Ok, I finally have some things to post about the projects I've been working on for the last few months. Thanks to all the super helpful and friendly people who have posted How-to's and videos, I've learned a lot! I am still getting used to the hammock setup, so I still consider myself very much a n00b. If you have any tips or suggestions, please let me know!
I've attached slightly larger photos at the bottom. My friend Matt also took a few photos from the night we hiked into Seminole State Forest to test out the rigs (see bottom). The glow inside my hammock is coming from my uber-weak flashlight...
The Hammock. I purchased a big 25-yd roll of 1.9oz calendered ripstop from Magna Fabrics for cheap (planning to make multiple hammocks from it). A simple gathered-end design, it's a little big but seems to be working ok so far. After this one I purchased a 6-mm roll hem foot! I added 3/4" D-rings attached by grosgrain ribbon for asym tieouts. The whipping and ridgeline are Dyneema tech-line from DIY Gear Supply. My suspension is simply 1" Polyester webbing and 1/8" Dyneema cord with aluminum toggles. I'm getting faster at tying bowlines!
The Bug Net. In Florida, this is a must. I used Fronkey's design, but have had mixed results. My first outing with it, in the summer and next to a water source, resulted in a mosquito party above my head. I had tried to set up the net to go over my asym tieouts, and hoped it was closed enough to keep the bugs out (it wasn't). More recently, I added an underquilt and used a makeshift tieout method by wrapping shockcord around the D-rings through the bug net, as one might make on a tarp tieout. Apologies, I didn't get a closeup photo of this, but you can kinda see it in some of the photos.
The Underquilt. The hammock was nice and cool in the summer, but I knew I'd be needing an underquilt soon. After some practice on the thread injector and some tips from the wife, I obsessed over the plans for this torso-length underquilt and drew up multiples after researching it on the internet. I am actually not sure what the final dimensions ended up being, as there was some freestylin' at the end. To save some money, I used the same 1.9oz ripstop as I used on my hammock, because I knew it was calendered and according to my research this should be down-proof (it's now leaking down...life and learn I guess). I made 2" interior baffle walls out of some extra noseeum mesh. The exterior is larger than the interior to avoid compression during use. I ordered 6oz of 900-fp pure goose down from Thru-Hiker.com. When I find myself needing another underquilt, I'll probably order one from one of the better-known makers like JRB. Stuffing it with down was a headache, but I am proud of it!
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Originally Posted by gmcttr
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