Recently, I was fortunate enough to have been contacted by Kyle, of Appalachian Hammock and RipstopByTheRoll.com about a new fabric they were developing and testing for use in their hammocks. Last Smoked Butt, these guys came and did a parking-lot demo of several of their fabrics (cuben fiber wallet, anybody?) and I asked the question to Kyle: “are you guys gonna be developing any fabrics, or are you just in the business of buying in bulk and then reselling at wholesale prices?” Kyle offered heartily that he was working on some development, and I largely brushed it off and forgot about it as idle speculation on WANTING to do some development...but then it came true, and sure enough there’s been something in the pipes and this is it. It’s a diamond weave uncalendered ripstop, I was told, and that a single layer was sufficient to hold my hefty self aloft while I languished lazily between the trees of my choosing.
The first thing I noticed upon opening the box was that the fabric was SOFT. Like, shockingly so. I remember the first thought that went through my head being “if there were a way to use this as a pillow, I absolutely would.” Maybe that’s something to consider if you’re in the market for a pillow and will be making an order through these guys. Either way, with the stuff sack being made of the same material as the hammock itself, it made a tremendous first impression.
Next was how light it was. The entire 11’ hammock and stuff sack seemed ridiculously lightweight. I didn’t bother to weigh it, but RipstopByTheRol.com DID before sending it out to me (and it comes in at 13.6oz for an 11’ long, 60” wide hammock with a cinch buckle suspension and double-ended stuff sack), The difference between this and my Eno Doublenest was noticeable. Could just be my perception, but it seemed it to me that it was lighter. To be fair, I also didn’t weigh the Eno (though their website offers that the more narrow and shorter Singlenest is 16oz).
I held on to this thing for about a week after I got it, then took it with me on a trip down the river where I’d be hammocking for a few days. Since this was just what I call the “fatty test” of the fabric, it didn't get used and abused like a normal hammock might but it did get several hours of 380lb man laying in it at funny angles and bouncing in it. Aside from the softness (which was greatly appreciated after a long few days on the river) which lulled me right to sleep, I noticed almost zero stretch. That goes a long way to me, as it’s not just a “feel good” fabric - it’s form and function combined into one diamond-y good fabric. I've been told that one of the biggest performance advantages of the diamond weave as opposed to the far more common standard square grid is the lack of stretch. I managed to learn something!
Another aspect under the “form” column is the look of the fabric. Frankly, it’s nice to see something other than the regular ol’ ho-hum square pattern. It’s hard to describe, but it almost lends kind of a 3-D kinda look the the fabric that you don’t really get from square weaves.
With this being what essentially boiled down to a fabric test, the hammock itself wasn't built custom. Right now the fabric is only available in a 60” width which was fine for napping, but for somebody with my height (6’4”) it’s a bit narrow for a good night’s sleep. Adding a wing (a-la Eno) may be a solution for the width issue. In the end what’s important is that not only did the single layer of 1.6oz 40D hammock hold me securely aloft, it did so COMFORTABLY. Should Appalachian Hammocks start making their hammocks out of this material, it’ll be a fantastic upgrade to what’s already a really great product from them. I look forward to seeing what kind of DIY applications folks put this fabric to...especially when the ultralight version of this fabric gets put on the market (which I’m told is totally coming down the pipes).
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. It's exciting to hear you echo some of the things I was shooting for. Namely, an awesome feel coupled with minimal stretch under loads typically reserved for heavier fabrics. I've been working hard over the past few months to create new, exciting fabrics to bring to the community, and I think this will be one BIG realization of those efforts!
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