My Take On DIY Hennessy Hammock. A Tutorial.

**headchange4u** · 03-03-2007, 10:15

Originally Posted by blackbishop351

Hmm....now that I reread, I think he's right. Lets you use both halves of the third zipper.

I was wondering - how are you planning on making both ends separable? I didn't think they made double-pull zippers that separated on both ends.

The zippers with only separate at one end but can be opened from either end.

**Drop** · 03-03-2007, 10:22

Originally Posted by headchange4u

You method may actually be the best route. I don't know why this zipper crap is so confusing to me

. I may have to only buy 3 fleece sleeping bags.

I appreciate you trying to save me some cash.

I'll bet your confused. I was going to post my thoughts earlier last night then I thought I was wrong then right then wrong. I had a few sleepless hours and had to post my thoughts so I could actually sleep.

As Jeff says making sure that the zips work together would be the key, I was thinking that after the zips on the hammock it wouldn't be too hard to zip on a matching zip half then do the sewing.

As for missing out on a centre opening the only simple get around I could think of is to attach an shorter centre opening fixed end zipper along a section between the detaching zipper and netting/cover material. A bit of extra weight and cost but because of the shorter length you may find this not too bad. (come to think of it if it was between the zipper and the hammock you'd only need one but you'd always have the weight.)

My other mad sleep deprived thoughts centred around what could the zipping possibilities be, could the netting or cover zipped into tubes (individually or together) be put to some use? Could you fire your undercover and top quilt into the hammock then zip it up and use the hanging straps as a compression system?

Drop

**blackbishop351** · 03-03-2007, 10:44

Originally Posted by Drop

Could you fire your undercover and top quilt into the hammock then zip it up and use the hanging straps as a compression system?

Drop

I'd rather have something waterproof around my sleep system, rather than using the hammock as a kind of stuff sack. But I have thought about adding zippers or velcro to the sides of my DIY hammock to retain my top quilt and allow for a single-package setup - hammock, top quilt, underquilt. After having packed an actual UQ/sock setup though, I think adding a top quilt into the picture would make the end result way too bulky.

**headchange4u** · 03-03-2007, 10:50

Originally Posted by Drop

My other mad sleep deprived thoughts centred around what could the zipping possibilities be, could the netting or cover zipped into tubes (individually or together) be put to some use? Could you fire your undercover and top quilt into the hammock then zip it up and use the hanging straps as a compression system?

Drop

That's a great idea. Brilliant! That would mean that I could use the top covers as a zip up hammock skin. It would great if I could get something like that to work.

I think once the zippers are attached each side will be a mirror of the other side, one side seperating at the head and one side seperating at the foot. If this is the case then I won't be able to do what you are talking about. I will probably have to have the zippers and the hammock laid out in front of me before I could say for sure.

**Drop** · 03-03-2007, 10:55

Any thoughts on the addition of an extra centre opening zipper to the mix?

**headchange4u** · 03-03-2007, 11:18

Originally Posted by Drop

Any thoughts on the addition of an extra centre opening zipper to the mix?

Installing a center zipper would probably be more trouble than it's worth.

**Just Jeff** · 03-03-2007, 11:28

I think he means a stand-alone zipper just under or above the long zipper. Like this:

. ....short zipper..
....L O N G Z I P P E R H E R E......

That would be pretty easy to make.

**Drop** · 03-03-2007, 11:52

Yup as Jeff shows.

On my Vaude tent... No wait, on a friend of mines Vaude tent, there is a simmilar setup for the entrance to the inner tent. There its used with two materials noseeum and traditonal tent inner so you get the choice of using one or the other or both. Not the same situation as for use in a hammock but kind of what got me thinking.

Possibly not too much trouble to do, it's not an essential but could make things a bit more flexible.

I'll add it to my list of things on my dream hammock along with the netting and covers

**Coffee** · 03-03-2007, 11:58

I just ordered the zippers for my next version of a bug bivy. One thing I did was order 2 zipper pulls for one length of zipper. It is not going to be a seperating zipper. The 2 pulls are going to be facing opposite directions on the same length of zipper. That way I can have the opening at any place I want to.

In the end a homemade hammock will only set you back about $5-10. A summer and winter version might be in order.

**headchange4u** · 03-03-2007, 13:20

I've stuck out twice so far. I went to Big Lots and they did not have any fleece sleeping bags. I next went to Walmart and they had the $10 fleece bags with the 2 way serprating zipper but it only had one pull on the zipper instead of 2.
Walmart also have a ploy fill sleeping bag with a "self healing" zipper. The zipper had double pulls but was only a one way separating.

I am going to head into the big city of Lexington and check ****'s Sporting Goods, Target, and Kmart. Wish me luck.