Hammock materials question

[peterbennett9]

Hi i am considering making my own hammock, i am wondering what the best material to make the body of the hammock out of?

iv seen people make it with ripstop nylon, and this seems a good option, but what are the pros and cons of using pu coated versus non pu coated?

Also could anyone point me in the right direction of a good tutorial?

Peter

 

[Shewie]

Have a look at the DIY section on here ....

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/?

I think the issue with using a waterproof fabric is likelihood of condensation.

For a DIY job I'd go with a plain ripstop rather than coated.

 

[peterbennett9]

thanks il take a look at that

 

[Teepee]

Pertex is fantastic. Its hard wearing, very breathable, light and quite water resistant. It also comes in 65" 165cm widths which are perfect. I've made a couple of ripstop hammocks too, incuding some 0.9 oz sq/yd-its plenty strong enough in a double layer. 1.1-1.9 oz/sq yd is the norm for ripstop in hammocks. If you use 150cm width, it may end up too narrow by the time you've hemmed the sides.

DD travels are PU coated, waterproof but not breathable. I love my DD travel especially in winter as it works as a vapour barrier, but some suffer with sweat, especially in the summer.

 

[peterbennett9]

How much is pertex in comparison to ripstop nylon? i want to make the hammock for as little money as possible

 

[Teepee]

http://www.fabrics-n-stuff.co.uk/index.php?cPath=95&osCsid=hnpgukfqcd0b39s9el5ctavrh0

 

[Teepee]

Ripstop is generally a bit cheaper. I got some 2m wide ripstop for 99p/m off fabrics n stuff earlier in the year. You can use the cheaper narrower nylon, but you will have to sew on extra at the sides meaning more work.

 

[Shewie]

How much is pertex in comparison to ripstop nylon? i want to make the hammock for as little money as possible

I picked up a 3m x 162cm piece of pertex 4 this week for only £12 which I thought was pretty reasonable

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370471236636#ht_500wt_922

 

[peterbennett9]

okay the pertex doesnt seem too much more expensive given it is lighter am i correct? Will it be strong enough or would i need to double it up? Im thinking 1" polypropylene webbing for the tree huggers, would you recommend any particular cord for the lashing and to attach the main hammock body to the webbing?

 

[Highbinder]

The hammock I bought from unsponsored is made of pertex & is a single layer, so no need to double up.

 

[mrcharly]

I've used skirt lining from a haberdashers.

It's a fine-weave strong polyester, comes in a range of colours. Just the right width for a hammock. Dirt cheap, and works perfectly well.

Get a length double the length of your hammock and make it in a double layer. From memory I used 7m doubled and it was more than plenty. I just used the overhand knot method at the ends and it never slipped. The double-thickness of fabric gives you a pocket to slide in some insulation - laminate flooring underlay works quite well.

For the cord, webbing to go round trees - again, haberdashers sell this. Webbing is much better than cord for suspending hammocks as it doesn't stretch.

To tie in the webbing, overlap about 40cm with the end of the fabric. Now tie a simple overhand knot in the end of the fabric, pulling it tight. The webbing is woven through the knot. Tie the loose end of the webbing around the hammock fabric below the knot so that it is pulled hard against the overhand knot when you used the hammock.

 

[peterbennett9]

Excellent info mrcharly, iv got one question though, with this lashing method do you find that rain water seeps along the webbing and onto the end of the hammock? I was going to avoid this by incorporating a carabiner into the set up at each end however your method would work out cheaper

 

[mrcharly]

You could and that would be a good idea. I'd still recommend using webbing - you could make a break in the webbing and put your carabiner there. Or just use a loop of 5mm cord.

tbh, although I used the hammock quite a bit, I never got round to making a rain cover. My sleeping bag was a lightweight buffalo, and I didn't find much rain made it's way through the trees. With hammock camping you don't get the 'soaking' from dewy wet ground, so kit dries off fast and never seems to get really wet to start with.

The contrast with tent camping, where you are exposed to the elements, is marked. I've camped on hillsides so steep I had to tie my rucksack to a tree to stop it sliding away. All this talk is making me nostalgic!

 

[peterbennett9]

i was thinking of putting a break in the webbing, and using a carabiner to join the ends, would 5mm cord be strong enough? i suppose the water could still seep across the cord aswell though? Carabiners are quite expensive damn it!

 

[mountainm]

Mallions are a lot cheaper than Carabiners.

 

[mrcharly]

It can seep - but you are creating a drip point - like the tassles on an old-school rainjacket. The rain runs down the tassle and drips off the end.

5mm cord will have a breaking strain of a couple hundred kilos - how heavy are you?

 

[peterbennett9]

mountainm what are mallions and where is a good place to get them cheap?

Mrcharly im 80kg, someone told me that the forces exerted on the anchor points of the hammock are a multiple of your weight due to vector forces.

 

[mountainm]

You can get em off amazon

they look like this:

 

[mrcharly]

mountainm what are mallions and where is a good place to get them cheap?

Mrcharly im 80kg, someone told me that the forces exerted on the anchor points of the hammock are a multiple of your weight due to vector forces.

That's true-ish.

The flatter the line between the attachment points, the more true this is. To sleep comfortably, you do need a lot of sag tho'.

 

[Teepee]

At a 30 degree perfect hang angle, the forces applied to each end of the hammock are almost equal to your body weight. Multiply your weight by 5 and you have the required Breaking strain.