This forum is absolutely amazing. You guys and girls have been so helpful and I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate it.
First off - this may be a "new" design, but nothing on it is mine, and really nothing is new. I've just used a few different and brilliant ideas and put them together. That's about as far as I go for innovation... I take everyone's ideas and hack and slash them up for my use. Thanks to everyone this came from.
Over the winter I was bit by the DIY bug and made 9 hammocks. Yup. Nine. My wife asked me a silly question the other day: "How many do you need." Clearly, "just one more will do."
I say that every time.
But back to bug netting. That's been my real quandary. I don't particularly like zippers running along the edge of my hammock. I like velcro, but I didn't want to have to re-velcro the opening every time I had to leave the hammock for something. I love HC4U's instructions on a HH clone, but I wanted the netting to be removable, and I wanted to be able to go a-sym from either side, so that wouldn't work.
I really like Risk's quarter-weight style. I like how you can stick some extra gear in the pockets and it holds snug against the side. I liked it... until I actually tried it. Then I hated it. For me, I didn't like how it pulled the sewn side way up towards the ridgeline.
So this is sort of an adaption, starting with HC4U's measuring (ridgeline length, and to each side). Then I added some velcro like I saw on a Speer, but only a little bit... and then Risk's hanging pocket system. It's a perfecta trifecta.
Enough talk, here are some pics. We'll start with the design instructions. Obviously, you'd want to tailor the length to suit your ridgeline. What's nice about this bugnet is that you can add it to just about any gathered end hammock - just sew on some matching velcro to the outsides of your hammock. Also, you can do the whole thing in bug netting, but I had so much of that gray DWR from Walmart laying around I wanted to use it. I like the results.
Now for some real life photos.
My nephew enjoying the new system. You can enter from either side under the hanging openings. Or, if you want more air, undo an entire side, roll it up and tie it off (there are a few ties on one side for doing so).
Here it's hanging with no weight in the hammock. It's very easy to remove, or replace. I really like how it only uses a little velcro at the ends. I don't have to mess with velcro to get in and out. With a little weight in the pockets hanging on either side it stays snug against the hammock, no matter how I move around.
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