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  1. #1
    Senior Member Cannibal's Avatar
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    A Mayan Hammock's real gift to hangers

    OK, maybe this is uber obvious to some of you, but for whatever reason it just never occurred to me. I finally figured-out what real strength the Mayan hammocks have that the others can't compete with. It's all about the heat and how well in performs.

    We live in an older home in Colorado. That means no central air conditioning. You don't really need it out here very often and it's only been in recent years (maybe the last 20) that homes have been built with central A/Cs out here. Swamp coolers and window units generally do the trick. But, our house has been very warm in the late afternoons because of a fairly warm summer. Makes afternoon naps (one of my life's joys) uncomfortable.

    The other day I climbed into the Mayan we have in our guest room, just to take a load off for a few minutes. As I laid there it occurred to me that I was very comfortable, so of course, I squeezed in a siesta. Normally, I'd get to sweating and wake-up all damp and moldy feeling. Not with a Mayan! With the open weave, your body's sweat actually gets to do its job and cool you by evaporating. There is no real cloth/fabric to block the evaporation, or to catch the perspiration. Any sweat that forms and doesn't evaporate just drips through the weave and falls to the ground. I slept for 3 hours.

    New winter project for me. I'm going to play around with these designs and try to have a Mayan Camper built by next summer. Slap a bugnet around that baby and summer camping will once again be pleasant. Not going to be easy to make a Mayan shorter and lightweight without losing a ton of comfort, but I don't know until I at least try.

    What do you kids think?
    Trust nobody!

  2. #2
    Senior Member schrochem's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cannibal View Post
    New winter project for me. I'm going to play around with these designs and try to have a Mayan Camper built by next summer. Slap a bugnet around that baby and summer camping will once again be pleasant. Not going to be easy to make a Mayan shorter and lightweight without losing a ton of comfort, but I don't know until I at least try.

    What do you kids think?
    Sounds 'cool'
    However, I'd see the need for permithrin on the hammock. That open weave is just yummy for those mosquitos. Or one of those OFF clip ons.
    Personally I think a breeze is nice for naps but at night I need a little something there or I wake up frequently with a cold back. YMMV
    Scott

    "Man is a stream whose source is hidden."
    RWE

  3. #3
    Senior Member Cannibal's Avatar
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    Yeah, I'd have to use a cocoon type bugnet to totally enclose the hammock. Honestly, I'd probably never use it out here because the night-time temps are almost always cool enough that something is needed for insulation. However, I would have paid GOOD MONEY for a hammock with good breathability when I was hiking the Florida Trial during the summer months.
    Trust nobody!

  4. #4
    Senior Member gargoyle's Avatar
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    I've got a small fan under my indoor hammock, blowing directly at the hammock. Whether its a taffetta or ripstop, the fan does an excellent job at cooling the hammock. Like you said, if I do sweat, the fabric and fan allows for quick evaporation and a cooling effect. I dont have a mayan yet, but I can see the open weave being useful.

    What is the weight on one of your mayans? And where could you trim weight? Without sacrificing safety and comfort?
    Ambulo tua ambulo.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Cannibal's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gargoyle View Post
    What is the weight on one of your mayans? And where could you trim weight? Without sacrificing safety and comfort?
    The weight is in all the threads used to make the weave. Some crazy amount of linear footage is used to make one. The length (around 12' on average) is another big component of the comfort. There isn't any hardware to remove to get an easy cheat on the weight. I'm thinking the length is really all I can mess with and that's going to be a minimal gain at best before the comfort factor comes into play. Dunno, just occurred to me this morning. I know of a couple of shops down where the toilets flush backwards that build Mayan hammocks. So, if I can come up with something I can probably have it built for less than the cost of a new ENO. I'm willing to buy a few experiments if it means having a hammock for those hot summer nights.
    Trust nobody!

  6. #6
    Senior Member sandykayak's Avatar
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    A while back I bought a Bliss Hammock in a Bag that is probably considered Mayan-style for $16 in Marshall's/Ross???

    Like this. http://www.amazon.com/Bliss-Hammocks.../dp/B000Q95YT2

    It's really nice but, although I'm only 5' I can't get a good diagonal lay.

    So, I've ordered another one (in blues and greens so it will feel cooler) but oversized.

    When I lie in a nylon one (on the hammock stand on the deck), I really feel the heat.

  7. #7
    Senior Member LostCause's Avatar
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    I used one in south Texas heat with no A/C and it made life bearable. The weight on mine was easily 2-3 lbs on the LIGHT side. They make ones that are more narrow that are lighter - but I think that you could make a set up that would be comparable weight wise to a winter set up pretty easy.

  8. #8
    Senior Member LostCause's Avatar
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    I think it was DblHmmck that posted on someone that made a bridge style hammock using knotted netting. That would be an ideal design because the bridge is a minimalist in terms fabric usage and using this design with a Mayan weave minimizes the weight of the cordage used to make the hammock. Turn the weave from end to end - to side to side ... lighter weight Mayan style hammock with a bridge suspension. You could even use Amsteel for the curves.

    The weaving itself would be a bit tricky though...
    Last edited by LostCause; 08-07-2010 at 09:54. Reason: DblHmmck gets the credit.

  9. #9
    You have an entire Colorado winter to learn how to tie your own mayan. Once you know how, you take appropriate lengths of amsteel, unbraid them to their 12 basic strands, and then weave them into a hammock. By next summer, you're hangin' in style with an amsteel mayan. Just make sure you use gray or the amsteel color is going to get all over you.

    Cannibal... naked, sweaty, and stained blue/green by amsteel... good grief, I just made myself throw up a little bit.

    Boris

  10. #10
    Senior Member oldgringo's Avatar
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    Would that be woad blue, or smurf blue?
    Dave

    "Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self."~~~May Sarton

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