DIY Hammock, Stand and Tarp

[Roadrunnr72]

The Hammock is a gathered end from 1.5 oz camo ripstop from BWDD. I was wondering how well it would hold, but did fine. I didn't notice any stretch at all, or atleast I wasn't on the ground in the morning.

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As you can see- it's wrapped in a 3S Incubator.

My stand, I have shown pics before, but this is the first time overnight with it. Everything worked great. As stated above- I wasn't on the ground in the a.m.

The tarp is 1.1 oz camo, also from BWDD. It was built for nice weather, but when you want a tarp, just-n-case. It is 10' long and about 65" wide (the material is 68" wide). The only grosgrain is for the tieouts. The next time I do 1 of these, I will try a cat cut, this one I just can't get to really tighten up, kind of floppy. The DIY Sil was made using a tube of 100% silicone from the hardware store and odorless mineral spirits. Not sure how long it's going to last. The tarp is great, the sil, not so sure. When I hung the tarp, I hung it inside out (in a hurry). I mixed the sil, using a drill with a piece of tubing and plastic wire ties on the end. Mixed until everthing looked good. I used a foam brush and just applied. It dried very quickly and didn't look any different. I was surprised as to how quickly it dried. I left it up to dry completely, with the intention of testing the next day. I ended up raining that night (Fri.). I went out (about 3:30a.m.) when it quit. Everything under the tarp was soaked, I felt the inside of the tarp, and yes, water.

Now what!!!!!!! I figured that if it leaked, It wasn't doing any good. So more DIY sil. I flipped over the tarp, so right side out this time. I mixed more sil, this time I used more silicone to mineral spirits then the first time. It took longer to dry this time. It has a few brush marks on it, but I'm not worried about that. It still feels a little "sticky". I sprayed it down with the hose to see how waterproof it was. Nothing on the inside this time. Dry as a bone. I let it dry and put it in a stuff sack. I am going to let it sit for awhile then rehang it to see if its sticky. If so I am going to put a dusting of baby powder on it. (Got that idea from Ed Speers "Hammock Camping" book).

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[Roadrunnr72]

After stuffing the tarp into a stuff sack for a few hours, I set it back up. It still felt a little "sticky". It really wasn't sticking to it self, but just had that feel to it. So out with the baby powder. A light coating, and wiped off what I could. Then back to the water hose, figured it would wash the rest off----NOT. No water getting through the tarp, and a put the pressure to it. The powder stayed. It kind of gives it a dull look, but for stealth camping, that may be a good thing, as before the powder, the sun would glare off of it, it was "shiny".

Here is the "before baby powder" and After
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It rained this morning- actually it poured down, wind whipping. When I got home- it was still standing and looked the same- this pic was just taken.