DIY or DH question

[Jedicazador]

I’m currently in the market for a 12’ hammock, I’ve done a lot of research n found I can purchase the same material I would get out of the DH... I can stitch a strait line and have sewing machines... is there some special angles the DH sparrow has that I don’t know about? I mean yes they have the built in net and top cover. But really is the hammock just a 12’ piece of a selected material and a suspension system?
Please do not take this in anyway of me not wanting to support cottage vendors ... it’s not. Just my thought of saving money of doing the sewing myself. The materials are out there....do they have some kind of proprietary cut angles that make a difference? Help me understand

[rmcrow2]

To lazy to make my own. I will link to others for you.
No, your not missing anything magic in how they are made.

Lots of folks here have made their own and posted guides of every style.

Here is an old standard.

http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeHammock.php

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

[hutzelbein]

The magic is in the design i.e. the pattern. Not so much the hammock body, but definitely the zippered net. It needs to be taut when you're lying in the hammock, but not so tight it rips or keeps you from lying where you want.

[packman9000]

The beauty of making it yourself is that you can tinker around with the cut and the features to get exactly what you want. I made a simple 11.5' hammock from leftover 1.0 HyperD and it was incredibly comfortable, and I didn't have to make any special cut at all; i.e., the fabric also plays into how comfortable it will be. If I did it again (or still used a GE) I'd do that elastic bit on the side to tighten up the billowy edges though.

The only downside of making it yourself is that you can tinker around with the cut and the features to get exactly what you want. Once you start.... ;)

[Jedicazador]

I’m not the normal sized person so It’s been on my mind lot making what I need vs keep buying and trying and not being satisfied with one... is there such a thing having just one hammock? LoL....

[Phantom Grappler]

I agree with hutzelbein, hammock should be easy enough, zippered bugnet will be a challenge, as hutzelbein described.

Good luck

[P-Dub]

... is there such a thing having just one hammock? LoL....

Nope!
Make yourself one and see if you like the length/width and the fabric. And make another if there's something you want to change. DIY is a blast! (be sure to check the DIY forum, and post your progress there, especially if you have questions!)

[OlTrailDog]

+2 on Hutzelbein's comments. I have a DH Sparrow and the workmanship is top notch. I use it all the time for my "couch" and sometimes for truck camping as it is a DL Hex2.2, as I wanted it to be tough as available. I don't know how tall you are but I will throw out a couple of thoughts on the 12' based on a 12' SLD Trail Lair I owned for a while. Are you tall enough that you need a 12'? Having a 12' probably won't solve proper hanging or how you lay issues. I liked my SLD Trail Lair alot but that also meant that I needed to find a larger tarp than what I had, including a CF Winter Palace, to accommodate the longer hammock. I also have come to believe that a regular width hammock works well for me and I don't really need an XL width hammock.

Having said that, if you want to give a 12' a test run, then DIY may work well for you. GE are really straight forward to DIY and the material can be relatively inexpensive especially if you shop for the blems, sales, discontinued, or parts is parts section. You don't need a bugnet to test out a 12'er and if you do need a bugnet perhaps one of the separate style bugnets, e.g. the DH Raven style, Frontkey, or Yukon, etc., bugnets might work as an add on. Most likely you will be like an awful lot of folks and this will just be another addition to your growing hammock herd.