "unknown" from the equation. But you can pretty much determine if the rock and wedge setup will work or not. And it sounds like you are careful enough to consider the ramifications of the "not" part of the experiment.
Last edited by cougarmeat; 02-04-2024 at 13:17.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
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