TITLE: Hammock setup
DATE: 2018-06-10
AUTHOR: John L. Godlee
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When I went to Peru in the Madre de Dios as a field assistant in
2015 I decided on the recommendation of a friend who had been before
to camp using a hammock rather than a tent. It worked out really
well, I was off the ground which meant that everything stayed much
drier, and one I got used to sleeping in the hammock I slept very
soundly. I’ve recently started sleeping in the hammock again, on
little overnight trips at the weekends, so I wanted to share what
equipment I use and how I use it.

This is the equipment that I used when I was in Peru.

-   [Alpkit Rig 7 tarp]
-   [Grand Trunk Single Hammock]
-   [Ticket to the Moon 360’ Mosquito net]
-   [2x ENO Atlas tree straps]
-   [Adjustable whoopie ridgeline]
-   [2x whoopie slings]
-   [2x fixed loop tarp fasteners]
-   [2x 2" aluminium toggles]
-   Generic thin foam roll mat
-   6-8 tent pegs
-   ~ 5 m elastic cord
-   ~ 12 m glow in the dark guyline

  [Alpkit Rig 7 tarp]: https://www.alpkit.com/products/rig-7
  [Grand Trunk Single Hammock]: https://www.grandtrunk.com/products/single-parachute-nylon-hammock
  [Ticket to the Moon 360’ Mosquito net]: https://www.ticketothemoon.com/detail/products/mosquito-net
  [2x ENO Atlas tree straps]: https://www.eaglesnestoutfittersinc.com/shop/hammock-suspension/atlas-straps/
  [Adjustable whoopie ridgeline]: https://shop.whoopieslings.com/Adjustable-Structural-Ridge-Line-ASR.htm
  [2x whoopie slings]: https://www.ddhammocks.com/product/whoopieslings?gclid=CjwKCAjw6djYBRB8EiwAoAF6ocNzAkzYp_JcwOO62K6tGNUx82Wg6GeJBONTEpTj-5Rws0pWW4EQahoCXWEQAvD_BwE
  [2x fixed loop tarp fasteners]: https://www.ddhammocks.com/product/fixedloopfasteners?from_cat=5
  [2x 2" aluminium toggles]: http://www.buttinasling.com/aluminum-toggles.html

Here are a few diagram and photos to show how I constructed the
hammock setup.

  {IMAGE}


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The hammock

The original design of the Grand Trunk hammock is pretty simplistic,
and can be improved fairly easily. I removed the original hammock
ends and threaded through the whoopie slings, which are lighter,
stronger and more versatile. As I threaded the whoopie slings
through I looped through the adjustable ridgeline, so the ridgeline
couldn’t ever come off.

The ridgeline helps to get the right level of hang in the hammock
material by limiting how long the hammock can be. The ridgeline also
keeps the mosquito net off my face.

Tarp

To keep the tarp taut, I used fixed loops of cord attached to a
caribiner on the final eyelet of the tarp which slide along the
ridgeline that the tarp hangs off. The fixed loops are tied into
Prusik knots, which are a type of friction knot. The Prusik knot
means that the loop won’t move unless it is pushed, and the knot
becomes tighter the more strain is put on the loop. [Here is a good
video on how Prusik knots work].

  [Here is a good video on how Prusik knots work]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP7iAF_YU7A

  {IMAGE}


To create the elastic/guyline composite guyropes I used a knot
called a clove hitch. Basically you make two loops on the guyline,
back to back, then thread the elastic through both loops and pull
tigh. It’s a slippy knot, so it’s easy to get out if you release the
tension from the elastic. Here is a [good example of how to create
the knot], and below a rough diagram:

  [good example of how to create the knot]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs9WyrzNjJs

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It’s important to make the guyropes for the tarp elastic so that if
the wind picks up, the tarp remains tight but doesn’t rip as the
tension is used up in the elastic section of the guyropes. They also
mean that as the tarp heats up and cools down it remains tight and
doesn’t sag.

  {IMAGE}


To adjust guylines for the tarp I used a taut-line hitch, which
locks until it is moved, below is a diagram that I drew to help me
remember how to tie the knot, and [here is a site with an animated
example] :

  [here is a site with an animated example]: https://www.netknots.com/rope_knots/tautline-hitch

  {IMAGE}


In an attempt to save weight, I spent a lot of time learning how to
use various knots to take the place of more heavy hardware options
for securing things. The only thing that I compromised on was the
tree straps which, while heavy, are so easy to put up and stop any
damage to the tree by spreading the weight over a larger area.

The most useful knot was the Marlin Spike Hitch, which I used to fit
the aluminium toggles along the tree straps, through which I could
hang the end of the hammock. [Here is a good webpage with an
animated example of how to tie one].

  [Here is a good webpage with an animated example of how to tie one]:
    http://www.animatedknots.com/marlinspike/

In order to get the paracord ridgeline for the tarp as tight as
possible I used a knot that is often used for tying down loads on
the back of trucks, and is called the Truckers Hitch, or the Lorry
Driver’s Flitch. [Here is another link to an example of how to tie
one].

  [Here is another link to an example of how to tie one]: https://www.netknots.com/rope_knots/truckers-hitch