Recommend my first DIY Project.

[mumblez82]

Hi,

I have been a hammock backpacker for a couple years now but am relatively new to this awesome site.

I am especially interested in all the cool DIY projects but am a bit overwhelmed. I am not a particularily handy person and don't know anything but the most basic sewing skills.

I am wondering if anyone can recommend some super simple DIY projects that I can start on. I would eventually like to make an entire backpacking hammock setup all by myself, but that will be a little ways in the future I am sure!

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[Rolloff]

I'm very much on the same wavelength on this one, and have decided on a set of Grizz Beaks or detachable doors for my tarp.

Stuff sacks and pillows were close seconds.

[Trambo]

It is a bit tough to suggest to you what DIY projects that you need
to undertake. We do not know what gear that you need.

First DIY to what you need. Get all of the gear that you need, THEN start
upgrading the gear that you have.

For a fun DIY that anyone can do, learn how to make "whoopie slings",
and a "locked brummel". They are quite similar, and the locked is an
immovable version of the whoopie.

[Floridahanger]

Since you mentioned sewing skills, a DIY channel end hammock is very easy with basic straight stitches, then you can up your game to a Black Bishop Bag to put it in.

The hammock has folded edges with a straight stitch.

The ends, you can either fold and stitch like the sides then gather the ends and whip with small cord like mason line or similar.

Or you can fold and stitch with an inch or so channel, just make your fold bigger, and then either use amsteel with brummel on ends(this option needs 2-3 lines of straight stitching) or ,what I did, (single line straight stitch)is just use the mason line to go through the channel then wrap around like whipping making the channel into a ball. Then larkshead my whoopiesling.

Either way, the hammock body is straight stitching and very simple.

Once your happy with it, then, you can add coolness factor like putting in a Knotty mod with shockcord on headend and/or footend to "tighten" the hammock edge.

[Floridahanger]

Also, check this out.

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ad.php?t=51555

A handy DIY list is here for you. The "Ultimate DIY Project List"

[SailingandSuch]

Sounds like you want some DIY sewing projects?

I'd suggest a few stuff sacks. I made my first two this past weekend. The first one I made I didn't do the things in the correct order and it didn't turn out perfectly. The second came out really well though and its pretty cool to have sewn it myself! I actually had an old 4-man tent laying around that I cut the bottom out of and now I have some free fabric that I can mess up.

Since then I have ordered a lot of DIY supplies and have things on the way where I can make my own hammock/tarp/whoopie slings and more stuff sacks.

Go with the stuff sacks I'd say, you can never have enough of them.

[mumblez82]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far!

I think I will tackle the Gathered End Hammock. This seems like a fairly simple thing to make and it can replace my ENO Singlenest.

Any recommendations for a site to get material from? Or can you get materials at a local hardware store?

What material if I want it to be ultralight? Cuben fiber is probably more than i want to spend.

Finally, what size for the material? I would probably want the hammock to be something similar in size to my ENO Singlenest.

Thanks again!

[Floridahanger]

Here is the link from DIY list for a Knotty gathered end with channel...

There is a nice video that makes it all so simple.
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=15205

[Trambo]

you can even just get a tablecloth, lol

[rchang72]

Just did the stretch-sided hammock. Check out Bindibadgi's version
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...t=40959&page=7

I personally felt that stopping the seams every 2 feet was very easy, possibly simplifying the process.

As for the stuff-sack, might as well do a double-ended, which helps with storing the hammock.
Check out the one from Puckerfactor.
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...t=35085&page=2