n00b needs help with fabric selection

**samba** · 02-10-2010, 06:29

Hello all and let me begin by THANKING everyone for a magnificent forum.
Stayed up all night reading, I'm totally hooked!

Some words on my self.
I'm of to Thailand in April with my girlfriend and another couple for 1.5 months. Planing to visit some national marine parks that allow camping on islands. I have slept in a hammock for 3 weeks on a European trip one summer, around 2001. It was a cheap (120 Indian rupees = 2.58 U.S. dollars) hammock, but it served me good. Now inspired by the forum I WANNA MAKE ONE!

Problem:
I don't understand fabrics or the strength of them.
Found this online here in Finland
http://www.shelby.fi/catalog/product...roducts_id=221
It says:
"TEAR strength": min. 100N (ISO 4674 A1)
"PULL strength": min. 350 N/50mm (ISO 1421)
I have no idea what that means! (well, N=Newton, but still, clueless)

If someone knows, please help a n00b out

**trigger hurt** · 02-10-2010, 07:09

According to my ASME code books and wikipedia, tensile strength is the point that fabric will start to "neck". Necking looks like this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necking_%28engineering%29

tear strength would be the point that the fabric actually starts coming apart rather than stretching and distorting.

In reality, You don't need to worry about those things. What you really need to pay attention to is that material is silicon coated. You'd probably be better making a tarp with that material than a hammock. For the hammock material, you're still looking for ripstop, but I think uncoated works best for the hammock body.

**samba** · 02-10-2010, 07:47

Thanks for your reply, fulminated
I looked some more and found one that says its very "breathable", if thats the correct translation, but...

http://www.shelby.fi/catalog/product...roducts_id=840
How ugly of a color is that!
Just out of interest, how much are you paying for fabric over there in the U.S.?
Its a very light product and I'm paying way over 10$/m, thats about 4$/foot.
Shipping shouldn't be to bad to Europe...

**Ramblinrev** · 02-10-2010, 08:48

For that kind of money I would look into the DD Hammocks ready made. They are made in Europe so the shipping is quite reasonable if I understand correctly. People on here who have them seem to like them.

**samba** · 02-10-2010, 11:17

Originally Posted by Ramblinrev

For that kind of money I would look into the DD Hammocks ready made. They are made in Europe so the shipping is quite reasonable if I understand correctly. People on here who have them seem to like them.

THANKS A MILLION!
Didn't know about them. 55€ inc.Shipping is very reasonable!
There has to be something funny here. All the other proper hammocks w/ mosquito net have been over 100€ +shipping!
Have to read up on this.
Thanks again Ramblinrev!

**sandykayak** · 02-10-2010, 11:38

samba, go to youtube and type in dd hammocks...i've seen several videos

**samba** · 02-10-2010, 12:56

I had a look at them, looks good.
I do have some dought about being bitten by mosquito's through the hammock...
They have some nasty strains on malaria in Thailand...