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  1. #1
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    Hammock Body only weights

    I am a newbie and am researching what I want to do for my first lightweight setup. (Great Forum by the way) I am at looking at several options but have not made a final decision yet so I am asking for some insight from you all. I am looking for information or a thread on the weights of different hammocks without any suspension etc. Just the body of the hammock, whether it has a bug net attached or not. Since most of the commercial hammocks appear to weigh their hammocks with suspension or straps or tarps or storage bags, etc., it is hard to find out what the body of the hammock minus all of that stuff weighs to get an accurate hammock body weight comparison. I plan on going lightweight with whoopie slings etc. so whether I buy my setup piece by piece of start with a Hennessey type setup, it will eventually get modified for lighter weight. I am not opposed to making my own hammock, if I can make one light enough to rival something like the Grand Trunk nano7 or something on that lighter end.

    Can any of you give me some "hammock only" weights of your setups? or point me to a thread or a link if I have missed it. I have mainly been looking at these, as I have just started my research, but I am open to any brand/DIY setup.

    1. DIY
    2. Grand Trunk Nano7
    3. Hennessey Ultralight, Hyperlight, Explorer Ultralight

    For now I am just comparing starting hammock body only weights, when I narrow it down a little more I will do more reading on how much people like or dislike a particular hammock to see if the weight savings is worth a good or bad reviews from current owners. Thanks for any assistance you can offer.

  2. #2
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    Dejoha has a hammock comparison chart:

    http://theultimatehang.com/2012/07/p...parison-chart/

  3. #3
    Senior Member SGT Rock's Avatar
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    Nov 2006
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    Maryville, TN
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    Argon X90 Experimental hammock
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    DIY is wide open. my hammock only weight on my current project is only 5.13 ounces, but that is probably on the extreme low end.
    NO SNIVELING!
    www.hikinghq.net - Hiking H.Q.
    www.bmtguide.com - the BMT Thru Hiker's Guide

  4. #4
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    Thanks for the info Sgt. Rock, I would be very interested in learning more about your DIY hammock. That is a weight I would be very happy with, if the reliability and weight capacity was there. I am 5' 8" & currently 230lbs. (I hope to be 200 or less by the time I will be using the hammock.). I was considering modifying a GT nano7 or GTUL. But, if I can DIY, that would save funds for items I need that I can't DIY like shoes, Titanium cup etc. I made my own backpack earlier this month, so I feel comfortable with MYOG.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Fish<><'s Avatar
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    Here's the deal bro. Sgt rock does have an extremely low weight hammock, but it is exactly that, extreme. Most or all switch to the hammock due to comfort, and while I'm sure sgt is way more comfy in his ghost hammock than he is on the ground, he did have to make sacrifices in order to go that light.

    Truth is, for only a couple of ounces more (if you drop weight to under 225) you can buy an extremely comfortable hammock by the guys at buttinasling. A minimal necessary weight gain to me. Hammocks like the gtul and nano 7 will still weight more than a bias weight weenie micro and the price isn't too awful different after the fact.

    Your biggest weight issue will be whether to use a pad or an underquilt. A lot of these decisions are dependent on the person so that is why you might see things like hang your own hang and your mileage may vary. Good luck with your venture and pics or it didn't happen....
    "We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it, we go to smooth it."- G. W. Sears

    My forum name is Fish<><; I'm in the navy; and I hate sleeping on the ground. If I didn't need ground to walk on or measure resistance to, I think I could happily give it up.

  6. #6
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    Thanks Fish, I had not seen their hammocks yet, being I just started comparing hammock options. Like I said previously, weight is only the first factor, but comfort is also an important factor in my research/decision. This is the type of information, I am seeking. Thanks again.

  7. #7
    Senior Member SGT Rock's Avatar
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    Maryville, TN
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    Argon X90 Experimental hammock
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    Well, I've slept in a lot of hammocks, I don't think I'm sacrificing anything with my hammock LOL. I think some folks equate big with comfortable. Some folks also think quilts are more comfortable than pads, but some of us also think the other way. I won't try to convince anyone that their hammock is less comfortable than mine either.The only sacrifice I think I may be making is durability...

    Anyhow, my current hammock is an experiment. It is very light and has some tricks I'm playing with to keep it comfortable. I won't try and push anyone to any design. But if you are willing to DIY, which you seem to be, then I would say don't buy any hammock. Make one. I slept in Hennessy Hammocks for years, but I was about to start an AT thru-hike in January and realized I didn't need all that bug protection and stuff when the bugs were months away. I spent about $12-$14 on my hammock that weighed about 12 ounces with the lines on it - but no tree straps. It worked great for 800+ miles.

    For your height and weight I would recommend going with some rip-stop nylon and sewing your own hammock. I'd start with about 4 yards x 60" and hem it, then add suspension. If you do the math, that would be about 6.67 square yards. If you make it out of 1.9 then the material would be about 12.67 ounces. That is plenty hammock for anyone. Then you can try "shortening" the hammock by moving the suspension up the hammock body until you hit where it isn't comfortable anymore. For me this is about 3 yards and I am also 5'8", but I've also tweaked my hammock body a little for the 9' to work. My hammock from my thru-hike attempt was 10' long if that helps. Then you can also try sewing the body so it isn't as wide, my hammock is about 48" wide, but again it is tweaked some with a footbox and shoulder curtain I'm playing with. On my thru I kept it at about 60".

    Now my first DIY hammock was made with the $2 a yard remnants sold at the local wal-mart. I just found some ripstop nylon that looked strong enough and comfortable enough to lay on. I highly recommend doing something like this for your first DIY project so you don't order some expensive stuff, play with it, and take a chance screwing it up before you find what you like. There is even a good chance you can make the first one with remnant material work exactly as you want it too.

    To get instructions, I found Just Jeff's site the perfect place to get a start: http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeHammock1.html

    Everything I needed to know to sew my first hammock was here.
    NO SNIVELING!
    www.hikinghq.net - Hiking H.Q.
    www.bmtguide.com - the BMT Thru Hiker's Guide

  8. #8
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    So at my current weight, it looks like I could safely play around with some inexpensive 1.7, and then either stay at 1.7 for a single layer hammock or be able to use 1.1 of I drop some weight or go double layer hammock. Am I understanding this right?

    P.S. Thanks for your service Sgt. Rock, I spent 7 years Active Duty myself in the Army from 85-92, then another 1 in Active Reserves.

  9. #9
    Senior Member Fish<><'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SGT Rock View Post
    Well, I've slept in a lot of hammocks, I don't think I'm sacrificing anything with my hammock LOL. I think some folks equate big with comfortable. Some folks also think quilts are more comfortable than pads, but some of us also think the other way. I won't try to convince anyone that their hammock is less comfortable than mine either.The only sacrifice I think I may be making is durability...

    Anyhow, my current hammock is an experiment. It is very light and has some tricks I'm playing with to keep it comfortable. I won't try and push anyone to any design. But if you are willing to DIY, which you seem to be, then I would say don't buy any hammock. Make one. I slept in Hennessy Hammocks for years, but I was about to start an AT thru-hike in January and realized I didn't need all that bug protection and stuff when the bugs were months away. I spent about $12-$14 on my hammock that weighed about 12 ounces with the lines on it - but no tree straps. It worked great for 800+ miles.

    For your height and weight I would recommend going with some rip-stop nylon and sewing your own hammock. I'd start with about 4 yards x 60" and hem it, then add suspension. If you do the math, that would be about 6.67 square yards. If you make it out of 1.9 then the material would be about 12.67 ounces. That is plenty hammock for anyone. Then you can try "shortening" the hammock by moving the suspension up the hammock body until you hit where it isn't comfortable anymore. For me this is about 3 yards and I am also 5'8", but I've also tweaked my hammock body a little for the 9' to work. My hammock from my thru-hike attempt was 10' long if that helps. Then you can also try sewing the body so it isn't as wide, my hammock is about 48" wide, but again it is tweaked some with a footbox and shoulder curtain I'm playing with. On my thru I kept it at about 60".

    Now my first DIY hammock was made with the $2 a yard remnants sold at the local wal-mart. I just found some ripstop nylon that looked strong enough and comfortable enough to lay on. I highly recommend doing something like this for your first DIY project so you don't order some expensive stuff, play with it, and take a chance screwing it up before you find what you like. There is even a good chance you can make the first one with remnant material work exactly as you want it too.

    To get instructions, I found Just Jeff's site the perfect place to get a start: http://www.tothewoods.net/HomemadeHammock1.html

    Everything I needed to know to sew my first hammock was here.
    +1 to everything above.

    Quote Originally Posted by czthda View Post
    So at my current weight, it looks like I could safely play around with some inexpensive 1.7, and then either stay at 1.7 for a single layer hammock or be able to use 1.1 of I drop some weight or go double layer hammock. Am I understanding this right?

    P.S. Thanks for your service Sgt. Rock, I spent 7 years Active Duty myself in the Army from 85-92, then another 1 in Active Reserves.
    You should be able to play around with slightly lighter material than that, but your looking at maybe an ounce saved overall. I say go with whats comfortable, but this is my honest suggestion after thinking it over:

    Get a talecloth from www.tableclothsfactory.com and get yourself hanging. Once you drop a few pounds buy yourself some 1.1 and make a single layer out of that. BIAS uses magnafabrics 1.1, which actually weighs in around 1.0 oz/ sqyd. That said, that is why there is a 225 weight limit on it. I am not too sure about the weight limits on others, but you should be able to use a 1.3 or 1.5 and be totally fine if you can find material that thickness. I haven't done any research on those weight fabrics, so I am not sure of a source.

    Long story short, get something cheap to get you up in the air, and make a new one out of 1.1, 1.0, or other weights once you drop some weight. Besides 5 lbs is not much weight to drop. Going for a jog a few times a week for 30 minutes to an hour can change that even without a change to diet in a month or two.

    ps. active duty navy got nine years in so far...thanks for your past service as well
    "We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it, we go to smooth it."- G. W. Sears

    My forum name is Fish<><; I'm in the navy; and I hate sleeping on the ground. If I didn't need ground to walk on or measure resistance to, I think I could happily give it up.

  10. #10
    Senior Member Catavarie's Avatar
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    I'm around your height and started out around your weight (now down to 205 ) and I found that a 9ft x 4 1/2ft is just about the perfect hammock size for me. I'm currently hanging on 1.1 ripstop hammock that is 9ft x 4ft (without any additional walls of fabric at the foot or shoulder areas) and find it quite comfortable.
    *Heaven best have trees, because I plan to lounge for eternity.

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