Spaceframe hammock

[ghpacific]

Here is my quick attempt at developing a spaceframe/tensegrity hammock/cot that can either be on the ground as a cot or suspended from trees as a hammock. Got a lot of thinking to do on this, so any comments, especially regarding weight and stability are appreciated. I plan on using Easton tent poles for the space frame and the whole thing disassembles, which is one of the things I need to consider. I hope to be able to have the space frame adapt into a frame pack as well, but for now just want to test this design idea out here. Moochas Grassias for checking this out.

[hppyfngy]

Not sure there is an actual need for this but I'll be very interested to follow your progress.

Good Luck!

You're gonna need tie outs...

HFG

[WV]

As pictured the center of gravity is so high it would probably be extremely tippy. You could hang with more sag, but it would be like hanging a cot (or a piece of plywood).

[ghpacific]

I am very interested in making multifunctional gear, so part of the idea here is to be able to create a multipurpose spaceframe that could become a backpack frame, a cot, a hammock, a table, a seat, etc. I hope to be able to build a prototype soon. I'm also concerned about the stability issue, but am watching a series of lectures about bridge construction and tension rods, so hope that helps. I need to keep an eye on CraigsList for cheap aluminum arrow shafts and figure out a way to make the variety of connectors for the spaceframe nodes, but other than that it's a start.

[gmcttr]

Move the suspension from the bottom to the top of the frame for any chance at stability.

[stevebo]

Have you made any progress with this idea? One observation---if you fall (suspension collapses etc----and it will happen some day-----every one has had a hard landing at one time or another-) that could be really bad if you have a sharp tube end to land on ! Just a thought!

[Just Jeff]

Yeah - definitely need to move the suspension from the bottom of the frame to the top to lower the center of gravity. Even then, you'll probably need a harness that lowers the frame well below the suspension lines...kind of like putting a structural ridgeline, and then hanging the cot from lines running vertically up to that.

What's the design goal for this project?

Have you looked at LuxuryLite's cot?

[Resqsarge03]

You could make a model using kidney beans and toothpicks. :-)
Seriously though, this sounds like an interesting idea but rather complex.
Could it be more easily done with sheet material instead of tubing.

[ghpacific]

I haven't moved beyond the idea stage on this yet. I built a small spaceframe from skewers and glue to test the support strength of a crude spaceframe and it works fine, but it is a only a guess as to how this could work as a hammock support. Now I'm thinking that perhaps the space frame could rest on the ground between 2 trees and the upper part of the spaceframe could be attached to the trees. This limits the location potential of the hammock, but where I backpack, in Big Sur and the Sierras, this shouldn't be too much of an issue. The big issue remains weight and complexity. I'm sure the KISS philosophy will govern here. Cheers all! Congrats to ALL the US Olympians also!

[Montalaskan]

I built a toothpick and Elmer's glue bridge in 3rd grade that spanned a foot-long gap and held over 35 pounds. Only broke when we ran out of weights and started adding books. Hehe.

Point being, you could build a strong mockup with toothpicks!