A Few Simple Questions For My First Hammock

[Yoshi67]

Hey, long-time reader, first time poster. I have 4 yards of 1.9oz ripstop on the way for a pretty simple gathered-end hammock. Tree straps with toggles, amsteel whoopie slings, ridgeline, and a bugnet will be the rest of the setup. I just have a few questions that have been bugging me.

I'm 5'3" and 120lbs, and there are a lot of posts about weight and height, yet I couldn't find one for the smaller built guys. I just wanted to know if anyone has any experience with someone like me in a hammock. Pretty sure I can't go wrong with a 10' to 10'6" hammock but it would be nice to maximize comfort and minimize excess.

I believe I'll have enough material left over for a stuff sack and I ordered drawstring and a lock, but I can't find any plans or patterns. It would be great to make one that can accommodate the hammock, suspension, and bugnet.

I don't know if I want whipped or channeled ends. I'm leaning towards channeled but I have done plenty of whipping in the past so just looking for some opinions. I know I doesn't make a huge difference but thought I'd ask.

Since I'm fairly lightweight I want a semi-structural ridgeline to aid in proper hanging and to support the bugnet and a storage pocket. I'm going to try 1.9mm tech line. I don't intend to put all my weight on it but all the ways I see to work it into the hammock look like it is fully load bearing. Is there a way to rig it so it won't take the full weight when it's hung properly?

And the last one might need to be a post in itself but it can't hurt to ask. I live in North Alabama and do a lot of camping/hiking in the early fall. The last time I used a hammock was last September when I canoed down a river with some buddies. I borrowed one of theirs, and he said I wouldn't need anything, just some shorts and a t-shirt. I left my sleeping bag at home and went with it. It was in the mid 80s most of the day but dropped into the 50s that night. I had a horrible case of frozen butt. I'm looking for a lightweight way to insulate the bottom in spring/fall weather, possibly the summer during chilling rainstorms. Any ideas?

[zukiguy]

I just spent 6 months deployed sleeping in a tablecloth hammock (started as the 126" blank). That was plenty for my 6' height so I think a 10' should work fine for you.

For a stuff sack I'm pretty fond of the cheapo drybags from walmart (the 3 piece set most everyone the trail has). A complete bugnet, hammock, and suspension will fit in the orange (middle sized) one or you can press the larger green one into service to include room for some insulation.

I went with the whipped ends just because it was simpler to put together. The tablecloths come pre-hemmed so I fed a piece of dental floss through the seam and cinched it up like a channeled end. I used this to bundle/whip the ends and then secured that in place with a big cable tie. Cheap, fast, and worked like a charm. Just larks head the suspension on the hammock body and you're set.

I'm not sure of the strength of the tech line but I'd go with a piece of zing-it if you have it handy. Yes, if the hammock is rigged "perfectly" then there's very little to no load on the ridgeline. Anything wider and the ridgeline quickly gets banjo-string tight. Unless your hang is really jacked up though I doubt you'll snap the ridgeline. Even if it breaks you don't fall to the ground, just droop into a less ideal hang angle.

I live in FL and I've struggled with the summer insulation too. While deployed we got some small fleece throws in some care packages. I rigged up a small one of those with some small cord as a makeshift underquilt and that was plenty for me in the 70s in shorts and a t-shirt. I'm not sure how low a single layer of fleece will take you (maybe the low 60s). The poncho liner UQ is a cheap and easy way to go.

Sounds like you've got a good plan and some restful sleep ahead of you. Good luck with the build.

[Floridahanger]

Hey, long-time reader, first time poster...

Welcome to the forums, from Florida.

...I believe I'll have enough material left over for a stuff sack and I ordered drawstring and a lock, but I can't find any plans or patterns. It would be great to make one that can accommodate the hammock, suspension, and bugnet.

If your done growing at 5'3", then a 10' raw material will give you a 9 1/2' finished. Plenty long enough without the excess material.

I don't know if I want whipped or channeled ends...

For my opinion, I like a hybrid of both. Very small channel, just large enough for the cord to pass through, then whip the ends. It makes a nice and neat ball at the end. Also eliminating the extra material.

Since I'm fairly lightweight I want a semi-structural ridgeline to aid in proper hanging and to support the bugnet and a storage pocket. I'm going to try 1.9mm tech line. I don't intend to put all my weight on it but all the ways I see to work it into the hammock look like it is fully load bearing. Is there a way to rig it so it won't take the full weight when it's hung properly?

Most of these RL are semistructural. They don't take all your weight unless the suspension past the hammock is at a 0-5* instead of ~30*. Just make it adjustable so you can change to find your best length.

...It was in the mid 80s most of the day but dropped into the 50s that night. I had a horrible case of frozen butt. I'm looking for a lightweight way to insulate the bottom in spring/fall weather, possibly the summer during chilling rainstorms. Any ideas?

A lightweight solution is a summer weight down UQ is a good choice. Even in summer, you want to stop the wind from robbing your warmth below ~75*. A synthetic will also work great(what I use)but is a little more bulky.

Good luck in your lofty hang.

[Redoleary]

My wife is in the 5'2"-ish range of height and a 10' hammock is plenty roomy for her. I'm 5'10" and a 10' is fine for me too.

I prefer a channel end hammock over the whipped or even the balled up channel end a-la warbonnet. I like to put a piece of 1" grosgrain in the end channel where the stitch line it to reinforce it, not necessary but cheap insurance. I am also a fan of the structural ridge line useful for a good hang but even better at supporting a bug net and giving you a place to hang head lamp ridgeline organizer etc.

Regarding stuff sacks, the best thing to do is take a pillow case and roll, pin or fold it until it's the appropriate size for your gear, now you've got an idea for the finished dimensions for your kit and make your sack accordingly. Don't forget to leave room for seam allowance and also if you go the square bottom route when the square bottom is formed the bag becomes proportionately shorter so leave the top long and make the draw string channel last.
I've got three videos on making stuff sacks of different varieties on my youtube channel linked in my sig line, any combination of those techniques will make a serviceable stuff sack.

Keeping warm.. I use an under quilt all year, in fact I use a 20° quilt all year, but you may get away with a 40° quilt. I happen to be a fan of Underground Quilts fit and finish are second to none I may even talk myself into an summer 40° quilt myself before the end of the season.

Hope that helps. And welcome aboard.

[AaronMB]

Welcome.
My first gathered end was about 10.5' and I've tried a 10' Warbonnet Traveler...didn't dig it. But I do like my gathered end 11' and a 11' DH Darien. I'm 5'4" and 140lbs.

[wgiles]

I made my first hammock in much the same way. I started with 4 yards of fabric, but I didn't cut it until after I had determined the length that I wanted. I gathered the ends, folded them over and secured them with a continuous loop of Dyneema tied in a sheet bend form of knot. One end was short, with about 6" of fabric folded back, while the other was long, with about 24" of fabric folded back. I adjusted the long end, determined the length of hammock that I liked and cut off the excess fabric. I've made several hammocks this way, including a couple of tablecloth hammocks, and I have had no problems with them. I see no reason to bother whipping the ends or sewing a channel when this simple method works so well. The one thing that I did find out was that my continuous loops needed to be different lengths for different fabrics. 9" works well with lightweight ripstop, while the tablecloths need about 12" to handle the bulkier fabric. I use a 3/16" stainless steel shackle to attach my ridgeline and whoopie slings to the continuous loops. For my configuration, including the continuous loops, I find that a 108" ridgeline works best for me. I made a special whoopie sling with about two feet of adjustment either way of 108" so that I could vary the length. Now that I know what length I prefer, I need to make a fixed length ridgeline so it won't slip on me. I use 2.2mm Zing-It for my ridgeline and 5/32" Dyneema for my whoopies. The 5/32" is what I had and it splices easier then Zing-It. Being 6' and 250 Lb. I didn't want to skimp on the suspension. All ridgelines that have tension on them are structural and the angle of the whoopies determines the amount of tension in the ridgeline. If the hammock hangs at a 30 Deg. angle and the whoopies are at 30 deg. also, the ridgeline will have no tension. If the whoopies hang at less than 30 Deg., there will be tension in the ridgeline. How much tension depends on the weight in the hammock.

I have pads and a modified poncho liner underquilt for cooler weather. I'm thinking about getting a MOLLE patrol sleeping bag to make a light top quilt. I'll probably use a sleep sack or a lightweight fleece bag for summer weather.

[Rolloff]

30-35# is a great start and/or target kit. With water and food, I'm at the low end of that range more often than not. The initial big pounds for me to trim, were naturally in the big 3. Lost 3+ with a pack change. I'll never build one of those. Lost nearly another 3# dropping the 2-man mountain tent, for hammock and tarp. Lost at minimum 2# on insulation kit, and a ton of bulk,(My Sleeping bag and pad nearly filled my pack up)

I could have made the hammock, but BIAS's price points allowed my access to a high end quality kit for just about 10-15 dollars more than you are willing to spend. Same for the AHE Toxaway. I like to encourage people to get into hanging as cheaply as possible, to get them out there and to see if it's really for them. I used a 20 dollar GTUL and an old tent fly. Once past that point, I knew I wasn't going any real distances or many nights out in a row, scrimping on shelter and insulation.

I have no problem cooking out of a WW greasepot over a DiY'd Cat stove, rehydrating my meals in a DIY Reflectix cozy, using Smartwater bottles, or even the dreaded Tuna Ramen noodle diet, but shelter is shelter and I'm leaving that to the pros. I won't low ball my foot wear either, but that's a different rant

[Yoshi67]

Thanks for all the help, gonna try for a 10' finished hammock and a PLUQ for a summer option. I'm also making a Fronkey-style bugnet. I hope 1.9oz ripstop is enough to keep the mosquitoes from biting through on the bottom, sometimes the bugs are worse than the heat here!

[Floridahanger]

... I'm also making a Fronkey-style bugnet. I hope 1.9oz ripstop is enough to keep the mosquitoes from biting through on the bottom, sometimes the bugs are worse than the heat here!

The Fronkey style net is like adding a second layer to the bottom and sides. You don't have to worry about the hammock being too thin. Also, any UQ or UQP will add yet another layer.

Don't worry about the skeeters with the system your making. Worry about them when your out of your bug bunker

[hikehunter]

I started in ENO hammock and moved to a DIY Hennesy style. You will need to do the try and error meathod. till you hang you do not know......