Bridge Draft Stoppers Design

**SweetLou** · 10-23-2011, 17:52

I'm trying to make my first bridge hammock and have read that making the draft stoppers is difficult. Grizz uses some kind of origami and I see that TeeDee uses some program to make a template.

I was thinking that since I know the horizontal distance of the ends and the length of the fabric, couldn't I just use a piece of rope of the same length and same distance hung on a wall? Then I could draw the curve on a piece of paper, cardboard, etc. to make a template. Will this not work?

WV · 10-23-2011, 17:57

Nope, you need an origami template.

(Go for it.)

**packeagle** · 10-23-2011, 17:57

I think it should work in theory. Only issue i see is that once loaded the geometry of the curve changes. Thats why I plan on using hangnout's end cap design.

**SweetLou** · 10-23-2011, 18:06

I don't know if I have seen Hangout's, do you have a link to how it is done?

**hangnout** · 10-23-2011, 18:57

You can get some information here. There is a video showing some info on bridge hammocks. The part about the endcaps is at about the 8 minute mark.

Some more info here also. It will be similar to the way you described but you will use the pattern to put an arc out from the end of hammock. This allows you to cut out the endcaps on the same piece of fabric used for the main body.

**packeagle** · 10-23-2011, 19:52

Ha ha. I was just going to link to that video and post. Thanks for your contribution to the forums.

**GrizzlyAdams** · 10-23-2011, 21:11

Originally Posted by SweetLou

I'm trying to make my first bridge hammock and have read that making the draft stoppers is difficult. Grizz uses some kind of origami and I see that TeeDee uses some program to make a template.

I was thinking that since I know the horizontal distance of the ends and the length of the fabric, couldn't I just use a piece of rope of the same length and same distance hung on a wall? Then I could draw the curve on a piece of paper, cardboard, etc. to make a template. Will this not work?

That will could work just fine....but you want symmetry and that's hard just laying a cord down. Remember to include a seam allowance. The other thing to be aware of is stretch and creep in the fabric as you attach the end-cap to the body. Even though I'm careful to match the width of the hammock to the arc of the end-cap, I start the seam at the center, with the two pieces centered, and sew out carefully to the edge. Then return to the center and sew down the other side.

The geometry of the end of the hammock when you are in it is different from anything you are likely to cut into the fabic. Not sure that it matters very much. Something parabolic or elliptic seems pretty natural to me.

**SweetLou** · 10-23-2011, 21:43

Originally Posted by hangnout

You can get some information here. There is a video showing some info on bridge hammocks. The part about the endcaps is at about the 8 minute mark.

Some more info here also. It will be similar to the way you described but you will use the pattern to put an arc out from the end of hammock. This allows you to cut out the endcaps on the same piece of fabric used for the main body.

That's pretty cool. I was thinking that after I make this test hammock, I could undo it and add the end caps to the hammock body's template like you did. I like the shock cord idea also. If I like the bridge hammock, I think I will try to make one like you did.

**SweetLou** · 10-23-2011, 21:55

Originally Posted by GrizzlyAdams

That will could work just fine....but you want symmetry and that's hard just laying a cord down. Remember to include a seam allowance. The other thing to be aware of is stretch and creep in the fabric as you attach the end-cap to the body. Even though I'm careful to match the width of the hammock to the arc of the end-cap, I start the seam at the center, with the two pieces centered, and sew out carefully to the edge. Then return to the center and sew down the other side.

The geometry of the end of the hammock when you are in it is different from anything you are likely to cut into the fabic. Not sure that it matters very much. Something parabolic or elliptic seems pretty natural to me.

I did that center out sewing on the body for that same reason.

What do you mean that symmetry is hard just laying a cord down? What I did for the body was to use the hanging cord method, then folded the fabric twice, so I only had to use half of the template and make one cut. I was going to use your program to plot the data points, but I couldn't find a carpenter's square, so I went with the hanging cord. I could use your program for the end caps though, I have a grid that would work for them.

I was wondering if my weight in the hammock would change the arc enough that it wouldn't be a good way to do the end caps.

Oh, since I have you here, just want to say, "Thanks". I have watched all of your videos and I have learned a lot from you.

I've actually learned a lot from everybody on Hammock Forums. The forums have been great and I might even go hiking/camping someday because of this site.

**Catavarie** · 10-23-2011, 22:03

So I'm sure that someone here that is far more intelligent than me has thought of, and most likely tried this, but could you simply cut out the end pieces of a Bridge on the bias in ripstop? Since the Ripstop tends to have much more stretch in it at an angle would this allow you to use less fabric and maintain a flat end piece without the added geometry?