Hemp fabric

[Cannibal]

As big of fan as I am of hemp products, I don't think I'd want a hammock made of hemp. Back in the day, when women adored me and men feared me (college) I had some uber cool hemp sandals. Thought I was the bomb-diggity. However, nothing in my experience holds odor quite as well as hemp. Maybe there are different processes around these days that were not utilized back then, but experience is one heck of a teacher. I still shed a small tear when I recall the day I tossed them out. They were so bad the rats came running out of the dumpster in disgust.

[Ramblinrev]

While I have no research to back this up.. Linen would be an obvious choice for ship board hammocks. By the time sails were ready to be retired I suspect they were too damaged to be cut up and made into hammocks for the crew. Working of my memory, not always a good thing to do I would vote for linen.

[Tiki]

As big of fan as I am of hemp products, I don't think I'd want a hammock made of hemp. Back in the day, when women adored me and men feared me (college) I had some uber cool hemp sandals. Thought I was the bomb-diggity. However, nothing in my experience holds odor quite as well as hemp. Maybe there are different processes around these days that were not utilized back then, but experience is one heck of a teacher. I still shed a small tear when I recall the day I tossed them out. They were so bad the rats came running out of the dumpster in disgust.

I've have a white long sleeved hemp shirt that is a favorite of mine in the tropics. It never retained odor any more than any other shirt I owned.. in fact, it has outlasted pretty much every other shirt I've owned including synthetics. It breathes better than synthetics, and dries quicker than cotton. It's super comfy.. kinda like your old sandals.

I too have the problem with the stinky feet. I think it has more to do with over loved pieces of footwear than anything else. (My stinky cannoning sandals are my retired 4 year old everyday sandals.. lol)

I'm think hemp would make a fine hammock for car camping/back yards/etc.. I just see it as bulkier and heavier than nylon.. Not so good for through hiking.. but OK if you don't have to lug it too far.

I guess I should just sew one up and become a guinea pig for the sake of us all. (Paycheck is being deposited tomorrow .. lol)

Edit: I would have to say I would rather have a synthetic hammock if the @#@$! hit the fan weather wise in a cooler climate. I think hemp and cotton are similar in this regard and would be a major drawback to anyone camping in cooler temps. In warmer areas(tropics).. I
d be interested in the advantage of increase breatheabily.

[Tiki]

Well.. doing some research I found a 5.8oz weave and 7.5 oz "summercloth" that look promising. I'm sure a hammock made from this would be pretty overbuilt. Any input?

I could probably go lighter; but, I do weigh about 215lbs.. so maybe I shouldn't . They do have a 4.6 oz 100% hemp "linen".

There are several silk and cotton blends available; but, I'd prefer to stay away from cotton. Silk might be ok.. I'm not too worried about "roughness" as my hemp shirt is coarse, yet soft.

A link here:

http://www.hemptraders.com/index.php?cPath=21



I'm kinda leaning towards the 7.5 oz stuff for it's looser weave and better breatheablity. Also, was wondering about tread. Cotton is out(don't want it to rot).. would it be wrong/not good to use poly thread with hemp/natural fibers?

Anyways.. still considering the idea.. it would be cool.

[johnlvs2run]

I'm interested in hemp fiber for cloth and, especially right now, for rope.

Hemp used to be far better than synthetics, especially for rope, where synthetics were no comparison. Since then, extensive development has been done with synthetics, while shuffling hemp to the back. Probably less is done with hemp now than was done hundreds of years ago. However, I think hemp could be developed to be stronger, more comfortable, and more long lasting than ever. There is also the technology now to blend hemp with other fibers, such as cotton or flax. Even without this though, I am tending to look to hemp for rope to use for suspension. I've been reading threads about synthetic cords, and it looks to me that hemp rope still compares quite favorably.

Has anyone progressed with a hemp hammock yet? I'm curious what the weight is of the cotton in Mayan hammocks, as compared to cotton and nylon. As hemp is said to be 5x stronger than cotton, hemp hammocks of a similar size could be somewhat lighter and more durable than ones made of cotton.

[Ramblinrev]

Hemp rope is still used in some applications but it has one very distinct characteristic which help hasten its replacement. Hemp rope rots from the inside out. I remember twisting the rigging rope I used to make sure the inside of the rope was clean. Often times the exterior looked fine but once I looked at the inside I found it could not be used with safety. Now we are talking about hanging a thousand pounds of scenery but the issue still applies.

In any event, since it is a natural fiber hemp will decay and it happens silently until it is really too late. Hemp is a really good fiber except for that problem

[johnlvs2run]

Ramblinrev, thank you for that emphasis.

Hemp rope was used in the age of sailing ships, though the rope had to be protected by tarring, since hemp rope has a propensity for breaking from rot, as the capillary effect of the rope-woven fibers tended to hold liquid at the interior, while seeming dry from the outside.

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Hemp

Hemp rope was phased out when Manila, which does not require tarring, became widely available. Manila is sometimes referred to as Manila hemp, but is not related to hemp; it is abacá, a species of banana.

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ki/Manila_hemp

I've seen Manila rope at the hardware store. Maybe that's a good alternative for hammocks, and I love bananas.