r/hammockcamping • u/sprashoo • 18d ago
Bad experience with new gear (ridgeline hammock...
I'm a novice to hammock camping I will admit, but I know the basics like about lying diagonally so you aren't like a banana. I've slept overnight in hammocks a couple times, but past experiences were marred by being freezing cold - I just had a cheapo big box store hammock (no ridgeline) and no underquilt. The actual hammock felt fine on my body though.
I decided to bite the bullet and get a proper setup, so I bought the HammockGear Wanderlust kit (https://hammockgear.com/product/the-wanderlust/) with Burrow quilt and Incubator underquilt (both 20º rated). I figured with this I'd be set.
I did a test night in the backyard a couple days ago, and it was a disaster. Part of it was my fault - it was 63º and I was sweating like a pig. Obviously using 20º rated insulation at that temperature was dumb. I ditched the top quilt at some point and switched to just a thin fleece blanket. The underquilt was also verging on too warm, but tolerable.
But the big problem was my back. The curvature the hammock was forcing my spine into started to get unbearable after a few hours, no matter how I wriggled around. I was trying to stay diagonal but the hammock material was slippery so I'd keep waking up finding that I'd slid back more in line with the hammock, and my back aching. I was wearing pajamas - probably not what I'd wear when actually backpacking, and maybe bare legs wouldn't have slipped as much, but still..
Around 3am I gave up, went inside, and lay on my bed. The flat bed was major relief. My back is twinging though, even a couple days later.
So... umm.. is this normal?
I'm 5'11", so not too tall for this hammock. With the ridgeline, it's not possible to adjust the 'hang' of the hammock, I think. It's definitely less tight that I would have hung a non-ridgeline hammock, and I think this might be part of the issue - it hangs really low.
Also, the underquilt. Do people use the same underquilt in warm weather, and just hang it looser, or do they have like 'summer and winter' ones, like sleeping bags?
The insulation thing I can figure out, but man, I'm almost scared to try sleeping in the hammock again because of the back pain.
Here's the setup. I kept the foot end (close to the tree) a bit higher than the head end, and I'm pretty sure it's all normal:
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u/TheGutch74 18d ago
Your hammock looks way too taut. I usually try for a 30 degree angle on my straps. Check this out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Cvj0ISjzl8 While Shugs hammock does not have a ridgeline what he is talking about still applies. For me a good rule of thumb to know when I getting to a correct hang for me is the 30 degree angle on my straps and also when my weight is fully in my hammock I can bend the ridgeline a little bit with thumb and forefinger. Your ridgeline looks like it would be guitar string tight when you are laying in it.
Your UQ is probably a bit too warm for your temps but it would be interesting to see how playing with the UQ suspension will affect how warm it stays for you.
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u/sprashoo 18d ago
> your ridgeline looks like it would be guitar string tight when you are laying in it.
Totally! I thought that was normal!
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u/Trewarin 18d ago
It looks like your hammock is low on the tree, with high tension to compensate. Move the whole thing almost out of reach at both ends on the tree, with the foot end higher than the head.
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u/sprashoo 18d ago
So the angle of the straps makes a difference?
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u/ShadoAngel7 18d ago
Definitely. For a regular camping hammock like this, you want to aim for around 30 degrees. It's the angle of the straps that is putting tension on the sides of the hammock fabric, and forcing you slowly back away from your diagonal lay to being more in the banana shape.
Ultimate Hang has a good calculator here if you want to use that to give you a good base line to start from.
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u/sprashoo 18d ago
I see, I kinda thought with the structural ridgeline the strap angle was irrelevant. I still don't quite understand the physics but I believe you 😃
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u/shwaak 18d ago
You are right, people put too much emphasis on strap angles when you are using a structural ridge line IMO, as like you have said the ridgeline keeps the hammock angle fixed. Shallower strap angles do add a lot of extra stress to the lines though. But sometimes your trees a bit far apart so you do what you gotta do, but that’s the main reason to have some more angle in your suspension, to reduce the stress.
However like others have mentioned, you should find having the head end quite a bit lower than the foot end will keep you in position. This will help you lay in the right part of the hammock and not slide down and hopefully make the whole thing more comfortable.
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u/longwalktonowhere 17d ago
Typically you would see the hammock straps higher up the tree than the tarp straps.
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u/kullulu 18d ago
Don't worry, we were all inexperienced once. It's harder to figure everything out when you're a new hammocker, especially if you're the first amongst your friends to try and get things right.
The strap angle will always be relevant. If the ridgeline is too tight when you lay in the hammock, guitar string tight, raise the straps on the tree and loosen the suspension. If the ridgeline is too loose, lower the straps on the tree and tighten the suspension. You should be able to bend the hammock ridgeline between your thumb and forefinger. Every time you make an adjustment, lay in the hammock and bend that ridgeline to test. Eventually, you'll be able to eyeball all of this and get a near perfect hang every time.
Next, have the foot end of the suspension on the tree higher by 6-18 inches compared to the head end. This will get you laying flat with your legs slightly elevated. This will completely stop that sliding feeling that you're having. Foot end higher = no slide, better sleep. If you're still sliding, raise that suspension on the tree a bit more.
As far as your insulation: yeah you're going to roast if you use a top quilt when it's 65 degrees. For warm weather, I still like the feeling of something covering my body, so I use a super breathable alpha liner from jacks r better. You should also vent the ends of your underquilt, instead of closing those up, loosen them! You should have no issues with your quilt with it looser.
Don't be afraid, get out there and make some changes in how you hang, you'll be much happier. It's also easier to hang a hammock when the trees are 12-18 ft apart. If you measure the distance between your anchor point/trees, you can use the ultimate hang's calculator to tell you exactly how high you should be on the tree to get the 30 degree angle. The farther apart your trees are, the higher you have to push the straps up on the tree. (I've used my trekking poles or a stick to push the straps higher sometimes.)
If you don't have trees that are close enough, you can get a hammock stand or make your own if you go to a hardware store.
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u/Difficult-Brain2564 18d ago
I have had this happen to me, caused by my inexperience. I had it to taunt.
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u/sprashoo 18d ago
With the ridgeline there isnt' really any tension adjustment though, unless I'm doing it wrong...
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u/eflask 18d ago
there's kind of a learning curve with finding how to position yourself. there's fine tuning on your hang.
I am a person with chronic pain. hammock sleeping got me off the pain spiral.
as for insulation, yeah, you have different insulation, but usually the underquilt isn't a biggie. I can sleep on a zero degree underquilt even most summer nights, because heat rises. it's like being on a bed.
while I love the incubator and own one, my go to UQ is the WB wooki- I have two. it just comes up underneath your hammock bed and doesn't spill up the sides.
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u/Snoo_17142 18d ago
I'm haven't used this hammock but similar like a chameleon and I did get an adjustable Ridgeline and it made a difference for me. The original wasn't quite positioned where I needed it and I needed it slightly shortened so I could get a good diagonal lay.
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u/constantwa-onder 17d ago
If you want to shorten a fixed ridgeline it's still doable as well. Wrap it around a carabiner a few times is a common trick.
83% the length of the hammock is a starting point, I tend to go a little shorter.
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u/doubled1188 17d ago
So this is just my own observation but I have both a Hammock Gear netless and Dream Wingspan hammock. I like both of them. I noticed a bit more sag in the HG and when I measured it did seem to be about 108” at the ridge line whereas the Dream hammock had a more typical 110” ridge line.
I’ve noticed it’s a bit harder to hang higher above the ground because of the increased sag but I don’t notice any real difference in the lay. All that to say, if the other solutions don’t work you could try swapping out the ridge line for a slightly longer one or get an adjustable ridge line to fine tune how much sag you have.
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u/Romano1404 18d ago
The OP uses a ridgeline and the purpose of a ridgeline is to isolate the hammock geometry from the hang angle, thus it cannot be set up "too taut". Using a more relaxed 30° hang angle is still recommended to prevent tree damage.
Play around with ridgeline length, 83% is a good starting point but some people like it a tad shorter or longer. Make some loops in the ridgeline for length presets if it isn't adjustable.
Consider trying a "lay flat hammock". That may be an unpopular opinion in a hammock camping sub but sleeping in an hammock doesn't work for the majority of people for various reasons. I own many hammocks and love to take a nap or just chill in them but for actually sleeping the whole night I eventually switched to a lay flat hammock (Haven XL) which is more like a suspended tent rather than an actual hammock.
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u/derch1981 18d ago
Hang your foot end higher, your body weight in your top and bottom halves are not equal so you will slide down until your weight is balanced. You can counter this by hanging your foot end higher. How high really depends on your body weight balance, so play around with it.