First DIY hammock

[GreenIsle]

Here she is - my first DIY hammock, I'll need to add a midge net (they're brutal here). That's on order.

I gave my self lots of room, I cut the ripstop nylon (coated - would I have been better off using uncoated for the hammock?) to 12'. I'm 6'4" so I needed it!

It's a gathered end, modeled after Knottys video.
I also took onboard his suggestion of rolling in 1/2" grosgrain into the hems while sewing. It really strengthened the sides!

I cut all four corners a little. I shortened them by 3" each in length by 10" in width. Basically I was removing long narrow triangles from each corner. This too seems to have worked well, as the sides are not very floppy.

I have to thank the people of this forum for all of their postings, in the form of video's, pictures and some PM's to a few people who were willing to give advice.

If all goes well, I'll make a tarp too.

I'm new to hammocking and to sewing and I have enjoyed this project.

I've enclose a picture of the stuff sack I made to house the hammock too.
I've made 8 or 10 of those little sacks.

I've come to realize that when you cut the material (using a soldering gun - thanks for that video!) you can fold it to the size you want and re-cut/solder the edges and it'll form a perfect seal, eliminating the need for pins! The sewing is much faster!
Just don't seal off the cord end!


Thanks again
GI

[raiffnuke]

Nice work. Thanks for sharing.

[perrito]

Coated? Hmmmm..., you're gonna sweat. This may end up your winter hammock.

[MAD777]

Looking comfy in that last picture! Was that taken just before you fell asleep?

[grich9860]

looks great. now that you have the diy bug whats your next project?

[scum]

I also took onboard his suggestion of rolling in 1/2" grosgrain into the hems while sewing. It really strengthened the sides!

I don't recall this in the video. I'll have to go back and check it out. I don't see grossgrain on your hammock. Am I right in assuming it's inside the hem then?

I cut all four corners a little. I shortened them by 3" each in length by 10" in width. Basically I was removing long narrow triangles from each corner. This too seems to have worked well, as the sides are not very floppy.

Care to elaborate. Having a hard time picturing this. Is this the same effect as tugging the corners out a bit when doing the knotted ends method?

Hammock looks great. Some people have a tendency to get clammy with coated since it wont breath. Same as when using a pad inside the hammock. It will help keep the chill out when the cool breeze kicks up on colder nights. I use an insultex underquilt that I bring even for summer camping up in the mountains since it can still drop down into the 40s at night and it will serve the same purpose of keeping the wind off my back when it gets cool out. My point is, it's not necessarily a bad thing if you don't mind the extra weight of coated and you don't tend to get clammy/sweaty.

[silentbob]

Nice work! Great to finally see the finished product.
I love the tip about using a soldering iron to cut the material - I'm working on repairing some holes in an old parachute to make a group shelter and that is just the kind of thing I'm looking for to make the edges manageable - been pondering the best way to do it for a while now.

Thanks for sharing.

[Fronkey]

Awesome job dude!

Fronkey

[GreenIsle]

I don't recall this in the video. I'll have to go back and check it out. I don't see grossgrain on your hammock. Am I right in assuming it's inside the hem then?

His suggestion of rolling the grosgrain wasn't in the video, it was in a DIY thread somewhere. And yes it is inside the hem. First I sewed the grosgrain ribbon to the edge then I rolled it and sewed it a 2nd time, strengthing the edge while hiding the grosgrain.


Care to elaborate. Having a hard time picturing this. Is this the same effect as tugging the corners out a bit when doing the knotted ends method?

Take a corner, measure 3 inches down the long side, mark it 'x'. Then measure from the same corner 10 inches in along the shorter side. mark this 'x'. then draw a line between the two x's and you have formed a small triangle. By removing this triangle, you are essentially 'whipping' the corner of the hammock. Then I repeat the same process on the other 3 corners and I've removed a lot of the floppiness of a rectangular hammock.

Hammock looks great. Some people have a tendency to get clammy with coated since it wont breath. Same as when using a pad inside the hammock. It will help keep the chill out when the cool breeze kicks up on colder nights. I use an insultex underquilt that I bring even for summer camping up in the mountains since it can still drop down into the 40s at night and it will serve the same purpose of keeping the wind off my back when it gets cool out. My point is, it's not necessarily a bad thing if you don't mind the extra weight of coated and you don't tend to get clammy/sweaty.

I'll try this hammock out but somehow I have a feeling I may be making another!!