Hello everyone,

After reading about the gradual disappearance of the cheap fabrics available at Wal-Mart, I ran over to the one in Danville, VA. There's just one little bitty problem: I don't know what the hell I'm looking for.

It's really only been since I've started lurking around the hammock forums that I've gotten interested in making my own stuff. My ignorance is right now as vast as my enthusiasm.

I didn't find anything with a helpful label, but they did have a few bundles on the $1 shelves that looked promising. By "looked promising," I mean it was shiny, slippery, and had faint boxes in the pattern. The label did not list a fabric, nor did it have anything along the lines of, "Though it doesn't say ripstop nylon, this is that for which you DIY hammock people flock here at odd hours of the night."

The woman there was kind enough to cut me samples from each of the three promising fabrics. Would anyone here care to enlighten me on how I know for sure if this is what I'm looking for?

Since this is my first post, I may as well introduce myself... Just got my first hammock a few months ago, a HH hyperlight, and am loving it. As happy as I am in the evenings, I'm loving the ability to recline for an early afternoon nap after a morning of fast hiking. It's the life.

I'm still using the stock tarp, but plan on upgrading to the MacCat Deluxe for my 2009 AT thru, assuming I can get one from Brian at some point (or who knows, I may just want to go ahead and try making myself a Black Cat one of these days). I did convert to the buckle setup described on Jeff's page.

Cute little idiot story, while I'm being all chatty: I followed Jeff's instructions as accurately as I could. I even drove all around trying to find the ultimate small, strong cord to connect the rings to the hammock. Having done this, I tied it up, then stared at all of that cord already there, just begging to be used for this very purpose. D'oh!

I continue to be amazed at the wealth of information found here. Y'all have really done an amazing job at creating an online community. I don't think I have ever seen a forum that is so well-organized and moderated. It is a joy to read through threads that stay on topic and provide new information with each post. Thanks to all of you for sharing your knowledge.

So... any hints on how I can tell if I have me some ripstop nylon?