Making My Hammock - asymetri,cat cut,boxes ????

**surveywaters** · 06-02-2015, 05:45

Ok, I am new to all of this. I bought two Grand Trunk UL's for my wife and I, they are uncomfortable. I got some ripstop from Joann's and made an 11' gathered end and it's much better. So now I have ordered 8yd from rsbtr and am going to make my wife and myself our hammocks. Is there anything that you would recommend beyond a rectangle? I have searched for plans or designs and my search parameters don't bring much up. Is it common to cat cut any of the edges to reduce excess cloth or to lie flatter, what are foot and head boxes, what do the draw strings do, is asymmetric better? Any help or tips would be great.

**Thom** · 06-02-2015, 09:40

I only do 11' gathered end hammocks. The one thing that will make your hanging experience leaps and bounds better is a structural ridgeline.

**Monkeyboy42** · 06-02-2015, 15:25

Keep it simple. Do a rectangle. Sew channels on the end, but play with different methods of gathering them: drawstring, continuous loop threaded through the channel and whipping it.

If you whip the ends you can simulate cat cuts on the ends by pulling the edges up a little. This can lead to a flatter lie, and saves you the trouble of trying to hem cat cuts. I personally don't find it necessary in my 11' hammock.

For first hammocks I'd also avoid cat cuts on the long edges. The cat cuts can remove the floppy edges, but the also limit your options for lounging. This is because the cat cuts make the edge very tight, and it's uncomfortable to hang your legs over the edges then.

Also check out the "knotty mod". It's an easy modification that helps keep your topquilt/sleeping bag from being pushed out of the foot end of you hammock.

**surveywaters** · 06-02-2015, 15:45

Thanks guys. I am a proficient taylor and had no trouble hemming cat cuts on my tarp, but I understand the KISS method on my first hammock build. I'll look for the knotty mod, it's tough with a four letter minimum on searches

**MAD777** · 06-02-2015, 17:28

curves on edges and odd cuts have a significant impact on the comfort of your hammock, usually in a negative way. Stick to a simple rectangle for your first hammock.

**surveywaters** · 06-02-2015, 17:41

Thanks, when laying I can see the benefits of a side cat cut, but then I can see negatives as well. I can see benefits to a reverse ca in the gathered end but again I can see issues also. I am definetly interested in the knotty mod, I see no adverse effects and if I don't like it the easy removal is an option. Thanks fellas. Anymore tips are welcomed.

**MAD777** · 06-02-2015, 19:05

You're right, the knotty mod won't cause any problems.

**RootCause** · 06-02-2015, 19:15

How about a footbox?

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...-style-hammock

**bryce88** · 06-02-2015, 21:02

What about a parallelogram? have any of you tried that? Any worth while benefits? it'd be just as easy to see as a rectangle too.

**Yojimbo** · 06-02-2015, 22:02

The parallelagram idea has come up before. If I recall it wasn't that successful. One issue that was raised was the bias of the ripstop being askew. I don't recall the details.