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The purpose of the ridge line is to maintain a constant hang angle regardless of the distance between anchors. You need to figure out what ridge line length is right for you and your hammock. Your...

A lot depends on whether you are going to set your tarp up the same way every time or not. I originally thought that snake skins would be the way to go and I made some, but I just simply haven't used...

I generally use aluminum gutter spikes, but I have a selection of different types for different soils. I keep some y-stakes, but seldom use them. It's rare that a gutter spike won't work, since they...

I use a piece of 100 weight fleece as a sleep sheet. I also have a polyester bed sheet to use as a liner or top cover when the fleece is too warm. Fleece doesn't compress much and can be used under...

I've had two Accurites because the first one quit working after a few months. The display worked, but the temperature didn't change. They are not expensive, but I'd rather have something else. I just...

Regardless of the fill material, you don't want to compress the insulation in your underquilt. Some people address this with a differential top and bottom cut. Make the top smaller than the bottom...

I often have trouble with varying stitch length in slippery thin fabrics. The feed dogs are not gripping the material well enough to maintain the stitch length. Since I pull the material with mu left...

It is really inconvenient to have a bobbin run out in the middle of a long stitch and then finding out that you don't have any more bobbins wound with that thread. It's a good idea to buy two spools...

I just made an underquilt out of a 60" X 60" piece of Climashield 5.0 that I had left over. I cut the cover fabric 50" wide X 60" long and sewed it pretty much the same way as everyone else. What I...

I just finished a quilt and I used a 40" strip of Union Tape (also known as Omni Tape) on each side from the bottom edge up. The bottom edge has a drawcord to pull the opening closed. Union or Omni...

This brings up a real interesting scenario. I have two older Kenmore machines which were made to use the US standard home sewing machine thread spools which feed the thread from the side. I have...

When I make straps, I generally use bar tacks in narrow webbing and X in a box or W in a box on wide webbing. This is because it's easier to sew bar tacks on narrow webbing (say 3/4" and less) than...

Hammocks aren't very compressible and the draw string closure allows one end of the suspension to stick out. I use either a Black Bishop bag or a double ended stuff sack for my hammocks. I've started...

There is a River to River guidebook. I have one, but would have to search for it. Here is the link:

http://www.rivertorivertrailguide.com/

I bought mine several years ago, but the link still...

I generally use 7" long white aluminum gutter spikes that I get 10 for $3.00. I blunt the point a bit with a hammer so that they won't poke holes in anything and drive them until they are flush with...

I made one silnylon tarp with grosgrain in the hems and one without. I like the grosgrain because it makes it easier for me to sew and looks better.

Sticking together is common with polyurethane coated tarps, but I have never seen it with silnylon tarps. I usually stuff my tarps, but I have noticed that stuffing creates many small, sharp creases....

I made a top quilt with 5.0 and tried it out last night when the low got down to 53. I didn't wear any extra clothing and was overly warm in the evening when the temps were in the sixties. Overall, I...

I made two tarps using 65" wide silnylon fabric. One has a finished size of 10'-6" X 10'-6" And the other is 10'-6" X 8'-0". I made the first one with the idea that I could use it as a hammock tarp...

That's the way that it looks to me, too. The four way loop should be pretty simple, but, if you don't use a center pole, you don't need it. I like the looks of the CCS tarps and I might make a 10 X...

Silnylon does fray a bit, especially if you stitch too close to the edge. I agree that you should not normally singe the edge, but I do use a hot knife (soldering iron with the tip hammered flat) to...

When I make a seam, I mark a line 1" from the edge of the fabric, align both pieces and stitch along the line. I lay the fabric out on a piece of masonite with the seam near the edge. Using 1/2"...

I would make a rectangular tarp with two pieces of fabric about 12' long and 60" wide. This will give you a tarp about 9' X 12' with the seam in the center of the long dimension. It should be a good...

I've made a couple of tarps now and am firmly committed to using grosgrain ribbon in my seams and hems. The reason is simple, it is much easier for a person of my limited skills to sew. I find that...

I use a pencil soldering iron with a 33 watt element and an aluminum straight edge with no problems as long as I let the soldering iron warm up. The one advantage of a soldering gun would be fast...

Something that everyone who works with fabric should be aware of is that woven fabric is stretchiest on the bias, 45 degrees from the threads. Bias tape is cut this way so that it will stretch. I...

Nylon usually has a tighter weave than polyester, but not always. These days, ratchet straps are almost always polyester. The only really good way to tell is if the label says what the straps are...

I'll grant that, but I don't have enough long term experience with polyester to know how UV resistant it is. Polyester is used in sun shades and should hold up pretty well. I'm using a polyester...

Mule tape is interesting stuff and I use a bit here and there, but it is made for pulling cables through buried conduit and has no UV protection. I would not use it for any critical application where...

I'll take it. The Sears jacket.

I made my first hammock in much the same way. I started with 4 yards of fabric, but I didn't cut it until after I had determined the length that I wanted. I gathered the ends, folded them over and...

I crimp a small stainless steel S-hook on mine. It won't break and you can hang stuff from it. I don't use it to hang the hammock.

I have started using a small S-hook crimped on to the adjustable loop. It keeps you from pulling the loop too short and can be used to connect the whoopie to something else. If you don't want to use...

A 9' X 12' or a 10' square coated nylon tarp can do double duty as a hammock tarp and as a dining fly. They are more expensive than the blue poly tarps, but aren't as crinkly.

The problem with using a whoopie sling as a tarp ridgeline is primarily in getting it tight enough. You need something with like a miniature trucker's load binder to tension and release the line. I...

I've gone to mini-tree straps made from Muletape bought on eBay. I sew an eye in one end and use a toggle hitch on the other. It's easy enough to make an eye with a double overhand knot if you don't...

It's not a UCR, but it's similar. It is in fact a whoopie sling with the constrictor on the tail instead of in the body. The only real advantage of this type of construction is that you can shorten...

I think that the tennis balls are supposed to beat the clumps apart, but I'm not convinced that they do. At best, they do nothing, at worst, they destroy your down. Wet down will clump. Once the down...

I have made three gathered end hammocks, so far. One was made with a piece of 63" wide ripstop and two others with 126" X 60" polyester tablecloths. I use a whoopie sling suspension made of 1/8" or...

I just washed my 40 year old REI down bag and it turned out fine. I took it to the laundromat and washed it with my 40 year old down parka and a pair of Carhart canvas overalls in one of the big...

If you read the Samson splicing instructions, watch their videos and learn to understand the terminology, it isn't hard to extend the instructions to other lines. According to Samson, Zing-It isn't...

My soldering iron uses replaceable tips. I just took a small copper chisel tip and hammered the end flat. I don't use the chisel tips for soldering. You should still be able to get these soldering...

McMaster prices are generally competitive and their service is first rate. Another thing that I got from them that might be worth looking in to was some braided mason's cord, 2057T882. I got blaze...

The tension in your suspension is related to the angle of the suspension lines. If your suspension was exactly horizontal, the tension would be infinite and any suspension line would break. If your...

You can get soft latex rubber tubing at McMaster-Carr supply company online. More importantly, you can get it in all sorts of sizes and in ultraviolet resistant black. The most common size that I...

I have made fids for small diameter cord from Walmart knitting needles. They sell some small diameter double end knitting needles in metric diameters. I have several sizes. A simple fid can be made...

I just made my first (no sew) hammock from 62" wide ripstop nylon. I didn't tie knots in the end, but used the method shown here:

http://raysbeambots.solarbotics.net/knots/easyhammock.htm

I...