Originally Posted by
gardenville
Slowhiker and headchange4u, Thanks for the interest.
Why Cuben Fiber for a Hammock - its all about the final weight for each item I carry. I want to make a set of backpacking gear where each item is as light as possible based on clever design and the lightest materials I can find. When I was first able to get some Cuben Fiber back in the fall of 2003 I knew I was on my way. I decided to make every piece of backpacking gear that used some type of fabric out of Cuben Fiber.
Cuben Fiber is completely waterproof. It is not a breathable fabric so for garments you need to build in many venting options. It is very light some as light as 0.35 ounce a square yard. It is very strong and some of what I have that weighs 0.49 ounce a sq yard is really strong. Backpack strong and super light. It is not cheap and starts around $17 a running yard if you can get it from Cuben Corp. What I buy from Cuben Corp comes in 9 yard minimums. I look at the retail price of the items I want to make and if I can make it half as light or more and at or near the same price I am happy.
As for how it feels next to the skin - I would ask how often do you lay around naked in your Hammock. I made a sleeping bag out of 100% Cuben Fiber. Inside and out. I was asked the same question about it. One of the nice things about Cuben Fiber is that is seems to soften with use. As it gets crinkled up it gets sort of like wax paper that is wadded up and smoothed out many times. It does not seem to get sticky. I got into my sleeping bag one night after a shower naked and fell asleep. I woke up about 2 hours later. The only moisture I could find was a slight dampness in the foot end of the bag. The Cuben was not sticky against my skin. I was laying on my bed inside a 32 degree bag in a house that was about 68 degrees.
Laying in the Cuben Fiber Hammock this afternoon here in San Antonio, Texas the Cuben was cool to the touch. It was about 65 to 70 outside and I was in the sun. Using this Hammock along the AT at night should be no problem.