After seeing kitsapcowboy show off his Chameleon clone and seeing Jellyfish's Nova Harmony videos a half dozen times each; I felt inspired to give this a try myself. I have never seen a Chameleon in the wild, only pictures. I figured it wouldn't be too hard to make a single layer Nova with Chameleon zippers. I was only half-right. >>Disclaimer! All the mistakes made are my own and should not reflect in any way on kitsapcowboy, jellyfish, Dutch or Dutchware gear.
Kitsapcowboy explained in his post how to order and sew the Chameleon zippers from Dutchware. So I ordered the zippers and while I was at it, I ordered the zippered bug net as well. I followed Jellyfish's dimensions and her instructions changing were I thought appropriate to go from double layer to single layer and following kitsapcowboy's directions for sewing the zippers. Besides some thick stitches in a couple places, I was very happy with the result.
My first trip out was a Scout weekend camp and on the second night the bug net ripped right along the zipper. When I got home I emailed Dutchware, I had read that Dutch was very helpful even with crazy DIYers like myself. I traded emails with the staff at Dutchware and even Dutch himself. The net was not used 'as designed' meaning not with an actual Chameleon, but Dutch did offer a solution. I could order the bug net in 0.9 mesh instead of the 0.66 that is standard. I followed this recommendation and have a 'bomb proof' bug net now. There is a small chance that I did have a flawed bug net but the reality is that my hammock might work in a similar fashion to a Chameleon, but it just isn't one. If you are making your own and don't care about a couple grams I would STRONGLY encourage you to try the bug net in 0.9 it's definitely worth it.
The 0.9 mesh bug net is bomb proof as I said before. I made it through a week of Scout Camp and four day of Weblos Camp without any problems. I did realize that I wasn't entirely happy with my lay. The hammock was fine without a bug net but with it the sides pulled up too much for my comfort. I still haven't seen a Chameleon but I just have to imagine the dimension are just different. Since I knew what it took to make a sturdy bug net I decided to give it a go myself.
I made a pattern using my net from Dutch and just added about five inches in the middle. Why five? It just seemed right. The end gap between the zippers is a reinforced grosgrain ribbon about 2 1/2 inches long. I made this 8 inches (I tied for 8 1/2 but it just ended up as 8). It is VERY hard to sew a straight zipper or curved fabric. I take off my hat in salute to the team at Dutchware. The extra width is AWESOME it just drapes well and gives me plenty of room to have the perfect lay.
It was a long hard road with many, many lessons learned along the way but that is why I like to DIY. I could have just bought a Chameleon with what I spent and re-spent (and that doesn't touch the labor), but where is and fun in that? My hammock isn't as pretty as a Chameleon but it is all mine and I love it! If you are making a Chameleon clone or trying you own Nova Harmony, great. If you want to try to mix these two designs, just be aware that it's not as easy as it looks.
In summary; if you want to try a Nova Harmony style hammock with a Chameleon bug net. I recommend going with 0.9 noseeum mesh and if you are making your own make it a little wider than Dutch does.
Very deep respect and thanks to kitsapcowboy, Jellyfish, Dutch and the team at Dutchware Gear.
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