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  1. #1
    New Member Ankylosed's Avatar
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    Gathered end hammock vs channel end

    So I have had a Hennessy for years and am now just discovering a whole new world and expansive world of hammocks. So I love the idea of making my own and I have a bit of habit of analysis paralysis. I want to do it right the first time.

    I addition to my Hennessy I also have a ENO DN which has a channel end. I have noticed that most DIY hammockers on this site have a knotted gathered end. What is the advantage of one vs the other?

  2. #2
    Senior Member Rat's Avatar
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    I prefer the channel end; but it is easy for me to sew up an end channel. Many people do not have a sewing machine for this so they gather the end. To be honest I have made many hammocks in both configurations and I like the lay of the end channel a bit better; especially now that I am using longer hammocks. Some people will like the way the gathered end lies better than the channel end.

    Like so many things we do, there is a lot of personal preference involved...

    As far as real advantages? Gathered ends are easy to add/remove suspension (Cow hitch), require no sewing skills and the minimal skills and methods can be learned very quickly by almost anyone.

    The only real advantage to the end channel is that it allows one to use more of the fabric compared to gathering or knotting.

    That's a pretty simplistic comparison, gathered end hammocks can be every bit as complicated as sewn channels; but you get the idea.
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  3. #3
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    I'm a channel-end guy - after researching whipped/gathered-end hammocks I immediately dismissed them because I was concerned about repeatability of results. I look at them and just think, "that method looks like I could have unpredictable, non-repeatable results." There seemed different methods of gathering, different comfort levels, etc. Whipped/gathered ends struck me as a black art, and if I found that perfect lay, I might not be able to repeat it.

    All my channel-end hammocks are the same - they lay the same, the fabric bunches in the continuous loop the same - there's less variability for me. Mind you, this is coming from someone who dismisses whipped/gathered-end hammocks based on online research and has never actually tried to make or sleep in one!

    Note: I have tried laying in a whipped/gathered end, which further reinforced my belief that channels were a better way to go.
    "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson

  4. #4
    Senior Member hutzelbein's Avatar
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    As SilvrSurfr said, channel end hammocks give you more reliable results than gathered ends. I have been experimenting with differently cut hammocks, and small changes can have a pretty dramatic effect on the way the hammock feels.

    That said, I like the Warbonnet style "whipped" ends best. As far as I can see, the hammock has a channel, but the channel doesn't hold the hammock up. It just guarantuees that the whipping is the same with every hammock. I think Wilderness Logics uses the same method.

  5. #5
    Peter_pan's Avatar
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    This thread has the potential to confuse new folk or casual readers.... "Gathered end" is commonly taken to cover the spectrum of hammocks with any form of gathered ends....

    It may be by use of a hem, a hem pocket, pleating and use of burn hole and whipping, pleating and a knot of material, or combination of the two techniques such as hem and a cinch behinf the "pig snout" of a gathered hem.... and all of thes gathers may be accomlishe with any number of various materials or techniques... Ie rope tie off, continuous loop, dog bone, fixed eye of a whoopie, a large bner, or a strap...All of these techniques work well and largely perform the same...

    Pan
    Ounces to Grams.

    www.jacksrbetter.com ... Largest supplier of camping quilts and under quilts...Home of the Original Nest Under Quilt, and Bear Mountain Bridge Hammock. 800 595 0413

  6. #6
    Senior Member
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    I've always sewn channeled (wide rolled hem) ends on my hammocks. That way I am not locked in to any one method and can experiment if desired. I can gather and whip the ends and larks head the suspension behind the whipping, gather the ends by passing the suspension through the channel and larks head it or pass a lightweight cord through the channel to gather the end Warbonnet style. Options are good.

  7. #7
    New Member Ankylosed's Avatar
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    Thanks for all the replies, I kind of felt the same about the channel
    End vs the knotted end. I like predictability.

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