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  1. #1
    Senior Member HappyCamper's Avatar
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    Thumbs down First hang in DIY hammock

    I sent this note to friends. Thought you all might find it amusing.

    Notes from last night's first hang.

    Well campers, I'm here to report that my first hang in my DIY double layer asym-like hammock was a total bust! I worked on it most of the day. I finished it at 10 pm and have been fooling with it for 2 hours outside in the cold and dark til almost midnight in 30 degree temps.

    It started out so well. The cutting and sewing went great. I was preening. I made it 10 feet long and it was like 66 inches wide. I thought this would help with the a-sym. (Big Mistake) I whipped the ends, which I've never done before. I had the one inch webbing with the cinch buckles. Superficially it was a thing of beauty but once I hung it everything went so wrong.

    The only good thing I guess is that no one died, but I hurt my back. Wanna guess how!

    I tried the whipping where you pull the center end longer and then whip it so you can lay flatter in the hammock. Well I pulled it too much because when I went to lay in it, it was like there was this tight ridge line right in the center. Took it back in the house and re-whipped the ends to get rid of that center tightness.

    Went back out and rehung it. Laying in it was better but the thing was so dang wide that it was hard to get situated, there was just all this material bunched up and it was hard to find the center and the two layers kept sliding around. I know that sounds weird. I will say the saving grace were those cinch buckles because I had to tighten and loosen those about a zillion times to get it where my head and feet were at the right height and I could lay asym and be flat. That took about an hour in the dark I swear.

    Then I went in and got my Oware pad which is about as wide as Texas and put it between the layers. Since I had it stored folded in half and rolled up, it wouldn't flatten out in the hammock. It kept folding in on itself and there was so much fabric with this wide hammock, it didn't help at all in keeping the pad flat. Plus the pad is only 60 inches long so it took what seemed like forever to finally get it flat and in the right position to where my head was on it and I was in the right position.

    I went in and got my underquilt and put that on. Since it was the first time on this hammock, this seemed to take way too long as well! Frustration was mounting.

    While I was sitting on it chair style testing it, one buckle gave out because I didn’t have it secured correctly because I was fooling arouund with it so much. I landed on my butt and it frayed the webbing slightly. Oh great.

    Finally I got situated and was laying there half on and half off the pad with all that material twisted and uncomfortable but it was the best I could do. The underquilt wasn't in the best place, but again I was tired and I didn't feel like fooling with it anymore.

    So it was midnight and I lay there cold and tired trying to convince myself it wasn't as bad as all that. And that's when I hit the ground. Thud! (I'm not kidding.) The webbing came loose from the whipping that I had redone an hour ago and I fell flat on my back. That's when I surrendered and went inside for the night.

    I think my ego hurts worse than my back. And here I thought my status in the Clan of the Tree Hangers was going to go up! I'll be lucky if you all don't boot me out with this debacle!!!

    PS: My boyfriend thinks I’m taking this waaaaaaaaaay too seriously. "Why do you have to make one when you already bought one????" Thank goodness Scarlett O'Hara & I both know that tomorrow is another day!
    Last edited by HappyCamper; 02-24-2008 at 14:44.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Cannibal's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by HappyCamper View Post
    I think my ego is hurts worse than my back. And here I thought my status in the Clan of the Tree Hangers was going to go up! I'll be lucky if you all don't boot me out with this debacle!!!
    Actually, I believe that a bump to the rump is what grants you official status in this Clan. How can you trust someone that hasn't landed on their butt?

    Seriously, very glad it was mostly an ego injury. Maybe I misread but, it sounds like you pulled the center out on the whipping. Pulling the outer edges is how you can help deal with the excess material and eliminate that 'bump' down the centerline of the hammock.

    Again, very glad you're not hurt.
    Trust nobody!

  3. #3
    Senior Member Preacha Man's Avatar
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    Congratulations, you are officially a hammocker now. Sorry that you fell, it happens to all of us eventually. I know it can be frustrating, but keep working on it, when you get it right, there is nothing better.

    Dwight
    Psalm 19:1-3 "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard."

  4. #4
    Senior Member angrysparrow's Avatar
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    The very best way to really learn something is by making mistakes you'll remember....

    Congrats on your new knowledge.
    “I think that when the lies are all told and forgot the truth will be there yet. It dont move about from place to place and it dont change from time to time. You cant corrupt it any more than you can salt salt.” - Cormac McCarthy

  5. #5
    Senior Member froldt's Avatar
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    I'm just a few steps behind you, HappyCamper. Don't lose heart! Keep it up, I know it'll be worth it once you're lying there in your DIY hammock!

  6. #6
    Senior Member GrizzlyAdams's Avatar
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    one wonders why one sticks it out

    hey HC
    I can relate to your experience. My first hammock was a bridge, and I'm all pumped up once the thing is finished to hop in and enjoy flatness. But I hop in and I'm in a hammock hole. What the $#^%&*&^!!!

    Took me a while to work it out / figure it out, but now I'm a happy camper. Oh wait, that's you. Maybe I'm in the groove then.

    Never fear, it will come. I still find that whipping stuff intimidating, and my first whipped hammock will be All Wrong too I'm sure.

    And we all have to take that first fall. Best to get it over with early in my opinion. Armed with advise on whipping and a broken in butt, you're good to go for round 2. Which will go to you, we're all sure.

    Grizz

  7. #7
    Peter_pan's Avatar
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    HappyCamper,

    Sooner or later every hammocker make at least one unplanned return to ground..... Just don't stay there... Glad that you are ok.

    Pan
    Ounces to Grams.

    www.jacksrbetter.com ... Largest supplier of camping quilts and under quilts...Home of the Original Nest Under Quilt, and Bear Mountain Bridge Hammock. 800 595 0413

  8. #8
    Senior Member HappyCamper's Avatar
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    As I was laying there on the ground looking up at the night sky, I thought, "Ok God, you can send in the locust now." So it's nice to hear people saying, been there!

    I know a large part of the problem was my whipping. I'll figure that out. And I may narrow it a bit. It has been a fun project and I plan to keep going.

    Thanks for all the kind words.

  9. #9
    slowhike's Avatar
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    been there, done that
    about the whipping... i know you said you used the 1" webbing w/ cinch buckles, but how was your support system connected to the ends of the hammock?

    i use a larks head which tightens more as it's weighted & it sometimes doesn't even travel as far as the whipping because it's gripping so hard.

    i use a larks head on cord to connect the hammock to the ring buckles now, but i used to attach the webbing to the hammock the same way ...no problem.

    and about gathering the hammock ends to be whipped... i think cannibal is right... at least that's the way i do it... i pull the corners about 2 or 3" out before whipping rather than pulling the middle out.
    I too will something make and joy in it's making

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by slowhike View Post
    and about gathering the hammock ends to be whipped... i think cannibal is right... at least that's the way i do it... i pull the corners about 2 or 3" out before whipping rather than pulling the middle out.
    I think that depends on the type of fabric you use. I made one out of some type of polyester(?) one time and I had to bundle it so it was progressively shorter starting from the center to get it to lay comfortably.

    On my nylon hammocks I pull about and inch or so on each corner before tying the hammock suspension into the fabric.
    Youngblood AT2000

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