To shorten a ridgeline, I tie an Alpine knot in it. I can adjust the loop size for the amount I want to take out and it gives me a loop for hanging stuff. But the minimum is 4 inches or so. Other times, It’s easy enough to cut the ridgeline and just re-splice it to the desired length. The splice is strong enough - requires and extra piece - to still hold any reasonable tension in the line.
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It sounds like the edge seams are shorter than the body of the hammock. Since you took the ridgeline off already pull it tight (straight) and see if the edge seams are tight and the body is loose. On my DIY hammocks I make the edge seams 1 to 1 1/2 inches shorter than the body of the hammock which helps my feet find the edge without falling off, but if this is overdone it will be very uncomfortable to sit with the edge under your knees and I think it is also uncomfortable for sleeping because the sides will have to tower above your head.
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The Ridge hammock on Amazon actually isn't bad for a $50 hammock. I have one that I use as a loaner. The material isn't as nice as a more expensive hammock and it feels a little stiff, but it should work for you as a first hammock.There are way worse "starter hammocks" out there! The ridgeline cord that it comes with is crappy and stretchy though. I changed it to Amsteel when I got it. Depending on your weight, you could have stretched it to 113".
Your hang angles might be causing your problems. I'm assuming you're hanging from the support posts of your porch. The further apart the posts are, the higher the straps need to be to get close to a 30deg angle and the closer they are, the lower they'll need to be. The 30 deg angle is important for a good hang...it doesn't have to be exact, but try to get as close as you can. You should be able to make the ridge hammock work. If you can find 2 posts around 15ft apart, you're off to a good start.
This calculator will give you some ideas about how high your hang points need to be for a given distance between posts to get a 30deg angle.
https://theultimatehang.com/hammock-hang-calculator/
I recently tried the 360 and initially noticed what you describe, but seemingly only on one side. I could comfortably lay head left, but head right was a complete disaster.
My regular hammock works any direction and the 360 should as well, but this one just wouldn’t. I was so confused.
I then readjusted the straps to tighten the ridgeline a bit. The line on this is super thin and they say it supports 500 pounds, but it looks flimsy to me. After giving it a bit of tension, I got back in the hammock and laying either direction was perfect. It was minor adjustment, but made an incredible difference. In fact, the hammock was now extremely comfortable lying in any direction.
So, my advice would be to play with the hang angle (should be close to 30) and putting a bit of tension on the ridgeline even when not loaded. I will say that once I got in the hammock, the ridgeline was not overly tight - I could easily bend it as you should be able to. I also noticed that this hammock seems to lose its tension over time. Not sure if it is the straps or the ridgeline or what, but you should check that regularly until it ‘settles in’.
I wouldn’t give up on it, it was great once I got it dialed in and it wasn’t that difficult. It does certainly seem to be quite a bit more finicky than my regular hammock, but in the end it’s just as comfy.
Also 5’ 6” - ish. a ¾ length UQ is almost full coverage for me. Only limit is how far apart trees can be because wider distance equal higher connection point.
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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