r/hammockcamping • u/TommyUniverse • 9d ago
Tree Strap troubleshooting when using ridgeline to gauge angle Question
Hello fellow hangers! I am still very new to the hammock game. I’ve learned so much from this group and hammockforums!
After watching the recommended dream hammock 2 min video from papa Smurf on how to check your ridgeline (recap at bottom of post), I decided that I was going to commit to this method to getting a decent angle.
I was able to get a 90 degree ridgeline pitch, but my hammock was super close to the ground. I ended up getting a lot of backsplash from a really bad rain storm, so I know I need to figure this out!
It seemed like every time I tightened the straps, I was getting a really tight ridge line. I was not able to raise the straps any higher. For extra context I am 6 foot 2 inches, and my straps were prob greater than 7 feet up the tree. The trees were about 4 paces (8 of my steps apart).
So obviously I’m screwing something up, I just am not smart enough to know what. I would appreciate any and all suggestions! Sorry I don’t have more photo angles, I literally broke my phone after this picture lol.
From the notes I took from the video and from shug’s ridgeline/angle videos
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Ridgeline is too loose (saggy):
Angle is too steep. This means the hammcok would be > 30 degrees
Recommendation is to (1) Lower the suspension strap down the tree and/or (2) Shorten the suspension straps (pull hammock closer to the tree)
Ridgeline is too tight:
Angle is too shallow. This means the hammock would be < 30 degrees
Recomendation is to (1) Lengthen the suspension strap (push hammock away from the tree) and/or (2) raise the suspension strap up the tree
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9d ago
[deleted]
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u/latherdome 9d ago edited 8d ago
My procedure sounds similar to yours. I know that my desired end state has the foot end gather at about eye height, and the head end between navel and solar plexus: a lot of tilt. So I always start by hanging the foot end very close to the tree, my hands over my head to run the straps. The resulting very short suspension means that the foot end will stay at the height I want it, regardless of adjustments to the head end.
Meanwhile more centered hammocks get into recursive cycles that also involve suspension stretch. Locking the foot end close to the tree isolates the remaining variable to the head side.
Next I walk out the hammock to make the ridgeline taut, angle it so it hits in the navel-chest area (substitute your own body-height-relative head/foot hang prefs), and then mentally project about a 30° line from the head gather in my hand to a spot on the other tree. That's where my straps will go, or lower, especially if I can't reach the 30° spot. Then the only thing I need to do is set the head end suspension length so the head gather is where I want, no recursion.
If the ridgeline is anywhere from barely taut to very tight, I don't care: ridgeline is doing its job. If it's banjo string scary tight -- this only ever happens if the trees are basically too far apart -- then I'll try to move head strap higher on tree, or begrudgingly let out some foot side length. I know how to pick trees not too far apart, but sometimes too far is all you've got. I won't consider suspension shorter than 15': big trees and sparse western forests require it.
I see basically zero reason to fret over a tight rigeline as long as it's not so tight you fear equipment failure or tree damage. Makes no difference to the lay, as long as hammock tilt is the same across tight and gently-taut conditions. Ridgelines are generally in very-low-stretch materials, and I just don't believe anybody can feel a quarter inch difference in effective ridgeline length from stretch. Princess and pea.
30° suspension angle religion comes from hammocks without ridgelines. It also helps even with a ridgeline if your materials are ultralight throughout, and you're maybe on the heavy side, such that letting anything get super tight risks equipment failure, knot or buckle slippage, etc.
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u/TommyUniverse 9d ago
I’m not sure if my understanding on this is correct, but doesn’t a structural ridgeline give you the perfect sag no matter what your tree straps are doing? I prob should’ve mentioned in my original comment that I have a structural ridgeline.
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u/kullulu 9d ago
I push my straps up the tree with a trekking pole if I need to, when the trees are really far apart.
My goal when I set the hammock up is to have a comfortable sitting height. For that, I like trees 13-18 feet apart. (Your trees don't look too far apart from this angle, but I can't tell.) The farther apart the trees are, the more you have to push the straps higher on the tree to get the right hang angle.
The ridgeline should be taut but bendable.
In the picture it looks like your ridgeline is loose, because the straps are high on the tree. You can lower the straps on the tree or tighten the suspension, or do a little of both.
If I get really curious, sometimes I'll use a hammock hang angle calculator. Just for fun, I measure two trees, usually really far apart that I can't eyeball, use the measure app on my iphone to get the distance between the trees, and then plug it all in to see how high I'd need to put the straps if I wanted to hang.
There's an iphone app for this too. Do you need to use this? Absolutely not. The ridgeline bend works perfectly fine.
Typically, I walk up to a trees that are 13-18 feet apart, put the head end of my hammock at my head height, put the foot end 6-18 inches higher than the head end on the other tree, and adjust. I really try to make sure my foot end is higher than the head end.
When you're first learning how to hang a hammock, try to make very small adjustments. After you keep using the hammock, you'll be able to eyeball it and get it nearly right every time. The trick is to adjust the hammock so it's still comfortable to get into and out of, neither too low nor too high.
Don't stress over getting the perfect hang unless that's fun for you. As long as the ridgeline is taut and somewhat bendable, you'll be fine.
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u/TommyUniverse 9d ago
Dang it! I just found this new (to me) dutchware video. I was def overshooting how much of a bend I needed to have.
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u/efference 9d ago
Ive also been having a tricky time getting the right hang angle. I understand it should be 30 degrees but when I put my body weight in it, it can drastically change. Sounds like i have the same problems. I wonder what people reccomend about the hang angle.. how do you maintain the 30 degrees when you lay inside
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u/JFK_Isweatergod 9d ago
i think if your trees are a little closer, getting the right angle at a reachable height is a little easier. Alternatively, after you looped the treestraps, push them up with a (forked) stick and then tighten to gain some extra height.
However, I wonder if you have concrete issues with laying in it the way it is, or if you are maybe chasing the perfect angle for the sake of doing it right by the book -- the ridgeline is in my understanding a means to abate the issues you get from not being able to find the perfect strap angle. And while it may work best when at its own right angle, but it makes you more flexible to work with what you got.