TATO Gear Hammock Stand
$350.00
*NOTE: These stands ship direct from TATO Gear and will arrive separate from your Dutchware order. They are shipped via UPS and will ship within 3 weeks from the date of your order.
For International and none continental US orders (Alaska and Hawaii, and Puerto Rico) orders please contact us for a shipping quote.
One of the EASIEST and LIGHTEST and STRONGEST portable hammock stands in the world!
Are you looking for the right hammock stand for sale? One you can easily set up anywhere? The Tato Hammock Stand from DutchWare is the easiest and strongest hammock stand in the world. Featuring high quality alloy aircraft aluminum and Delrin® plastic components, this portable hammock stand is strong and light.
All aluminum components have a black paint finish, and the top rail can handle bridge hammocks and larger tarps. When you buy our hammock stand, you can feel confident in its quality. Every part of the Tato Hammock Stand is custom-machined in the U.S. at our South Carolina facility.
Description
*NOTE: These stands ship direct from TATO Gear and will come separate from your Dutchware order. They are shipped UPS.
For International and none continental US orders (Alaska and Hawaii, and Puerto Rico) orders please contact us for a shipping quote.
Are you looking for the right hammock stand for sale? One you can easily set up anywhere? The Tato Hammock Stand from DutchWare is the easiest and strongest hammock stand in the world. Featuring high quality alloy aircraft aluminum and Delrin® plastic components, this portable hammock stand is strong and light.
All aluminum components have a black paint finish, and the top rail can handle bridge hammocks and larger tarps. When you buy our hammock stand, you can feel confident in its quality. Every part of the Tato Hammock Stand is custom-machined in the U.S. at our South Carolina facility.
Specs
- Max capacity of 500 pounds (226.7kg)
- Weighs 24 pounds (10.9kg)
- Length of top rail is 13.1 feet (4m)
- Components break down to fit in a 45×8-inch bag
Hammock Everywhere
The tripod legs on the Tato Hammock Stand are adjustable to maintain a 30-degree hang angle on any uneven ground. With the non-skid padded rubber feet on the base of the tripod legs, the stand won’t move anywhere.
Setting up the Tato Hammock Stand is quicker than blowing up an air mattress:
- Take the two tripods, safety straps, and top rail out of the bag.
- Place each item where you plan to use the stand.
- Put the top rail together and keep it on the ground.
- Slide the legs out of the tripods and lock them into position.
- Set up each end of the tripods where the top rail is lying.
- Attach each top rail ends to the tripods.
- Always use the safety straps to clip-on each leg of the tripods.
Buy Your Tato Hammock Stand Today
When you buy the Tato Gear Hammock Stand, you can expect:
- One carrying bag
- One heavy-duty top rail
- Two tripods
- Two safety straps
- Two mini carabiners with tarp loop
- Four guy lines
- Four stakes
Buy the Tato Gear Hammock Stand through DutchWare today. We ship our items quickly and offer a guarantee against all manufacturer defects. Buy your own hammock stand today and try something new.
Lindsey Corbin (verified owner) –
For people asking whether this stand would fit a 13 foot tarp, I don’t think so. The top rail is 13 feet, but the yellow loops you attach the tarp to are set in slightly from each end, plus the yellow loops themselves are 2-3 inches long. This means that you definitely don’t have 13 feet of length between the ends of each of those loops – closer to 12 feet eight inches at the most, and maybe more like 12.5 feet. I’ve used an 11 foot tarp, and it stretches awfully close to each end – definitely much less than a foot of clearance on each side. I would like to buy a 13 foot tarp for my Ridgerunner (which I also can’t actually get a good hang with because of the stand length), but I’m assuming I couldn’t use a 13 foot tarp with this stand, which is a bummer. If someone has successfully used a 13 foot tarp with this stand, please chime in!
As far as an actual review, the stand works very well with a gathered end hammock and an 11 foot tarp. It was a real life-saver when I did a 10 day roadtrip with my parents, staying in RV campgrounds (they slept in their RV). Not once on the trip did we have a site where I could have hung from trees. I only slept well on that trip because of the stand. I’ve moved back to using my Ridgerunner instead of my gathered end however, and you can’t really get a good hang with a Ridgerunner with this stand. You can sort of make it work, because the Ridgerunner is fairly forgiving, but it’s not ideal. So that’s a bummer. I wish there were an option to extend the length.
A tip: definitely consider staking out the ends as it’s easy to bump a leg, and then the whole thing can come down (this has happened many times in my basement). In one of the RV campsites with my parents, because of limited choices in placement, I was set up on gravel and a very slight slope. Just getting out of the hammock moved the stand legs enough to collapse the stand on top of me (that was the last time I didn’t stake it!). If you stake the legs however, it is rock-solid.
There are definitely some negatives. The bag is terrible. I have treated it very carefully, carrying the stand (in the bag) in my arms rather than using the flimsy strap, and the stitching is still tearing out in the bottom. The paint job is all scratched up, which doesn’t bother me, but some people might care. I also sometimes have some trouble with the top bar, where the bar pieces don’t want to go together, which can lead to some frustrating twisting and fiddling to get them together. Also one of the little “catches” on my stand legs that goes through the holes to lengthen/shorten the leg often gets sort of bent sideways, and I have to mess with it to get it to stick straight out again. That has been an issue from the first time I set the stand up – that catch/pin was already cock-eyed right out of the bag.
So four stars. A good idea, can be very useful, but it can be fussy and doesn’t work with longer tarps and some hammocks.
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Question
frozenfire99 –
Hello Dutchware!
would this work with the double dutch chameleons? assuming we are well within the 500 pound weight limit.
Thanks!
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Dave Gantz –
Yes you can do this. There are some slight adjustments that you’ll need to make, though: Be sure to stake out the stand so it does not tip over. Also, hang the hammocks closer to the foot end of the stand, so the suspension triangle at the head end has more room. This alleviates pressure on the pole. Too much pressure on this pole will cause a failure of the system.
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julieturnerfsu –
When is this available for purchase?
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ken –
Are these stands still being produced? If so, when is the next production run expected?
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DutchWare Gear (verified owner) –
Yes they are still being made. I would highly suggest subscribing to the product and as soon as we have them back in we will send you a notification email.
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Jeremiah Villarreal –
Hello,
Will this Item be back in stock anytime soon.
Thank you,
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Dave Gantz –
We don’t have an ETA from Tato Gear as to when these will be ready again.
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dxmike –
Dutch,
I was notified today via email that the Tato Stand is available. Went online to purchase and the site indicates out of stock. Did they sell out this quickly?
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DutchWare Gear (verified owner) –
Yes sold out very quickly. It is a first come first serve basis so I would recommend subscribing to the product and when you receive the email that they to go on line and purchase one immediately.
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Tim Hardesty –
I was wondering if the 13 foot tarp actually fit underneath the ridgepole? I have a 13 winterdream and it sucks putting it over my DIY TD. I saw where you said it should better never saw if it did. Thank you
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caudilldrum –
would this stand work with a superfly tarp?
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caudilldrum –
What is the overall weight and pack size of this and what is the best instructional video of how this assembles and sets up?
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Carolyn (verified owner) –
Here are the specs:
Specs
Capacity – 500 lbs (226.7kg)
Weight – 24 lbs (10.9kg)
Top Rail Length – 13.1 ft (4m)
Breaks down to fit a 45″ x 8″ Bag
Here is a video link by Shug:
https://youtu.be/LQLwdnylI9s
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ki –
I signed up for email notifications in August, and we’re into October with no word… any updates on when these will be back in stock?
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Dave Gantz –
No updates at the moment, we’re waiting on a new batch of stands from Tato.
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adam.buxton79 –
Hello,
Will this stand work with the double Dutch setup? Thanks.
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Carolyn (verified owner) –
Yes it will
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Question
glewisj4 –
Would this stand be stable enough to tandem hang with a spreader bar?
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Carolyn (verified owner) –
Yes you can do a double hang with this stand. You will need to make sure that you allow more room at the head end than the foot end.
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randalizm –
I would like to set this up inside of a room, How far apart do the walls need to be?
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ninjazxd1983 –
When will the product be back in stock and how do I sign up for an email notification when it is back in stock?
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Carolyn (verified owner) –
I do not have a time frame however you can subscribe to the item and we will send you an email notification once they are back in stock
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amick218 –
Any idea of when this will be back in stock? I’m looking to purchase 2 sets.
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Dave Gantz –
Tato is working on these, hopefully they will be ready before the end of summer.
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azianinvazn –
Will this support a 2 hammock set up with a spreader bar? If not, what other ways could I hang 2 from it?
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Carolyn (verified owner) –
Yes you could set up two gathered end hammocks with a spreader bar under the Tato gear hammock stand.
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Kevin Sumner –
When will I be able to purchase the TATO GEAR HAMMOCK STAND?
Thanks
Kevin
[email protected]
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Carolyn (verified owner) –
I do not have a time frame for when they will be back in stock. I would recommend that you subscribe to the product and as soon as they are available we will send you an email notification.
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jamesgiacchi –
Will this work with the Warbonnet Ridgerunner,? Warbonnet recommends a 15-20ft distance between trees, and this bar is only 13ft.
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michaelt.lurie –
When will this be back in stock in 2018?
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DutchWare Gear –
I would suggest that you subscribe to the product on line and as soon as we have them back in stock we will send you an email notification.
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solhydronics –
Love the Tato hammock stand. It’s great for my desert trips. So now after I have had it for a bit would there be any instructions on the best way to replace the continuous loop on the cross bar? There is a knot hidden and I guess possibly the end cap needs to be removed to install a new loop? Any advice , thanks.
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Dave Gantz –
Your best option is to contact Tato directly for replacement parts and advice: https://www.tatogear.com/outdoor/contact/
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Bradley Ray –
How do you subscribe to be notified when this is in stock? I see an option to add it to the wish list, but I don’t see a subcribe.
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Carolyn (verified owner) –
Right underneath where is says out of stock it says get an alert and there is a box for where you can enter your email address. Enter your email address and hit the get an alert button for your information to be added to the notification list.
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Bradley Ray –
I previously asked about how to subscribe and Caroline replied:
“Right underneath where is says out of stock it says get an alert and there is a box for where you can enter your email address. Enter your email address and hit the get an alert button for your information to be added to the notification list.”
The problem is that if I refresh the page I do see the email address box and the “Get and alert” button for a second or two while the page is loading, but it disappears right around the time the pictures to the left finish loading. If I try and click it while it is there, it doesn’t let me. I tried it from 3 different computers, on 5 different browsers (Chrome, IE, IE with compatability mode, Edge, Firefox, Samsung Internet, Chrome for Android). It looks to me like something isn’t quite right with the website. I don’t have an Apple computer on hand, if someone wants to check from Safari and let me know. Thanks!
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Matthew Long (verified owner) –
First thank the trail gods you have more stock! Second how long does shipping take from TatoGear for Continental US shipping and will there be shipping updates like other Dutchware Gear orders?
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azianinvazn (verified owner) –
Hey, I’m kind of a scrub at hanging; what would be your recommended suspension method for a dual hang? I’ve got the stand, a spreader bar, 2 beetle buckles and a few whoopie slings. It seems like whoopie slings are too long to hang from the stand, or am I just doing something wrong? I can hang a single hammock with the 2 beetle buckles and straps but it doesn’t really seem ideal to put the straps in the carabiners that come with the stand as it bunches up the end loop pretty bad and I don’t think I can get to straps onto one carabiner. Any help would be very welcome!!
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Prufrock –
UsefulThe engineering looks great, and the concept is so very compelling. For those who have left tents behind, an open field is intimidating. Fine for a single night — but a scout camp? Misery. At that point, 25 lbs worth of hammock stand seems like a dream come true.
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Katherine Copanic –
Any idea how long before these are back in stock? I’m ready to put in an order. Thanks.
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sgtkinkyman –
I had the pleasure of using this stand paired with a Chameleon hammock inside of a Polish barracks where the metal frame beds, thin mattress, and squeaky springs were not working for me. Thankfully I had this bad boy stashed on the airlift that dropped us off. It’s not something I would consider hiking with, but it does pack small enough to put into the backseat or trunk of a car.
I am a big boy pushing 300 pounds, and was not worried in the least of a failure (to the dismay of my roommates). All I had to do before lounging or going to bed was make sure the loop that holds the cross bar was vertical on both ends, the tripods were not spun into the cross bar, and the Y strap at the base of each tripod was tight (indicating that the feet were properly spaced).
Another added benefit was that the long crossbar made an excellent clothes line to dry my laundry. After about a week of everyone seeing me use this thing I was answering questions about it daily, and showing them where to get one…..right here on dutchwaregear.com!!
I have yet to be disappointed by anything purchased on this site!!
Thanks,
-Jason
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Question
mchance –
Hey everyone,
What’s the new date by which it is hoped this stand will be available?
Thanks.
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naynay328 –
Would this fit inside a kayak for kayak camping trips? It looks amazing and I really really want one!
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Question
K.Copanic –
Is it possible to lash the one end of the ridgepole to a tree and possibly have 2 set-ups with this? We usually have at least one tree around. Also, is it possible to buy an extra ridgepole or possible to DIY something that would work for that purpose?
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admin –
Yes as long as you have two ridge poles. You can purchase a second ridge pole.
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AaronWebb –
How long are the poles on the Tato – Ultimate Hammock Stand when fully extended?
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admin –
They are 6.5 feet long and the stand sits about 6 foot high.
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Pizza (verified owner) –
Excellent Hammock Stand
I purchased this stand mainly to keep in the car as a fallback option for car camping when campsites don’t have suitable trees. Also to set up at home occasionaly for lounging. This required a stand that is as light as possible and packable in some sort of carry bag. This stand meets all of those requirements. The stand is built extremely well. It is super easy to assemble by one person. All of the parts fit together great, no hammering poles together because of poor connections or sloppy loose tolerances that cause wiggle like some stands I’ve seen. The most impressive thing about the stand is the stability. There is no shaking or flexing while in the hammock at all. I had it set up in my apartment in 10 minutes and was super happy. I highly recommend this stand. It’s expensive but you get what you pay for.
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atar –
The Tato stand is a better design than the ones I have
I really want a TATO stand. – I have stands that have the U shape, problem is that the hammock ends (and my head!) sometimes touches the U! The TATO design doesn’t have this problem. My current stand is very heavy and LARGE when broken down into it’s component pieces for storage or travel 🙁 – The TATO stand is much lighter and quite compact for travel and storage. 🙂 Given a choice … the TATO stand is the correct selection.
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Janet (verified owner) –
Answer to My Hanging Needs!
We have almost an acre of property with NO suitably spaced trees to hang. The Tato hammock stand has now taken care of this dilemma for me. I can now hang anytime and anywhere on our property, or anywhere else for that matter!
The stand is so simple to assemble and disassemble. It is well made, light weight and sturdy. The carrying bag is a great accessory and fits all components and zips up easily.
Thank you Tato for solving my problem and thank you Dutch for carrying this wonderful stand!
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Robert –
Great Design – Very Portable
Perfect for my Warbonnet Blackbird XLC Hammock for setting up close to my Bass Boat. I can sleep at night and protect my expensive boat & gear and SUV from not so friendlies. Packs down small enough for storage on a boat also, great Design.
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Question
TraceBrookins –
Are there extensions for a tarp or does the tarp just sit on the top bar?
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admin –
Yes, there are attachment points for the tarp so you don’t have to lay it over the top bar.
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ScottParker (verified owner) –
Great Stand!
I have used this stand multiple times now with great results. Easy to setup and sturdy. Hauls and packs down nicely. Don’t hesitate to purchase this stand to hang when trees aren’t available or forbidden to attach to. Now I just need another stand for my wife 🙂
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Edgar –
Hammock Stand Review
I have friends that have this stand and the portability of it gives you more options to stay in a hammock, anyone staying on a treeless sand bar, a martime forest or on the plainsof Kansas in the heat of summer will appreciate this option to avoid the convection currents that circulate in tent during the summer months.
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James (verified owner) –
Problems with the legs staying spread I bought the stand to set-up my hammock in my large workshop building to be able to test and modify my equipment. The flooring in my building is finished concrete. I like the easy in setting up the stand but, a problem I ran into is the legs do not seem to stay spread apart since at the bottom they are only fastened with a light weight webbing which is stitched together in the middle. It is very easy to bumper or tap on one of the legs while walking next to the stand then you find the stand falls over.
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Barbara –
Everything I want in a hammock standI don’t have this stand yet but hope to get one. Got to love the portability, sturdy but only not too heavy, high quality materials and a great design. What’s not to love about being able to hang in your hammock regardless of available trees or regulations. Yes I’m entering the TATO gear contest, I sure could use this awesome hammock stand on my cross country journey next month!
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Meg –
Hang anywhere anytime
This hammock stand brings ultimate flexibility to your camping experience. Going anywhere scarce of hangable trees like the beach, a festival, a campground that wont allow use of their trees, or even just your back yard? This stand is the answer with its portability and simple set up. It is your hammock dreams come true!
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jkstraw (verified owner) –
A great quality portable stand
I purchased this stand for indoor hanging and for those times and places (i.e. beach!) where trees or structures aren’t available. I won’t re-write the previous review – Pizza said it all. Very well made, easy to setup and tear down. It is big….13ft + a little bit for the tripod foot print. Very stable and does exactly what I wanted. I removed one star for the ease with which the powder coating gets scraped (no big deal if you own a black sharpie). I am also considering some sort of styrofoam stabilizer for the tripods which will help with stability when tearing down. All in all I highly recommend. The service from dutchware was fantastic……the legend is real!!
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Question
DonaldBurns –
I have a Warbonnet hammock with webbing and buckles suspension. What do I need in order to attach it to this stand?
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admin –
There are carabiners attached to the ridge pole of the hammock stand. You can attach your current suspension to those carabiners and make adjustments as needed. You shouldn’t need any extra gear.
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Ella –
Great for those unable to DIY
Bought this through Kickstarter. Only reason for not getting 5 stars is that it was damaged when it arrived. This was before having to go through Dutch’s site and we were communicating directly with Tato. Tato was very quick to respond and correct the issue. Below is the “official” review from the 4 year old that stole it from me
Me: What do you like about the Tato Hammock Stand?
Ella: What’s a Tato? I like Potatoes.
Me: It’s the black stand we use to hang my hammock
Ella: No I have my own hammock
Me: Yes, do you want a Tato Stand for your own hammock?
Ella: What is a Tato?
Me: ………
Ella: I have a hammock, the stand is mine
Me: Should we try to get a second stand?
Ella: You have a mouth and a nose
………Yeah it pretty much went downhill from there.
Overall, it’s been a great addition. My daughter is still too young to hang far away from me on her own. I’ve been able to set the stand up close to one set of trees when unable to find an ideal tree set up for two hammocks. I’ve also lent it out a few times to some friends, two of which got their own afterward. Hoping to get a second one so we can try a three pod set up with two bars. I believe it was mentioned it could be done in the Kickstarter video.
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mehulnagrani –
Been looking at this for a bit now – is it likely to be in stock this summer? Need something for end of summer and want to wait if this will be back …
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DutchWare Gear –
It will be available soon
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adam71esq –
Would this fit a 12 foot hammock?
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Byron Honbarger –
Will this work with a 13 foot tarp? Can a 1 foot extension be added to the upper bar, and will it still be stable?
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DutchWare Gear –
The ridgeline is 13′ so it should work with the stand. There is not an availability to add a 1′ bar extension.
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jerryhowardeakin –
Hi there, one more question – is there any instructions on how to hang hammock on this? I did see one using whoopie hooks and I’m not really familiar with how to use those. sorry I sound lame, but I’m pretty new to all of this.
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adam71esq –
Would a 12 foot hammock fit in this stand? Thanks
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DutchWare Gear –
The stand itself will have a 13.1′ top rail so it should accommodate for your 12′ hammock as that will have a ridgeline of 120″ ridgeline.
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ToeBreaker –
Tato hang RidgeRunnerI have a Warbonnet RidgeRunner so I can sleep on my side, and I use a cushion so it lays really flat. Around my house I do not have two trees close enough and large enough to hang from so I thought I would go out and make one of those Turtle dog stands as they seemed to work for everybody. I went off to the big orange store and bought my materials, got it done and as soon as I sat down my rump hit dirt. It appears my butt is too big. Well ok, my butt and everything else is too big. Yes I am a hefty dude and that ridgepole bent down at the same time I sat. Bump! It was a slow motion crash. I cut up the bad parts of ridgepole and brought them to my daughters house so be used in a fence and have resorted again to hanging in my dreams. I am now dreaming of a Tato Ultimate Hammock Stand. Help a guy out?
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jerryhowardeakin –
Hi there, been wanting one of these for a while (I had missed out on the kickstarter which I believe was for Tato gear back in 2016) I just want to find out what the max weight is for this? I know on the Big Kahuna it was 500 lbs, just want to see what this one rates at. So looking forward to getting one of these
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DutchWare Gear –
Yes it is still weight rated at 500lbs. The actual weight of the stand is 24lbs.
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mastervalois –
Looking to get this for my WBB XLC and superfly tarp. Would this be long enough?
Also, is there a plan for this to ever be back in stock? Been watching for awhile now…
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DutchWare Gear –
We are hoping in the next couple of weeks. And it will work for your WBB XLC
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Dave Elkins (verified owner) –
I waited and waited to pull the trigger on this due to the cost…..and what a waste of time waiting was! It’s not cheap, but it’s worth every penny and will last forever. I tested it in the local park, and then used it last weekend in the desert with my new complete Chameleon and my Chill Gorilla winter tarp. AWESOME.
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AndrewBuis –
What are the guy lines and stakes that are included for? I don’t see anything in the instructions or on TATO’s youtube channel on stakes or guy lines. Also, what are the mini key-rings on the tripod hub for?
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admin –
They are for if it is windy out you can secure the stand so it will not tip over. The mini key rings are for the stakes and guy lines so you can attach it.
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mettzman (verified owner) –
I’ll start with the Cons to get them out of the way…
– The carry bag is worthless and I ended up opening the bottom up and use it as a small snakeskin (double ended stuff sack) for my 3/4 UQ set up…
– The powder coating is pretty bad…it came with lot’s of imperfections and then chipped a lot on the main bar. I have been religious about no sand/grit getting in the tubes/bag. You see fancy aluminum underneath the coating and it’s super nice. It would have looked more pricey if left bare or sandblasted but now I won’t feel guilty about a rattle can O.D. treatment eventually.
– The leg leash has room for improvements and no stake grommets/tabs for the tripod feet.
– Some setup steps are not easy with gloves on.
Pros
– Black semigloss finish is pretty stealth if stealth camping is your thing
– It’s built/designed stout…I’m 300lbs and rarely guy it down…
– You are told to guy it down (it has tie downs included) but if you are gentle in fair weather or backyard use, you can get away with zero anchoring. When it’s windy it will fly away if you don’t sleeve your hammock set-up…
– The proprietary milled tri-pod top piece is what you are really buying…could you replicate it? Break out some webbing or small cord and swiss family Robinson it? sure…but this is gearhead bling at it’s finest. Sexy AF too, to be honest and it defy’s reason. definitely not cast alloy but high quality CNC magic.
– The main boom (hammock pole) is overbuilt, marginal variances in the sleeved joints and the shock cord is overkill and can be down right scary…you’ll learn to love it though. It is kinda why the powder coat chips there but it’s worth it. If you need to be quiet/stealth though, wear gloves for that part and be ready for it.
– Leg length adjustments about every 4 inches…works well on uneven ground/slight slopes.
-You can omit one tripod when using one tree. (I tried it, worked well)
– Tall enough to fit a 4 season set-up, Down full sized UQ and UQ protector no problem. ENO has nothing on this!
– Long enough for natural hang and a 12′ tarp ridgeline (just big enough for a dry hang)…the tarp hangs under the boom too so no drips. from the stand. Simulates 2 trees beautifully.
My Upgrades
– I ordered a 4 foot photo/video light stand bag for the Tato stand. I lucked out. It has 3 separate sleeves built into it so it’s perfect for the boom and 2 tripods…keeps them from clanking around which makes it more stealth for setup. It also makes a great landing pad for when you inevitably have to set one end of the boom on the ground.
– Nite-Ize CamJam cord tighteners for the guy outs.
– Swapped spitrings on the tie-outs with p-cord loops.
– Nite-Ize Figure 9 carabiners/tensioners that stay connected to the tarp loops.
– continuous loops for different hammock setups so I don’t need an adjustable suspension in the mix. These loops stay attached to the Tato as well…they are sized for my proper ridgeline tension and I tend to like my head lower so I use a short and a long one…then 2 longs for a shorter hammock, etc…so one side just has the one loop.
Suggested Improvements
– The tripod leash at the feet is a pain in the arse….it’s minimalist on a car camping stand. It’s pretty but it doesn’t do much for the user and mostly protects the coveted top piece..it preserves the bling. So the premise is a Flux Capacitor shaped 3 way webbing leash attached to the legs just above the rubber feet and sits on the ground. It’s got a perfect 3-way intersection sewn in, beautiful. The problem is it’s smallish webbing that is loosely wrapped around the legs and doesn’t form a triangle for you, it just keeps the legs from hyperextention…and it forces your to have a flat area under the tripod (no rocks or humps) If you have to clear the area under the tripod why not just have a triangle of webbing instead of a flux capacitor? Then the leg spacing is more intuitive and fix the webbing to the legs so it does’t spin freely. It has length adjusters for each leg to account for uneven ground but you have to have a good eye to create the perfect triangulation. I would use coated stainless cable up high way above the ground to prevent hyperextending the legs and then put grommet tabs at each foot to allow staking each leg and then have clips opposite the grommets to clip on an optional webbing triangle at the ground.
– Add a bubble level to the proprietary top piece. Again, you have to have a good eye to level the whole setup and adjust the tripod leg length.
– Add an arrow on the bottom to denote orientation of the tripod or mark the outer leg and/or paint the suspension “nub” where the dyneema straddles. The only way to tell which leg goes away from the hammock is seeing the nub (it’s tiny and black) or note the 2 ties outs on two of the three sides of the top piece. I set mine up in the dark more than I thought.
– Add markings on the inner telescoping legs to aid in finding the spring lock buttons.
– Offer a burly bag. even as an upsell…the “tool roll” style (rolls out flat) is really working for me…maybe some silicone cups for the ends of the boom sections with a notch for the shock cord to exit or something of the like.
Overall this is a badass piece of gear, just be ready to rattlecan it eventually and practice set-up/take-down by yourself, it takes some practice. I am a big guy and I’m anal about gear touching the ground so I usually assemble the boom up in the air (easier with 2 people), then I lay it down gently parallel to the ground to use it as a guide for tripod spacing…then you have to rest one end on the ground as you attach the first end…it’s gonna drag against the ground at that point if you’re not prepared. This is the other time a second person can help but that spoils the fun and they wanna start attaching stuff but they’re not gonna know what the heck they are looking at…lol
I use it more than I thought, of course camping but also house sitting and cheap motels…and even in tree’d areas. Even with seatbelt webbing treehuggers you can still get nervous about rules and soft bark. No guilt with this stand, half the guilt when using it with one tree. Also, I never thought about this before but sometimes the two perfect trees are bookends for a deer trail. I just think of getting plowed in the side at 30mph at dawn. With the Tato you can be by your buddies and the firepit if you want. Lastly it’s worth the effort to set up for a summer picnic or beach day…you will need provisions for loose sand and high winds though.
Can you lash a turtle dog stand together out in the wilderness? Maybe… But this does it in style…folks will think you’re setting up a New Age Pyramidal ether collector or something but you’ll know you’re a badass!
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