I used a drill press and a benchtop band saw, and rounded edges with a file and large countersink. Nowhere near as nice as Dutch, but I just couldn't bring myself to spend $30 on 4 beer can tab sized pieces of kit. These only cost me an hour of my time and work a treat.
Oddly, I think my very first post was about making Bridge clips out of washers. Drill and dremmel tool for me- but using a 1.5" washer or so lets you skip the center hole for the poles.
Then it's a webbing slot and dogbone hole away from done.
I was very proud of myself until a member who's name I always forget (GMR and some numbers) who is a former mod pointed out that you could just larkshead on the dogbone to the webbing and be done with it.
Nothing lighter, faster, or easier than nothing, lol.
I personally think hardware free is a better connection overall as well.
Sorry about the members name... I always remember it when I see it and am grateful for the help but for some reason it always slips from my memory.
It's very tricky to belly sleep in an end bar bridge- but they are the best place to start for DIY.
I'm sure a fairly light, slim fella or two have jammed some stuff under a pad in the middle but for 98% of us it's a bust it seems.
The Bic style bridge is a great pattern to get you going and ideal in it's simplicity of design and execution of integrated end caps.
I got into bridges as I too wanted something that worked with a pad. Especially as I own lots of ground gear and wanted to use my pad. I got into hammocks simply because (short of cuben) there wasn't a great WP fabric for ground shelters that was light and affordable so I figured why not skip that problem and try this hammock thing!
Bridges are by far the best IMO for ground and air mixed use on long distance trails... but there are some solutions with a GE as WV mentioned.
For true belly sleeping...
WV might have to comment on his Peoples Bridge Hammock but I could imagine that potentially working for fit users.
Belly sleep or not- That's not only a great bridge to move to from the Bic, but could easily be the only other one you do as it is a deceptively simple bridge with customization potential (as in tons of prototypes and work went into making it easy for you to build). I think it's a great first build.
The Grizz Bridge Ariel is next up:
That is a recessed bar design and will get you to belly sleeping land without resorting to one of my monsters.
It isn't impossible, but it's not easy to build these. But if it must be belly sleeping this is the best shot for DIY.
I would also strongly recommend Hybrid 1.7 from RBTR. Fabric makes a huge difference. If you of modest weight you can get away with cheaper stuff, but that fabric has the best mix of support, structure, feel, and durability for bridges specifically.
My very first hammocks and bridges were from JoAnn ripstop, which was cheap at the time but these days both Dutchware and RBTR sell more affordable fabrics made for hammocks.
PS... it's not that bridges can't be cheap individually.
It's that you may end up making a dozen of them.
I like/own a good amount of Dutch's creations, including the bridge hammock ends, but if I had to do it over again I would not have purchased the bridge ends. Here's one of my "non-Dutched" bridge hammocks. The pole tip fits very well into the larkshead of the dogbone.
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Hm that's exactly how I figured it would go on but I've already purchased the Dutch hardware. Maybe I'll try it if I decide to do another hammock.
Banjo, I almost went that route, but like the very positive feeling of the pole in the aluminum hole. I had visions of myself somehow not snugging the larks head and climbing into the hammock, only to have the pole slip out :-)
With any hardware piece that accepts a pole end tip, especially DIY versions (DAMHIK), make sure that the hole is enough bigger than the tip to allow some wiggle room. Chamfering helps, too. If it's too snug a fit, the angle of the suspension triangle imparts a bending force on the pole tip, and the part that bends first - and can break - is the hard rubber shaft of the tip assembly. I've gotten away from spreaders with tips, but when I was using them I never had problems with a plain larks head connection.
I agree with WV on this one. After hanging for a while, the amsteel forms a hardened hole where the spreader tip fits. Usually this hole is still there the next time I use the hammock, with the amsteel having not deformed at all. I do use my Dutch bridge ends too since they are on my favorite bridge hammock, but I definitely notice that torque on the spreader bar tips which isn't there with the amsteel-only connection.Originally Posted by MiteyF
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Hard rubber tip? Huh? Mine are aluminum, why in the world would you use plastic for such a crucial suspension component?
The young man is referring to trekking poles.
The most common cause (location) of failure when using those is the pole tip. (the item added on the end of the pole itself)
The broader point... I think that we are discovering in our group efforts to work with Carbon Fiber poles the same thing that WV is talking bout here.
Metal hardware has a high probability of increasing spreader bar failure (aluminum, carbon, or trekking pole).
That probability is even higher with a tight fitting pole tip and socket.
One of my favorite tools is a beer bottle opener. A little bit of leverage goes a long way.
I'm a big fan of using soft connections (amsteel, dynaglide, webbing) for this reason.
I too can echo what Banjoman mentioned... it takes a bit to happen. But the dyneema ropes (dynaglide in my case, amsteel in his) will form a hole that is just as easy to deal with as a metal clip.
It was a concern I had too (fiddling with this damned pole tip and dynaglide dogbone), but with some use it solves itself.
I certainly have nothing against Hardware and can appreciate the mitey fine piece of work you did above.
But there is a very compelling argument structurally to removing the hardware.
Weight, reduced cost, and complexity are reasons to remove it, but if the hardware was better I would use it regardless of cost or weight.
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