Recycling tents into hammocks?

**sotaram** · 03-19-2010, 18:11

OK, someone must have tried this?? I have a couple of old tents. No use for.
Can they be cut up and made into a hammock? Would sewn seam in tent hold my fat *** (220 lb)

just thinkin' thoughts!!

**gargoyle** · 03-19-2010, 18:21

No and No In my opinion.
Tent bodies are sil (waterproof) so you'll be swimming in your own sweat in the morning.
And the seams are really gonna be stressed, may hold? Seams would be uncomfortable to lay on? I'm thinking.?
You can do a tarp out of the old tent, if you got enough straight sides?
Stuff sacks come to mind.
Find some cheap fabric, and build from scratch, much easier. I tried to make my first tarp out of an old tent. Did not turn out so good, too many angles and weird shapes in a dome tent to get a decent tarp. ymmv?

**gargoyle** · 03-19-2010, 18:24

I will add it is a cheap way to learn how to sew, no money lost.

**Ramblinrev** · 03-19-2010, 21:16

The usable fabric left when you salvage a tent, at least a typical backpacking tent is hardly enough to even consider making anything out of. Between slanted sides, mesh windows, weird zippers and all there is precious little left. you are likely to need some transverse seams in the hammock body. Seams running edge to edge rather than end to end. Length type seams do reasonably well. Transverse seams are problematic at best and prone to catastrophic failure at worst.

**sotaram** · 03-19-2010, 23:06

Yeah, the more I think about it and reading your comments-mkaes sense. Just my cheap self looking for another way to recycle old stuff. Like you said, maybe stuff sacks.

Thanks!

**MondayHopscotch** · 03-20-2010, 23:55

smaller stuff sacks seem to be the best use i've found for the old rain fly i had lying around that we were unable to find a tent it belonged to.

and like gargoyle said, it's great fabric to experiment/practice with. (you know, being as it's free and all)

**gargoyle** · 03-21-2010, 07:49

You can do lots of little projects..Jerry Chair, gear hammock, bushman chair, stuff sack, ridgeline bag, packcover, rain kilt....

The options are endless..

might have to buy some more tents to cut up?

you listening ewker, just saying

**Dutch** · 03-21-2010, 08:16

Those tent poles make mighty fine spreader bars for any tarp. You could also make a real cool wind shirt out of the tent. Just make it so it is obvoiusly made from a tent by having the top ridge where all the pieces come together right on your chest. you also could make it the bottom layer of a double layer hammock. Never, but never, listen to the nay-sayers.

**gargoyle** · 03-21-2010, 08:20

Those poles make a lot of toggles, too.

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