Hi, all,

I've been lurking here for a while and buying Walmart $1 bin fabric when I find ripstop. I'm not sure whether I have nylon or polyester, but I did measure and weigh it all. My calculations may be a bit off in the length measurement, but width and weight are accurate; however, I think the weight calculation is close enough for my use.

My goal is to make 4 hammocks for me and 3 of my boys who can still go camping/backpacking. I plan to make them 3 yards long, the 2-layer hammocks as in Just Jeff's site so we can use a blue Walmart CCF pad for bottom insulation.

These are the likely candidates in my fabric stash:

(1) Gray ripstop that came out to about 1.85 oz/sq.yd. It's very breathable, didn't even test with water due to its breathability. The grid is 3/16 inch.

(2) Sheer and slippery (but fairly tough) olive ripstop, frays like crazy, very breathable, 1/8 inch grid, no water test as above. It is about 1.2 oz/sq.yd.

Would it make a good sturdy hammock if I used one layer of each of these? Two of my teen boys are at 200 pounds already (and 6 feet tall), and the 10yo will probably wind up being that big, too. I'm (can't believe I'm admitting this) 240 pounds and definitely don't want any of us to end up dumped on the ground due to overloading.

I've also collected several chunks of barely-breathable ripstop weighing 2.3 and 1.2 oz/sq.yd., but from my reading here I've gathered that breathable will be more comfortable when a pad isn't needed.

The sewing won't be a problem. I have experience and I'm currently working on a G4 pack with an added custom bottle holder sized for a 32 oz. Gatorade bottle.

Thanks for any advice y'all can give!

Trudi in FL