Fabric Help!

[Briefcase]

First and Foremost, I'm new to this, and Need some sort of guidance or help, and I'm hoping that some kindly people here might be willing to lend me their sage advice.

Me and a friend are planning to go camping in the tropics for 5+ months, living off the land as much as possible, and hiking/exploring the island we've picked.

We just started buying all our supplies, and we didn't have any idea what sort of shelter we would need, and then some salesman mentioned the Hennessy hammocks to us and it seemed like the best possible thing for us.

I researched them online to see about the price and BAM I got flooded with 2 year old forum posts about how people are trying to make their own, and how significantly cheaper they are.

I'm trying to be as stingy as possible to tell you the truth, while still getting the job done well, so I started looking into DIY hammocks, and to my surprise they seemed pretty simple, if i could find the material for it.

So, my questions are these;

1. I'm having a hard time finding ripstop nylon for cheap (cheapest is 10.99/m) and am painfully unaware of any other suitable materials that I could use. Also, I haven't been able to find the weight of any of the nylons that I've found... is there an easy way to measure the 1.1 or 1.9 ounce weight thing..?

2. Do you think that it's a good idea to try to make my own hammock, or should I just stick with the Hennessy, or are there any other cheap but still reliable pre-made hammocks suitable for a 5+ month retreat into a sometimes very wet tropical area? I also noticed that there is a selling hub on this site, I can always return my hennessy if need be, so what should I be looking for if I'm planning to purchase something from one of you fine people?

Thank you very much for any information that you can give me.

I look forward to becoming more situated within this little site of yours.

[MacEntyre]

I'm tempted to get a Speer kit.

[Take-a-knee]

Dude, just buy the Hennessy. If you can afford to travel from BC to the tropics, you can afford a proper hammock. The Hennessy's bottom entry RULES when the bugs are thick. Treat it with permethrin also.

[Splinter]

If your gone for 5+ months, IMO get a manufactured hammock. If your not experienced at sewing or can't find someone that can sew for you, it might be more headache that its worth...of course then again you may want the DIY version. I have a Blackbird and love it! Never used a HH, but I know that the military likes and uses them and they are used in the jungles, so it might not be a bad idea.

If you want cheaper fabric, get the 1.9 from here:

http://www.owfinc.com/Fabrics/NylonWoven/Ripstop.asp#Nylon%20Ripstop

Definitely spray whatever you get with the permethrin!

Just my 0.02 :)

[MacEntyre]

I know that the military likes and uses them...
I've often thought about how vulnerable I am in a hammock. When you get in a hammock, you are a sitting duck for people with bad intent! (Just ask NCPatrick about the venison bacon... :D)

I guess the military uses sentries.

[guySmiley]

Ed Speer had kits that you can buy. http://www.speerhammocks.com/

Many people use his style of hammock and think they're great.

Take-a-knee is right though. If you aren't confident in your sewing skills, just go with the Hennessy. They're worth what you pay for them, and you can feel confident that they'll hold up for 5 months.

[stretch]

Welcome, here is another option http://mosquitohammock.com/
Free shipping but it will take atleast 2 weeks for shipping.

[Briefcase]

Thanks for all the input guys, I'm not confident in my sewing skills, BUT I'm amazingly confident in my mother's, and she's offered up her time to help me sew this thing, IF we can find any suitable material.

[Ramblinrev]

You are going to make your mother do the work of making a bugnet and hammock and tarp when you could buy the setup for a reasonable price? The hammock is no problem... but if you go into the tropics without a bugnet you deserve what you get. Buy a ready made hammock and save everybody grief.

[sclittlefield]

And don't hang where coconuts can fall on you. I spent three months in Vanuatu, where more people die from falling coconuts than homicide. Boy I wish I had my Hennessy then.

Also, where you'll be expecting significant rain (probably every day from 1:00-2:00, and then like crazy with storms), be sure you get a very good tarp. If you go Hennessy (and I think you should), you might consider upgrading to the hex fly or something.

You can get the HH Expedition for under $100.00 if you look around.

[Briefcase]

I've only been able to find the ultra-lite backpackers asym for like.. 190$ Canadian tho.. but I guess I should look around the net? Does anyone know of any good places to be looking for this stuff?