h a l f b a k e r yThe halfway house for at-risk ideas
add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, random
news, help, about, links, report a problem
browse anonymously,
or get an account
and write.
register,
|
|
|
Please log in.
Before you can vote, you need to register.
Please log in or create an account.
|
I just love lying in a hammock, but there are a several problems.
First, there are not always two trees the right distance apart to hang my hammock. Second,I dont like the portable, metal hammock stands because they are tipsy and clumsy, and very large to transport if you wanted to take a hammock
elsewhere than using it at home.
Enter the helium suspended hammock. Two large, heavyweight balloons equipped with tie-down tethers are the main supports. They have hooks attached to the bottom of each to make hanging or unhanging of the hammock quite easy. Of course a helium tank is required for filling the large balloons to the proper weight and then a type of heavy-duty twisty or valve stop is used to keep the helium in the balloons while in use. Hang your hammock and relax in the breeze or sunshine wherever you please.
For the more adventurous, you can omit using the tethers
Helium raft (hammock, of sorts)
http://kwc.org/myth...hones_on_plane.html "Adam, Jamie and Kari built a gigantic raft filled with helium to see if they could make Adam fly." [Klaatu, Aug 19 2007]
OT - Here's a video of a Bear using a hammock
http://www.youtube....watch?v=8rxNJPR94u0 {I just think it's fun to watch} [Dub, Aug 20 2007]
These guys rock.
http://perso.orange...olaire/en-index.htm [2 fries shy of a happy meal, Aug 21 2007]
[link]
|
|
Any adaptations are possible, but I don't get the link with the helium raft as being relevant. |
|
|
"It takes 16 cu ft of helium to lift 1 pound. In order to lift 300 lbs (200 lb Jamie/Adam plus a 100 lb raft), it would 5000 cu ft of helium, which is approximately 1/3 the cabin size of a DC-9 airplane. For reference, the Hindenburg carried 7,000,000 cu ft of hydrogen." |
|
|
I believe that the relevance can be found here. I saw the show an I believe the relevance is that they made a raft filled with helium that was really really huge. difference is you used a balloon and standard hammock. Also if you saw the show the "raft" collapsed into a hammock like shape. |
|
|
Also you would actually need to carry about 20 helium tanks to fill your hammock as the standard size tanks are 300cf |
|
|
I like the bit about the heavyweight balloons. |
|
|
// It takes 16 cu ft of helium to lift 1 pound. // Crazy American (ok, originally British) measurements. 1m^3 helium lifts approx 1kg. To support a 100kg man on a 25kg hammock you would need a balloon 5mx5mx5m, which is big but feasible. |
|
|
OK, I did wonder how much helium it would take to hold up a person, so I quess it's quite a lot. |
|
|
//there are not always two trees the right distance apart// |
|
|
In my back garden we have a hammock which is hung from a hook in the wall of the house to a tree at the bottom of the garden about 6 or 7 metres away via some rope. It actually makes for a comfier hammock because the angle you lie in is less acute. It does have a time limit though. After about 40 minutes the rope has stretched and your bum starts to scrape the ground. |
|
|
Possible + impractical = automatic bun. |
|
|
We had to cut down one of our *hammock* trees, so hence my unresearched, imaginative idea. I'd like to lie in a hammock about ten feet off the ground. |
|
|
Might I suggest a 10 foot pole? |
|
|
//hence my unresearched, imaginative idea// |
|
|
Fair enough, not criticising your idea, just suggesting a hammocky alternative while you stockpile the helium canisters. |
|
|
Alternatively, buy a backyard dirigible and suspend your hammock from that. |
|
|
There you go [global]. That was another option, but they look sooo big, and you know, the Hindenburg trouble and all. |
|
|
I'm adding adjustable tethers that one can wind with a winch to let themselves get into the hammock and then rise to a desirable height, possibly over the tree-tops where then it is impossible to anchor your hammock on a tree. |
|
|
This seems like a fine time to link to solar hot air balloons, so I think I will. |
|
|
[2 fries] That would be perfect! I knew the regular hot air balloons would light the hammock on fire. |
|
|
Yeah, and who wants to hammock on a rainy day eh? |
|
|
Is now the right time to ask why xandram lets those clumsy metal hammock supports drink enough to get tipsy in the first place? Can we send the poor things to AA? Maybe they deserve a second chance. |
|
|
Really, they hang too close to the ground...(swishes drink around whilst floating above a lake). |
|
| |