Newbie Questions about Making your Own

[Rat]

How do you close the ends? I guess one end is easy, but how about the other?

On end, as you guessed is sewn closed except for just enough to let the supports pass thru. The other end can use a draw cord or a zipper. personally I like the draw cord better than the zipper. The draw cord is easier to close from inside the hammock for me.

You can use crossgrain ribbon sewn to the bugnet for support instead of a ridgeline, plus it gives the seam a little more meat when sewing.

[tight-wad]

I'll head to Wally world in search of some nice rip-stop nylon DWR 1.9 for my hammock.

Good luck! In the wally's in your neighborhood, you can usually find 1.1 rip stop. Not DWR, and less frequently 1.9. Check the width before you buy. You will want > 60 inches for the hammock. I bought too many yards of 45" stuff and that just won't do for me. Also, not all that glitters is gold. On my last shopping expedition I came away with something that looks like ripstop nylon (in the $1 bin). Turns out it is a polyester variation, not nylon. The main difference for me, for this, is nylon stretches (sometimes good, sometimes bad) and polyester less so. Doing a week on the AT starting tomorrow with the poly hammock, so we shall see!

Later on I'll work toward some Sil-Nylon for the tarp.

Don't expect to find sil at Wally's. You'll have to go online for this. Every blue moon someone will report finding it at Wally's, but that's rare. I've been looking at all the stores for over a year within about a 20 mile radius with no luck.

I'll find me some Black Noseeum ...

You'll never find this at Wally's. However, the camo netting is an economical and satisfactory substitute. I've also used dark colored tulle. Tulle however is IMPOSSIBLE to work with. But, for $1 yard you can experiment with the tube idea before you spend big bucks for better fabrics. No-see-um ain't cheap! And, a bug tube takes LOTS of yards!

See my gallery for what I've settled on. 1/2 and 1/2. Netting on top, 1.1 rip on the bottom.

[tight-wad]

Forgot to mention... you can get the 1.9 DWR at Hancock's Fabrics, but its ~ $6 per yard. Lots of pretty colors to choose from And, no, they don't carry sil.

[dufus934]

Wal-Mart is a great way to go, there are a lot of good fabrics that can be found there. You can get something besides what you want to make you're hammock out of (cheap cotton) you can be a lot more daring without sacrificing the "good" fabric.

Also, it sounds like you are taking the exact same road that I took when I first started. The bug net "sock" for you hammock will work great. One bit of advice from my own mistakes, have someone lay in the hammock when you measure how much you need to go around the hammock. And don't forget to compensate for your ridgeline being higher than your hammock. To close it up, there's are real simple way to do it. Just use a drawstring closure on each end by using a barrel lock and sewing the ends to hold a string all the way through like a stuff sack would. When you first pitch it (don't forget to run one end of the hammock through the "sock") have it all bunched up at on end. Close the foot end before you get in, pull the netting over you, and then close up the other end the same way while you're in it. Sorry this is so wordy, but hoped it helps. Good Luck!