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  1. #1
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    DIY Ultralight Hammock Brainstorm

    Hey guys, first time poster (I think) here. Been on these boards for a while though. Anyway here's the deal. I have a hennessey Hyperlight and love it (about ready to do the cinch buckle mod!). But I'm a DIY'er and wanna make my own hammock as well.

    So I'm on this whole "Ultralight baseweight" kick and if I'm gonna make a hammock it might as well be somethin that is for another purpose than my hyperlight. I wanna make the lightest hammock I can make and I want to get any ideas from you all.

    Here's my plan:
    - Wanted to use a Hennessey style and picturing something along the Adventure Racer as a finished product
    - Thinkin about using 1.1 oz ripstop, cause I'm only 165lbs
    - What size should the hammock be. I'm only 5'7" and I don't mind it being tight, it's ultralight so that's the idea
    - Want to put netting on it like the hennessy, and probably keep a bottom entry
    - Will use BPL Aircore for ridgeline and guylines
    - Polyester webbing for tree straps

    That's about all I can think of at the moment. My big questions at the moment are:
    - is the 1.1 fabric going to hold or should I go with 1.9?
    - How much fabric should I get and how big should I cut the original "rectangle" to?

    The tarp I'll either make myself or buy. I have my own sewing machine and have been doing small household projects to familiarize myself but this will be my first big project with this material and on this scale.

    Thanks for the help

  2. #2
    Senior Member Iafte's Avatar
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    I've used 1.1 to make a hammock for my one son, it held me and I'm 220. I didn't use it over a long period of time so not sure if it will fail after a few uses.

  3. #3
    Senior Member TeeDee's Avatar
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    To get the size look at Hennessy's comparison chart. He details the size of the original fabric on the chart. From the fabric size and how the Hyperlight feels for you, you can get a better estimate of the fabric size you want.

    Never used the 1.1 oz ripstop, so cannot comment there.

    The BPL dyneema guyline cord would be good for the ridgeline and guylines. For the suspension I would use the Spyderline 2.8 mm.

    Since you are trying to keep everything as light as possible, use webbing only for the tree huggers and something like the Spyderline from hammock to tree. The webbing is almost 4 times heavier than line for equivalent strength. I would avoid tying the Spyderline directly to the webbing tree hugger though. The small diameter line can cut through the webbing after some use. Instead use an SMC descending ring or something like the CAMP Nano Wire carabiner as an intermediary between the webbing and suspension line.

    If you add netting like Hennessy does, then the bottom entry is mandatory. You could use zippers or Velcro to make the netting removable, but that will add weight. Velcro is lighter than a zipper, but more frustrating to use.

    Doing the whipping as Hennessy does is not too difficult. There are several posts describing how to do it.


    Quote Originally Posted by preprunner View Post
    Hey guys, first time poster (I think) here. Been on these boards for a while though. Anyway here's the deal. I have a hennessey Hyperlight and love it (about ready to do the cinch buckle mod!). But I'm a DIY'er and wanna make my own hammock as well.

    So I'm on this whole "Ultralight baseweight" kick and if I'm gonna make a hammock it might as well be somethin that is for another purpose than my hyperlight. I wanna make the lightest hammock I can make and I want to get any ideas from you all.

    Here's my plan:
    - Wanted to use a Hennessey style and picturing something along the Adventure Racer as a finished product
    - Thinkin about using 1.1 oz ripstop, cause I'm only 165lbs
    - What size should the hammock be. I'm only 5'7" and I don't mind it being tight, it's ultralight so that's the idea
    - Want to put netting on it like the hennessy, and probably keep a bottom entry
    - Will use BPL Aircore for ridgeline and guylines
    - Polyester webbing for tree straps

    That's about all I can think of at the moment. My big questions at the moment are:
    - is the 1.1 fabric going to hold or should I go with 1.9?
    - How much fabric should I get and how big should I cut the original "rectangle" to?

    The tarp I'll either make myself or buy. I have my own sewing machine and have been doing small household projects to familiarize myself but this will be my first big project with this material and on this scale.

    Thanks for the help

  4. #4
    Senior Member Jazilla's Avatar
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    If you are thinking UL then like Teedee said uses Spyderline. Its cheaper and smaller, I have some on the way.

    Also get rid of the pullouts and don't use gear hammock unless its a pack cover conversion (duel purpose and all)

    Then down top and bottom is the only way to go to shave those onces.

    Also, think about if you really need that bug net. You are covered by a sleeping bag or quilt. This good bug juice and a head net you can save some more.

    Now that you eliminated the bug net you can eliminate the weight in grosgrain for the bottom entry.

    So now you pretty much have a sheet tied at both ends. You can't get down much more than that unless you carry helium balloons.

    Also think about a tarp with only two tie outs, save weight on stakes.
    Yosemite Sam: Are you trying to make me look a fool?
    Bugs: You don't need me to make you look like a fool.
    Yosemite Sam: Yer deerrrnnn right I don't!

  5. #5
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    I love all the ideas already. Awesome board.

    I'm seriously considering nixing the netting and going open top. I just wonder how much weight savings I'd get by dropping the top netting for a head net or somethin vs. the versatility of being able to just lay in the hammock without bugs if it got hot. But considering I said my main goal was ultra light it seems like a great idea.

    After looking at the Aircore line vs. the Spyderline 2.8 I don't see how the spyderline would be lighter. Backpackinglight.com lists the Aircore at 0.036oz/ft and the spyderline is (my calculations) 0.064oz/ft. Perhaps I did it wrong?

    Definately wasn't gonna use a gear hammock either.

    As of now I'm thinkin about just making some fairly short 5-6ft tree huggers just to wrap the tree, and using aircore or spyderline to go all the way to a cinch buckle next to the tree. Although using a piece of metal seems to defeat the purpose of being ultralight but I suppose it's the best way given the ease of setup too.

    Definately already nixed the tie outs on the hammock and velcro (was gonna go with a weighted closure like the AR originally).

    Great replies guys, love to hear any more.

  6. #6
    Senior Member headchange4u's Avatar
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    I have the weight for the removable net somewhere in my DIY HH thread (link in my signature). I think it was around 3-4 oz.

    With your weight you could get away with 1.1oz rip stop but you would have to be really careful about damaging the hammock.
    “Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." -Terry Pratchett



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  7. #7
    Senior Member GrizzlyAdams's Avatar
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    lightweight bridge

    you planning on carrying hiking poles? If you are, and if you're OK with no bugnet, then a bridge hammock with no endcaps might be in the running.

    Would be fun to have it join the race anyway.

    Cut the body from 48" x 72" of 1.1 oz, thats 2 2/3 yards, so 2.93 oz for that. Less actually because you trim off some with the cut.

    I once figured that the webbing I use for suspension is 3 oz.

    Pretty sure you can work a hiking-pole-as-spreader-bar solution without rings. There will be some extra there for webbing and such to hold the pole in place. Let's say 4' of OWC webbing for that total, I'll have to measure when I get home.

    Let's say 36" on a side for the suspension triangles. That's 4x36" of spyderline for that, at 0.2 oz / yd there's 0.8 oz. If indeed aircore is lighter you can use that.

    you can use knots to join the suspension ropes, no rings needed for that.

    Now give it 2 yards of cord each side from suspension triangle to the tree. so there's another 0.8 oz.

    Cord to the tree do what TeeDee suggests.

    I guesstimate you could put a lightweight bridge together for 7.5 oz, plus the weight of what you use to attach the poles to the hammock.

    If you've already had all the kids you need and don't mind singing soprano forever more, get Dutch to build you a thong version and you can cut the fabric weight of the body in 1/2.

    Grizz

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by headchange4u View Post
    I have the weight for the removable net somewhere in my DIY HH thread (link in my signature). I think it was around 3-4 oz.

    With your weight you could get away with 1.1oz rip stop but you would have to be really careful about damaging the hammock.
    is that the weight of just the netting or with velcro too. you could make the netting smaller even and stitch it on, bet you could do a 2 oz netting, it's not a bad price to pay when it's buggy, but you do have the hyperlight as well(which i believe is 1.1oz nylon)

    When it's buggy you will want bugnet, when it's not you can go without, have 2 hammocks, the one without the net is easy, just whip a rectangle of fabric (i see no advantage to the hh end fold, just more complicated) you could probably get away with 8' given your height, definately 9', and to save weight, make it 4 or 5' wide. 8'x5'= 4.5 yd sq. x 1.1=4.95 oz for fabric.
    +2.6oz(12'owf webbing)=7.6 oz +1 oz or less for line (16' of my vectran weighs 24g.) i wouldn't go any thinner than 2mm uncovered spectra or vectran. i've broken some bpl air core before. so you are looking at 8.5 oz or so for your netless hammock,

    then you could make a net version with the added weight of 2-2.5 oz of netting+ a foot or so of gg ribbon for pull outs, and a little reinforcing of the bottom slit. you could make the netting smaller by moving the side corners farther toward the ends (probably by a foot or more) this will make the netting narrower and give it a smaller sq footage.

    now you have the option to go with netting or without, both ultralite.

  9. #9
    Senior Member headchange4u's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by warbonnetguy View Post
    is that the weight of just the netting or with velcro too. you could make the netting smaller even and stitch it on, bet you could do a 2 oz netting, it's not a bad price to pay when it's buggy, but you do have the hyperlight as well(which i believe is 1.1oz nylon)
    I used zippers and yes that includes the zipper in the weight. I checked the thread and it weighed 3.5oz.
    “Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." -Terry Pratchett



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  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by headchange4u View Post
    I used zippers and yes that includes the zipper in the weight. I checked the thread and it weighed 3.5oz.
    you have a zipper rinning the full length on both sides?, how is it seperating? i always thought the longest seperating zippers were sleep bag length or so??

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