Weight is not an issue

[Dutch]

More power to you

[ikemouser]

Weight doesn't matter, but cost does? WOOHOO!!! That's SO easy. Go get a cheap blue tarp from Lowes, 4 yards of cheap fabric for a gathered end hammock (no sewing needed for imrisk test hammock), and some polyester rope. Total cost will be under $40. Maybe $50 if you get expensive rope but you don't want expensive, you just want polyester with a decent strength. You're not humping it over hill and dale so who cares if it's 1/2" diameter and weighs 3 pounds? The same is true of your fabric. You want something that will breath nicely and with low/no stretch. If it weighs 12oz/yard, big deal.

There's also no reason to mess around with webbing tree huggers. Just wrap the rope around the tree about 8 or 10 times, tie it with an inch of slack, and then tie your suspension rope around all of them. Ta-da! Instant protection for the tree and it cost you maybe $2 if your tree is huge. The multiple lines will distribute the weight over as much area as a webbing strap or maybe more depending on how huge your rope is. Alternately you could just ditch the suspension ropes completely and use ratchet straps from Walmart tied to the trees. You never know when it'll be useful to have some ratchet straps hanging around (sorry, couldn't help myself ).

Undercover and top quilt with no concern for weight? WOOL! Grab a couple of wool blankets at army surplus and tie one of them up under the hammock. Since it's wool, you'll still be toasty warm even if it gets damp/wet. If you're cold, tie two under the hammock.

The only other thing is your bug protection. There are plenty of places in Colorado where I wouldn't even bother with bug protection, but AZ may be different. If you need one and can't make one out of mesh from the fabric store, you'll need to buy one from warbonnet or eno. Or invite Cannibal, JustJeff, and the Denver crowd down for a hang. One of them is bound to have an extra bug shield laying around they'd sell cheap. Somebody has to buy Cannibal's stuff anyway before he feeds himself to the polar bears.

The two most important things about all of this?
1) If there are no pictures, it didn't happen. Post pics! Lost of them.
2) You MUST weigh all of this stuff. If you don't have a scale take it to the post office and weigh it there. It'll be fun to watch ikemouser fall over twitching when you post your total shelter weight of 19 pounds or so.

Boris

Why does he have to weigh it?

[ikemouser]

How clean is the water after it is run through the plant filtering system, is it supplemented with other filters as well? This is so amazing, you shuold try to get some press if you want, im sure you could get alot of attention, maybe even donations to help outfit it. Best of all maybe you could encourage others who have the means to do the same.

If i may ask, why did you choose arizona? Is it one of the best locations for wind/solar activity in regards to energy harvesting?

If this frees you from the burden of working in the "real world" i will be in awe of you, and hope to follow your path someday after i put my son through college!

[BillyBob58]

That's what I was hoping for Boris. At least for the hammock portion of the topic. With what I already have laying around the house I think I can get outfitted for less than $50. I just contacted a Realtor about a parcel. 40 acres heavily treed and very remote. I am not going to tell y'all how much until I make the purchase. That way no one can snag it. Fingers crossed for me friends. I am hoping to go look next weekend.

Very exciting! Your plan sounds so great! I camped at a lake down somewhere near Williams long ago. Can't remember the name.

Any water on the land you are looking at, lakes or streams? Probably not, I guess, mostly dry country. Beautiful, though!

[jpslickorocks]

Nah unfortunately, water features double or triple your buying cost. Sometimes even more. The 40 acre heavily treed plot I am looking costs half as much as the barren 20 acre plot on the Little Colorado River near Winslow.

I should be able to harvest all of the water I need from precipitation. Once all of the systems are in place I will fill it with hauled water to get me jump started and utilize the harvested water to maintain supplies.

As far as water treatment goes, I will have two separate filter systems. One strictly for drinking and another for cooking and everything else. Any gray water that is not absorbed will be re-harvested to flush the toilet and re-water the indoor planters.

Toilet water only (at 1 gallon per flush) will go into a small septic tank and leach field outside the house. The leach field will not be allowed to percolate into the ground. It will be in a large contained planter that is specifically planted with species that can handle the nutrient load of the septic leach field.

[Just Jeff]

This is very interesting...I hope it all works out well for you.

But it's not hammock talk! Guys, please keep future posts hammock related or we'll have to move it to the Donating Members section.

JP, perhaps you'd like to start a thread there to talk about the non-hammock portions of your project. Looks like enough members are interested in it.

[jpslickorocks]

JP, perhaps you'd like to start a thread there to talk about the non-hammock portions of your project. Looks like enough members are interested in it.

My bad Jeff this did digress from hammock talk. Sorry dude.

As you can imagine I am scrimping every penny so a paid membership is sadly out of the question.

Someone had made a comment about seeing what kind of attention I could get if I continue to detail the endeavor. With that coming possible donations. Would you like to be the first and donate "paid membership status" for me to continue this is the paid member forum?

[angrysparrow]

As you can imagine I am scrimping every penny so a paid membership is sadly out of the question.

You're already a donating member...

[jpslickorocks]

Really???? Cool!!! I feel silly now... Should I repost this over there or can an admin do that for me?

[GW Sears]

... You MUST weigh all of this stuff. If you don't have a scale take it to the post office and weigh it there. It'll be fun to watch ikemouser fall over twitching when you post your total shelter weight of 19 pounds or so.

Boris

If he goes the shipping container route, his weight will be between 4,000 and 9,000 pounds.