Hammock 1 - The White Bridge
One of the things a coveted after the Hoosier Hang was a bridge hammock. I got the chance to hang in a bridge (thanks Clint) and to look over one of Grizz' bridges. So I put some ideas together and made my first bridge (did I just say first? )
Anyway this one I made just to see if I would like the bridge style of hammock. Its made mostly of items I had around the sewing room. The body is Walmart 1.1 nylon. I'm not a big fan of white, but its what I had on hand. I used some tubular webbing I picked up last year at Ragged Mt when I was there last year. I made up the support system using a bury to form the triangle and incorporated a whoopie sling.
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I used bamboo for the spreaders and made pockets out of webbing to hold the spreaders.
White Bridge 003.jpg
After Griz posted about the half-length bug net I went ahead and did a similar thing for my bridge. I haven't tested the bug net yet - not buggy enuf here. I'll get a chance latter this summer when I am up in NH.
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I've slept out in the hammock several times. It definitely is flat when adjusted correctly. I find it a bit confining and have only been able to sleep flat on my back and partly on my side. I will continue testing for the good of the community.
The white material appears to be too weak for the body of the hammock. I'm not sure I would trust the hammock in the back country. There are a number of places where I can see thru the material and places it appears to be overstressed. I have material for a new body - but may not have the time to replace it until after the the summer.
Hammock Two- A Blackbird WannaBe
I lost my gathered end with integral bug net when it tore on me a few months ago. It was made of Walmart polyester and didn't hold up very well. ) So I have just finished making a new hammock based loosely on the Blackbird.
While at the Hoosier Hang I was able to try out BonsaiHiker's Blackbird and was quite impressed. One of the things that struck me was how the material was much more solid than that of my DIY hammock. I suppose because it didn't stretch as much. So the new hammock used 1.9 oz ripstop from JoAnne's. This gives the hammock a completely different lay than my old one. I just tested it for a few minutes this afternoon and will give it a better test tonight up at the hammock testing grounds.
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I find making a hammock with attached bug net a challenge and am not completely happy with the way it looks. But if it gives me a good nites sleep I will be satisfied for now.
Now I just need to make a summer UQ and I'll be ready for the summer's hanging.
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