Clark Jungle Hammock

“...the Clark Jungle Hammock needs a fan thread. Maybe we can get a good war between the hammock tents going.


Has anybody bought one of these recently? They've really improved them since I bought mine in '95.

Advantages over the Hennessy:
* two point attachment
* pockets underneath
* side entry/exit
* drip rings
* more rugged, better build, better performance

Although I see they didn't take my advice on improvements:

* daisy chain of loops underneath the hammock
* Mutt's rope-clamp adjustability system



Opinions? Comments? Suggestions?”

“Which model(s) do you advocate?”

“do they make one under two pounds?”

“1 observation: The ultralight looks like it is a 4 pt. system like the Hennessys. It is barely over 2 pounds. The deluxe and tropical look to be two point systems.”

“It looks like that in the picture, pedxing, but what you are seeing are the rainfly tie-out lines. The hammock itself is still two point. I rarely use the tie-out lines. If I want the tarp up, I roll it up and clamp it at the top. If I want it down, then it's all the way down.”

“BTW: Pedxing, it looks like the Deluxe is the most similar to my old tent.

DirtyOldMan: Nope, their ultralight is between 2-3 pounds. But the tent nylon is more substantial than the Hennessy. At least on the normal models. I'm guessing that's why the ultralight is heavier than the Hennessy.”

“Thanks Mutt, I got it.”

“I hear hennessy just put out a 15 oz model....”

“Backpacker Mag needs to get their s#%@ together and post a head-to-head review of the two hammocks, and not just take checks from bigger corporations to "review" their products.

I wasn't even aware of the Clark hammocks, thanks for posting the thread!”

“http://BackpackGearTest.org/

go here for a fair review of them and other stuff”

“I've only tried out my HH twice so far, once at work and on the trail this past weekend- To be fair, the Hennessy doesn't really need to be tied out at the side either. The Clarks are pretty nice- I like all the pockets- But their prices have to come down if they want to compete. Almost a hundred bucks for a large rainfly? That's more than what I paid for the whole hammock with Hennessy. Plus, as was already pointed out, Hennessys are lighter.”

“I'm now testing a Clark, I will give a head to head test.”

“I'm looking forward to your review Sarge.”

“Likewise! :-)”

“Sgt. Rock -

Please let us know when your test results are in. I am especially interested in the "sleepability" of both models. I have found the HH (ultralight asym and safari ultralight) to offer a comfortable and nearly flat sleep position. As a side sleeper I have been pleased.

Look forward to your report. When might it be available.”

“Hey SGT. R0ck I'm up to 45 pushups and not even breaking a sweat. What do you think my limit is?”

“i'll be keeping my eye out too”

“40 is your limit”

“Searcher: I've had my jungle hammock for uh 6 or 7 years now, and my HH for I guess a year now. I can tell you as for sleepability, they're basically equal IMO. The HH does provide a flater sleeping surface than the JH. The JH is best for a side sleeper.

But I think the comfort issue is just too subjective to be generalized. It seems like people either love sleeping in hammocks or hate it. If someone is interested in buying a hammock tent, I suggest buying a hammock and napping in it in your back yard. Any regular solid-cloth hammock would be appropriate for testing if you would like a JH and a "diagonal" hammock would be appropriate for testing a HH.

One thing to keep in mind about about the Clark Jungle Hammock, is that it is very important to get the right tension. Too tight - it's uncomfortable. Too loose - it's uncomfortable. This can be problematic for the newbie, but with a little practice, it's a piece of cake. Another thing about the Jungle Hammock is you should IGNORE the instructions that tell you to tie bowlines to hang it up. Wrap the rope around the tree 1 FULL turn and tie a hitch (2 half hitches work fine). This way it won't slip down the trunk. Another tip for tying the JH: tie the hammock a little tighter than what you think is perfect. Before tying up the rainfly, sit in the hammock to stretch the lines and tighten the loop around the tree. Readjust knots for proper tension. Of course if you convert yours to a rope-clamp system, it's a lot quicker and easier to adjust. ;-)

Okay, one more thing: the knotability of the poly rope that comes with a JH sucks. They use that rope because it won't absorb water, so it won't expand and seize the knots in a rain storm, and so it won't stretch when wet. One of the first mods I did to my JH was to replace the poly with a low-stretch kernmantle cord. Yes, it absorbs water. Yes, it's still untyable after it gets wet. Yes, it does stretch a little. No, that's not much of a factor for an overnight hang. If, however, you're leaving your JH tied to the same trees for multiple nights, it's important to check the tension and readjust if necessary regardless of whether the lines get wet.”

“I've not had the experience with the Clark that Mutt has had, but my impressions so far are a little different.

I find them both very comfortable, but I prefer the Hennessy. I find the side sleeping actually easier in the Hennessy becaus you can lay at an angle to centerline and get a good flat position. I find the Clark to be like sleeping in a canoe, it holds you directly to the bottom because the sides are bowed to form a "no tip" design which is almost impossible to tip - but not impossible as was related by me to a guy that got his hot dinner in his face. The end result is the Clark always keeps you in centerline and at the bottom, which will always have a curve at the bottom.

I also agree that the Clark has a learning curve as to the tension, it is't as cut and dry as the Hennessy. I also agree that the rope and instructions of the Clark aren't the best solution. I think that those drip rings could also be replaced by a simple string, but whatever.

Not that I'm knocking the Clark, a hammock is better than a Thermarest or a shelter floor any day. I've got a lot more to put in my review and comparison, so keep checking my site. I'll try to remember to post a notice on this thread when it is up. If only I could get some freaking rain on the weekend I could finish the write up.”

“Thanks Mutt and Sarge for the info. I remain very pleased with my HH but am always open to other solutions.”

“Good points, Sgt. Rock, but I respectfully differ in opinion a little.

The end result is the Clark always keeps you in centerline and at the bottom, which will always have a curve at the bottom.

Yes, it has a curve along the axis running along the "length" of the hammock, for lack of a better descriptor, that tends to keep you at the bottom (or centered between the two 2 tie-off points to be more precise). The bottom, with the right tension, is usually pretty flat between your hips and shoulders, though.

But I disagree that it keeps you on the center-line laterally. I've woken up almost sleeping on the mosquito netting. I think it actually would be fairly difficult to accidently capsize the hammock that way, though - it's a very stable hammock. But you can expect quite a bit of "play" from side to side, which is actually advantageous in that you can use that play for maneuvering into a comfortable sleeping position.”

“Okay, this whole keeping-dry-in-the-rain-in-a-hammock-tent issue deserves a little more attention.

I think that those drip rings could also be replaced by a simple string, but whatever.

Absolutely not! One of the biggest design flaws of the original JH (the one I bought years ago) is that instead of having drip rings, the tie-in lines looped directly through the fabric at the ends. The result was water would wick into the tent - yes, poly does wick water. Drip rings are a huge improvement!

I've camped in both my JH and HH through thunderstorms and soaking night-long downpours (fall and spring rains). NEITHER THE JH NOR THE HH WILL REMAIN DRY. At least in their factory-original unmodified state. The only hammock tent (that I've tried) to accomplish this feat is New Tribe's treeboat, but that's a whole other thread. I don't know about the JH's new over-sized rainfly, but neither the JH nor the HH rainflies are adequate for the task. They're okay for a short rain, but they cannot be counted on for serious weather. I always carry a separate tarp that I rig above the hammock if I'm expecting heavy rain. It helps not only with coverage, but also with preventing, um, I forget what the proper term is, but water wicking through the rainfly where you touch it. Of course, carrying a tarp negates any weight savings you gain from the hammock tent. It's a tradeoff.

Water WILL wick into the ends of your HH and JH. Now that the JH has drip rings, it might prevent that altogether, but I rather doubt it. The only fool-proof system, in my experience, is to have two such devices - both covered by the rainfly/tarp. In my setup on my JH, I replaced the poly rope loops with drip rings, and the rope clamp system acts as the second water diverter. Oh, and string diverters tied to the hammock's lines tend to help a little too. I haven't yet modified my HH in such a way (successfully), so I don't take it if I'm expecting serious weather.”

“I love the give and take on this one. Mutt is one of the few people that can talk intelligently about hammocks.

From my experince you can get a flat spot on the Clark between the hips and shoulders by tricking the hammock's bottom arch to the point where your feet end are well above the head end. I'm not saying this is bad, I prefer amy feet being higher in either hammock. But this isn't a flat position from foot to head, in my experience you can gett a flatter overall position in the Hennessy by laying about 15 degrees off center line.

As for play side to side, I can see what you are saying, but I can't find it very comfortable to end up laying on the side while the hammock goes on a kilter. I have heard of someone turning one over, but it was while not using the net, the attachment points on the net tend to stabalize the hammock a little more.

I spent 5 days ridding a tropical storm in my Hennessy and did not get wet except on two points - when I accidentily kicked off a side stake while reliving myself in the night, and when I let the Tarp sag into the net and some of the condensation on the bottom rubbed off on the net and into my bag. Ever since I first tried the Hennessy I have been concerned about water running down the line abd soaking the hammock, but have yet to experience it. I put diverter strings on my first Hennessy but they fell off, and I've never used them since.

Have you seen the drip rings on the Clark? From what you are describing I don't think we are talking about the same thing.”

“you can get a flat spot on the Clark between the hips and shoulders by tricking the hammock's bottom arch to the point where your feet end are well above the head end

Yep, that's a good trick. You're right, there's no way to sleep completely flat in a JH. A HH definitely beats out the JH in that respect.

Ever since I first tried the Hennessy I have been concerned about water running down the line abd soaking the hammock, but have yet to experience it

I believe you, but it's hard to believe the difference in experiences between the two of us. I will say my stock JH wicked more water than my stock HH, though.

Have you seen the drip rings on the Clark? From what you are describing I don't think we are talking about the same thing

Only what I've seen on the website. What I was to understand is that the drip rings are attached just beyond the ends of the hammock to intercept water. In my factory-original JH, the rope was tied directly to the hammock with a bowline loop. The loop was passed through the "channel" in the ends of the hammock fabric. So when the hammock was set up, it was uninterrupted rope from the tree to the hammock fabric, which was a bad design. What I did was untie the poly, pass kernmantle cord through the channel in the hammock fabric, and tie as small a loop (with a double fisherman's knot) as possible. Then I attached a small aluminum screwlink to the loop, and then attached kernmantle cord to the opposite end of the screwlink (using an anchor bend). This kept the water from wicking except in the heaviest rains - the water would flow along the screwlink instead of dripping off. That's why I'm not sure a single drip ring on the new JH's will solve the problem completely. When I attached the rope-clamp to the screwlink for easy adjustability, it served as a second drip link, and I haven't had a problem with wicking since.”

“Before I continue I must say again that I have yet to use the Clark in the rain, but I keep hoping for the oportunity. What I am saying is based on observation from years of using hammocks and tarps.

Anyway, the Clark drip ring is simply a pice of meltal, like a large, thick washer. The line still connects to the hammock exactly as before with the rope through the hammock. I'm no knot expert but it looks sturdy. The drip ring simply has the rope going thru it with a second pass of the rope to hold it in place - I doubt this qualifies as any knot. From the look of the design, the strategy is for water traveling down the rope by capilary action to hit the ring, then travel down the ring to the lowest point and drop off. I would normally use a "drip line" in this application since it is easy to make and light - simply a string tied on the main line about 1" away from the hammock body that has tails about 1/2"-1" long so the water will do the same thing. I truly think in most normal applications a drip line would suffice.

But what I think you are mainly getting at is the rope wicking the water as well as water flowing by capilary action. I suppose if you do have problem with water actually wicking down the line, then the only way to stop that is to either waterproof the line, or have the line stop all together at a metal attachment like a carbineer. The Clark uses a normal nylon rope that IMHO inferrior to the Hennessy cord which is now spetra nylon cord with a tight woven nylon sheath on the A-Sym models. The Clark rope looks like it could easily wick water (I must re-enforce that I haven't tested this yet) because the rope is loosely wound standard nylon stuff. I thought the new Hennessy A-Sym rope was a little overbuilt when I first saw it, but after a few uses I like the new cord and think it probably helps in this, but I must admit I've stopped worrying about water traveling down the cord a long time ago.

I think based on your ideas, a simple metal link spliced into the main line of either hammock under the tarp could do the trick.”

“The drip ring simply has the rope going thru it with a second pass of the rope to hold it in place

Wow, I'm surprised at that. That sounds like a poorly conceived half-a$$ed measure to me. If the rope is NOT interrupted, then it's not a true drip ring IMO. Clark, what the hell were you thinking?!?

I suppose if you do have problem with water actually wicking down the line, then the only way to stop that is to either waterproof the line, or have the line stop all together at a metal attachment like a carbineer

Yep, that's exactly what I mean. I haven't tried waterproofing the line - that's an interesting idea, but I don't like temporary solutions. In my experience, at first, water will wick down the rope. After a prolonged, heavy rain, water will sort of sheet down the rope. The only way I've found to stop this is to completely break the line like you said. Although I would recommend a screw link instead of a 'biner so you don't have any unintended gate-loading issues to worry about. But even then the screwlink can be overloaded, and water can still travel along the screwlink, down into the opposite cord and into the tent fabric.

I know our experiences differ on this, so to anybody who is interested in buying a hammock tent that is reading this thread, I suggest testing it thoroughly in the rain first before trusting it to a potentially life-threatening situation. Or maybe to be not so dramatic, a situation where being wet would make for a miserable night!

The Clark uses a normal nylon rope that IMHO inferrior to the Hennessy cord which is now spetra nylon cord with a tight woven nylon sheath

So Clark doesn't use the 3 strand laid, yellow polypropeline rope anymore? The kind that floats in water and is used for nautical applications? If that's true, then my apologies for misinforming people in my previous posts. Good for them for going with a better rope, but shame on them for not better addressing the wicking issue. That drip ring thing is lame, but I repeat myself.

So the hennessy comes with spectra cord now. Spectra has excellent tensile strength, but how is it for knotability? Does the sheath improve that? I know regular spectra cord doesn't take kindly to knots at all, and to reliably bend two spectra cords together absolutely requires a triple fisherman's knot. Is the sheath nylon or polyester? Regular spectra cord is not the best wear-resistant cord out there, so the sheath material would be very important in terms of longevity. How well does the sheath wear, especially when tensioned around the bark of trees? I'm used to replacing my nylon-sheathed kernmantle cord on a yearly basis due to sheath wear and tear (or every other year). That's one advantage of my setup. It's modular. If one piece of it wears out I can replace it. Harder to do that on a hennessy. Very interesting stuff! Thanks Sgt. Rock.”

“The old spectra cord nylon could be a bear to un-knot (if that is a word) if it had a good load. I had to be exceptionally carefull about tying a good quick release otherwiswe it would take an ice pick and about 1/2 hour of labor to un-tie without destroying the rope. But I repeat - quick releases solved this if you did it right. The original spectra cord rope did show signs of frazzling (not full out fraying) but the tree hugger straps were designed to do the actuall work against the bark and save both the rope and the tree.

The new rope has a spectra nylon core with a very tight weave nylon that seems to bind directly to the spectra nylon. It isn't a sheath that can move like 550 cord. The end result is the cord is a little stiffer which makes it easier to untie, but I still must insist that a quick rlease is necissary. The rope now take abuse like nobody's buisness. The new A-Sym also has longer tree huggers which are an improvemnet I didn't fully realize until I had used it a few times.

If I had to improve the Clark, I would replace the lines all together. I would use the rope and tree huggers that Hennessy now uses, it's got a tensile strength of something like 1400 pounds. I would alos replace the rings with drip lines or a link like Mutt says.

Another improvement I would like to see is a larger tarp - the Hennessy A-Sym makes a great shelter even when not sleeping, while the Clark tarp is a little small for doing much besides protecting the hammock. But according to the guy loaning me the Clark, they have done this by 12".

Something else I would change is making the external pockets on the ultralight with mesh. I must say I absolutly love those pockets. But mesh would weigh a little less, and allow you to put wet stuff in them to dry. I would also add a small mesh bag to hang above your head like the Hennessy has - inside the netting.

I would also change the silicone coated nylon the Clark uses with silicone impregnated nylon. I'm afraid the tarp and ends may de-laminate over time.

After using a Clark, I wish the Hennessy could have pockets as usefull as the Clark, but I don't know how to realistically achive this with a Hennessy. the opening and net system just make the same usefullness impossible. But I have contemplated adding a couple of mesh pockets on the inside of the hammock in the corners. Right now I would consider that wasted space, but a small triangle shaped stretch mesh pocket would allow you to keep a water botttle, some spare clothing, and maybe your raingear in case of foul weather when you get up.”

“Great thread guys. Questions:

Would snake skins (HH) help to reduce the potential of water ingress along the ropes?

What about a small ridge of silicone placed just behind a drip ring or string to "pool" any sheeting water near the path of least resistance (string)?

How would an additional tarp help with regard to water travel along the rope path? The tarp would not likely cover the entire rope as it circles the tree.

How about drip strings every six inches or so? Light weight, cheap and effective for reduction of "sheeting".

Have either of you been awakened to a soggy existence while in the HH? This sounds dangerous for winter travels.

t”

“"Great thread guys. Questions:

Would snake skins (HH) help to reduce the potential of water ingress along the ropes?

- The Snakeskin could help a little I imagine. It would shed water hitting the rope, but if water is actually traveling down the trunk of the tree and then the rope by capilary action, then it can travel inside the snakeskin, but would end about where the snakeskin attaches. I haven't paid much attention to it honestly because I've not had a problem with the Hennessy and rain.


What about a small ridge of silicone placed just behind a drip ring or string to "pool" any sheeting water near the path of least resistance (string)?

-This might work, but with the contraction and expansion of the Clark's rope, I don't know how durable it would be. Honestly with the current Clark design, I wouls seriously consider using a screwlink like Mutt describes with spectra cord and Tree Hugger straps.

How would an additional tarp help with regard to water travel along the rope path? The tarp would not likely cover the entire rope as it circles the tree.

- I'm not sure how Mutt uses the second tarp.

How about drip strings every six inches or so? Light weight, cheap and effective for reduction of "sheeting".

-It would definately help, but I think Mutt has pointed out a part of the problem is water wicking in the rope itself. I haven't experienced it in the Hennessy, and haven't hit a hard rain in the Clark yet, but if the Clark has this problem, then drip lines will only stall the water from making it to the hammock.

Have either of you been awakened to a soggy existence while in the HH? This sounds dangerous for winter travels.

-No. Here is my HH story. In 2001 I was in the field with my HH. I set up in my storm pitch about day 2 because some bad storms were rolling in. I didn't get the best pitch because of where my unit was, but it was good. That night we started getting very bad rain. VERY BAD RAIN. The winds , thunder and rain was terrible. We were shooting gunnery and would have to stop as these successive fronts rolled through - you could see them comming, and the rain would be so bad visibility was limited to about 100 meters. On day 3 of the storm, were were informed it was the remnants of a huricane that hit Louisiana, but was only a tropical storm when it hit us. We got tremendous rain, the thunder was like close artillery, and the wind was so strong that power lines were down all over the place. The storm lasted 5 days of this on and off ass kicking fronts moving through. Tents were swamped all around me, vehicles were leaking from all the rain, but my hammock was dry inside except for two occasions - one was when I kicked a stake out during the night in the storm when reliving myself, and the other was because I let the tarp and the net get into contact. The condensation (quite a bit by this time) rubbed off on the netting and got all over my bag - but it dried out by body heat by the next day.

This was in my old HH ultralight, not in the new A-Sym which I consider more storm worth with a better tarp and lines, and definately not with Snakeskins.

I also took this same hammock on the AT in 2001. I spent a couple of all night AT wet nights in 50 degree weather, and I got a little concerend that a down bad in a hammock with that temp could equal hypothermia if it hit, but there wasn't a single wet night. On the contrary I ended up drying my clothing most nights by sleeping with the wet stuff inside my bag.

Currently I have swaped my HH A-Sym with a Clark user so we can both see things from the other's perspective. I hope to get the Clark in at least one rain storm before I return it, and I will try to get my HH into a good storm with the Snakeskins to try and see if they help at all.”

“Sarge,

Thanks for the response. BTW, I have switched to the HH Safari Ultralight. Have you had any experience with this larger model?

Also, sounds like you endured quite a storm. Many moons ago I "slept" through a pretty good storm at McClellan and stayed olive drab wet and shivering all night long. Would have LOVED an HH that night regardless of wicking.”

“Wow, I forgot about those webbing straps that come with the HH. That was the first thing to get tossed. If a tree's bark is so thin that a rope will damage it, you shouldn't be tying onto it with anything, IMHO. I also didn't like the feel of the factory-original cord, so I cut it off near the end and bent on a soft kernmantle. I'll have to check the original cord closely. I hadn't realized it was Spectra. I was going to convert the thing to an ascender system, but if I remember correctly, the boot at the end hid the rope's attachment to the hammock, so I never got around to doing it right. Perhaps if I'd have left the original cord alone, I wouldn't have had the wicking problems last fall! I haven't used my HH since last April. I'll have to get it out again.

How would an additional tarp help with regard to water travel along the rope path? The tarp would not likely cover the entire rope as it circles the tree.

I carry an additional tarp to provide greater coverage for my Jungle Hammock - if I'm expecting it to rain. It's a walmart tarp that I cut down - I don't particularly care about going light, as I usually have 20 extra pounds of climbing gear anyway. I have a length of 4 or 5 mm kernmantle prusik cord that I tie between the two trees, somewhat below the rainfly tie-outs. I use a trucker's hitch to tension the line as much as possible. I throw the tarp over the line, and tie out the ends of the tarp - attached to the ends, I have 2 lengths of 3 mm prusik cord. One length is fairly long to tie around the trunk/branch if it's a snug fit between the anchor points, the other line is pretty short to tie a friction hitch to the tarp line, which allows for some adjustability - if space allows. I tie out the sides if I want shelter under the hammock, or roll up the sides and secure with a couple of rope loops tied with a slipped bend (so I can reach out and quick-release it if necessary). The tarp covers the drip-rings at either end and the sides hang down well past the hammock floor. If it's a windy rain, I'll tie the ends of the tarp together to prevent rain from being blown in the ends. It's a little extravagent in that it's bulky and heavy, but it does keep me butt-a$$ dry in the worst downpours.

Have either of you been awakened to a soggy existence while in the HH? This sounds dangerous for winter travels.

I have, but I'm beginning to think the problem I had was with the rope I used. I mean, if Sgt. Rock can stay dry in a hurricane, then I must be doing something wrong, right? I replaced most of the factory original cord with a nylon kernmantle cord, which was probably a mistake. It did wick water, that's for sure. I also had trouble getting the rainfly to cover the sides adequately, but I think my lack of experience with it at the time was the culprit. But rain did get under the rainfly, especially in the wind.”

“I don't know what kermantel cord is, but maybe it is the culprit.

Anyway, in a storm I reccomend this:

1. Set the hammock low to the ground to begin with. Your butt should be about 6"-12" off the ground. If your a newbie to hammocks be very careful or you may be on the ground in the morning.

2. Stake the hammock sides down, but don't go too wide on the hammock bottom.

3. Stake the tarp sides out first, stake them low and close to the hammock. I now use a second set of stakes when expecting foul weather, this way you can make sure you have enough space between the net and the fly. In super wet weather you will get condensation, you want to aviod tarp/net contact as much as possible.

4. Pull the sides of the tarp tight first, the center line of the tarp may bet bowed down slightly under pressure from the tarp, but that is OK.

5. Tighten the ends of the tarp along the main lines.

6. Depending on the soil, you may want to put some dead fall over the stakes.

There are other considerations like terrain and tree selection, but these tips should do you for most storms.”

“Sarge -

This afternoon I rushed home to set up my HH before a solid thunderboomer hit. Wanted a real good test case in the yard b4 hitting the trail in inclimate weather this winter. Rained HARD for most of the early evening. Seems that the HH stayed dry BUT -

I could not get the #$%&* thing tight enough to get in. Kept bottoming out. My old HH A-sym Ultralight did not do this. I am using a new Safari Ultralight. Sags more.

Any tips????”

“I assume by bottoming out you mean your hammock is stretching so your butt ends up on the ground.

Is it new? A new HH seems to have some initial stretch to get out.

When I tie up the hammock, but before I put the tarp on, I'll fold the bottom of the hammock over on itself to make a chair and sit on it with my full weight. This stretches it out pretty good, if I'm less than 6" off the ground after it stretches, I untie the hammock and raise it.”

“Roger that. I didn't have a chance to stretch it this time as lightning was rolling in pretty quickly. I'll give that a try.

Thanks.”

“I have read this thread twice now and have learned alot. I know i probably shouldnt post this here(moderator, please delete if not proper), i have my 2001 model Clark Jungle Hammock Delux Ultralite Long for sale on ebay, if anyone is interested please take a look.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1859825092&rd=1

I hate to see it go, but i wont be using it for a while. Thanks.”

“"Of course if you convert yours to a rope-clamp system, it's a lot quicker and easier to adjust." Can you please explain this system you are using, if you can posy some pictures it would help alot. Thank You.”

“First, I purchased my CJH in the mid 90's, and I know they've modified the design since then, so hear me say that this may or may not be a good system for a new CJH.

First, I got rid of the OEM poly rope. With 7mm kernmantle prusik cord, I threaded cord through the tent-fabric-channel at the ends of the hammock, and tied a small loop sling, using a life-safety qualified knot: double fisherman's bend. A full carrick bend would work well, too. Next, I attached a small screwlink to the loop. Then, with more of the 7mm cord, I tied a short loop/sling through the cam of my Gibbs ascender - again, using a barrel knot. I would've attached the cam directly to the screwlink, but it wouldn't fit - the screwlink was too small. So, I attached the small sling I tied to the Gibbs to the screwlink. Repeated everything at opposite end of hammock. I carry two lengths of, um, 9 or 10 mm "static" kernmantle line. I attach one end of these to the trees, and attach the Gibbs to the lines, and that's it. Easily ajustable, and water is redirected to the ground instead of into the hammock. For someone who is concerned about weight, I imagine those tiny rope clamps (e.g. microcender) would work as well as my Gibbs, although I've never had a good enough reason to buy em and try em.

I don't have a digicam anymore, and I don't think I have pics of it anymore, sorry. If my explanation is confusing, let me know.”

“I can somewhat see(imagine)how your setup works, guess im off to the store. I have decided to keep my CJH and actualy ordered the XL fly, to my surprise, the knoked off $20 from the fly price and threw in FREE shipping. They said there would be an anouncement about a special on the fly posted soon on the CJH site, if interested look it up. I will try out your hammock sling'n setup and see if i can make it work for me. Thanks for everything.”

“dang mutt, i guess it's safe to say that you got your kot tying merit badge...or yer a sailor, lol.


what site is that gonz?”

“This is the CJH site on the web, i dont think the new about the XL fly price is up, but the site is worth checking out anyhow(i do every day, just in case they "change" something). Here is the web addy:

http://www.junglehammock.com/code.html

Check em out, good luck.”

“Gonzzo: You're welcome, and good for you for keeping your CJH. I hope it works as well for you as it has for me over the years. Good luck.

Stratdewd: Actually I learned my knots through technical treeclimbing. I pretend to be an arborist sometimes on the weekend, and I enjoy rigging my hammock tent high up in the canopy to camp.”

“Could this system work on the Hennessy? Seems like a heckofalotbetter solution to me.”

“I also saw a note about using a racheting tie-down with the nylon web strap...”

“dirtyoldman: you mean a mechanical ratchet for the, um, what's it called, nylon webbing that comes with the hammock that is supposed to go around the tree? Interesting, but I don't understand the need for the webbing in the first place. It's overkill, superfluous, unnecessary. A ratchet is just adding more weight and bulk. Just tie rope around the darn tree. If you tie it properly, it won't have much play and it won't slide down the trunk. And if the tree will be damaged by rope, then don't even consider using that tree at all - even with webbing. Of course, this is all MHO. Sgt. Rock is the Hennessy expert here.

Searcher, I don't know why not right off hand. I'll have to look closely at my HH again. Talking about this has gotten me interested in trying to improve/modify my HH. Cool!”

“Yes, there was a long time I didn't use the straps at all, but with the latest Ultralight, I actually enjoy using them, they are normally long enough to wrap around a couple of times. But honestly, they are not needed.”

“" Actually I learned my knots through technical treeclimbing. I pretend to be an arborist sometimes on the weekend, and I enjoy rigging my hammock tent high up in the canopy to camp".

I have wondered about this. Do you have any pictures of your hammock up in the treetop?. Where can i go to learn technical tree climbing techincs?. I know about the "new tribe" folks but i wass looking for something a little more local as i cant realy travel far from home(Rancho cucamonga, Ca.). Are there any more links to websites on tree climbing that might help?. Im very interested. Thanks.”

“I've got photos around somewhere, but they're not digitized.

www.treeclimbing.com is one of the larger sites out there. If you read through the website and the articles, you should have a fairly good understanding of the basic techniques.

Also, there's a couple professional arborist boards out there, but I can't remember what their names are or their addy's. It's been a while since I've visited them. A google search would turn up a bunch of stuff, I'm sure.

But as far as finding local climbing instruction, you'd probably get a response on the treeclimbing.com message board. But probably you'll be able to figure out how to do the basic technique just by reading. You don't have to have training to treeclimb. It's a very safe sport if you use a little common sense. Just start out low and very slow, remember that gravity always wins, only tie into strong crotches, and always be tied in with at least one line. You should be able to teach yourself, safely, the basic technique in a weekend.

I learned to climb from my cousin. He used to be a treeworker and taught me to climb for fun. Since then I've taken to camping in the treetops. And I've basically taught myself how to do the more complicated maneuvers.

If you're seriosly thinking about trying it out, here's a list of the minimal gear requirements:

New tribe basic saddle
new tribe "monkey tail"
at least 2 double locking carabiners
150' of 1/2" arborist rope - new tribe sells good rope
rope bucket
150' throwline
throwline mug
throw weight
figure-8 descender or mini-rack
gloves
20' prusik cord
eye protection

That'll get you started at around probably, um, $250 - $300(?), and it will be a good setup to have if you find instruction. Heck, if you're interested, I could describe the basics of climbing here if you want. Good luck!”