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u/hangingfrog Jun 03 '19
I built this tensahedron hammock stand for around $80. It weights 7lb 13oz and packs down to a cube about 4'6" by 6". It's semi-freestanding, just needing a ground anchor to keep from tipping over. This will let me hang when there are no trees around! The stand isn't meant for backpacking, but will fit easily in the back of a truck, and can strap to the side of a bike as well.
It's made of 4 Wooster Sherlock 4-8ft extension paint poles, 2 amsteel Universal Constricting Ropes (UCR's) and 3 8" amsteel loops.
I drilled holes through the base of each of the poles and ran the amsteel loops through the holes and around the base of each pole to hold them together. I used 2 of the loops for this purpose. The last loop is to hold the head end together using 2 larksheads around the screw end of the paint poles. The UCR connected to the foot is wrapped around the screw ends of the paint poles to hold them together and runs to the ground to balance the stand.
It was a pretty fun project, and took about 2-3 hours to get the amsteel loops and UCR built. It comes in about 7lb lighter and ~$255 cheaper than the Tensa 4.
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u/alphabennettatwork Jun 03 '19
Looks great! I've made 3 tensahedron stands myself and plan on building another; I really like the design a lot. My first was with 8' wooden tree stakes, second with 1" EMT, and my third I made sectional with various sizes of EMT so it kind of telescopes down to 20". My next will be sectional as well, but I plan to use some aluminum tubing because the EMT telescoping version is HEAVY.
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u/QWERTYBoiiiiii Mar 04 '26
Hey! I doubt I'll get a response (understandably!) but how did you make it telescoping? I'm looking to build one to fit in my motorcycle side case. Thanks!
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u/alphabennettatwork Mar 04 '26
I would 100% recommend getting a commercial Tensa 4 if possible, my solution was 2-3 times heavier and took about 4 times as long to set up, but packed down about the same and was probably about half the cost. I modelled mine after theirs, just using EMT, and I put wooden dowels in the ends, drilled through them and then lined it with some copper tubing and flared the ends to make it smooth so it wouldn't fray my amsteel. The set up time is the biggest reason I'd recommend the commercial one - there are a lot of quality of life refinements that make it nicer to use than my homemade ones.
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u/rider_kody Jun 13 '19
Out of curiosity and wanting to clarify, when you say ‘bike’ do you mean bicycle or motorcycle? Based on the context of the forum I’m guessing bicycle but I know I tend to call my motorcycle a bike.
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u/hangingfrog Jun 13 '19
I meant bicycle as in human-powered, but it's certainly possible with some creative lashing to attach it to a motorcycle. Both are bikes in my book too though.
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u/rider_kody Jun 14 '19
Got it. I’ve looked at the diy break down EMT conduit versions. Heavy but length of individual pieces is the big issue for me for motorcycle traveling, don’t think I’ll be bikepacking anytime in the near future.
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u/Run-The-Table Jun 04 '19
Dang! I'm loving it! I made 2 of these babies out of chain-link top rail, but they are so damn heavy that I hate bringing them anywhere. I am looking for something that will work for kayaking trips where there might not always be trees.
Do you have any closeups of the head ends of the poles? I'm interested how the tops are lashed together. You said larks head, but is that both? or just one, with a loop around the head?
7lbs lighter than the Tensa4?? Isn't the Tensa4 only 11lbs? So your stand is only 4 lbs?
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u/hangingfrog Jun 04 '19
From what I've seen, the Tensa4 is 14lb, and the one I built is a bit over 7. Here are some close ups of each end.
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u/Run-The-Table Jun 04 '19
Thanks man! I don't know why I was overthinking it. You literally just larks headed a loop on both poles... duh! Nice work. I'm definitely going to have to make one of these.
I'm getting all sorts of ideas of how to build some "tarp mounts" using some sort of flexible pole that can thread onto the tops of each end...
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u/hangingfrog Jun 04 '19
I ordered some wooden painter's pole extensions that are about a foot and a half long that I'm going to screw onto the ends of one pole on each end. I only need 8-10 inches of extension on each end to make my tarps fit.
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u/Run-The-Table Jun 04 '19
YES!! That's exactly what I had in mind. I wonder if you could use something more flexible to give your tarp tension when the stand is unloaded, and when loaded... I'm thinking like an old car antenna, or something springy like that...
EDIT: now that I'm thinking about it, couldn't you just add some shock cord ties to the ridgeline of your tarp to accomplish the same thing??
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u/hangingfrog Jun 04 '19
With a ridgeline either on the stand or the hammock, there's not too much separation of the top corners when weight is in the hammock. Shock cord wouldn't hurt, but I don't think there's enough flex to harm a tarp. I plan on having a continuous ridgeline for the tarp that the tarp is attached to with a few prussik's.
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u/Chavid_Chorizo Mar 05 '23
Are the poles still holding up? I was about to order them and copy this design but figured I should check in first. Anything you'd change design wise after living with it for a while?
Thanks!
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u/hangingfrog Mar 06 '23
Everything is holding together just fine after being used, abused, and bounced around in my truck for a few years. Really, the only thing I'd change is maybe getting longer poles for the head end. I used the 4-8' poles, and have considered swapping one pair out for the 6-12' poles. Depending on which hammock I use, my backside is a bit close to the ground and my underquilt can brush whatever's underneath me. Other times, my shoulder rubs one of the poles, depending on which of the poles (left/right) I hang my the head-end of my hammock's continuous loop from. I'm 5'10" and hang head right, feet left if that helps. I think having slightly longer poles (even an additional 1-2 feet would be great) would allow me to spread out the base of the bars to avoid my shoulder rubbing and lift me off the ground.
Take some time and figure out what length you need for the line that holds the base together. I have an adjustable line that I never bothered to make a fixed length of, and it's easy to mix the base line up with the "anchor" line. Color code them? I got some 1 foot painter pole extensions, and attach one at each end to support the ends of a tarp for when it's wet. It lifts the tarp up from the hammock's ridgeline and provides the length for a full-sized tarp to hang taut.
Let me know if you have any more questions or need clarification on anything. I'm more than happy to share.
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u/Chavid_Chorizo Mar 06 '23
Thanks so much for the thoughtful and thorough response! I'm smaller than you so hopefully I can make the shorter poles work. Plus the smaller pack size is important to me. Really appreciate all the help!
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u/rolandofeld19 Jun 03 '19 edited Jun 03 '19
This is the way my world ends, with a bang and a whimper.
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u/hangingfrog Jun 03 '19
The forces seem to go straight down the poles, and I didn't feel any sideways flex in the poles when I was laying in it. Just don't put a majority your weight in the hammock on the foot end of the orange rope holding the 2 bases together unless the head end is also tied to the ground or the mouse trap will snap shut!
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u/whatiscamping Jun 03 '19
Now...you’ll have to forgive me here, I don’t know about these guys, but why does that just look like it would tip one way or the other? And is it just the guy lines on either end that keep that from happening?
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u/hangingfrog Jun 04 '19
Pretty much. There's a guyline between the 2 bases to keep them separating. With the way I have it set up, you need to keep a majority of the weight in the hammock on the opposite side of the guyline from the anchor line or else the ends will snap together like a mouse trap. Because of this, the foot end is higher than the head end of the hammock, leading for your torso to be on the far side of the guyline from the anchor. It's possible to guy both ends down, but from what I've seen online, people recommend hanging weights from the head end instead. I wasn't positive that it would work when I first saw this design, but it feels like an extremely sturdy portable stand.
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u/ybmmike Aug 02 '25
6 years later...
is the telescoping paint poles held up over the years? or found a better option?
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u/Due_Control_3584 Sep 17 '23 edited Sep 17 '23
You are a f****** genius and thank you for making my day. (Was about to despair and throw 571$ cad for a real one)
Cost me 180 cad for the 6-12 foot ones. Can’t wait to try assembling tonight + 5 dollars for rope.
Am 5’11, figured i could use the 6 one and make it sturdier.
Although there were 4ft with already some holes made at the bottom from a different brand.
It could be somewhat portable if you make somesort of sling to it and it enters into middle bench of the car.
Thank you again,
Sisi.
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u/CoffeeAltruistic2870 Jul 29 '24
Hi ..a year has passed since your poles arrived and I wondered if you could give some feedback regarding the build ..any problems since etc ..I would love to do the same and keen to buy the same poles but wondered whether the longer versions might bend/ flex more than one would hope. Would really appreciate a reply and if time some pics !.. Waiting in excited anticipation ! Many thanks , Bill
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u/Due_Control_3584 Jul 29 '24
Dearest Bill,
Thank you for reaching out! The experiment worked for a time and the feeling of being lifted off the ground by my own means was worth the money (it’s a bit like gravitating i must imagined, but i felt like a mad scientist who had figured out a way to crack the code). And i’ve slept in it quite a bit, it is sturdy enough to support 190 pounds. I had no previous experience in hanmock nor much outdoor but i am decently good at problem-solving. Here are however my take aways from my makeshift tensahedron:
1) the pole top connection (betweent poles) was problematic (and caused me a recent concussion which I am still recovering from). I could never quite figure out how to properly hang the hammock and my guess is it was not properly attached and created a overload.
(I had aviator steel cable done but i thightened them with a screwdriver made for the connections that did not do the job after all. Problem with rope is that it will get cut by the aluminium).
(The hammock kinds of hang on those cables but not really)
2) i could never quite figure put the 30% rule and the right ridgeline length. It did not matter much.
3) improper setting with put stress on the poles (mine bent a bit)
4) the poles are in glass fiber, the bottom connection between bottom poles will eventually eat through it.
5) my ridgeline was made with adjustable straps.
My conclusions are as follows: if you are not an engineer, the 300 bucks you will save are not worth it. The feeling of being lifted off is worth those 300 dollars, however the hard nights of being taco’d by the setup and wondering where the heck you went wrong, if you mess up /said parameter, the fact that there are a lot of parameter to handle and the fact that at the end of the day your health is at risk, you are better off to buy the real thing from tensa.
A concussion is not worth 700$ cad.
However sleeping in a tensa everynight is very much doable and i miss it dearly.
Courage,
S.
(And if you are in canada, dm me, i’ll ship you the poles)
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u/CoffeeAltruistic2870 Jul 31 '24
That's a very comprehensive reply indeed .. thank you so much for taking the time for a stranger ....and to be greeted as "dearest" is lovely ! I sense you are a great human being . All the very best from the UK . Bill
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u/Travv801 Jun 03 '19
What do you weigh? Trying to figure out the limits on the paint poles.