building my own hammock

**tcr03** · 06-12-2010, 12:47

so i stopped by jo anns yesterday and got 4 yards of rip stop. dont know the oz of it. im wanting to build my own hammock and snake skins out of it. im 6 foot tall and 190 lbs. how long should i keep the fabric.

for suspention im going to make a whoopie sling. i want to run the sling through the gathered end and have an eyelet on the inside of the hammock for the ridgeline to attach to. what type of stopper knot should i tie so it doesnt just pull out of the end of the gathered material

thanks in advance
matt

**Ramblinrev** · 06-12-2010, 13:34

In my opinion 4 yards is what you for the hammock by itself. If you whip the ends (as opposed to a sewn channel) you will lose roughly 2 feet from the total length once you hem the ends (for strength and to prevent raveling). I like my hammocks about 10 feet long (120 inches) with a ridgeline of 100 inches. That's a personal preference but it seems to be fairly consistent. The width of the fabric should be no less than 60" with a small rolled hem leaving you roughly 58" in width for a good diagonal lie.

**tcr03** · 06-12-2010, 14:07

thanks, ill just have to get something else for the snake skins. any idea on the suspention i mentioned

**Terry_Dodson** · 06-12-2010, 16:46

How about a decender ring on the inside to hook your ridgeline to on each end. I think a nice metal ring should not pull out very easily.

**tcr03** · 06-12-2010, 22:26

Well I got the fabric out to sew up the seems and noticed I bought 48" wide instead of 60". Well I figured I would hem up the sides and make it for a gear hammock or a hammock for my kids. It sure was good practice. Those long sides are pretty hard to keep strait.

**Terry_Dodson** · 06-13-2010, 11:57

Did you try it out? You might like it for an ultralight type one. I have one that is about 48" wide and 9' long DIY one that i carry in my day pack when i am just going for a few hour walk (usually with my dog). It makes a nice chair in the woods and if the dog is really tired (he is almost 14), we can both take a nap for a little bit.

**tcr03** · 06-13-2010, 12:32

not yet. i still have to get amsteel for the whoopie slings.

**Knotty** · 06-13-2010, 12:40

The the Stickies in the DIY forum for lots of good info.

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/f...splay.php?f=85

**tcr03** · 07-24-2010, 13:45

so ive had my hammock made for a while now and im alittle confused with how ppl are measuring the length of there hammock. from end to end, my hammock is 11' 8". it seems like this is two long. ramblinrev said that i should use all 4 yards to make my hammock so that is what i did. im just wondering what everyone else's hammocks are measuring.

**gargoyle** · 07-24-2010, 15:51

You could tie a knot in one end and see how it fits YOU. We are all different, so what works for one, may not work for the others.

I make mine 10 feet long, then adjust the sag with a hammock ridgeline. I'm 6' 4", and find this plenty comfortable for ME. YMMV