Net/mesh hammocks vs flat weave??

[chefslot]

Just to start of with, new to forum, 75% of hammock camps has not been great.
I think less sag for me the better.

http://www.hammocks.co.uk/compare-hammocks.htm Mention under Rope hammocks
'In short: If comfort is the main priority then a Mexican net hammock is the experts choice.'

If, say you had a net hammock, doesn't each of the little squares help to give you a 3d mould of your body, like a c.a.d design, where as, a material will try to smooth out the lumps and bumps??

Now say you can get a netting that has a smooth finish, then wouldn't this be a better moulded hammock??

More attachment points??
Size of mesh, pro's and con's??
Possibility to double up as a survival net??

Thoughts MYOG people,,,,

[sigma_pete]

My experience with using a net hammock in hot weather is that it makes me very irritable, feeling like a thousand little knives trying to slice through me. Also, mosquitoes love the direct access to your bottom side. I've not had these problems (or any others for that matter) with my double layer nylon hammock.

What is important for comfort is having a wide hammock for diagonal lay and a ridge line so that the hammock has consistent sag every time. If I recall, the "ideal" ridge line length is something like 83% of the hammock length.

[Merganser]

Ideal is relative but 83% is the rule of thumb. The length of the body is important too. 10-11ft depending on your height. Fabric weight also matters light fabric in single layers will stretch and be less comfortable.

I would go with a solid body hammock. Wouldn't even think about netting.

[chefslot]

Thanks for your replies, 83 %, Here's my link to my youtube video on the sag i had, please comment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p-BN...9&feature=plcp

My hammock is one of these
http://www.paradisehammocks.co.uk/en/12-double-hammock
So i would say it's big enough, but maybe not thick enough.

[Trooper]

Net hammocks do feel like you describe. A solid fabric generally feels much better, and is the standard with HF members. The Mayan Hammock is a fairly tight weave of cotton, so it feels like a solid fabric, and they are comfortable. However, they are extremely heavy when compared to a nylon hammock, and they absorb water and don't dry quickly. I assume the "expert" is referring to a Mayan Hammock. I'd prefer one in my home, but never for camping.

Use whatever sag you feel comfortable with.

[chefslot]

I'm no "expert", just thinking outside the box, or should i say sack ^^ Mayan / Mexican hammocks, thou they are weaved ( what i was thinking of the net /mesh bit was a sewn knotless net, and fabric is what i was thinking of with the flat weave part).

[ag1024]

I started out with net hammocks. I put a pad in the hammock and that served to keep the mesh from being uncomfortable, to keep bugs from biting my underside, and give me some insulation in the winter. I used to put a mosquito net above hung from the tarp ridgeline and hanging down and under the pad. Talk about a light weight shelter. The heaviest thing there was a regular polyurethane tarp, which I used because I didn't know any better.

[chefslot]

Was looking at the DD mesh hammock, thou they say they do not recommend sleeping in this, and i have asked them, and the net is knotted, it weighs more then there DD camping hammock.
I guess it's all horses for courses, but i look back into the history of hammocks. One thing i did read was "Officers soon caught on to the idea of saving space by narrowing down the original hammock design, forcing the crew to sleep lengthwise in a fashion never intended. This distortion of design has remained with us to this day and constitutes the basis for the misconception that all hammocks are the same."

In the UK i never really seem to have had a problem with being bit. Maybe our mosquito's are not as big and as aggressive as yours, or maybe i sleep in my lightweight sleeping bag with my clothes on and they cant get through. i wonder if the original hammock users never had this problem??

[ferball]

I liived in central America for a bit and slept in my share of net hammocks. They are nice. They have a little more stretch than what we typically use for camping. But the two main reasons I would not use them for camping are:

The Climate- net hammocks are cooler, and camping in New England it is anybodies gues if the night will be hot and muggy or brisk and chilly.

Set Up - I could not imagine repeated packing of a comfortable net hammock and not having to deal with untangling it to some degree every time I take it out.

I like net hammocks, did not know there was any other kind until I stumbled across hammock camping. But I don't think they would be well suited for a hiking/backpacking application. Plus the weight, I am not a "gram weannie" but I would think hard about it before taking my sun porch hammock into the woods.

[chefslot]

Lol ferball, film it if ever you decide to do it :O) I guess i'm trying to look at the flaws (For camping) of the very first types of hammocks before i get to far under in the design side of it all. I see netting to be a dual purpose tool, one for survival and the other for sleeping.

The thought was the way that netting may mould better around your body and be more supportive.