silnyl projects

I think Santa Clause crashed into my house- and left alot of fabric behind!!!!!!!:)
Can anyone give a break down on which weight fabric to use on each project- I have a bunch of silnyl in two different weights:confused: - and thought I would start som DIY projects for the heck of it-
Is the lighter weight stuff ok for a hammock?:rolleyes: -I have a chunk of the lighter weight ripstop with out the silicone- and thought I might try making my own hammock........
Also have two different colors of the heavier silnyl- is it ok for tarps- or should I be using lighter stuff? So many questions:o thanks for the help!!!!
Landcruzr

do you have a scale. you need to know the weight per square yard. people use 1.1 oz uncoated nylon, it is strong enough (unless you are a big ole boy), but stretches more, and may cause more shoulder squeeze as a result.

1.9 oz uncoated nylon makes a great hammock. still very light, but not as much stretch and much more durable.

the silnylon that is commonly used is 1.3-1.5 oz. and is plenty strong. it is actually stronger than the 1.9 oz uncoated. hope that helps.

I have used both 1.1 and 1.9 for hammocks. The 1.1 was softer and if wipped right, no shoulder squeeze.


I had some friends over on saturday and my one friend said lets go hang for a bit. Well, I hung the 1.9 for him to use and the 1.1 for me. I got his perfect first try and was having issues with mine sagging to low. So after messing with it a few times I finally said "screw it" and layed down and started talking. Well, with the gentle swing from the wind, my *** was just touching the ground as I swung. Yeah, after about almost an hour the fabric decided it had enough and depostited me onto the ground.

Worst part is, it was my sons hammock and he really wants me to make him a new one. I went to make it yesterday and realized I don't have enough thread to make it so it has to wait until this weekend.

So the lesson was learned, Drunk hammocking can be dangerous...:D

the piece I have which appears to be uncoated is 11 yds long, and 48 inches wide(sound right so far?) the total weight on the entire piece is 17.5 oz's- and if my math is correct- that equates out to 1.59oz/yd- Is this something I should try to use as a hammock, or is it better suited for other things-keeping in mind that it is NOT silnyl- just plain old ripstop- atleast thats what I believe the case to be.........I'd like to start making some of my own stuff- but dont want to put all the effort into something only to find I used the wrong material. I have several other chunks of Silnyl available as well but they appear to be the waterproof stuff- with one side being shiny
Thanks
Landcruzr

The Silnyl is not the best for a hammock anyway. You'll want something breathable that close to you or condensation might create a bath tub for you. The sil would be great for your tarp.

If one side is shiny it might be DWR material. Sil should look the same from either side and will be somewhat crinkly like waxed paper.

DWR??:confused: hey guys- I'm new to all these acronyms and abbreviations- its starting to sound like a government conspiracy novel.............
here are a couple of photos of the fabric I do have- maybe someone can tell me what it is and what its good for...
pic#1 is of fabric that appears untreated and weighs in at 1.6 oz/yd
pic#2 is of fabric that appears treated, waxy and crinkly, weighing in @2.4-2.5oz/yd
pic#3 is of fabric that appears coated/treated on one side(shiny side) and dull/untreated on the opposite side-weighing in ata hefty 5.37oz/yd
any more help would be appreciated

On the home page here there is a article for abbreviations. That should help with a lot of the terminology here.
IMO
#1 does indeed appear to be untreated. See how easily the edges unravel. I might be usable for a hammock body.
#2 might be sil. Can you blow through it at all? There should be no unravelling on the edges. If you can blow through any at all it is probably DWR. In other words it's coated with a Durable Water Resistant coating. Which probably what #3 has.
#2 is a little heavier than what most here would use but if it is sil you could make a tarp out of it.
#3 is just too heavy for any kind of backpacking use. But hey, maybe a hammock for your back yard.