Well I am about to pull all my freaking hair out trying to figure out this damn ridgeline thing.

Have read post after post over at hammockfourms I am still in the dark. I like the idea of having a "set point" so to speak to make the hammock hang the same way each time, but I just can't get repeat performance each time I rehang it.

On a few posts I read, it says that the ridgeline should be taught, others say adjust your straps till you have a slight droop.

I have adjusted the suspension to where I find it very comfortable, then went and tied on the ridgeline to try and get the same hang. Without any weight in the hammock, it's impossible to get the line taught. So I set a cooler of beer in there to make some weight. Got the ridgeline tight. Removed cooler and gave it a try. Then I had a ridge in the hammock fabric under my legs. What gives?

I am using a Claytor JH so I don't know if the height of the bug net impedes the use of a ridgeline or not. Several I have seen have the ridgeline tied off next to whipped ends of the hammock. Can't do that with mine. I am using a ring and strap suspension system and tied the ridgeline off at the rings.

Another post I read, "A Brief Primer on Hammock Suspension, Part II : " says to adjust the webbing until you just start to see the ridgeline go slack. Easier said than done, at least for me. Trying to let slack out of the webbing and keep the hammock from moving/bouncing around while trying to see when some slack develops is next to impossible. Each time I did it, I ended up with my webbing being in a different spot that the last, and that little difference can mean a totally different hang.

I have been all over hammockforums trying to figure this thing out, but it seems that that place is more text and not enough photos.

I guess if I have to, until I can actually meet with some fellow hangers, I can go ridgeless, but I would like to understand this.

One more question. Like I said, I have a Claytor. My question is for those who have a Hennessy. Their hammocks have a fixed ridgeline correct? Does that mean you have to accept the "sag" that is set at the factory?

Sorry for being so long winded.

I have a Hennessy so my ridgeline is set on that one and I have never felt the need to change it from factory. When I got my ENO Double I wanted a ridgeline on that one too, so I started with it at 110" (I think a saw that from one of Savage Voyagers post, not quite sure) and then adjusted it each way a few times and that worked pretty good.
Afterwards I was thinking why didn't I just put a ratchet strap on for the ridgeline so I could adjust it while I was laying in it to find the right length for the ridgeline?? I didn't need to do that as I already found my length but it might work for you.

I am in a simular boat as you, I swapped out my Clark suspention & had to extend the rings out 10" from hammock ends to allow a ridgeline to be above the netting.

I played around quite a bit with an adjustable ridgeline & finally made a permenent one out of Amsteel. I have found that mine has to be fairly tight when I am in the hammock, which is a slight sag when hanging empty. Now this gets me in the ball park, I still get in & out several times tweaking it. I don't think they are a perfect science.... seems to vary for me with the distance the trees are apart.

Don't know if that helps & I also don't know if there is an answer to your question, It sounds good in theroy... I just like having it to hang things on under the tarp.

Up again at 6, on the computer trying to figure this stuff out lol. Thanks for the reply ya'll.

I'm sure you have heard about the 30 degree angle of hang? When people say that, are the talking about when the hammock is just hanging on it's own weight or when someone is in it? Can't say I've ever seen a post stating either way, but just assumed it was the weight of the empty hammock. Surely the angle would change once a person got in it.

30 degrees refers to the angle of the suspension straps as they relate to horizontal.
A good "Rule of Thumb" is to hold your thumb and forefinger like a kid playing guns, with your thumb vertical and forefinger horizontal. At 30 degrees, your thumb tip and finger tip should touch the strap to make a right-angle triangle. The strap is the hypotenuse.

quote jcavenagh: "30 degrees refers to the angle of the suspension straps as they relate to horizontal.
A good "Rule of Thumb" is to hold your thumb and forefinger like a kid playing guns, with your thumb vertical and forefinger horizontal. At 30 degrees, your thumb tip and finger tip should touch the strap to make a right-angle triangle. The strap is the hypotenuse."

With or without a person lying in the hammock?

quote OBX2Kayak: "

quote jcavenagh: "30 degrees refers to the angle of the suspension straps as they relate to horizontal.
A good "Rule of Thumb" is to hold your thumb and forefinger like a kid playing guns, with your thumb vertical and forefinger horizontal. At 30 degrees, your thumb tip and finger tip should touch the strap to make a right-angle triangle. The strap is the hypotenuse."

With or without a person lying in the hammock?"

Reading up on suspension so I'm necroing this, can anyone please answer.

quote OBX2Kayak: "With or without a person lying in the hammock?"

I go with empty hammock - although, I've also found that a stiff suspension will still carry the same angle. Since Whoopies came into my hammocking (see other post here). I notice the angles stay solid, even with a little suspension stretch.

Regarding the ridgeline tautness - my new way of working had the ridgeline almost back to the stops on the adjustment. I found that more sag is more comfort, all other things being equal.



Derek also has a good primer in dealing with a Hennessy suspension-attached tarp, to avoid sagging here - do read this to understand his theories better about the 30° optimal angle. The short version is that they forces down and in are equalized, leaving your angles intact.

If your ridgeline isn't taut, I wouldn't panic - the line itself is only a placeholder if the other angles aren't correct, which is quite impossible in the wild - trees never seem to coöperate with me on the trail. If try to hang for a 30° angle for every hang, I'll rarely have enough suspension.

Have you tried the Hammock Calculator

quote OBX2Kayak: "

quote jcavenagh: "30 degrees refers to the angle of the suspension straps as they relate to horizontal.
A good "Rule of Thumb" is to hold your thumb and forefinger like a kid playing guns, with your thumb vertical and forefinger horizontal. At 30 degrees, your thumb tip and finger tip should touch the strap to make a right-angle triangle. The strap is the hypotenuse."

With or without a person lying in the hammock?"

The Warbonnet Guy says it is 25 to 30 degrees with nobody in the hammock. His quote appears at about 1:50 in this instructional video.

Here is the way I understand it:
The magic 30 degree suspension angle is only necessary to get a good slack diagonal lay in the hammock when there is no ridgeline.
The RL should be about 83% of the hammock length to get the same effect. (or whatever you personally prefer)
So if you have a ridgeline AND suspend at 30 degrees, the RL will be just barely taught.

As long as you use a strong material for the ridgeline(amsteel) it can be as tight as you want. The lower the angle of the suspension (flatter) the tighter the RL will be when you lay in the hammock, but the hammock will still have the nice 83% slack lay.
In that situation, the only limit on how low the angle of suspension can be is the force generated with a lower angle might come close to the breaking strength of the suspension. If you keep it around 30 degrees, you shouldn't be breaking straps. Eyeball is fine here: just don't cinch suspension + RL like a tightrope because then when you hang in the hammock there will be much greater inward pulling force on the suspension.

My advice: Use any piece of spare rope to make a temporary RL at 83% length. Test it out. Then make it shorter and longer by increments of 4 inches and see if it feels better. Take a nap to make sure. Once you have your preferred RL length, make a permanent amsteel ridgeline with locked bummel(eye) splices on each end. Larks-head these to your hammock end loops and voila: a perfect hang every time. This can be a really easy and inexpensive mod.

quote muddyfeet: "Here is the way I understand it:
The magic 30 degree suspension angle is only necessary to get a good slack diagonal lay in the hammock when there is no ridgeline. "

Agreed - but also this is the best balance of forces on the supports you are using. Less than 30° puts increasing "inward pull" force on your supports (and your suspension line) as a result. Getting close to 0° can really amplify this pull vs. weight supported. Derek's Hammock Hang Calculator really shows this force movement as you change the angle values.

I think the best may be getting in the way of "good enough". At home, in the garage, I have hooks that are precisely aligned with the calculator - as a result, I have a perfect hang in my Hennessy - taut ridgeline, perfect lay, excellent (though unnecessary) tarp adjustment on the suspension lines. In the field, this is a much different tale - I've done some rigging that made me cross my fingers as I entered the hammock, hoping that I won't break anything (myself included).

An adjustable ridgeline is quite fun to play with (essentially a Whoopie Sling) - you can find them many places (one suggestion: Arrowhead Equipment). This way you can put the ridgeline on, lay in it, and adjust without removing it. It's the more polished version of Muddy Feet's suggestion.