Making hammock wider.

**Hotboy** · 04-28-2014, 03:21

As a newbie I have just cut my teeth by making a 3.5m x 1.5m hammock. And I feel it is a little small for my 6ft length when I lie across it. I'd like to sew two strips on either side length ways to increase the width to about 2 metres. Is this the right way to do it? If I am on the right track, what is the best and strongest way to join the ripstop nylon pieces?

**Hotboy** · 04-28-2014, 03:31

Thought I'd just add a couple of photos of my first effort.

**Macca81** · 04-28-2014, 04:03

That's a lot of sag you have there! Lengthen the ridgeline and try again. You should be looking in the region of 30 degrees of sag, that looks closer to +50!

**SimonMc** · 04-28-2014, 04:04

Hey mate and welcome.

Have you tried playing with the angles of your suspension first? 3.5metres is a pretty long hammock, and I would have thought you could get comfortable in that at that width.

**SimonMc** · 04-28-2014, 04:05

Beaten to it by another Tasmanian

.

**Hotboy** · 04-28-2014, 05:02

Thanks for the replies. The angle of the photo might be deceiving. The actual length of the ridge line is 2.4m or 8ft and the hammock is approx 3.5m less the hems both ends. With my very limited recollection of trigonometry that should give me about 45 deg sag. When lying across at angle I can get fairly flat but my feet just hang over. Any thoughts on the best way to sew an extra panel either side.

**SimonMc** · 04-28-2014, 05:17

I think your ridgeline is too short, 83% of the length of the hammock is pretty common. So you might be somewhere closer to 2.8metres or more. I would be seriously looking at that first before going wider.

**Hotboy** · 04-28-2014, 05:32

Thanks Simon. I'll measure again and sling it up again in the back yard. That said I really like the luxury of a wide hammock since trying my friends home made woven string hammock.

I respect this 72 year old guy's decades of experience having learnt his hammock making skills as a young man in Mexico.

**Het_Belzia** · 04-28-2014, 08:15

Adding width is most commonly done by sewing strips to the sides of the hammock. I think the only thing you would want to avoid is having a seam near the center of your hammock.