Water resistant / repellent fabric for hammock?

[hutzelbein]

Another fabric question: most ripstop fabrics I can get in Europe are described as being "water resistant" or "water repellent" (not "waterproof"). Would this be suitable for making a hammock? Or would it be too sweaty? I don't really know what kind of ripstop the commercial hammocks I own are made of.

Apologies if this has been discussed already. My search didn't turn up anything.

[turnerminator]

I mainly use Pertex 4 for my hammocks. It feels like silk, wears well and dries very quickly. I also use parachute nylon and this comes uncoated sometimes.

I don't consider it necessary, though it's nice and the hammock seems to stay cleaner. I get just as much water repellency from a wash-in treatment of Nikwax TX direct as I notice on new DWR'd gear.

[kerryandjane]

Great question, I'm subscribing. I'm in the same boat as you. I have rolls and rolls of different nylon fabric. (Wife is in textile industry) but I don't think I have ideal "light" material. It's very bulky 300d 180g/m2. It's fabric for making yachting jackets.

[zooshooter]

Another fabric question: most ripstop fabrics I can get in Europe are described as being "water resistant" or "water repellent" (not "waterproof"). Would this be suitable for making a hammock? Or would it be too sweaty? I don't really know what kind of ripstop the commercial hammocks I own are made of.

Apologies if this has been discussed already. My search didn't turn up anything.

No fabric in and of itself can be waterproof due to the method of construction. It's a meshed weave of strands with spaces in between. For a hammock you don't want a waterproof fabric anyway. It needs to breathe so that your perspiration can pass through so you won't wake up in a puddle of sweat. The overhead tarp is what you want to be waterproof/resistant.

[hutzelbein]

Thanks, but I'm not sure if I understand your answers.

I'm not going to use a fabric sold as waterproof like e.g. Silnylon or PU coated nylon. But most nylon fabrics are described as this one:

Composition: 100% Nylon
Weight: 2oz/55gsm

- Ultra Lightweight: The weight of this fabric makes it suitable for outdoor jackets, sleeping bags and lightweight tents.

- Water Resistance: Water will just flow off, keeping you dry.

- Breathable: Helps prevent sweating and stops you getting too warm.

- Quickdry: Dries quickly, no need for tumble dry.

- Durable: This fabric is hard-wearing.

Is "breathable" good enough? Or will the water resistance mean that I will feel sweaty in the hammock? My only experience is with jackets that are sold as water repellent but breathable. In most cases, the breathability is greatly exaggerated and I end up with a lot of condensation. Maybe this is a non-issue in a hammock, because the fabric does not enclose the body?

@turnerminator: Do I understand you correctly that you prefer fabrics that are water repellent/resistant? I'm not familiar with Pertex, and I doubt that I can get it here (in Europe) cheaply. I probably also wouldn't want to use it for now, as this is going to be my first sewing project

I tried to find parachute nylon, but it's either PU coated or not wide enough.

[pgibson]

Water-resistant is fine for hammock use. Most of the cottage shop that make hammocks and quilts use fabric that is like this. I has a treatment on it that helps to repel moisture in droplet form. This is usually described as a DWR: aka Durable Water Repellant. It will shed droplet water, from rain or what not. But the DWR does not have enough structure to be waterproof and will allow vapor moisture to pass though...aka the Breathable term being used. For a hammock or quilts as well that combo is great.

The Fabric types and performance characteristics for jackets is in a totally different scope of fabric type and performance so while the terms are the same the meaning behind them and the use are a bit different.

[hutzelbein]

Great, thanks for the detailed explanation! This will give me a lot more fabric choice then.