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Hanging a Hammock


lbka123

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First of all, I've had my ENO Singlenest for about a year now, and it has been amazingly awesome to me. I don't know how I would have survived the weekly campouts this summer (I was a camp counselor). Talk about one of the most relaxing things on the planet. Setup was always quick and easy for me, HOWEVER, I felt like I was lacking some variation with my ENO SlapStrap system. This is what I want to know:

 

What other ways can I set my hammock up? I am terrible at tying knots so I just don't trust tying myself up between two trees, but if someone were to point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it.

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Hitches

Constrictor

 

Now I have never slept in a hammock but I can tell you one thing about the constrictor knot - it holds and it holds really well. I made a redneck roof rack and I lashed it down with several constrictors and drove fully loaded with about 100 pounds of gear at about 85 mph for 3 hours and nothing budged. Tried to save my rope but ended up cutting it off.

 

Show off to your friends, learn to tie some knots.

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Your local outdoor supply store should carry vinyl straps and buckle sets. I picked up a 2 pack for about 4 dollars. They're about an inch wide and have a simple tooth-buckle that's easy to adjust. Their width makes them less likely to damage bark and they're a little over 3 feet long so you get over 6 feet of adjustment between the two ends. I keep a pair in my pack for mine and they only weigh a couple ounces so won't hurt your total packing load. :D

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I also use an ENO Single Nest hammock. No need to tell me - they are awesome! Some of the best sleeping ever. But like the OP, my knowledge of knots is somewhat lacking. I didn't get ENO's "Slap Strap" system because is looked like the adjustment range was too coarse so I tie it up. I use some combination of Bowline, Trucker's Knot, and "May Knot" (which means it may not hold...!). There's always that moment of hesitation when I first put weight on my rigging, waiting for the TWANG! CRASH! OUCH!

 

FWIW, I can never remember how to tie a bowline so I had a friend do it and I never untie that knot from the line. (stupid bunny running around a tree... who can keep that straight?)

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First of all, I've had my ENO Singlenest for about a year now, and it has been amazingly awesome to me. I don't know how I would have survived the weekly campouts this summer (I was a camp counselor). Talk about one of the most relaxing things on the planet. Setup was always quick and easy for me, HOWEVER, I felt like I was lacking some variation with my ENO SlapStrap system. This is what I want to know:

 

What other ways can I set my hammock up? I am terrible at tying knots so I just don't trust tying myself up between two trees, but if someone were to point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it.

 

Some great resources include the Hammock forum, and Hammock set-up videos on Youtube, and Just Jeff' Hammock set-up page.

Edited by Kit Fox
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I taught canoeing classes for the American Red Cross and one of the days was dedicated to knots. The concept was that driving your canoe to the river safely is as important as knowing how to canoe. The knot we used most was the Trucker's Knot Shiraz-mataz mentioned. This video shows you how. http://www.expertvillage.com/video/14327_knot-trucker.htm Its easy to learn, fast to tie, always holds, and you can get it untied relatively easily. If you still don’t want to use knots you could consider visiting a climbing store. They may have something such as a carabineer you could use.

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First of all, I've had my ENO Singlenest for about a year now, and it has been amazingly awesome to me. I don't know how I would have survived the weekly campouts this summer (I was a camp counselor). Talk about one of the most relaxing things on the planet. Setup was always quick and easy for me, HOWEVER, I felt like I was lacking some variation with my ENO SlapStrap system. This is what I want to know:

 

What other ways can I set my hammock up? I am terrible at tying knots so I just don't trust tying myself up between two trees, but if someone were to point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it.

 

Some great resources include the Hammock forum, and Hammock set-up videos on Youtube, and Just Jeff' Hammock set-up page.

 

I second this. Great info on those sites. If weight is not an issue I usually take a pair of ATV tie downs that let me have an easy infinitely adjustable system

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First of all, I've had my ENO Singlenest for about a year now, and it has been amazingly awesome to me. I don't know how I would have survived the weekly campouts this summer (I was a camp counselor). Talk about one of the most relaxing things on the planet. Setup was always quick and easy for me, HOWEVER, I felt like I was lacking some variation with my ENO SlapStrap system. This is what I want to know:

 

What other ways can I set my hammock up? I am terrible at tying knots so I just don't trust tying myself up between two trees, but if someone were to point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it.

 

 

Timber hitch. This is my favorite hammock tie. Holds tight and no knots left in rope. If you might need adjustment just timber hitch one side and trucker hitch the other.

 

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13510/13510...mages/fig38.gif

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Your local outdoor supply store should carry vinyl straps and buckle sets.

 

I second the use of vinyl straps or webbing. Make sure they are heavy duty. If the webbing in sewn in a loop you can easily tie a couple knots giving you a variety of lengths. If your hammock is setup with rope you may want to learn how to tie knots just in case you forget your webbing.

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Hammocks are pretty hard on trees...maybe they are best left to island resorts with ornamental landscaping. But then maybe, in some states, an occasional hammock hanging from a tree would be a minimal and reversible impact.

 

The Leave No Trace approach to camping and backpacking is pretty essential here in California where the wilderness is pretty heavily utilized. That usually means no open fires, no hammocks, no rock structures - a small price to pay to preserve wilderness such that one does not have to observe the accumulation of previous users' impacts.

Edited by Jeepergeo
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Hammocks are pretty hard on trees...maybe they are best left to island resorts with ornamental landscaping. But then maybe, in some states, an occasional hammock hanging from a tree would be a minimal and reversible impact.

 

The Leave No Trace approach to camping and backpacking is pretty essential here in California where the wilderness is pretty heavily utilized. That usually means no open fires, no hammocks, no rock structures - a small price to pay to preserve wilderness such that one does not have to observe the accumulation of previous users' impacts.

 

Truly spoken like someone who has never hung a hammock on a tree. Most hammock manufacturers go to great length to make tree friendly hammocks. In order to damage a tree with one you really would have to try, or be a complete idiot. In my opinion hammocks are more in accordance with leave no trace than a tent, or you walking around for that matter. You just need to take the time to properly learn how its done.

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You can skin the bark from trees with a hammock. However, with some simple precautions, a hammock can leave less of a trace than a tent or bedroll.

 

The biggest concern is damaging trees. I use webbing to hang my hammocks; it is wide enough that it spreads the weight across a larger area than a rope would, so it will cause less damage. When hanging a hammock, you have to pick the proper tree; I make sure that I choose one at least 6 inches in diameter.

 

As far as leaving a trace, there is no flattened undergrowth, and I can hang many more places. I don't have to be concerned with camping the same place that everyone else has, because I don't need flat, level ground. As long as I find supports, I can hang over a boulder out-cropping, above shrubbery, wherever. Less repeat use leaves much less damage over time.

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As stated above, hammock campers can be considerably lower impact than our ground dwelling brothers with little effort. I always use 1 1/2 inch straps you should never use less than 1 inch. You can pitch camp in new areas without a major impact allowing previously established camp sites a chance to recover. You should always use the trees with the hardest bark available. At home I had my hammock strung between two 6" maples for about a week for testing and didn't leave so much as an indentation. Mind you I'm quite heavy for a backpacker so if any one was going to cause damage it would be me. You can complain that "idiots" can damage trees but those same idiots in a tent are not any more likely to be following leave no trace guidelines. Idiots are simply idiots regardless of what gear they carry.

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Mind you I'm quite heavy for a backpacker so if any one was going to cause damage it would be me. You can complain that "idiots" can damage trees but those same idiots in a tent are not any more likely to be following leave no trace guidelines. Idiots are simply idiots regardless of what gear they carry.

 

I'm in agreement with you, especially your last couple of sentences. It sounds like you're a pretty responsible camper, and however you elect to camp, you'll leave minimal impact.

 

The point of my original post was not indended to "knock" hammock users, but to stress Leave No Trace. I probably could have been a bit more clear. Roadtorqe (who himself admits in another forum that he's a hammock novice from Arizona) is the one that brought up "idiots" and I simply replied agreement that said folks are the problem.

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Hello, I use tent hammocks a lot that have to be secure all night as I toss around. (as if you could do much tossing in a tent hammock!) The best thing by far to secure a hammock without knots are rafting straps also known as cam straps.

http://www.strapworks.com/Straps_Tie_Downs_s/19.htm this is a website that has a picture of what I am talking about. They are the first straps listed here: the metal cam straps that are shown in a rainbow of colors.

We used to use these for rafting because they were rated for thousands of pounds and could hold heavy items to the rafts while flipped at high speeds. There are a number of different ratings on cam buckles so pay attention to that when you buy them. Don't bother with the cheap plastic ones.

I admit these are not ideal for backpacking because of the weight of the metal, but I did not get it that that's what you were using them for.

If you're going backpacking with your hammock then the best knot is the easiest knot there is. What is the absolutely the strongest knot there is? A knot that uses 100% of the strength of the rope? It's called a "no knot". It is a rope that is wrapped around a tree (or something) that does not cross itself. Just wrapped around many times (at least five). Then tie it off with a bow if you want just to keep it from unraveling. Also called a knotless knot, www.pikezander.co.uk/predpics/knotlessknot.gif has a picture of one used in a fishhook.

Good luck.

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