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Hammock Repair
So... I haven't seen an article on this and would be curious of the techniques people use for repairs. I recently set up my hammock over some unnoticed sharp rocks. While in the hammock I swung perfectly across the sharp rocks ripping my hammock and dumping me unceremoniously on the ground. The hammock is a homemade labor of love with a built in mosquito net and not something that I want to throw in the garbage bin. My worry is that any fix result in a stitch that will get directly loaded. Does anyone have any experience with this or any advice?
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Small holes are repairable, A big rip though and I wouldnt trust my back to it.
Its a replacement job IMO unfortunately.
Bad luck dude, thats a bummer.
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How much of a gram weenie are you. Stitching the tear is not likely to be successful in and of itself. When fabric tears like that the damage extends away from the edge and affects the weave for a good 3/8-1/2". So just simply sewing it up will shorten the hammock by a good 1.5" in all likelihood. Maybe not much but certainly not what you want to trust your back to.
However... if you really want to keep the work invested in the bug net (which can be considerable) make a double cover that fits tightly to the repaired hammock. The second layer should help stabilize the repair.
As a side note, hang you hammock higher off the ground from now on. Just as an extra precaution.
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I tend to agree. Replacing the entire body is the only option I would consider of it were me.
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I used this stuff:
http://www.sailrite.com/Tear-Aid-Repair-3-Type-A
on a single layer, The hammock is now in the possession of a friend, but has been slept in at least 20 nights with no signs of wear.
There used to be a post on tarp & hammock repair, I can't find it, & the url I have is no longer working.
When you finish your repair, if you could post: what you did, how you did it, etc. That would be great.
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I would prefer to avoid this situation all together, but I'm interested to see what you end up doing. My original thought was replacement of the fabric but tape looks interesting and I would probably try it.
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I might suggest trying Tenacious Tape from McNett before you do any stitching. I haven't ever tried it before, but its extremely adhesive and is basically about 2oz ripstop nylon with an adhesive backing. I've used it for other repairs before and it is many times better than duct tape. If I had to repair my hammock, this is what I would use.
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I had a widow maker come down on my HH this past march and put a few small holes in my under cover. Since this is not a load bearing part of my set up would anyone recommend I do more than just stitch the holes?
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Thank you for all of the insight. Based on feedback I think I will change my single layer into a double layer with the damaged layer on the outside. I will post photos when I finish the repair
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