Category: Tensa4

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Tensa4: versatility is value

Our Tensa4 hammock stand has always been a good value, exceptionally adaptable, accommodating more hammock types and sizes, lighter, and with a smaller footprint and packed size than others.

With the February 2025 release of our seventh production series (P7) and the addition of our Freestanding mod, Tensa4 becomes even more versatile. Now you can hang up to six hammocks with just a few extra components. I made a rambling YouTube a few days ago excitedly sketching possibilities of our newest pole tip design, that has produced many email queries for clarification. This post elaborates. To help understand the drawings below, orange are lines in tension, while gray are poles in compression.

One hammock, one guyline

This is the classic Tensa4 configuration, working with:

  • Gathered-end hammocks up to 12′ long
  • Bridge hammocks like Warbonnet Ridgerunner
  • Transverse hammocks like Amok Draumr
  • “Lay-flat” designs like Haven Tents

It works even on steep slopes, often available when all flat spots are occupied. Just point the head end upslope to level the two feet. While only one guyline is required, you should guy both ends for most stability.

One hammock, freestanding

With our Freestanding mod, Tensa4 now hangs gathered-end hammocks in the smallest of spaces, able to fit a 12′ hammock in a 7′ x 9′ room, no guylines required.

The ultra-stable tripod base adds little width beyond that of the hammock itself, pointy ends allowing placement in corners, to use the longer diagonal measure of a room. Note how the higher foot end can float over obstructions like a hotel room bed.

Two hammocks, one support

Use two of Tensa4’s four poles to hang the head end of a hammock in split mode, with the foot end hanging from a tree, pole, or vehicle. My drawing’s perspective is poor, but compare with the photo, matching the important elements to understand how it works.

  • No extra parts are needed for the first hammock.
  • Use two extra Tensa Toggle Loops for the second hammock
  • Use your regular hammock suspension for the foot ends.

Cheryl and I made a quick video explaining split mode setup procedure.

Two hammocks, no other supports

Starting with P7 of Tensa4, whose poles now allow loading while partially collapsed, all four can work as monopod stands, like our Tensa Solo. Simply collapse a 7-segment Tensa4 pole to 5 segments long. The top segment becomes the tarp extension.

Tensa4 includes everything needed for a one-pole setup. Each additional pole requires two more guylines and anchors, which we sell a la carte. Your existing tree suspension can also work as guylines.

(True Tensa Solo poles, whether bought ready made or from our Tensa4 to Tensa Solo conversion kit, weigh almost a pound less, and pack in half the space as Tensa4 poles, so they remain a better choice when that matters most.)

Three hammocks, one support

Mix and match the split and monopod modes for more hammocks. Split stands require only one stake, and have a smaller footprint than the monopods, making the splits preferable when feasible.

This requires three extra anchors and guylines plus one extra toggle loop beyond what comes with Tensa4.

Four hammocks, one support

Oh yes.

This takes six additional guylines and anchors beyond the base Tensa4 kit. You can pitch tarps, but with 16 tarp guylines plus 8 for the poles, things can get busy!

5-6 hammocks, 1-2 supports

Are we getting a bit contrived? Also yes. But, if you’ve got the Freestanding mod, you could repurpose its 9-segment ridgepole to make 1-2 more monopods, to hang the better part of a Scouting troop, a complete lesson in physics and resourcefulness. We leave to you what this looks like, and how many extra bits you’d need.

A comfy chair

Poles and ropes came before the wheel, and maybe fire, in human ingenuity. Cheryl made herself a hanging chair mount in a few moments at Joshua Tree National Park, where it is not permitted to hang from rocks. The same approach would make a field dressing hoist for game, just as quick.

Be prepared

Tensa4 is growing into the LEGO® or Erector Set® of hammock stands, letting you hang your whole crew from a compact bundle. Just like those kits of parts, we can’t provide step-by-step instructions for every possible setup, since these will vary with your hammocks, tarps, site conditions, and indeed your imagination. You should practice before relying on any of these setups.

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Introducing Tensa4 Freestanding

Over the past several months, we’ve been developing and testing a free-standing modification of our flagship Tensa4 hammock stand. We are now processing materials to offer this kit for sale in early 2025. We’ve shared most information so far across social media. This post compiles much of that into one place, also offering DIY tips.

Why Freestanding?

Our original Tensa4 design is well loved for its simplicity and versatility. With only two feet on the ground, it works well in tight spaces and on slopes, but relies on at least one guyline to remain stable. This is a dealbreaker for some, especially indoors where attaching guylines isn’t always practical.

We’ve been tinkering for years to make Tensa4 freestanding. Many schemes worked, but often sacrificed capacity, stability, portability, or ease of use. We made a breakthrough in August 2024 with a surprisingly simple approach. Behold!

Key features

  • Compact footprint: hangs a 12′ hammock properly in a room as small as 7′x9′. The tripod base, of only 17 square feet, allows placement in corners with the foot end floating over furniture.
  • Portable and lightweight: When packed without the standard Tensa4 guylines and anchors, Tensa4-FS weighs only 16 pounds and packs into a bundle 20″ long and 6″ around. One person can easily move the stand fully set up with hammock hung, with no need to reset guylines.
  • Adaptability and value: Like standard Tensa4, compatible with up to 12′ gathered-end hammocks, splittable to hang two hammocks from a single support like a vehicle, and converts into Tensa Solo for hiking. Very easy to tilt hammock to suit desired amount of height difference between ends, even to extreme “chair mode.”
  • Quick setup: Transforms from an easily stowable 5′ column into a full stand in about 30 seconds. Full setup or breakdown takes a few minutes.
  • Solid tree-like feel: With a more fixed geometry, Tensa4-FS provides a secure, stable hang that’s less sensitive to adjustment, site, and technique than standard Tensa4.

How it works

The standard Tensa4 design uses four poles in compression (gray), and three lines in tension (orange: baseline, ridgeline, and foot-side guyline):

Tensa4 Freestanding replaces the ridgeline with a ridgepole, and the foot guyline with a head support pole. This forms a tripod, while shortened foot-side poles shift the center of mass well into the tripod for excellent stability:

Limitations

While standard Tensa4 works with gathered-end, bridge, and transverse hammocks, we support Tensa4-FS only for gathered-end types. Standard Tensa4 also supports tarps very well, while tarp support for freestanding mode is less simple. At minimum, our Tarp Extensions for Tensa4 are required even for 11′ tarps. Five poles compete for space at the head apex, which is crowded. We think Tensa4 Freestanding is most compelling indoors where tarps are not necessary. We suggest that users set up Tensa4 in whichever mode best suits their needs each time. There is no problem switching back and forth, as parts for both modes still fit in the carry bag.

DIY information

If you already own Tensa4, don’t want to wait for our modification kit, or you want to start with your own build, here’s what you need to know:

Ridgepole

  • Length: Should be 7-10% longer than the hammock’s ridgeline (e.g., ~120″ for an 11′ hammock). Our kit includes a 127″ ridgepole, suitable for most 12′ hammocks.
  • Material: 1″ EMT conduit should work. We haven’t worked out minimum diameters, wall thicknesses, material strengths to offer guidelines for various weight ratings. But our 9-stage telescopic ridgepole’s middle segment is 32mm OD, 1.5mm CS 6000-series aluminum, and we’ll warrant the kit up to 350lbs in the hammock.
  • Attachment: Ensure the ridgepole connects securely to the stand’s apexes while allowing movement to prevent binding. We thread our Amsteel ball loop connectors through holes in the tubes’ end fittings.

Head support pole

  • Size and strength: 48″ to 54″ tall, capable of bearing ~150 lbs. Options include stronger trekking poles like our Trekking Treez, our Tensa Solo, or tarp support poles. A broom handle? Our kit features a strap from the top with a height adjuster buckle, where the strap is also threaded into the connection point of the poles meeting at the head end.
  • Stability note: Always check that the head support pole is vertical before entering the hammock, especially on smooth or hard surfaces.

Foot side poles

  • Shorten the foot-side poles to about 87% of the head-side poles to improve stability, such as by not fully extending collapsible poles. Our kit includes newly designed feet to prevent damage to pre-2025 Tensa4 feet designs when loading incompletely extended poles.
Twinkly lights not included.
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One tree, two hammocks

It’s much easier to find one good tree than two correctly spaced, especially in the American west. And where there are no trees at all, often a vehicle can support one side of a hammock. We design our hammock stands to exploit these facts to the fullest, offering Tensa Solo and Trekking Treez singly instead of in pairs. This assures better portability and economy than any other stands we know. Even Tensa4, that doesn’t come in a single-side variant, can hang two hammocks from a single tree or similar support.

Earlier this summer my son and I hiked part of Mt. Hood’s Timberline Trail. We brought a pair of Trekking Treez, as the glacial stream crossings are much safer with poles than without, to say nothing of the treacherous scramble below McNeil Point. Using a single pole per person is half the weight and expense of two, while Trekking Treez’s strength, much greater than typical trekking poles, inspires plenty of confidence even under full body weight.

When we reached our overnight destination of Elk Cove late in the day, in the tree-sparse high alpine zone, we made use of a single Whitebark Pine to hang both our hammocks, far more quickly and sociably than if we’d needed to find separate pairs of trees. We could have pitched tarps, but the clear skies gave us unforgettable views of the Milky Way and even the Neowise comet.

Later in the season, we traveled to Crater Lake. Smoke from the wildfires had only begun to dim the views, but we found refuge near the headspring of the Rogue River on the western slope of the volcano. Not wanting to leave our river view or bushwhack too much to find four suitable trees clear of underbrush, we split one Tensa4 stand into two halves to hang us both from one tree.

A single stake under the head end apex secures a V-shaped guyline running along the ground to prevent the feet from sliding treeward. The same stake provides an anchor point to prevent the stand tipping for more security; we just hung our packs from the head ends instead. It was useful to have had two extra ball loop connectors than come with the stand to connect the feet to the ground straps, but otherwise we used no additional parts.

We brought the stand along because we planned later to camp at hot springs in the treeless scrub near the Alvord Desert, where we’d hang from the roof rack of our vehicle in a similar manner. Sadly, the wildfire smoke became too oppressive even that much further east, so we ended our trip without photos of that arrangement.

More detail on the split Tensa4 setup: