My First DIY Hammock!

[jaydweight]

As mentioned in my original post I was going to post some pics of my first hammock and stuff sack. Hope you enjoy them!

Some info about my hammock:
Size. 9'x5'
'W' gathering with whippings.
Suspension: Tree Huggers (DIY of course), Biners, Rope.
Here are just some pics of my new toy:

Stuff Sack:
I followed the ThruHiker pattern except for the buttonhole because it just didn't work for me. The first time I made one it was too small. The one pictured below is an 8"x5" sack with draw string enclosure at the top. I wanted to put a strap on the bottom for easy pull out, but I forgot (I guess I was just so frustrated and excited all at the same time) but I don't think it needs it. It pulls out of the sack very easily.

Attachment 10435
Just me hanging in my new toy. Ahh it's great to finally fell what all of you feel about hammock camping. See the sweet whipping job. At first I was afraid of trying it but it was sure easy.
Attachment 10436
Foot shot. I love it! You can barely see on the left edge that I put in two grossgrain loops right into the hem. Looks professional if you ask me, but I'm kinda partial.
Attachment 10437
Another shot with me in it. You can see a closer look at the whipping.
Attachment 10438
Here's the top of the stuff sack; another thing I was afraid of doing, maybe because I didn't understand it. I didn't put in a buttonhole because it just didn't work, so I ended up just making a slit in the tube for the cord. I later found out I could have done the 45 degree fold then hem to reinforce the edge so it won't fray. I'll do that on my next one.
Attachment 10439
Here's a pic of the bottom. See the sweet 'H' pattern. This is a beauty!
Attachment 10440
It stands up nice.
Attachment 10441
Here you can see the size next to my water bottle.

I want to thank all ya'll who have taken the time to give such a great source to help us hammock 'virgins'. I'm glad to say I'm no longer one. I can't wait to start on my cat fly.

[Chattooga]

Congratulations - your gear looks great! A couple of months ago I got my wife's sewing maching out, stared at it for a couple of days and then put it away. One of these days I might get up the nerve to actually plug it in!

[JohnSawyer]

Congrats, and welcome to the addiction! nice job.

Add a ridgeline, and tree straps and you're almost there!

What's next?

Tree straps? Bugnet? Tarp? Underquilt? Top Quilt? Segmented Pad Extender?

Folks: we have another vict... er... Member of the DIY club!

[avalonmorn]

I like it! Green is my favorite color, and I'm gonna have to make me one.

[gargoyle]

Button hole for your bag.:
I used a hot needle, burned a small hole in the end. The melted parts prevent fraying. Once the hole is cooled, pass the suspension line thru.
A wood burner, a knife held over a flame, a nail (held with pliers, dont' ask how I know) Nail conducts heat very well..and fast. class is dismissed...

Good work, its all addictive behavior modification classes from here on out!!
Enjoy your hammock, for now, more will follow, they always do. Hammocks breed faster than rabbits.

[jaydweight]

Add a ridgeline,

What's the best way to add a ridgeline?

[Cranky Bear]

Great looking hammock!!!
For the ridgeline, one idea is you could tie it to the rope you used to make the hammock whipping!?

[jaydweight]

Great looking hammock!!!
For the ridgeline, one idea is you could tie it to the rope you used to make the hammock whipping!?

Okay. Do I decide how much tension? Isn't that why ridgelines are used to justify how much sag, right? Or am I totally off?

[JohnSawyer]

I tie my ridgelines to the larkshead (where the suspension rope wraps below your whipping on the hammock).

I typically start with a bowline at the foot end, make the ridgeline too long and use a trucker's hitch or a blake's hitch to make it adjustable. (knots can be found here: http://www.animatedknots.com/indexclimbing.php)

I'd start with about 2' of sag from the ridgeline to the lowest point of the hammock and make it SHORTER from there. Most people use light amsteel (zing-it, lash-it, etc., but I've used paracord, and polyester cord with 300lb breaking strength)

The rule somebody told me here is: Make it as short as seems right, then shorten it a lot more! A lot of ridgeline length is dependant on your hammock length. My first hammock was 9', and I had about 2' of sag from the ridgeline. My current hammock is 11' and has about 3' of sag. The bottom line is find what's comfortable for you. It'll take some tweaking...

Since the most comfortable lay is on the diagonal, the shorter the ridgeline, the less length you end up with... On my 9' hammock, when I got the ridgeline short enough to be supremely comfortable, my feet would hang over the edge. I don't have that issue on my 11' hammock...

[jaydweight]

I tie my ridgelines to the larkshead (where the suspension rope wraps below your whipping on the hammock).

I typically start with a bowline at the foot end, make the ridgeline too long and use a trucker's hitch or a blake's hitch to make it adjustable. (knots can be found here: http://www.animatedknots.com/indexclimbing.php)

I'd start with about 2' of sag from the ridgeline to the lowest point of the hammock and make it SHORTER from there. Most people use light amsteel (zing-it, lash-it, etc., but I've used paracord, and polyester cord with 300lb breaking strength)

The rule somebody told me here is: Make it as short as seems right, then shorten it a lot more! A lot of ridgeline length is dependant on your hammock length. My first hammock was 9', and I had about 2' of sag from the ridgeline. My current hammock is 11' and has about 3' of sag. The bottom line is find what's comfortable for you. It'll take some tweaking...

Since the most comfortable lay is on the diagonal, the shorter the ridgeline, the less length you end up with... On my 9' hammock, when I got the ridgeline short enough to be supremely comfortable, my feet would hang over the edge. I don't have that issue on my 11' hammock...

I've just found some information on this Zing-it or Aircore Plus Spectra Rope that has a breaking weight of 1109lbs! That's crazy! I've been buying cheap rope and Walmart, hoping it would hold. When I first set it up I put my wife in the hammock, low to the ground of course, and it broke the cheap cord. I felt so bad, but she was willing to test it for me. I went and bought some heavier stuff that held fine, but I like the idea of having such small cord that would hold me. I'm a big man and don't really want to end up on the ground on my first hammock camp.

Where can I get some of this product such as Aircore Plus Spectra Rope and Zing it for cheap? Any ideas?

I've found that BPL sell 50' of the stuff for $40, a little pricey, but I'm sure it's worth it. Let me know. Thanks.