My DIY Hammock (HC4U style)

**Medecine Hat** · 04-23-2011, 16:16

Well, I have read that if there are no pics, then it didn't happen, so here's a look at the DIY hammock project that I worked on yesterday. I used the tutorial that HC4U posted. It was fairly easy to put together, even with the triangle reinforcements on the tie-outs. This one is slightly over 11' long, so hopefully it gets me nice and flat. I'm 5'10", and since I'm 175 lbs, I thought a single layer of 1.5 oz ripstop would hold me and still be very light. Feeling the difference between the 1.5 oz and 1.9 oz, I am a little concerned. We'll see what happens when I actually lay in this thing. I also put the tie-outs at 27" from center vice the 13" that HC4U used. I have not yet had a chance to hang it, and I also haven't put the no-see-um netting on it yet.

Ok, enough talk, here it is:

I used the same 5-roll whip HC4U used, and gutted 550 paracord to tie the whip. I used a small length of utility cord from REI to make the monkey fist/bowline cord that runs through the whipping to attach the ridgeline.

Hopefully it works! Let me know what you think.

-MH

**DiscoveryDiver** · 04-23-2011, 16:47

Nice rig...looks clean. I like the monkey fist knot in there (I think)...

**Medecine Hat** · 04-24-2011, 18:50

Thanks DD! Yeah, it took me a few tries to get the monkey fist knots looking good. My first attempts looked like trash. Also, that cord wasn't the most flexible stuff to work with.

When the thunderstorms stop, I might actually get this thing outside and test it out!

**johnfolsomjr** · 04-24-2011, 22:10

Hey Medecine Hat, do you have a link to that tutorial? For some reason I'm having problems finding it...

**angrysparrow** · 04-24-2011, 22:12

Originally Posted by johnfolsomjr

Hey Medecine Hat, do you have a link to that tutorial? For some reason I'm having problems finding it...

It's a sticky right here in the DIY forum.

**johnfolsomjr** · 04-24-2011, 22:14

Originally Posted by angrysparrow

It's a sticky right here in the DIY forum.

Somehow I didn't connect "HC4U" with "headchange4u"....

Thanks!

**JohnSawyer** · 04-25-2011, 17:18

The 1.5 ripstop should hold you with no problems. I'm 215# and have a 1.1 Single layer. It holds me fine. My Beyer of Maine Parachute hammock is rated for 200# and the fabric is definitely lighter than 1.9 fabric that I have.

**Medecine Hat** · 05-22-2011, 14:44

Well, I got the chance this weekend to take it outside and really lay in it for a while. I'm not sure I am sold on this just yet. I figured with the hammock being 11 feet long, I would be able to get pretty flat, but I still had my legs and feet elevated a little. Not too much, but just enough to create some pressure points that I think would keep me from being able to sleep comfortably all night long. I whipped it with a 5 folds rolled toward the center line on each side. Does anyone use a different whip that they get better results with, or do I just need more time to adjust? My ridgeline was about 95 inches. Any other thoughts?

I really want to get this right, because I would much rather hang than sleep in a tent.

**Catavarie** · 05-23-2011, 05:07

You could try adjusting the length of your ridge line to be a bit longer, and how high were you tied off? You might have been too high on the tree causing the hammock to not sag properly.

Just a couple of thoughts.

**GvilleDave** · 05-23-2011, 12:43

Or shorten your ridgeline which will increase the amount of sag and the extra sag for me creates a very flat lie w/ this style hammock. The only change I made to these directions were to use a WBBB style gathered end instead of the rolled/whipped method...

Looks Nice. The next one I make for me will be a similar no-net for winter...