Cheap DD hammock mod

[Chaard]

Hi all,

i'll start this by saying sorry for all the noob questions.

I'm hopefully getting a DD travel hammock for my birthday and am going on my 1st wild camping trip soon after.

I've seen plenty of mods to make hammocks super easy to set up and take down and stop wicking etc.

Thing is I'm a cheapskate. Also i feel that i should do things the hard way first to make it all the better when moving to the easy way.

i'm going to definitely do the karabiner mod either end of the hammock to keep me dry.

but should i also replace webbing etc with lighter, less bulky cord?

ill leave whoopie slings for when i have proved i can hang with just a few good knots!

also what knots should i use to make the loop on the hammock end that i will then attach the karabiner onto?

as ever - any help appreciated!

Chaard.

 

[Hammock_man]

The carabiner mod would be my first mod along with a drip line. They webbing that comes with the DD is more than good enough, so as a fellow cheapskate I would hold off on the whoopie sling. As for knots; as the webbing has been round the tree maybe twice there is not so much pressure on the knot so a simple reef knot works. Have a trial setup 2 - 3 times before you go and you will be fine.

 

[Chaard]

cheers hammock_man

glad to know the webbing is decent!

so you would do a reef knot on the short length of webbing that connects the carabiner to the hammock?

 

[Hammock_man]

Cut about 2 foot off each of the supplied webing. Feed this though the "holes" each end of the hammock twice, so you have a complete loop and the two ends. Put a fishermens knot on the two loose ends. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TP-8YjOilKA

This knot can not pull through. This gives a double loop at the end of the hammock. The carabiner goes through this along with the rest of the supplied webbing. This webbing then goes out to the tree, round the back and to the front. If there is enough webbing, take it round again and a simple reef knot will make it secure. Add a bit of string to the carabiner as a drip line and you are sorted.

There are a number of DD youtube vids out there, have a look at them and try before you go out for real.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=QSwL4uY3wyE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4mPiv76P-s

 

[Hammock_man]

Cut about 2 foot off each of the supplied webing. Feed this though the "holes" each end of the hammock twice, so you have a complete loop and the two ends. Put a fishermens knot on the two loose ends. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TP-8YjOilKA

This knot can not pull through. This gives a double loop at the end of the hammock. The carabiner goes through this along with the rest of the supplied webbing. This webbing then goes out to the tree, round the back and to the front. If there is enough webbing, take it round again and a simple reef knot will make it secure. Add a bit of string to the carabiner as a drip line and you are sorted.

There are a number of DD youtube vids out there, have a look at them and try before you go out for real.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=QSwL4uY3wyE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4mPiv76P-s

 

[Tommyd345]

What's a drip line? I have yet to get out in my hammock and this sounds important...

 

[mousey]

Currently for my hammock setup I have three parts.

1, a loop of cord using a triple fishermans knot. Then a larks head knot through the channel on the hammock, this gives me the loop needed for a crab.

2, webbing with loops sewn in each end, for round the tree [so it doesn't bight into the bark and damage the tree]

3, length of rope, one end with a bowline to make a fixed loop [this passes through the tree webbing with a larks head] and the other with a friction hitch called a farrimond hitch, this gives an adjustable loop to clip to the crab. The farrimond hitch is adjustable when loose but holds when weight is applied to the line [I think of it a bit like a prussik knot but on it's own line - if that makes any sense].

This is where I'm at right now, I have used webbing supplied with the hammock - and yeah this works great but is un-adjustable. I've use the climbing rings thing but it these tend to crush the fibres in the rope / cord [unless you use really thick stuff - but the point is to use lighter less bulk equipment]

It is important to remember that tying knots in rope can significantly reduce the ropes breaking strength.

I found this a neat thing to play with and help when I made a hammock stand - I have no trees in my garden that I trust with my weight http://theultimatehang.com/hammock-hang-calculator/

 

[mousey]

What's a drip line? I have yet to get out in my hammock and this sounds important...

drip line maybe not necessary with a crab, water falling down hitting your suspension line with run down the line into your hammock. A break in the suspension line [ a ring, crab etc or even just a bit of string tied to it] will interrupt the flow of water and divert it down to drip to the ground rather than continue into you hammock. It is important that the break/ drip line is covered by your tarp.

 

[Tommyd345]

drip line maybe not necessary with a crab, water falling down hitting your suspension line with run down the line into your hammock. A break in the suspension line [ a ring, crab etc or even just a bit of string tied to it] will interrupt the flow of water and divert it down to drip to the ground rather than continue into you hammock. It is important that the break/ drip line is covered by your tarp.

Thanks! Didn't know that...

 

[The Lord Poncho]

I bought a couple of canoe straps off ebay (basically two lengths of polypropalene webbing, with a cinch buckle on them for strapping canoes to car roofs) a few quid, and cut them up/sewed a few loops in them. The result is a very cheap, not too heavy, and infinitely adjustable hanging system that doesn't stretch. The cinch buckles themselves act as the drip rings.

 

[Hammock_man]

The drip line just gives the water a chance to go down not across and the water takes it every time. You end up with a soggy bit of string dangling down but the ends of your hammock stay dry. Make sure its is a simple bit of string that would get wet easy.

While there are many ways in which the hammock can be hung if you want to throw money at it, for the first few goes just stick to the supplied tree huggers. First morning after you have slept then think, was it too head high, was it too tight etc.. Its not a major hassle to untie one end of the tree huggers and adjust if needed. But binner and drip line are a must.

 

[Chaard]

great responses everyone - nice to know im on the right track!

now i need to decide on thermarest type mat or an underblanket

i'm going for the DD travel so i can use as a Bivi on the beach or anywhere without trees.

could i sleep on top of the underblanket ... so the layers go ground>waterproof DD travel> underblanket> sleeping bag> my ****

I doubt i'll ever be out camping below 0 Celcius but i have the physique of a racing snake and get cold easy.

 

[Lister]

you want the underblanket suspended under the hammock (clue is in the name), if you sleep on top of it, you compress the layer beneath you and get CBS - Cold Butt Syndrome. If you're using it on the ground, that format should work, although for going to ground i'd use a CCF/Thermarest type mat.

The Ultimate Hang is still on Kindle Sale on Amazon for the price of a few pints - www.amazon.co.uk/Ultimate-Hang-Illustrated-Hammock-Camping-ebook/dp/B00639GF4C

 

[Chaard]

Yeh I know that the underblanket goes under when hanging. Just contemplating ground options. I plan on hanging wherever possible but I also want a good flexible set up.

I'll go for the thermarest style mat. And if I start camping in cooler weather ill get an underblanket too.

 

[Hammock_man]

I would recommend a CCF mat not a self inflating one. Pound for Pound (£) the CCF will offer better heat protection. Remember heat not comfort is the mat's function. Self inflate mats roll up well smaller I accept but I still carry a CCF on top of my pack, even on trains and buses.

 

[tim_n]

Could always sew a sleeping bag under the cheap DD

Drip lines definitely required whenever it rains

 

[Midnitehound]

Could always sew a sleeping bag under the cheap DD

Drip lines definitely required whenever it rains

Drip lines needed with the use of penknives too.

 

[tim_n]

Pff it was perfectly able to drip without the need of a drip line thank you very much

 

[Chaard]

Drip lines needed with the use of penknives too.

is this a private joke i don't understand?

 

[tim_n]

Not that private. Penknife shut on my finger slicing it vertically down the nail at the last moot. I'd just uttered the famous line "I don't like using penknives as they can shut on your fingers" looked down and I'd turned my 5 fingers into six. The surgeon complimented me on such a nice sharp knife.