Footbox?

[jnelson871]

Ok so I can not find this anywhere with search. What is a footbox and why would I add one to my DIY hammock?

[angrysparrow]

It's a triangular piece of fabric, added to one or more of the long edges of a gathered end hammock, by sewing two sides of the triangle to the long edge. It effectively shortens the side it is added to, depending on the dimensions of the triangle used.

It was first designed by Warbonnet, to make the hammock body of the Blackbird not put excess strain on the netting when the hammock was loaded on a severe asym angle.

On netless hammocks, it doesn't actually effect the lie of the hammock, but some folks like that it creates a bit of lift on one edge and therefore keeping things from falling out of the hammock.

[jnelson871]

Thanks for the clarification angry. Deciding if I want to put one on my ghost hammock or not. Only thing that will be in the hammock itself is me and my top quilt so not to concerned. Would it be possible to add it on after if I decided that I wanted one you think?

[angrysparrow]

Would it be possible to add it on after if I decided that I wanted one you think?

Sure, that's pretty common actually.

[krs2fer]

Anybody got a photo or drawing of one of these installed?

[FLRider]

Anybody got a photo or drawing of one of these installed?

Here's a BlackBird DIY guide that has a few pictures further down the thread. Hope it helps!

[Grinder]

I just added a stretch footbox to my hammock and really like it. It's the best of both worlds. You don't have the High side entry problem with the elastic.

Creds to Knotty for his experiments. I had to get a little creative on the pattern, based on the verbal description.. After adding selvage to the described geometric pattern, it was straight forward.
Seems like I found it by searching all of "Knotty" threads and then going deeper.

I only added a foot box. a "shoulder box" is pending approval. I don't know if I really need it.

[Knotty]

To save you from having to search, you can find the stretch-side hammock instructions in my signature below and you can find the stretch-side mod for an existing hammock here.

The stretch-side approach helps keep things in the hammock yet still allows you to enter and exit the hammock from either side. If you have a sewn footbox on one side, then you don't want to enter or sit on that side of the hammock as you might tear it. For a hammock with attached bug netting, I think footbox is the way to go.

[jnelson871]

Thanks knotty. No netting on my DIY so may try your stretch side mod.