I hope the design works well for you. I am glad to share. Sorry for the extra trip to Hobby Lobby! I have used snaps for some parts of my setup such as my top cap on the TED bugnet, but you are right, I would not want to try to match them all up in the dark at 3 am! Those little magnetic buggers find each other really well. My daughter likes to get in it and have me seal her up like a banana in its skin! I'm a little too wide to pull that off.Originally Posted by alacaledonia
Hmm. Very interesting! I own a Skeeter Beater and bought a second regular GT hammock (on sale) to make an under-layer, because, as HeathC commented in another thread, in central Alabama, the net is great, but the "blood vultures" have no problem getting to you through a single layer of fabric. I had about decided to sew snaps to connect the two layers, leaving space between for insulation or just a "no-bug zone." I also figured in an emergency, I could stuff the space with pine straw or leaves for insulation if necessary. Your use of sliding channels and/or grosgrain tabs sounds like a much more flexible setup for adjusting the spacing. I have already ordered some elastic cord to hold the edges of the lower hammock against the upper one, and the snaps were to add support. I think it would be a lot easier to let magnets find each other than to try to find matching snaps in the dark. I might just try this. I appreciate you sharing how you did it, and also appreciate being able to blame you for "requiring" me to make another trip to Hobby Lobby for magnets.
(Life is hard.)The magnet spacing is really a judgment call, so I didn't get really specific with those details.
One tweak I did was replace the shock cord in the channels of the lower layer with some gutted 550 paracord. I then put small side release buckles like you see on paracord survival bracelets on each end of that cordage. It makes the adjustment much easier and I can work around my ridgeline easily. When I have it tight, the collar of the lower layer rides above my ridgeline attachment point, if I need some slack for insulation, I unclip the buckle, slide it down past my ridgeline and clip it back together over the hammock body. I also have a loop of shock cord that runs through the collar on the foot end, and up to my descender rings on my suspension. This keeps the movable end from just sliding down too freely and leaving a big gap between the layers. I hope that makes sense. I will try to post some pics when life gives me a moment!
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks