Questions from new hammock maker

[catnip]

Hi, all,

I've been lurking here for a while and buying Walmart $1 bin fabric when I find ripstop. I'm not sure whether I have nylon or polyester, but I did measure and weigh it all. My calculations may be a bit off in the length measurement, but width and weight are accurate; however, I think the weight calculation is close enough for my use.

My goal is to make 4 hammocks for me and 3 of my boys who can still go camping/backpacking. I plan to make them 3 yards long, the 2-layer hammocks as in Just Jeff's site so we can use a blue Walmart CCF pad for bottom insulation.

These are the likely candidates in my fabric stash:

(1) Gray ripstop that came out to about 1.85 oz/sq.yd. It's very breathable, didn't even test with water due to its breathability. The grid is 3/16 inch.

(2) Sheer and slippery (but fairly tough) olive ripstop, frays like crazy, very breathable, 1/8 inch grid, no water test as above. It is about 1.2 oz/sq.yd.

Would it make a good sturdy hammock if I used one layer of each of these? Two of my teen boys are at 200 pounds already (and 6 feet tall), and the 10yo will probably wind up being that big, too. I'm (can't believe I'm admitting this) 240 pounds and definitely don't want any of us to end up dumped on the ground due to overloading.

I've also collected several chunks of barely-breathable ripstop weighing 2.3 and 1.2 oz/sq.yd., but from my reading here I've gathered that breathable will be more comfortable when a pad isn't needed.

The sewing won't be a problem. I have experience and I'm currently working on a G4 pack with an added custom bottle holder sized for a 32 oz. Gatorade bottle.

Thanks for any advice y'all can give!

Trudi in FL

[NCPatrick]

Welcome!
I think you'd be fine to make the hammock out of the 1.85 and the bottom layer out of the 1.2. You may want to make them a bit longer though, makes them more comfortable. My .02

[Preacha Man]

I'm 5'8", 230 pounds and I make my hammocks 10.5' long by 60". I use 1.9oz ripstop and I have had no problems, even with my 40 pound boy in the hammock with me, and my 60 ppound girl. It wasn't comfortable with al three of us, but it held perfectly the 330 pounds that was in it. I agree with NCPatrick, on the layering, and making them longer. Have fun, experiment, and find what works best for you and your boys.

Dwight

[catnip]

Cool, thanks! I have 15 yards of the 1.85 oz/sq.yd (approx.) so I have enough to make all 4 of them longer than 3 yards. I only have 12 yards of the 1.2 I listed above, but I have another piece of some funky gray, green, and purple swirly pattern that's about 1.2 for the second layer on the 4th one. That'll have to be for mine, LOL!

Thanks!

[Redtail]

Welcome to the forums. Sounds like you have done your research and are on the right track. Compared to a making G4, you'll find making hammocks is about as simple as it gets. Good advice above, good luck with your projects.