Pole support for hammock on open ground.

King Rat said:
So what angle do the poles need to be at in order to get them only in compression? This is the bit I am struggling with that all other uses have no problem with.
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I’ve never done this, but…

If you imagine your pole as an umbrella handle, and the two guy ropes and the hammock rope as the spokes/ribs of the umbrella, so the angle between pole and spoke is the same for all three, then it should be a starting point.

Trouble with this is the tension on the guys will then pull the pegs out of the ground, so you’ll have to push the guys away from the poles to get the tension at 90 degrees to the pegs.

So try this.

Put your poles on the ground with the feet about 1.5m apart.
Pointing away from one another.
Put a (temporary) peg at the foot of each pole so you know where it should be.
Put your guys (say 3 m long) on the pole tops and peg them about so that the pegs are 1.5m apart, and so the poles will go up to at about 60 degrees to horizontal. They do not want to be vertical!
Now attach your hammock to one pole and a bit of cord to the other end.
Pull your hammock towards the top of the other pole, as you lift it up, and hook it on

And like I said, set the camera up…
 
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There's no reason why you shouldn't use more than two guys for each pole.

Take a single pole, erect vertically using 3 guys.

Then do the other pole the same.

Then hang your hammock between the two.

Video each step please.
 
Greg Masters said:
Take a single pole, erect vertically using 3 guys.
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Sure, vertical is possible, it will work.

But the loading on the guys will be much higher than if the poles are angled outward, so I think it is better to have them at around 60 degrees. I could do the sums to work out the optimum but I’d have to think, and I’ve finished work for the day, and having a Bishop’s Finger.

In theory, you could have the hammock suspended only from the poles, no guys are required at all, as the downward weight and the inward pull on the pole tops would resolve directly down the pole. It would be as daft as trying to balance a biro on the ball, so it’s not a practical solution, but the principle is sound. The poles need to slop outwards so the weight is resolved along them, and the guys are just for stability.

Bit like going round a bend on a bike…
 
SBD said:
Sure, vertical is possible, it will work.

But the loading on the guys will be much higher than if the poles are angled outward, so I think it is better to have them at around 60 degrees. I could do the sums to work out the optimum but I’d have to think, and I’ve finished work for the day, and having a Bishop’s Finger.

In theory, you could have the hammock suspended only from the poles, no guys are required at all, as the downward weight and the inward pull on the pole tops would resolve directly down the pole. It would be as daft as trying to balance a biro on the ball, so it’s not a practical solution, but the principle is sound. The poles need to slop outwards so the weight is resolved along them, and the guys are just for stability.

Bit like going round a bend on a bike…
Click to expand...
Yes, but you would trade off tension on the guys for more load on the poles. Are they strong enough? Dunno. But getting a snapped pole up your jacksie wouldn't be pleasant.

We deffo need a video.

🫣
 
Yes, exactly. I didn’t follow the vernier discussion to see what the pole dimensions actually were but my guess is that they’re likely strong enough, if kept in pure compression. Reducing loads on the guys will lessen the chances of them pulling the pegs out of the swamp or beach or whatever he’s camping on.

OTOH, it will increase the chances of pushing the poles into the ground…

Result’s the same in bot scenarios.
 
MickDB1 said:
I have had a chap from Netflix in touch with me this morning Simon. More later...

To start with I recon the top of the hammock fixing rings needs keeping apart with another set of tubes, this would also act as a horizontal support for the cover sheet above yer head. whatever angle that is created with the ropes from hammock rings to top of support poles then down to floor needs to be equally spilt so to put same pressure both sides of the tubes.
That's it
Jobs a gud un
Over to the next expert
here's my drawing for reference
Next job please .......
View attachment 349356
Click to expand...
So like the Decathlon one has then?
 
MickDB1 said:
I have had a chap from Netflix in touch with me this morning Simon. More later...

To start with I recon the top of the hammock fixing rings needs keeping apart with another set of tubes, this would also act as a horizontal support for the cover sheet above yer head. whatever angle that is created with the ropes from hammock rings to top of support poles then down to floor needs to be equally spilt so to put same pressure both sides of the tubes.
That's it
Jobs a gud un
Over to the next expert
here's my drawing for reference
Next job please .......
View attachment 349356
Click to expand...

You see that lumpy ground under the hammock, if you were in a tent........ :D
 
Greg Masters said:
Yes, but you would trade off tension on the guys for more load on the poles. Are they strong enough? Dunno. But getting a snapped pole up your jacksie wouldn't be pleasant.

We deffo need a video.

🫣
Click to expand...
When I get it sussed I will do one. Promise. Guy line arrived today - brilliant stuff for anyone who wants to renew their tent guy lines - Marlow ropes 2mm dyneema 'Throw Line', it is bright yellow too. 2mm remember, but 450kg breaking strain (nearly half a tonne). I have also ordered a set of the large Titan ground anchors, rather than trying to make boomstakes - I can do that later when I have sharpened some more scissors and earned a bit more pocket money, because Titanium tent stakes are not cheap either (Tito 30cm x 8mm).

Titan ground anchors: https://bestoutdoor.co.uk/

Tito titanium tent stakes: https://www.amazon.co.uk/TITO-Strength-Titanium-camping-7×200mm/dp/B07QSJCZ88/ref=asc_df_B07QN3DR2M/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=697257039525&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11467343125638748178&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007184&hvtargid=pla-1600522072471&mcid=8da0ea1f984b3c258a37fd9913366a95&gad_source=1&th=1&psc=1

Boomstakes - using the Ti stakes and a piece of tube to create a system that works like the Titan peg, the piece of tube takes the load below ground level. Same as the Titan does, vastly increasing the holding power in soft ground.
https://www.tensaoutdoor.com/product/anchors/?v=79cba1185463
 
King Rat said:
I have also ordered a set of the large Titan ground anchors, rather than trying to make boomstakes - I can do that later when I have sharpened some more scissors and earned a bit more pocket money, because Titanium tent stakes are not cheap either (Tito 30cm x 8mm).
Click to expand...

The titanium alloy tent pegs look good - and I bet they weigh almost nothing!

Will you be taking a 4lb lump hammer to knock them into the ground?

:nenau
 
dean0n0 said:
I thought you were allergic to Amazon?
https://alpkit.com/products/tirods

How are you going to prevent the poles sinking in to soft ground?
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I won't buy from Amazon, but they are a good search engine, I then contact the outlet direct.
The Alpkit ones are cheaper because they are thinner and half the length. The Tito ones I linked to are the ones the Yanks are using, those and the longer 400mm ones. The beauty of the Ti stakes is they are virtually indestructible.
 
I bought a thing from Ram mounts and made an ground anchor of sorts it sort of worked will try and find a picture of the thing
 
SBD said:
Sure, vertical is possible, it will work.

But the loading on the guys will be much higher than if the poles are angled outward, so I think it is better to have them at around 60 degrees. I could do the sums to work out the optimum but I’d have to think, and I’ve finished work for the day, and having a Bishop’s Finger.

In theory, you could have the hammock suspended only from the poles, no guys are required at all, as the downward weight and the inward pull on the pole tops would resolve directly down the pole. It would be as daft as trying to balance a biro on the ball, so it’s not a practical solution, but the principle is sound. The poles need to slop outwards so the weight is resolved along them, and the guys are just for stability.

Bit like going round a bend on a bike…
Click to expand...

Or just going round the bend...
 
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