I'm planning to make my first hammock here in the near future so I've been reading posts about fabrics and how to tell nylon from polyester, all the coatings, sil, etc. Wishing I could make that $1 per yard nylon score at WalMart, but nothing yet. With all this reading, I'm still left wondering . . .
Why is nylon fabric better than polyester for the body of the hammock?
Nylon stretches more than polyester and that allows it to better contour to the shape of your body. Without that, you might get pressure points due to the fabric only being in contact with small portions of your body.Originally Posted by HappyCamper
Youngblood AT2000
Makes sense. Thanks!
Why is it when I want polyester webbing, the only thing I can find locally is nylon. And when I want nylon fabric, the only thing I can find is polyester?
Sounds like your luck runs a lot like mine.
“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." -Terry Pratchett
I personally like polyester for a hammock over nylon though the polyester does not stretch as much. The entire hammock distributes your weight by the simple sharing of forces that the shape of the hammock provides on it's own. I have made some pretty comfortable hammocks with it. JMHO
Mule
Predictions are risky, especially when it comes to the future.
I'm with Mule on this. I've used silk and Polyester fabric
for all my hammocks so far. They don't stretch out of shape
and are comfortable. That's not to say nylon will stretch
out of shape, I just haven't tested it.
In the Fall and early Spring I often spend 12 hrs in the
hammock (cause it's dark and cold out, and I'm so comfortable
in the Hammock), I don't think I would spend 12hrs. sleeping
on the ground.
Thanks that's good to hear because I've gotten the cheaper WalMart polyester material to practice my sewing skills on. A friend has sent me some and then last night at WalMart I found two kinds of that digital camo fabric on sale. Not in the $1 bin, but for $3. Marked down from $6.
The army digital (my son told me it was army) is the muted tan and green shades. It's not quite as heavy as the material used on my HH Backpacker, but it's close. It's not shinny and feels almost rough. When I tried to blow threw it, it was just barely, like the HH. I burned it and it melted black and smelled like chemicals so I'm assuming it's polyester. It beaded water for a second but then wetted.
The other material I got was the marine digital camo (again according to son) It's the darker greens and browns. This is shiny on both sides and very light and you can see your hand underneath it. Like onion paper. It burned to black and smelled like chemicals. You can breath right through it and it wets immediately so no coating. I have a Mountain Hard Wear Phantom windshirt and the fabric is much like that in weight, but you can't blow through the windshirt at all. Imagine that.
Both materials fray pretty easily.
Last edited by HappyCamper; 02-19-2008 at 11:43.
I think I might have the same digital marine camo. Does your's have little USMC logos hidden in the pattern? I assumed it was uncoated 1.1 nylon (it's see-thru also) but I didn't burn test. Maybe it is polyester too? It has a small ripstop pattern. I used it in my quilt, I am way too heavy for a 1.1 hammock.
Good luck with your hammock. What kind are you making?
Redtail,
Yes, mine has a small ripstop pattern. Did you get yours at WalMart? (And if so, how much $$$$$? Just being nosey!) I'm no expert but I was guessing mine is lighter than 1.1 oz. I'll have to check it for the little USMC logo.
I'm hoping to make an a-sym-likenetless hammock for bugless season with a pad pocket for winter that is light enough for backpacking. Since my only hammock right now is the HH Backpacker, I figure the netless with pad pock will be a great second hammock.
I'm still collecting material and pieces. Reeper sent me two cinch buckles which I'm excited to try since I still use the tree huggers and figure 8 with my HH. I stopped by Walmart and picked up some of that polyester webbing from the automotive department. It wasn't marked polyester so again I'm just guessing but it fits the description that others have described.
I also have some really light polypro rope recommended that I want to try too. Hanging might be a hybrid of different things -- just cuz I want to play.
I am also going to listen to some really good advice from Oh-No who told me not to hang any higher than I'm afraid to fall!You betcha!
Last edited by HappyCamper; 02-19-2008 at 22:30.
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