Aspiring Hanger

Since my very short tenure in the scouts I loved backpacking but always thought the boy scout method was a burdensome one. I always thought sleeping in the air would be better than sleeping on the ground. After one particularly poorly packed trip to raccoon trails in PA I realized that I had to go lighter. That really got me looking into hanging and after a lot of brainstorming I discovered that there were already some pro hammockers out there. Fortunately/Unfortunately I have just been transferred to India so any gear I make I will have to make my own. Which I am actually pretty exited about, I love making my own tools, but sourcing the raw materials might be an issue. I've been lurking here for a little and figured I'd finally register and dive into the awesomeness that is HF.

Thanks

Welcome to the forum, the fabric that is used the most is ripstop nylon and there are a lot of helpful threads in the DIY section.

It is fun making and using your own gear

DIY is addicting in the best of ways!!! Hello and Welcome to the Forums from Canada!

Welcome from SC.

welcome from east Tenn.

Welcome to HF from Mass.

Welcome from Belgium!

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Another new guy from Utah with greetings.

Welcome!

I wonder if anyone here has made a hammock from silk. I'll bet there's plenty of silk in India for our friend if that would work.

Mike

Welcome from Florida!
Silk! Yes, Bill Fornshell at BPL made silk hammocks years ago. They were very lightweight, but you have to use the right silk to be strong enough.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MDSH

Welcome!

I wonder if anyone here has made a hammock from silk. I'll bet there's plenty of silk in India for our friend if that would work.

Mike

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I haven't but i thought about it.

Welcome OP to the forums, from not quite as far away...Guam...

Silk would not be the best fabric for outdoor use. As a natural fabric it is subject to weather related decay. The thinness of it makes it that much faster. However, cotton was used for centuries in outdoor applications. Just make sure it is completely dry before packing it away more than an overnight. Keep it out of the direct sun as much as possible as it also degrades from UV rays. Almost the worst of both worlds. But as a sleeping fabric it is absolutely decadent and would make wonderful hammocks. Silk is incredibly strong for its weight. So the fabric does nothave to be thick to work. But silk can be woven so thin that you probably want to look for parachute silk weight fabric.

Great Ideas with the silk! I'll have to keep that in mind. All silk trekking gear would be entertaining. Been watching a bunch of your videos and reading several of your articles Ramblinrev! Thanks for putting so much information out there.

welcome to the madness