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And, by the way, the supplier you posted has polyester taffeta. Polyester stretches much less then nylon, but is a bit heavier for the same strength. It makes a fine hammock becayse of its low...

I've made several hammocks since the 1990s and used one of them for 5 months on the Appalachian Trail. I weigh from 200 to 235 pounds and stand a bit over 6 feet tall. I've used polyester mesh...

I agree with Ramblinrev. Stick to one thread top and bottom. I have used Gutterman's successfully for years for almost everything. It is available from most fabric stores and owfinc.com....

cavscout,
Light folks with some HH models can flip the hammock over, but you may hit the static line or overstress the net (which is narrower than the hammock body). Test it first.

Better yet,...

Almost any ripstop you find at a box store will be Nylon 6 - a garment grade nylon that is half the strength of the Nylon 66 normally used in outdoor gear. Commonly, the weight will be either 1.6...

Good discussion!
The question is, is a hammock a practical survival tool? I'll get to that.

A couple of ideas first: a survival situation would seem less dire with minimalist gear suitable to the...

I have tarps with over 6 months of continuous trail use on the clock with only grossgrain tie outs. In over 30 years of using DIY tarps, I have never had a grossgrain tie-out to fail.

I've never seen real silnylon in at any Wallyworld. What they usually have is a grey 1.9 oz. Nylon 6 (garment grade) with a decent dry water repellent treatment. The bag test will not show its...

Winter is the best time to visit the Big Bend NP - anytime between Thanksgiving and Easter. I was there a couple of weeks ago [saw several black bears (in the Chisos), a cougar (in the Chisos),...

Kukri,
A poncho was more than enough for my 6 month AT thruhike in 07. A hammock needs only 8.5 or 9 feet of length and 5 feet of width. More width can certainly be useful, but when weight and...

hikingshoes,
One thing to consider with poncho liners is, they are meant to be used with the poncho. Consequently, they are not at all windproof themselves. For reasons that escape me, the...

Figure $1,000 per month, all total, or about $5,000 for the entire thru-hike.

I've completed the AT once solo and once with the lady love. The latter is always slower, based on observation of...

A poncho will be heavier than the same sized tarp. All things being equal, the hood will add weight. For example, an 8x5 poncho in silnylon with the hood seam-sealed will weigh 11 or 12 ounces. A...

The problem here is stress, not time. Trying to pull a hammock tight places it under enormous stress when you load it (get in). A loosely hung hammock and its support lines are subject only to the...

BBNP: The Chisos mountains in the center of the park have plenty of trees, predominantly oak and ponderosa pine but these are above about 4,500 feet (I think). From there down to the Rio Grande flood...

Until you learn to ID waterproof stuff, you are safer ordering it:
http://www.owfinc.com/
http://owareusa.com/fabric.html
http://www.speerhammocks.com/Products/Supplies.htm...

Aother way to square your fabric before cutting is to use a straight edge and chalk to follow a ripstop line across the fabric from selvage to selvage, then pin one selvage straight (on a cutting...

The Hennessy knot - hitch, lashing, whatever - falls under the general category of "outside" fasteners - which includes all knots, hitches, and lashings that do their work of increasing friction...

For an underquilt, a differential cut (also known as a diff cut or diffi-cult) is probably useless complexification. You can look at a non-differential (called a space-filler cut) 2 ways: either the...

I've made lots of hammocks and lived in them for extended periods. I use both whipped and tied ends as the mood strikes. Whipped ends are slightly more compact and perhaps a few grams lighter. Tied...

Another mosquito-ridden Texan voting for either permethrin or nothing but the hammock fabric itself. I use a single-layer hammock and sometimes try a new iteration out before treating it with...

Make a big pouch and pour a quart of water into it. Also, silnylon feels waxy. Walmart "deals" are giving "silnylon" a bad name.

I used a 1.1 oz ripstop, tied-end hammock for what turned out to be 7 solid months. My weight varied from 235 to 195. Would still be using it if I were not experimenting so much.

Dew happens when rain is not expected. So I always hang the tarp, though higher than for rain, to block the dew. The alternative is to wake up soaked.

It depends on which nylon you are talking about, Nylon 66 (sometimes called 6.6) or Nylon 6. 66 is about twice as strong as 6. I have spent a total of 6 months of trail nights in a 1.1 oz Nylon 66...

wbg,
Blowing thru it is no test for breathability. You can't blow thru GTx but water vapor passes thru. I used HomeWrap.

I finally weighed the Tyvek hammock. The Tyvek weighs 14 oz. and the...

Weight? haven't taken it down to check and haven't put a bug net on yet, without which an outdoor hammock is useless around here.

Softening? in the process.

Hang low? You bet, over a matress,...

I just hung out in a Tyvek hammock. I'm taking bets on how long it will last.

Factoids: size, 10X6; construction, whipped ends on 1.5" webbing, Tyvek taped edges; structure, static line; my...

zdank,
Best choice? I use "Momentum" from Thruhiker - about 9.5 with DWR - for both shells. Even high volume down contains some small quills that will poke right through the DIY Tactical fabric. I...

Dutch,
You got it. I use either 3/8 or 5/8, depending on the size of the tarp. But 5/8 is just generally easier to work with. I also use 5/8 grossgrain for the pull-out loops. It hasn't failed even...

[[so the ribbon is folded and on both sides of the fabric? isn't this basically the same as an edge binding? ]]

No. The ribbon is not folded. It lies flat on one side of the fabric. The raw edge...

I saturate 4 inches of the straps just above the hammock with silicone sealant. Any water that would otherwise wick to the hammock drips right off.

Redoleary,
the only good reason to tape an edge is if it is curved - which makes it hard to do a rolled hem. I prefer to stitch tape to one side instead of rolling the tape inside the fabric...

It is all a function of your own personal center of gravity. McEntyre has it right. Just shift your butt. And if you find your feet too near the suspension, raise the foot end so your CoG slides a...

When you say 'edge binding' do you mean traditional binding that hides the edge completely (normally done with bias tape which is unsuitable for tarps or with grossgrain which produces a bulky edge)...

3 Coat hanger "U" stakes + 1 snow stake which serves as the potty trowel, ground loosener for the U stakes when the ground is hard and as the 4th stake. The "U" stakes weigh about 2 g.

Whether anything is down proof depends on the grade of down. The TIY stuff is certainly adequate to contain top quality 900 cu.in. down. Down of lesser quality contains quills and will shred the...

Be careful!!!
The weight of Kitebuilder's ripstop includes polyurethane coating. The base fabric is probably 20D weighing about 0.8. It is good stuff, but I wouldn't use it for a hammock. Same with...

I have used ponchos/capes the same size as the Golite - about 5- X 9- feet for extended periods (AT thruhikes and others) in rain and wind. I am happy with the small coverage and don't plan to change...

I use a 24" pad but place 4 8X14" pads wherever I need extra coverage.

Has anyone talked with any of the usual MYOG suppliers such as OWF, OWARE, Thruhiker, Seattle Fabrics, etc? Seems like they would be in a better position to handle an order. Interest is obviously...

YES!!!
HHs are usually set up too tight - both because of the length of the static line and how people interpret the set-up instructions. Lots of sag is good. It reduces or eliminates the cut-leg...

You might want to consider stronger line. It depends on whether you hang tight or hang loose. A loose hang has angles of 30 degrees or greater at the trees. A lower angle (tighter hang) stresses...

I've been using and recommending Permatex for years. It seems more durable than Silnet, is thinner, penetrates seams better and is easier to spread lightly so the seam sealing does not add a lot of...

Doctari: Double ended stuff sack instead of snake skins, you bet! I use one for my clothing as well. Day wear goes in one end and night wear goes in the other. Makes finding stuff easier.

Another hex fan. Why? It is an efficient shape for covering a hammock used assymetrically (diagonally and flat) regardless of which way you are oriented. It also gives better end coverage in a...

Adam,
What did you hear on the camo silnylon?

FF,
If you can get the camo, I'm in.

The egg-crate structure will compress in a hammock, reducing the r-value significnatly. Pieces of Z-pads are good as shoulder/knee protection to make a narrow pad lighter.

I'm not familiar with Jardine's kits, but the technique should be common sense: lay out the two shell pieces with the outsides together; put the insulation on top; stitch the insulation and shells...