Hammock length vs width

[Winnie]

I got an Eno DoubleNest as a gift about a year ago. It worked very well for lounging in the back yard on summer afternoons. With me at 6’ 4” 220 lbs it was just too short for sleeping in. So I got Dutch to make me a 12 feet long, 58 inch wide 1.6 Hexon hammock. I was able to get a nice flat lay and it was very comfortable. The only problem was that my feet were right at one edge and my head was at the other edge. It felt like I really needed a wider hammock. From Ripstop by the Roll I got some 1.6 oz HyperD XL fabric and made a hammock 13.5 feet long and 69 inch wide. This hammock is super comfortable but really big. At that point I decided to do some testing. What I wanted to know was how different lengths and widths affected comfort.

I took the 12’ X 59” hammock and added whipping so I would have suspension attachment points at 11 and 12 feet. I took the 13.5’ X 69” hammock and added whipping at 11, 12, and 13 feet. Then I spent the next couple of weekends testing at different lengths.

At 11 feet between suspension attachments I was able to get a nice flat lay out of both hammocks. The 69 inch wide hammock was more comfortable because of additional head and leg room on the sides but both hammocks felt a little cramped for me. Sort of like the sweet spot was kind of small.

At 12 feet between suspension attachments the 58 inch wide hammock was significantly more comfortable than it was at 11 feet. It still felt a little narrow but it didn’t seem to bother me as much. The 69 inch wide hammock now felt very roomy and super comfortable.

When I suspended the 69 inch wide hammock at 13 feet the first word that came to mind was luxurious. Kind of like getting into the middle of a king size bed with freshly washed sheets.

Unfortunately a 13.5 foot long hammock just is not practical for going camping for various reasons. For my next hammock I will probably make a 12.5 foot long hammock using Ripstop by the Roll’s 1.0 oz ROBIC XL or maybe Dutch’s new 72 inch wide Hexon 1.6. That way if I want the length it’s available and if I need it shorter to fit under a tarp or between two trees I can easily add whipping at whatever point I want to attach the suspension to get the desired length.

[calpal]

Interesting, these are some large hammocks, but it makes sense at 6'4". Are you leaving the whipping at the shorter points intact when hanging from the longer whipping points? Just making sure I understand. I'm 6'1" and have been trying to decide how long to make my next hammock (HyperD 1.6 Kelly Green). Even 12' on my last hammock felt a bit impractical to me, but my tarp RL is 11.2' which was most of the issue.

[Winnie]

I remove the whipping at the shorter points at each step.

[Pyrogen]

Dang, and I though my Dutchware 11x72 was big! Question for you though, on the 69" wide hammock you've got- What do you do about the floppy extra fabric in your face? My Dutchware's got knotty mods and do wonderfully for keeping gear in place, but up at the head end the extra fabric hangs in my face and is mildly annoying. I'm thinking about attaching a clothes pin to the floppy bits with a small rope and bag for my cell phone, and tossing it overboard like dropping anchor.

[Winnie]

Actually my head is close enough to the edge that it doesn't flop much.

[Pyrogen]

Ah, right on. I'm shorter than you with a wider hammock, so that makes sense.

[Double]

I'm 6'4" and 350 lbs with a 11'6" x 58" 1.6 HyperD diy hammock and I'm longing to make a wider hammock. The length works great for me but with a fronkey bug net I feel like the mosquito's are going to sting my head during the night. But its such a great hammock and I love the color (tawny olive) so can't talk myself into making another. Wish 1.6 xl came in more colors.

[ocnlogan]

Great work here .

I've been wondering about this a lot lately, as I went straight from a ~9ft hammock to a 12ft. The difference was huge, and I've never gone shorter. But recently after joining this forum, and discovering that ~11ft was the norm, I've thought about trying shorter (mostly because its easier to find appropriately sized tarps).

This makes me feel like I should just be content with my 12 footers.

Thanks for the hard work .

[hutzelbein]

Question for you though, on the 69" wide hammock you've got- What do you do about the floppy extra fabric in your face? My Dutchware's got knotty mods and do wonderfully for keeping gear in place, but up at the head end the extra fabric hangs in my face and is mildly annoying. I'm thinking about attaching a clothes pin to the floppy bits with a small rope and bag for my cell phone, and tossing it overboard like dropping anchor.

I'm 5'4" in a 75" x 11' hammock and I simply lie close to the edge on the head end. I'm not bothered by floppy fabric in the foot end (I don't like and therefore didn't use the Knotty mod). However, even if end up lying a bit farther from the edge with my head, the fabric usually falls away from my face. Not sure why so many people say they are having issues with fabric in their faces. But maybe it's an issue with stretchier fabrics.

[CamoDeafie82]

I've been using this hammock; a DIY 330D (5oz/sq yd) cordura uncoated camo unit, 104" final length, 56" width, but unlike the majority of hammocks, I use webbing loops in the end channels for suspension, as opposed to CLs and whipping... so it's been pretty comfortable for 5'7", 275lbs of me... and its sturdy enough to support both me and the 105lb fiancee in it. Planning to replace with the ROBIC XL fabric when I can, just because its 20% the weight by sq yard, and the extra width might help... I wonder though; the wider a hammock, the shorter it can be, right? Up to a certain point, correct? I'm thinking 10'6", whipped, and whoopee slings... or make it 10' even, end channels and whipped if needed. The approx. extra 10" of width would make it easier to get a more diagonal lay in the hammock, theoretically speaking...