Cheap and Easy DIY Hammock Suspension

[BikerAtlas]

Check out the video HERE

[marksman1122]

I've been thinking about doing exactly the same thing except with the cam lock style tie downs. Cut off one or both hooks but I'm planning on using the cam lock. Pull to tighten sounds pretty good to me. Looking around online, harbor freight has a pair of 12 footers for $6 I believe it was. The only downside is they're bright yellow. I'm planning on it being one of my Saturday projects this weekend. I'll cut 'em down and see what they weigh.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[BikerAtlas]

I've been thinking about doing exactly the same thing except with the cam lock style tie downs. Cut off one or both hooks but I'm planning on using the cam lock. Pull to tighten sounds pretty good to me. Looking around online, harbor freight has a pair of 12 footers for $6 I believe it was. The only downside is they're bright yellow. I'm planning on it being one of my Saturday projects this weekend. I'll cut 'em down and see what they weigh.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The only issue I see with that, aside from the added weight, is that if you do use either hook and get any slack in the line, the hook will easily come "unhooked".... Other than that, let me know how it works out for you. Personally, if you want some kind of hooks, I would cut off BOTH of the hooks they come with, use the sewn in loops, and add carabiners to each end. This does, however, add to the cost of the finished product.

[marksman1122]

The only issue I see with that, aside from the added weight, is that if you do use either hook and get any slack in the line, the hook will easily come "unhooked".... Other than that, let me know how it works out for you. Personally, if you want some kind of hooks, I would cut off BOTH of the hooks they come with, use the sewn in loops, and add caribeaners to each end. This does, however, add to the cost of the finished product.

I didn't think about switching the hooks for carabiners, that's a really good idea, not sure why I didn't think about the possibility of the hooks coming unhooked with line slackness, I think I'll definitely use biners one one end and leave the loop on the other for hooking around the tree/etc. Thanks for the idea. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who saw all of the nylon webbing hammock straps and immediately though to try tie down straps.

[BikerAtlas]

I didn't think about switching the hooks for carabiners, that's a really good idea, not sure why I didn't think about the possibility of the hooks coming unhooked with line slackness, I think I'll definitely use biners one one end and leave the loop on the other for hooking around the tree/etc. Thanks for the idea. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who saw all of the nylon webbing hammock straps and immediately though to try tie down straps.

I could be mistaken, but I don't believe the loop will be big enough for the cam lock to pass through when wrapping it around the tree. So, you will probably need carabiners on both ends. Either that, or you can take the strap completely out of the cam lock and wrap it around the tree, through the loop, before feeding it back through the cam lock (P.I.T.A)... Let me know how it works out for you.

[xxl_hanger]

When I made my first pair of tree huggers I had the same idea first. Then I thought I have to give sewing of DIY webbing loops at least one try, otherwise I will never learn how it works. I got my 25mm x 1.1mm polyester webbing directly from a small company which is specialized in all kinds of hoisting technology products (most of them custom-made). The tear strength is rated with 1200daN (kg) and I got it for 0.45€/mtr. Strong and cheap enough for me. And I could buy one kingspool with 1200m Gütermann Tera 40 thread for about 5 Euro. The sewing of webbing loops with my (iron swine) home-sewing machine was more easy than I could imagine. As a matter of fact I believe in the meantime that I can sew my tree huggers better and nicer than any professional company. The bar tacks I make on two layers of webbing are very nice and perfect. I need about 20 minutes for one pair (incl. DIY aluminum marlinspike toggles on one side which I get almost for free). That's not quick (I take my time) but fast enough for me.

[marksman1122]

So I ended up at good ol' Walmart last night and found a set of 4 - 10' cam buckle tie downs for 9 bucks, so came out to 3 bucks each and I have two more if I end up doing the same thing for my wife's hammock as well. Cut the hooks off and tied loops in the one end, already had two carabiners for the hammock end. Works like a dream and each strap weighs in at just over 6 oz, including the carabiners. Together my straps and hammock together weigh a touch over 2 lbs in the stuff sack. Not too shabby in my mind, could definitely go lighter, but hey, like they say: cheap, light, strong - pick two. We also mostly car camp, so the weight isn't a huge issue. The way I figure on the weight too is that the webbing straps I was looking at on amazons all weighed in at around a pound not including biners, so I actually have something that's just as easy to set up if not easier, and it's lighter and cheaper than what I was going to buy. All said and done I'm in my pair of straps for $15 bucks I think. I believe I paid $4 each for the biners and $3 per strap.

I brought my straps to work today and I'm going to hand sew the loops in the end when I have down time; to make them a prettier and not chew up extra inches of webbing on the knots. When I get home tonight I'll take some pictures and post them. I need to get a sewing machine, right now I have to sew all my projects by hand, which means most of them don't get done.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[BikerAtlas]

So I ended up at good ol' Walmart last night and found a set of 4 - 10' cam buckle tie downs for 9 bucks, so came out to 3 bucks each and I have two more if I end up doing the same thing for my wife's hammock as well. Cut the hooks off and tied loops in the one end, already had two carabiners for the hammock end. Works like a dream and each strap weighs in at just over 6 oz, including the carabiners. Together my straps and hammock together weigh a touch over 2 lbs in the stuff sack. Not too shabby in my mind, could definitely go lighter, but hey, like they say: cheap, light, strong - pick two. We also mostly car camp, so the weight isn't a huge issue. The way I figure on the weight too is that the webbing straps I was looking at on amazons all weighed in at around a pound not including biners, so I actually have something that's just as easy to set up if not easier, and it's lighter and cheaper than what I was going to buy. All said and done I'm in my pair of straps for $15 bucks I think. I believe I paid $4 each for the biners and $3 per strap.

I brought my straps to work today and I'm going to hand sew the loops in the end when I have down time; to make them a prettier and not chew up extra inches of webbing on the knots. When I get home tonight I'll take some pictures and post them. I need to get a sewing machine, right now I have to sew all my projects by hand, which means most of them don't get done.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Awesome.... Glad it worked. But if you cut the hooks off, you should already have the pre-sewn loops on both ends... Why would you need to sew anything?

[marksman1122]

Needed a loop wide enough to pass the cam buckle through. Forgot to take pictures last night. I'll take some tonight when I get home and post them. I made a pass through loop at the far end and left the small loop on the cam buckle end for my biners


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[iconicflux]

I did this to begin with but moved to some stronger webbing when I was purchasing a hammock.

It does work but 300 lbs load capacity is really not that high.