as I lay oh so comfy in my DH Darien, a post comes to me about hammock width. is there a "ratio" for how much is needed? I am 6' so I use an 11' hammock which I find comfy and flat even when side sleeping. I am 230lbs, which makes my fabric choices less without going double which I just stick to 1.8 or greater material. but width? I have all mine at width of material, but I am not using it all up.
what has worked or not worked for you and what size are you(height weight etc.)?
Im 5'11 175 lbs and I wish I had the link to the video that discusses how length plays more into the lay of a hammock than width does because after a certain point the extra width just becomes extra fabric but id say the average for more people would be at or around 60inches wide. Any dream hammock should work perfect for you!
Dale Gribble: I'm thinking, "new hammock." For me, laying and swaying in a hammock is like a steady morphine drip without the risk of renal failure.
Randy : yea but just remember yer roots and where ya come from....you got Hennessy in yer blood son......
I don't think it is necessarily width vs length. I think there might be an optimum ratio between them. With a longer hammock, one needs more diagonal for the sweet spot, this requires additional width. I have a shorter hammock and the width is considerably less than 60". (Claytor hammock is 9'9" long and only 48" wide) I use very little diagonal to be in the sweet spot. Not sure if 60 is the average, it might be in the highest quartile. How many hammocks have a width in excess of 60"?
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I'm 6'1" and 200lbs.
I have a couple at 11.5'x69" width and there is extra fabric to flop over and lay on your face.
I think width is relative to your height, not the length of hammock, to get the perfect diagonal lay.
IMO, the standard 54-60" is plenty wide for all but the 7' crowd.
Here's the link to my 2-1/2 minute video on width...
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ad.php?t=59836
Mike
"Life is a Project!"
I'm 6'3" 225#. My favorite is 11.5' x 60". Single layer 1.6 Argon. I have another 11.5' x 68" (1.9ish rip stop) and there is extra floppy material that is bothersome to me. HYOH
This is an interesting discussion. I always used my big DN because I thought bigger == more comfortable. But if I'm understanding you correctly, it sounds like at my height (5'10"), I might be just as comfortable in my son's SN as I am in my DN, since they're both the same length?
There are other factors that are going to affect your lay than just width and length.
Lets say you have a 20 foot long hammock that is 76 inches wide. You could hang that hammock with the ends 6 feet high with a 10 foot ridgeline between two trees that are 12 feet apart. You would get a near perfectly flat lay by laying in the hammock at 90 degrees to its ridgeline without any part of your body hanging out of it (provided you're not more than 6'-4" tall). You could also do the very same thing with a hammock that is 9 feet long and 76 inches wide, hang it 4 feet high with a four foot ridgeline on two trees that are six feet apart. If either of those hammocks are 48 inches wide, your torso would barely fit while your feet, legs, head, and arms would be flopping out into the woods.
I get what I consider a flat lay in a hammock that is 12 feet long, 67" wide, with a 10 foot ridgeline and I hang with tree straps just above head level on trees that are 15 feet apart. Any incremental changes to that optimum situation affects the lay incrementally, but I can usually adjust the lay by making a change in the height at which the tree straps are attached. I have gotten what I consider unsatisfactory results in a hammock of the same width but shorter length. Yes, there is extra fabric, but I'm looking for a flat, comfortable lay. I'm more concerned with sleeping in my hammock than I am with the view. That view looks exactly the same from my long, wide hammock as it did from my shorter, narrower ones once my eyes are closed. I will say that I do get what I consider to be an nice shelf in a fold of fabric to lay my left arm on that is very helpful while reading.
I'm 6', 150 lbs and my ideal gathered end hammock would be 11' x 54"-55". Anything wider than that is just excess material for me.
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