My current hammock is 4 ply 4.4 oz Talsan (Supplex). I'd like to go with something lighter cause I plan to make a much longer hammock (about 12 feet or so). I wiegh 260+ lbs.
Do you think 1.9oz ripstop would do? Or should I stick with 3 to 3.5 oz material?
OWF has 3.4 oz Taslan for $4.25 per yard. It's only 59 inches wide. Is that wide enough?
Hmmm, I thought I put this in the homemade gear section but didn't. Mod, would you put it over there please?
I weigh 220+ and usually have some gear with me in there. I have used 1.9 with good results. I used some thinner taffeta and it held ok. I think the issue is not if it holds one or four times, but if it will hold up for the long haul.
I think the taffeta hammock I made will work for the occasional weekend or week use, but I do not think it will hold up to a thru.
On top of that thought, just because something works 1 or 4 times doesn't mean it won't fail at any time. I would start out with maybe 2.9-ish oz stuff and go from there. It's just a guess though.
Whatever you use, do some testing and keep an eye one it. Then let us know.
Is that too much to ask? Girls with frikkin' lasers on their heads?
The hanger formly known as "hammock engineer".
I weigh 300 and have been held up by 1.1oz. Didn't use it for long tho, but I did try to stress test it. 1.9 would probably be fine based on what other manufacturers are using. I wouldn't have much concern about immediate catastrophic failure the first time you use it, but this stuff is plastic, and I'm worried that if I choose too thin of a material, it will tend to stretch and thin out over time. Main area I'd be concerned about is the edge when getting into/out of the hammock. I've noted others using thin material and having the edge stretched over time. If you're concerned, then you can reduce the likelihood of failure by increasing the sag in the hammock, and thus decreasing the stresses on it substantially.
you can get away w/ 1/1 for a while, but i had one drop me last year.
it tore near one of the knots. ..tim
I too will something make and joy in it's making
I make mine from 1.9oz. I do have a 1.1oz hammock but the thinness of the material makes me a little paranoid..
“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." -Terry Pratchett
yep, i really liked the 1.1oz hammock, but after it dropped me, i decided that was pushing my luck just a little to much. especially on the trail where i'm depending on that one hammock.Originally Posted by headchange4u
i believe that's the time that i chipped a bone in my elbow on the hardwood floor too. it took several months to get over that
I too will something make and joy in it's making
I use 1.9 oz. I'm not that big of a guy, but the stresses at the ends worried me so I stayed away from the 1.1 oz.
"Physics is the only true science. All else is stamp collecting." - J. J. Thompson
Well, I ordered 3.4 oz. Taslan(Supplex) from OWF. My current hammock uses 4.4 oz. With the new hammock at 13 feet +/-, I wanted to save weight but not give up too much strength.
Nope, but it's the only uncoated nylon I could find that was greater than 1.9 oz ripstop. I note Hennessey Safari uses 210 Denier Oxford, but everywhere I've looked I can only find oxford with urethane coating. Same for really light Cordura, everything is coated. So Supplex was the only material I could find in 3+ oz/sq yard. Even then it was DWR, I'll have to wash it a few times to get the DWR off.
Last edited by funbun; 03-28-2007 at 19:42.
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