really basic asym questions

[E.A.Y.]

What makes a hammock asymmetrical? Is it just pulling out the sides, offset from each other from the centerline or is there some shaping of the hammock body?
What is the point to this? Does it make it easier to find the diagonal when crawling into go to sleep? Do the tieouts stabilize the hammock in anyway? Does it make the hammock feel more roomy?
Has anyone ever inadvertently launched a stake with a pull-out?

'nuff for now

[Brian]

An Asym hammock means that instead of having a square of fabric and bunching the ends, you end up bunching the ends of a rectangle, such that you'll have a primary axis of 'laying flat' when you sleep. It makes it easier to lay more flat without having to have a hammock that is super wide.

The tieouts are separate, but the do two things; help stabilize the hammock from swaying and help pull the fabric out and away, making it feel a bit less claustrophobic.

If you use a bit of shock cord along with regular line (and nothing more than say 3/16" thick!) then you shouldn't have too much of a problem with launching stakes - you can also try tying the hammock guyout lines to roots, trees, etc, as it isn't nearly as dependent on angle as the tarp is.

Brian
OES

[headchange4u]

There has been experimenting in folding techniques but the basic method for creating an asym shape in a hammock, ala Hennessy Hammock, is the use and location of side tie out points.

[bear bag hanger]

Has anyone ever inadvertently launched a stake with a pull-out?

Yep, but only once or twice during a thru hike. Finding the tent stake was the hardest part.

[warbonnetguy]

An Asym hammock means that instead of having a square of fabric and bunching the ends, you end up bunching the ends of a rectangle, such that you'll have a primary axis of 'laying flat' when you sleep. It makes it easier to lay more flat without having to have a hammock that is super wide.

would you say then that all haab style hammocks are asym? surely not, but they are end gathered rectangles.

only hh claims to be asym. (i will probably claim the blackbird as asym also, just so people don't think the hh has some special advantage over my design)

asym as hh implements it describes the shape of the edge of the bed fabric as seen from above the setup hammock. the edges are pulled into an asym (offset diamond) by the pull tabs. consequently his net is the same shape.

location of pull tabs and shape of netting (if it effects the position of the bed fabric) can hinder the potential of the bed fabric to assume it's natural asym shape.

imagine a haab style hammock with someone laying in an extreme diagonal position. imagine the shape the edges of the hammock would take as seen from above. it would be an extreme asym off set diamond shape. now it is possible to put pull tabs anywhere, imagine if they were pulling on the edge of the bed fabric in the center of each side. you have the fabric that wants to assume the natural asym shape on one hand and pull tabs trying to pull those same edges into another shape at the same time. the short of it is that having the pull tabs in the wrong spot will hinder the fabric from assuming the shape it wants to assume when you lay diagonal, this negatively effects the lay.

so, the asym shape (as defined by pull tabs/net shape) does not improve the lay of rectangular end gathered fabric, but can hinder it if they are in the wrong spot and thus force the edges of the bed fabric into an un-natural shape.

a good asym shape would copy exaxctly this natural shape of the diagonal position, which is what i've done with the eldorado and now the blackbird, so i can say the lay on the diagonal is the same as you would get from a haab style hammock, that the shape of the netting or location of pull tabs doesn't go against the natural asym shape and as result doesn't hinder the lay. so in reality, a shape could still be asym and not match up with the natural shape of the diagonal position and thus still cause some interference (like restriction of head and feet areas), and the shape of the net/pulltabs could be perfectly symmetric and not interfere with the edges of the bed fabric if done right.

so why use pull tabs at all if they can interfere with the lay? the pull tabs allow you to pull the hammock fully open to maximize interior space and allow you to use a fixed flat shape netting that the pull tabs can pull tight like a window on a tent, and use a smaller shape net, and if done right, the shape of the net won't interfere with the lay. it is actually the shape of the netting that can really cause the restricted lay, the pull tabs themselves are less impactive since they are usually only connected to shock cord.

so, there is absolutely no reason to have pull tabs on a hammock without a net, it only does anything in relation to the net (except maybe dampen your swinging if you find that a positive.)

asym shaped bed fabric could be employed, but nobody does. i have thought hard about it, and see no advantage to a slight asym bed fabric shape, as once the ends are gathered, the result would be the same as the equivalent rectangle.

[E.A.Y.]

Part of what warbonnetguy wrote:

asym as hh implements it describes the shape of the edge of the bed fabric as seen from above the setup hammock. the edges are pulled into an asym (offset diamond) by the pull tabs. consequently his net is the same shape.

so, there is absolutely no reason to have pull tabs on a hammock without a net, it only does anything in relation to the net (except maybe dampen your swinging if you find that a positive.)

asym shaped bed fabric could be employed, but nobody does. i have thought hard about it, and see no advantage to a slight asym bed fabric shape, as once the ends are gathered, the result would be the same as the equivalent rectangle.

Thanks, warbonnetguy for that explanation of asym hammocks.
Maybe when I make a narrower hammock (I have eno-like double right now) I'll play around with side pullouts. But I like the gentle swaying of a hammock so maybe I'll leave well enough alone.

eay