So - If I Was Gonna Make One....

**Brancher** · 11-19-2013, 12:47

So I was going thru some stuff yesterday, and I found my old Silnylon Tarp I made during one of my UL binges - still in great shape, slight catenary cuts, 8'X10'. Needs some new guy lines an maybe some pull-outs, but in great shape nonetheless.

So it occurred to me that instead of searching high and low for the 'perfect' hammock and tarp, I could probably just make one.....

Hmmmm. I need a DL hammock, need some dimensions, need to figure out how to attach netting, ridgelines, etc. (heck, I don't understand ridgeline adjustments at all).

Are there any links about this? Any threads? Patterns? Lessons learned? I went to Just Jeff's page, lots of info there.

But (for example) how long a piece of material should I start with? 100 inches? 96 inches? Also, should I use silnylon or DWR nylon? Stuff like that.

I went to OWF and they have almost everything I need and I think I can get hooks, buckles, etc as well.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

**Wanderlost** · 11-19-2013, 12:51

Check out DIY Gear Supply. They have an entire DIY section which can give you some basic patterns.

**dangerous** · 11-19-2013, 13:19

Also, search the DIY section stickies and other threads. There are mountains of information on making hammocks, tarps, quilts etc. But to answer one of your questions, start with 4 yards of 60 inch wide fabric. I usually cut mine down to around 130 before hemming and use the left over for stuff sacks and ridgeline organizers. As far as ridgeline adjustments. You can play with the ridgeline length that you find most comfortable. Most start at 83% of the hammocks overall length. So for my hammocks that come out to 120 inches total length once they are finished I start with a ridgeline length of 99 inches and adjust it back and forth from there untill I feel the most comfortable. Hope that helps and good luck going down the rabbit hole.

**camoxjeep** · 11-19-2013, 16:29

Originally Posted by Brancher

I went to OWF and they have almost everything I need and I think I can get hooks, buckles, etc as well.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

My mind is blank

What is OWF?

**outbackpacker3** · 11-19-2013, 16:45

Probably Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics I think that the name of the website

**silentorpheus** · 11-19-2013, 22:19

Originally Posted by camoxjeep

My mind is blank

What is OWF?

www.owfinc.com

Great selection, good prices.

**Brancher** · 11-20-2013, 18:51

Yeah (sorry for the delay)... It's Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics. They have pretty much everything everybody else has, and they are reasonably priced. Wonderful folks, too, you can tell it's a family business. They're so old-school they don' even have online transactions and payments! you have to call or fill out a printed form an mail it to them. Kinda neat. I've been doing business with them for years - silnylon, no-seeum, zippers, little hardware odds and ends, etc.

But I really like the DIY section at DIY Gear Supply as well. The DIY section there is invaluable and has shown me a lot of info -- which brings me to my next quandry:

So in grazing the DIY Gear site, I made a list of all materials, prices, etc to build my own hammock. And it urns out, I can buy a Claytor or DD hammock for less than I can buy the materials and make one - and that doesn't include the time taken to do the work - assuming, of course, that I cut and sew it up correctly.

The Warbonnet stuff (BB and MJ) I like is about $125 more, and it goes from there (with Hennessey being probably the most expensive for their DL model and a decent tarp).

So don't see a great deal of monumental savings from making versus buying. The one thing I can control better by making my own is weight - but even that is not terribly significant..

I've made some gear, including stoves, bivies, tarps, tarptent, many stuffsacks (you have lots of leftovers if you are making stuff), and everything I made works as intended.....

....But it ain't all that pretty. Some of the finishes (tie-outs, etc) and some hems are not quite as 'finished' as I would see in one bought from a shop. Also, not every sewing line is perfectly straight, etc, etc.

So I dunno if it's worth it to jump into that game or not.

Thoughts?

**XTrekker** · 11-20-2013, 19:36

been making my own gear for awhile now and i have found that i save alot of money in diy. it just depends on your materials. if you bairly shopping around and sourcing expensive materials than you will have very little savings. But I MYOG because I enjoy doing it and not just to save money.

**Brancher** · 11-23-2013, 07:12

Originally Posted by XTrekker

been making my own gear for awhile now and i have found that i save alot of money in diy. it just depends on your materials. if you bairly shopping around and sourcing expensive materials than you will have very little savings. But I MYOG because I enjoy doing it and not just to save money.

Y'know, you're spot on! I've gone to DIY Gear and stumbled around this site and have found some really interesting data on this. And, I think I'll start with a large tarp to get back into the game (so to speak).

But here're a (maybe naive) design question or 2:
I came across the sketches on the HH clone and the DIY gear hammock plan - so for an asym gathered-end hammock, would it be better to cut the material as a slight parallelogram in order to slightly accentuate the asym piece and making the flat lie a little more natural, or is there a gathering technique that provides that?

Also, how are footboxes engineered? Is that also a gathering/folding part? I never noticed that with my HH before.....

**XTrekker** · 11-23-2013, 11:14

Originally Posted by Brancher

Y'know, you're spot on! I've gone to DIY Gear and stumbled around this site and have found some really interesting data on this. And, I think I'll start with a large tarp to get back into the game (so to speak).

But here're a (maybe naive) design question or 2:
I came across the sketches on the HH clone and the DIY gear hammock plan - so for an asym gathered-end hammock, would it be better to cut the material as a slight parallelogram in order to slightly accentuate the asym piece and making the flat lie a little more natural, or is there a gathering technique that provides that?

Also, how are footboxes engineered? Is that also a gathering/folding part? I never noticed that with my HH before.....

A parallelogram will simply become a rectangle once whipped unfortunately. If you want to build a footbox, then I suggest making a trapezoid with the footbox on the longer side. There is a few gathering techniques that people say effects the lay of the hammock. I have experimented with a few and reached my own conclusions and settled on my own design. I suggest playing with a few of them and see what works good for you.