Any advice on my hammock and tarp system?.....PLEASE!!!!

[Fenlander]

I use a Nomad hammock and British Army Tarp. I have customized my hammock by threading the nylon webbing that came with the hammock, back through the sleeves twice more to reduce their length. Then i have attached carabines at each end. Using 25mm webbing I have made some "tree-hugger" straps. I use 9mm rope from an army surplus store tied between the two.

Does anyone have any comments, suggestions or advice about this set-up? :?:

 

[jakunen]

looks fine to me...

Why are you asking? Havign problems or just want to see if it can be improved???

 

[Paganwolf]

I use a Nomad hammock and British Army Tarp. I have customized my hammock by threading the nylon webbing that came with the hammock, back through the sleeves twice more to reduce their length. Then i have attached carabines at each end. Using 25mm webbing I have made some "tree-hugger" straps. I use 9mm rope from an army surplus store tied between the two.

Does anyone have any comments, suggestions or advice about this set-up? :?:

I used the near enough the exact same setup in Borneo years ago, and never had a problem, the nomad hammock is good n solid i treated it with Mozzi repellent and slept inside the envelope in a cotton sleeping bag liner which i also mozzi guarded, i gave my hammock to a local as he took a shine to it and bought a new one on my return as i liked it, which i also gave away to another good home (eh Kim) Im good like that you know... i reacon you could put a thermarest in the envelope and then use a bivvi bag over your sleeper to make it more comfey :biggthump

 

[Adi007]

You could tie the basha sheet to the tree separately lower than the tree huggers. This might let you get different hammock angles (this is the method recommended for the Eco System - not experimented with it enough to know why).

 

[Fenlander]

Cheers for the prompt replies :super:

Looking for improvements. Do all hammocks have ridges in the centre at each end, or am I hanging it wrong?

 

[RAPPLEBY2000]

it might be just the way the material is folded,
or something to do with the angle of pull away from it either way i woulden't worry about it.

on my other hammocks i have used this happens but it goes when you laydown.

try tiying the hammock tight then a bit slacker and see if it changes, it might be a tension thing.

the set up you use (which i saw at the weekend) is fine if anything safer than mine, i certainly like the carabina idea for quickness!

you should discribe your tent fly idea too!

 

[R-Bowskill]

And don't forget to tie something to the guy lines if you're using it where other people are around (especially if their name begins with T).

 

[match]

I would add one extra feature - I would tie some cord (natural fibre preferably) round the carabiner and then tie this tight to the treee much lower down - this will act as a wick, which should mean that in rain, any water collecting on the rope holding the hammock that runs down towards the hammock will be absorbed by the cord on the carabiner and wick away down the tree, rather than into the top of your hammock. Having the carabiner here is essential as the cord will 'win' as a wick, whereas if it is tied to the rope the rope may continue to wick the water and only some will wick down the cord.

And a second thing, I'd put the running end of that highwayman's knot back through the standing loop - this means that if for any reason something pulls on the running end, the knot should just jam, rather than dropping you onto the ground! It should still be easy to untie the next morning though.


Just a thought...

EDIT: Just noticed that might not actually be a highwayman's knot!

 

[Fenlander]

I would add one extra feature - I would tie some cord (natural fibre preferably) round the carabiner and then tie this tight to the treee much lower down - this will act as a wick, which should mean that in rain, any water collecting on the rope holding the hammock that runs down towards the hammock will be absorbed by the cord on the carabiner and wick away down the tree, rather than into the top of your hammock. Having the carabiner here is essential as the cord will 'win' as a wick, whereas if it is tied to the rope the rope may continue to wick the water and only some will wick down the cord.

And a second thing, I'd put the running end of that highwayman's knot back through the standing loop - this means that if for any reason something pulls on the running end, the knot should just jam, rather than dropping you onto the ground! It should still be easy to untie the next morning though.


Just a thought...

EDIT: Just noticed that might not actually be a highwayman's knot!

Thanks for this. It's actually a ......"Fenlander Knot"

 

[Fenlander]

I would add one extra feature - I would tie some cord (natural fibre preferably) round the carabiner and then tie this tight to the treee much lower down - this will act as a wick, which should mean that in rain, any water collecting on the rope holding the hammock that runs down towards the hammock will be absorbed by the cord on the carabiner and wick away down the tree, rather than into the top of your hammock. Having the carabiner here is essential as the cord will 'win' as a wick, whereas if it is tied to the rope the rope may continue to wick the water and only some will wick down the cord.

And a second thing, I'd put the running end of that highwayman's knot back through the standing loop - this means that if for any reason something pulls on the running end, the knot should just jam, rather than dropping you onto the ground! It should still be easy to untie the next morning though.


Just a thought...

EDIT: Just noticed that might not actually be a highwayman's knot!

Thanks for this. It's actually a ......"Fenlander Knot"

 

[dchinell]

This is long and technical and only of interest to someone who takes a secret pride in having his trees more densely rigged than the masts of a sailing ship.

Tree straps: Ten feet of 1-inch polyester or nylon webbing. Using a water knot, form a three-inch loop in one end. Tie a loop in the other end that captures two D-rings. Holding the large loop, pass the strap around the tree, through the loop, and snug it up. Pass the hammock strap through the D-rings, belt buckle fashion, and adjust tension.

You may need to wrap the tree strap around the trunk more than once before putting it through the loop. The idea is to position the D-rings, which act as drip rings, about six inches to a foot under the end of your tarp.

I usually put my tree straps at nose level and the hammock high enough to form a comfortable chair. That is, my feet sit comfortably flat on the ground when seated in the hammock. Do add (or have ready) cotton drip strings for the D-rings.

Alternately, just tie ten feet of strapping into a single huge loop by joining the ends with a water knot. Sling this around the tree and back through itself to make a giant lark's head hitch on the tree. Put your hammock rope or carabiner through the free end loop. Less adjustable, but simpler.

Ridge line: Paracord. At both ends, loop it just around the back of each tree and tie it to itself using a tautline hitch. That way it can be slid freely up and down the trunk and tightened from either end. In fair weather I put this as high as I can reach. In rain it's easy to slide it down without getting very wet.

I use an 8-foot square tarp, pitched diagonal. So there are two tree corners and two side corners. The tree corners have 10 feet or so of paracord tied on. This goes behind the tree, just above the ridgeline back through the tie-out, under the tarp, and gets tied to the ridge line with a tautline hitch. You can slide the tarp up and down the trunk, and can center and tension the tarp without getting out from under it.

The side corners have somewhat longer ties attached, to allow the sides to be up higher for enhanced visibility. I tie the cord to the corners using a tautline hitch, and to the pegs using a lark's head or figure eight on a bight. Again, having the tautline at the tarp end rather than the peg end lets you adjust things without getting too wet.

Bear

 

[Fenlander]

As suggested Rappleby2000...Do not have a pic of the ridge tent fly, so this is the best i can do!

Hope fully my drawing is good enough, that you can see I have "cut away" part of the fly to show my hammock postion?

Basically on cold wet nights I hang an old ridge tent fly over my hammock, held taught with guy lines. It protects me from the wind and rain droplets blowing up under my tarp. It also retains heat (I only have a two-three season Vango bag, but have never been cold yet) and performed really well in the gale last weekend at the East Anglia group meet