Newbie's gonna try to make his first hammock Newbie

[PineMartyn]

I did it. I brought my cheapo hammock and DIY suspension system into the woods to test out and it worked! It took literally under one minute to hang, and it supported my weight very nicely. One of the carabiners I had in the setup got slightly bent from the strain, but that's because I wanted to see if one of those cheap dollar-store biners would support my weight. It did, but I wouldn't trust it on a camping trip of course.

Regrettably, and as rightly predicted by many here, it was too short a hammock (only 8.5' long) and a little too narrow to permit much of a diagonal lay, but I got a sense of what a properly sized hammock would feel like and I think I'll eventually be hammocking myself. My wife tried it out too; she's 5' 5" and 120lbs, but she too found it a little short and narrow. Shoulder squeeze would make this an uncomfortable hammock to sleep in. There was also the problem that this hammock was not made from one solid piece of fabric, but three long, narrow pieces sewn together. This means there are two quite firm seams running in parallel the length of the hammock which interfere with lying on the diagonal.

Nevertheless, proof-of-concept was achieved. The suspension setup worked, was easy to adjust, including the adjustable structural ridge line, the whole thing went up in under a minute and came down and was put away in about 2 minutes (no tarp, involved) and I really got a feel for what it'd be like to sleep, sit and lounge in it. And it didn't cost me a penny in materials.

So...now I have to think about if I want to make a properly sized one from ripstop material or instead buy a professional model, such as the Hennessy Expedition Asymmetrical Zip or one of the Warbonnets.

Anyway, thanks yet again to all who offered their expertise in my little experiment.

Cheers,
- Martin

[The Old Boot]

And what's more you weren't crawling around on your hands and knees and trying to find a place that was flat, free of run-off and didn't have tree roots and rocks in the way...

Not to add confusion to the whole 'picking a hammock' deal - okay, it will add lots more confusion... take a look at the bridge hammocks and see if they would be better for at least the wife.

Have fun researching!!

[berksound]

PineMartyn,
In that case check out BIAS hammocks WW . 11 foot, 60" wide, great price, great craftsmanship.

[PineMartyn]

Yeah, I gotta say, I was rather impressed by three things in my first trial:
1) How easy it was to find a suitable hanging spot. I wasn't concerned about a flat spot, level spot, possible runoff, etc. I did make sure there were no rocks or point sticks beneath in case the whole thing broke under my weight, but that's only because I couldn't be confident that my suspension system would hold.

2) The fact that my cobbled together system worked. I just mixed and matched various techniques I'd seen on these fora and in videos which I could employ using only materials I already had around the house.

3) How incredibly fast it was to setup and take down. Less than a minute, and I'd never even seen it done. So simple. Of course, I didn't bother setting up my tarp over it, but that was because my hammock was too short for camping in.

My wife was also suitably impressed by these factors, but until she can see a hammock with the proper length in which she can achieve a proper and flat diagonal lay, she won't go for it. So...I'm hoping to find some material somewhere to attempt another gathered-end hammock of the right length.

And as for adding to the confusion...don't worry about making suggestions. I'm already completely bewildered and lost amidst the possibilities. Suggestions from experienced hangers can't make matters worse in that respect. Bring 'em on!

Cheers,
-Martin

[PineMartyn]

PineMartyn,
In that case check out BIAS hammocks WW . 11 foot, 60" wide, great price, great craftsmanship.

Will do berksound. Anything you can tell me about them based on your experience is welcome.

I should perhaps mention that I'm looking for something with a bug mesh included, with or without a tarp, for use in cold weather, but probably not for winter use as I prefer igloo camping once the snow arrives.

-Martin