Has anyone ever tried using a tent rainfly for a DIY hammock?
This is my second season of hammock camping. I started out last year with a Hennessey Expedition Asym Zip. It was pretty cozy at Lake Lila, NY, down to 25 degrees with a foam pad, a space blanket, and a zero degree sleeping bag. Same for the Appalachian Trail in November down to 30 degrees.
We're planning a trip in August to Lake Lila and I want to try making DIY hammocks on the cheap for both my 12 and 19-year old son. I want something with a bug net so I'm looking at the Byer Moskito Hammock ($29.95).
I'm trying to keep costs down, so I don't want to spend much (well, nothing really) on a tarp, so I dug around in the garage and found a couple of Coleman 10' x 6' tent rainflys. These rainflys kept me dry for years when I was a tent camper.
I strung one of the rainflys up (pictures attached) to see if it would suffice as a hammock rainfly. At first I tried diagonal, but there was too much sagging. Then I tried stringing it up longwise so there's 10 ft. of coverage with 3 ft on each side three tie-ups a side.
The rainfly still wasn't taut enough so I added the 6ft fiberglass pole that came with the rainfly. I put the hose on it and water came off easily and did not gather in depressions.
This seems to be a reasonable rainfly for the Byer Moskito Hammock or for any hammock. The ends can even be closed off into doors if there's sideways rain or wind. I may not even need the fiberglass shock pole for tautness, once I get a decent ridgeline.
Has anyone tried using a tent rainfly as a hammock rainfly? Any tips on setup? I think this could work. My main concern is staying dry - Upstate NY weather can be fickle. Last year at Lake Lila my Hennessey Hammock kept me dry as a bone through five inches of torrential downpour. I expect nothing less from a DIY hammock.
Looking forward to your input.
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