Salt and Nylon?

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08-02-2007, 18:19
BillyBob58

Salt and Nylon?

OK, in the interest of science ( and conditioning! ;) ) I have been hiking into the MS woods ( more shade than backyard) to test rope cleats. Just going out in the back yard, much less hiking, results in instant copious sweat. So after I hang my hammock to a couple of trees to test the cleats, I am soaked. I sit or lay down in the hammock, and the hammock is soaked.

By the time I pack up, the hammock has air dried well. But is there any reason to worry about the left behind salt damaging the hammock? Do I need to wash it or anything like that, after each hike, if I have been in the hammock soaked with sweat?
08-02-2007, 22:24
Preacha Man

Well first of all who wants to sleep in dried sweat everytime you hang. Second, salt is comprised of crystals which, even in small forms, can cut fibers. Let the crystals stay and cut too long, and you will have catastrophic hammock failure :eek:
08-02-2007, 23:13
blackie

after long weekends in my hammock in the sweltering summer i always set it up in the front yard and use the water hose on it inside and out just to remove the salt..
08-03-2007, 06:38
RockStar

What about on a THRU????
08-03-2007, 07:25
angrysparrow

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockStar

What about on a THRU????

Rinse it off occasionally in a fast-moving stream and hang it up to dry.
08-03-2007, 15:51
JackRabbit

Salt . . . hammock damage . . . hmmm . . . .
I never would have thought of that. I guess that's another reason to start making my own. If I start, I will keep making more to try new things and I won't use any of them long enough to worry about salt damage:eek: !
08-03-2007, 16:06
BillyBob58

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackie

after long weekends in my hammock in the sweltering summer i always set it up in the front yard and use the water hose on it inside and out just to remove the salt..

Yeah, though I'm mainly talking about just a short hang of maybe an hour or less, done every few days. But it's still enough that I'm sure I'm leaving some salt behind, so I guess I better start rinsing it out. If I was on a real trip in the mountains, I would probably dry off enough while setting up camp and cooking, getting water, etc., before I ever laid in the hammock. But that doesn't work on these short summer hikes done for testing a new product. It would probably take me 2 hours in the humid and still hot shade, to dry out. (Or, I might not ever dry off before it is time to go home.) And 2 hours is almost as long as I am spending on the entire hike. So maybe I better start rinsing after each trip.
08-03-2007, 19:36
Preacha Man

Quote:

Originally Posted by JackRabbit

Salt . . . hammock damage . . . hmmm . . . .
I never would have thought of that. I guess that's another reason to start making my own. If I start, I will keep making more to try new things and I won't use any of them long enough to worry about salt damage:eek: !

Bear in mind that the salt crystals from your sweat are very small, and to damage the fibers greatly would take a while. But the more you sweat, the more salt you leave behind, and the faster that the material will degrade.
08-03-2007, 19:43
slowhike

i've really got my doubts about salt from perspiration being anything that's going to damage a hammock.
certainly not if you just give it an occasional wash when you get a chance.
i'd be more concerned about sand, dirt & other stuff from the forest floor being scrubbed into the hammock by my body weight.
that's why it's a good idea to give the empty hammock a good shaking every once in a while... & try to brush your clothes & socks off before getting in.
08-03-2007, 20:18
BillyBob58

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowhike

i've really got my doubts about salt from perspiration being anything that's going to damage a hammock.
certainly not if you just give it an occasional wash when you get a chance.

Well, I'm hoping you are exactly correct!