| 424 | Byer Traveller Lite Hammock | 2011-06-22 |
A friend and camping buddy of mine a few years back bought a hammock to take on camping trips. He flaunted the new toy on every trip. Pictures like the one above soon had us ordering one at REI.
I must say, after a long day out in the mountains, there is nothing like laying down in the hammock with your feet slightly raised, swinging between the trees in the breeze, and enjoying the view.
A few hammock tips ...
The Byer Traveller Lite Hammock is lightweight. Weighing in at 10 ounces it doesn't add much to your car camping load.
The Byer hammock also folds (or stuffs) to a small size.
Once at a campsite, set the hammock; but do not leave it up all of the time. The hammock can be re-set easily, since you already know the best techniques for the spot. Taking the hammock down keeps it out of the sun and weather during the day when you are not around.
Use flat webbing to tie around the trees to lessen the damage to the trees.
To secure the hammock between two trees: Wrap a loop of webbing around one of the trees. Secure the loop with a knot (water knot, overhand, square, etc). Move the knot to the side. Tie a piece of 5 millimeter cord to the webbing (bowline probably works best). Attach the other end of the cord to the ring on the hammock (half hitches work well.) Repeat on the other end of the hammock. Re-adjust as needed.
The weight capacity of the Traveller Lite is 250 pounds. 5 millimeter cord breaking strength is about 5.5 kilo newtons. 1 kilo newton = 225 pounds force. The cord is plenty strong enough to hold 250 pounds.
I would use two pieces of 1 inch webbing around twelve foot long each and a twelve foot piece and eight foot piece of cord. If you error, do so by getting too much! (Can you ever have too much rope? Never.)
If you are not careful the rope will cost more than the hammock. Since you are not using it for climbing, used rope and webbing will work fine. Use common sense. Clothes line may not be considered good for anything other than being a clothes line.
A good site for knots is: http://www.animatedknots.com/
The Byer Hammocks are designed for you to lay across, not end to end.
The Hammock can also be used as a seat.
Some State Parks and National Forests do not allow you to tie anything to trees in campgrounds. Plan accordingly.
The Traveller Lite Hammock is lightweight, packs small, and is inexpensive.
EMS has the hammocks on sale. They also sell many other brands and styles, but for the money, the Byer is hard to beat.
Happy hammock trails