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Thread: Hemp fabric

  1. #1
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    Hemp fabric

    Would hemp fabric make a good hammock body? The quick browsing I have done has yeilded weights starting at about 4 oz./yd. So, that is twice the weight I am using with ripstop, but that is not the point. I just want to know if it would work!

    Don't tell me to try it myself...'cause I'll just end up doing it!

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    Dang this one looks nice! It is twine, though.

    http://www.mayanlegacy.com.au/Hemp%2...%20Hammock.htm

    And it brags about hemp being mold and mildew resistant!

    How about this one:

    http://www.ecopatio.com/shop/hemphammock.html

    It is hemp fabric, although it is probably heavy.

    You could make this hammock for your lil hiking buddy out of hemp!

    http://toydesigningvashti.blogspot.c...p-hammock.html
    Last edited by Narwhalin; 06-09-2008 at 13:05.

  3. #3
    Senior Member QChan's Avatar
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    That's cool man.

    Hemp is a really strong fabric so you probably wouldn't have issues with it ripping or anything like that. And if it's true that it's mold and mildew resistant I can't see why it wouldn't work.

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    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    My biggest concern with hemp hammock body, outside of weight, would be texture. I used to use hemp rope a lot as it was used in stage rigging for a long time. It would eventually get very smooth and soft with used and breaking in, but until then it would deliver splinters the size of small cigars and the length of of a chow's chest fur. The other problem with hemp is that it tends to get soft and sloppy from the inside. It was not unusual for a hemp rope to rot from the inside out. We would counter-twist the rope from time to time just to make sure it wasn't going to surpise us one day.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

    "Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
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    Senior Member QChan's Avatar
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    You can buy really really soft hemp fabrics now.

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    Two things come to mind, after thinking about this awhile...

    One is what are the disadvantages to using a hammock made of woven twine? I figure most of those hammocks are made of cotton, so that is going to be avoided, but if we find out hemp is better perhaps woven hammocks could be an area we haven't fully explored yet. RamblinRev, how long did it take for the hemp rope to rot?

    The other thing is durability. The heavy weight goes without saying, but perhaps we could look at it as a quality issue. My Tilley TH4 hemp hat will probably last a lifetime, so the extra few ounces are worth it to me for a hat that will be able to have many stories to tell one day!

    Also, I am interested in how the fabric will stretch. Brooks leather bike saddles are made of leather, and thus, the saddles will eventually form fit to the rider. Many professional riders and serious tourers use these saddle so religiously that when they change bikes, they take the saddle from their old bike with them. These saddles eventually become things of beauty, and examples of another be-u: Beusage. http://www.ecovelo.info/2008/06/03/a-deep-patina/

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    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    Hemp rope takes a long time to rot if it is properly maintained. Theaters are rarely optimally maintained. Even so I can't remember ever having a rope holding any significant weight break on me. Most of thet experience was finding rope coiled up in a back room somewhere and using it support some minor set pieces. It could look good on the outside, but when you counter-twisted the rope there would be powdery stuff in the recesses.

    Probably more "dry rot" than "mildew". Whatever the difference is.

    I am sure hemp is used for hammock beds in the part of the world where tied hammocks are the norm. It is a very strong durable fiber with a high tensile strength. Ships used hemp hawsers for centuries and some may still.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

    "Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
    Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

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  8. #8
    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    HEMP is currently being used by designers in clothing. When thinking of hemp, the illegal plant, marijuana comes to mind. No, hemp fabric does not contain the narcotic chemical that, when smoked produces the "high" that smoking marijuana produces. Marijuana is from the dried flowers and leaves of the Cannabis Sativa plant. Hemp fabric is made from the stems of the plant. The stems are processed to dissolve the gum or pectin and separate the fibers which are then processed again and woven into yarns and fabric. The finest hemp for fabric is produced in Italy. Hemp fabric is like linen in both hand and appearance. Hemp fabric withstands water better than any other textile product. It wrinkles easily and should not be creased excessively to avoid wear and breakage of the fibers.

    http://www.fabrics.net/hemp.asp

    There would be a major problem with a camping hammock from hemp. It does not take well to creases and being packed tightly. The rope/twine fibers tend to break from the inside out. The inside of the rope experiencing more stress and tighter creases than the outsiide. For a bakyard hammock it is probably a very reasonable fabric.

    On further research... burlap is often of hemp or jute. (they are not the same fiber but have similar properties.) So if you would trust burlap as a hammock bed you could probably trust hemp. I have worked with quite a bit of rotten burlap in my day. Again, it can look ok but have a very sudden catastrophic failure.
    Last edited by Ramblinrev; 06-09-2008 at 17:03.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

    "Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
    Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

    We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series

    Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies

    Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ramblinrev View Post
    I am sure hemp is used for hammock beds in the part of the world where tied hammocks are the norm. It is a very strong durable fiber with a high tensile strength. Ships used hemp hawsers for centuries and some may still.
    Thanks for the analysis RamblinRev! I am also sure that if taken care of, hemp hammocks could last for a long time. Clearly those hemp ropes used on ships went through much more than we could put it through!

    So, can anyone comment on rope woven hammocks, their lay and any other concerns related to using these hammocks in a backpacking context?

    Edit: Sorry we were posting at the same time...

    So could the woven rope hammocks be better than the fabric for packing down over and over? Again, can you speculate as to how long this "breaking down" would take with proper care?

  10. #10
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    woven hammocks can be nice. generally the smaller the thread/string, and the smaller the holes between them the better and more expensive they are. i have one made of woven waxed cotton string. it's pretty heavy but aside from that it should be fine for camping. like all hammocks, just keep it dry and out of the dirt and it should last a long time.

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