My new jungle hammock as a start

**Shadowmoss** · 07-05-2007, 20:39

Wow, starting my first thread, and I don't know whether to put it in Homemade Gear or General Hammock Talk. Basically, I got the hammock I ordered from EBay (after following neo's bad influence). Definitely good customer service. I use a PO Box in town, and it was there on Tuesday after I ordered it 8 days before (the Monday a week before). It cost $48+change after shipping.

Basically it is a rectangle that is two layers of camo, and without going back to the description or having better powers of descerning content I don't know the type, and a layer of netting, again not sure if it's noseum but I hope it is. The netting has reinforced seams 18" in from the ends that have hollow aluminum bars 15.5" long in loops sewn into the seams, making the spreader bars. These can be slipped out with no problem. There is approx. 1.5" +/- hem in each end, and the netting is sewn into the hem, making the rectangle. There currently is webbing threaded through the hems on each end. There is a zipper the length of one side to open it up and crawl in.

Ok, I'm sure I'll read that tomorrow morning after coffee, and wonder that anyone can make sense of the description. However, my little techie heart is all a'twitter with thoughts of how to pimp my hang, so to speak. Perhaps, all things considered, I should rephrase that and say 'trick out my hammock'.

First off, I need to go from the questionable webbing in the hems to something that ends in ring buckles. A good night's sleep, time, and quantities of coffee, and I'll start reading the tutorials on gathering the ends and such. Any ideas anyone wants to pull out and post here will be appreciated. The hollow aluminum bars may be replaced with camo arrow shafts if any outfitters here have them. The cord that was sent apparently to attach to the bars and then to the tree to hold up the spreader bars will be replaced with spectra (I have 50' of orange bought before I got into this hammocking just 'cause it looked cool), and I'm thinking it may run to a ring on the main support line.

This hammock jump starts me by giving me the basic layout of the rectangle and major sewing already done. Now I can play.

shadowmoss

ps: A few weeks ago I gave Rain Man a ride home from the HF/WB dinner, and when he got into my truck he said something to the effect that I am officially a weird female because I had a multimeter sitting next to the gearshift. So, I got nowhere to head but further into the weird.

**warbonnetguy** · 07-05-2007, 20:44

so it is a spreader bar style hammock, or does it have gathered ends like an eno/hh style?

**Shadowmoss** · 07-05-2007, 20:57

At the moment it is a rectangle with 3 layers, 2 of camo and one of netting. I think the webbing is supposed to be gathered somehow and both ends attached to something, although the total length of the webbing on each end is only 5-6'. There is no shaping to it as it came out of the storage sack, it is a flat rectangle. Look for neo's link in 'I bought this hammock today' on ebay. It has the two spreader bars on the outside ends of the netting.

The description says the body is ripstop nylon, the top is 'mesh', and it only talks about being mosquito proof. No written instructions came with it, just some lengths of cord. I assume that the bars help shape the hammock once it's hung. Neo has pics of his, or rather, jack-rabbit's version from their campout this past weekend in the gallery.

**Shadowmoss** · 07-05-2007, 21:05

Trying for a picture, here is neo's pic from the gallery of his one that is the same as mine. He has already altered the way the main line is attached, but this shows the spreader bars.

And trying for a 3rd time to add a link to the actual auction that has the info on the hammock:

http://cgi.ebay.com/US-Army-style-JU...QQcmdZViewItem

**neo** · 07-06-2007, 23:47

Originally Posted by Shadowmoss

Trying for a picture, here is neo's pic from the gallery of his one that is the same as mine. He has already altered the way the main line is attached, but this shows the spreader bars.

And trying for a 3rd time to add a link to the actual auction that has the info on the hammock:

http://cgi.ebay.com/US-Army-style-JU...QQcmdZViewItem

i did not alter anything,just added elastic cord at each end.really simple

neo

**neo** · 07-06-2007, 23:50

Originally Posted by neo

i did not alter anything,just added elastic cord at each end.really simple

neo

i also added ed speer webbing at each end

neo

**Shadowmoss** · 07-07-2007, 21:14

I read most of the HH tutorial. I also read a bit on JJ's page on how to attach support ropes to the hammock. With this hammock, the bug netting is hemmed in the bottom fabric, so unless I rip out the hem I can't put anything between the fabric and the netting. Right now the webbing they sent is threaded through the hem. That doesn't seem like a very substantial way to hang, the hem taking most of the load.

I'm confused about the 'roll' method in the tutorial, is it rolled like a scroll? Since the netting will be rolled or folded along with the fabric, what do you suggest I do? Any 'loop thingy' will be on the outside of the netting, so what am I actually whipping the fabric around?

I'm confused.

**Shadowmoss** · 07-08-2007, 20:23

From my reading, I'm thinking of 3 different variations on how to attach the main support lines.

1. pull the webbing out of the hems at each end, roll (like a scroll? still not clear on that), use a zip tie to secure, then use a short length of (spectra?) and secure to hammock with a larkshead and to the rings on the other end with an ascender knot.

2. same as above, only fold as I saw on some set of instructions or other, I'd have to find it again. Again, secure with zip tie and so on.

3. pull some shock cord through the hems as I pull out the webbing, pull it into a tight gather with the shock cord, secure with a zip tie, and proceed as above.

Any thoughts on any of these? Am I in the right ballpark? Again, the netting is already hemmed in with the bottom fabric, so whatever I do is done to the netting as well. Don't know if that makes a difference. And the netting will be held up via the spreader bars (see picture).

Thanks

**Grinder** · 07-09-2007, 13:06

first. take a deep cleansing breath. Now Exhale.

You are working yourself into a frenzy here.

From the eBay picture, it looks like the hammock is designed to hang by a strap through the hem at each end. I would have thought it came with some webbing already threaded through the hems.

You could either tie that webbing together, in effect making a big loop and tie your hammock ropes to that loop.

OR, you could wrap the strap that came with the hammock around the tree a few times if the strap is long enough,

It looks like Neo did the first method. He then used the elastic cord he refers to to fasten the netting spreader bars up close to where the tarp is fastened to the tree.

The whipping method i think you are referring to, could also be used, but why bother??

Remember: Deep breath. Exhale. It's just a hammock.

If you need more help, send pictures of your actual situation and we'll go from there.

Miles of Smiles
Tom

**Grinder** · 07-09-2007, 13:17

here's a link to Jeff's how to whip hammock ends

http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeHammock2.html

Since you have the hem to thread the webbing through, I wouldn't whip the ends, at least not at first.

There are several commercial hammocks that hang the way yours is designed to hang, so it ought to work fine.

Tom