A tarp was highest on my list. I first tried a Walmart "Blue-Tarp" (6' X 8' => 10' diagonal) that left a lot to be desired; it was bulky, heavy, and poorly made/fragile, a horrible combination. I read and searched for days for a suitable replacement at a decent price. I wanted something under $50 that was lightweight, but everything I found that met that criteria was the bare minimum on functionality and looked even less appealing. I decided that I would make my own tarp and chose silnylon for the fabric.

I toiled with the design so as to purchase only the bare minimum in terms of yardage that would suit my wallet and needs. I am rather proud of the hex-tarp design I came up with that only used 4yds of fabric and I would like to know what you all think. I decided to leave the triangle flaps at the ends and am working on a way to either lace them up or pitch them to make them sort of like "half-doors" (see the design pics from my sketchup 3d model). I lined the edges with grosgrain (only flaps left to line) and its currently hanging in my garage while my poor-mans' seam sealing (silicone caulk + mineral spirits) is drying (see pic of the first time i pitched it before sealing the seams). I made several rookie mistakes while sewing, but being my first project I'm going for functionality over aesthetics.
design idea:final hammock tarp 1.png
measurements: measurements.png
real deal:20150727_204554.jpg

Thanks to all the DIY threads on here for their combined wisdom. I'll post more pics of the final product later if anyone is interested. If you want to see/know something specific let me know.