Been planning a sock based on the Fronkynet. Wanted to install a closable breather port of some kind. This one you made is interesting....
Been planning a sock based on the Fronkynet. Wanted to install a closable breather port of some kind. This one you made is interesting....
Thanks. I am glad it might give you some ideas to consider. I like the Fronkey; it's a classic design that is very practical and will go down in the annals of hammock camping lore. I prefer full enclosure to an open bottom, and so I went for something a little different when I designed this sock. My main design criterion was to find just the right simple shape that would make the sock 1) easy to sew, 2) free of excess material 3) able to accommodate a pulled-out hammock without constraining the occupant's lay inside. So far so good, and the new zippered entry is very easy to operate and helps with taking the sock on and off. I am also looking to make an all-mesh bug net version with a separating zipper...Originally Posted by bobamos
Last edited by kitsapcowboy; 09-20-2016 at 20:59.
The inevitable autumn rains and more moderate precursors to the fierce winter windstorms here in Western Washington have set in, and for several nights we've seen continual heavy downpours and sustained 20+ MPH winds with stronger gusts.
The Fortune Cookie sock has been performing admirably; it's just the ticket to keep the ground backsplash and windblown "sideways rain" from slowly spattering my hammock and quilts. Occasional drips stay on the sock rather than my gear and have ample time to air dry under the tarp. While overnight lows are only hovering around 50F, the sock, even when fully vented, still creates just the right microenvironment for comfortable sleeping and gives me a break from the wind and a couple of degrees of warmth that lead to sound slumber. Also nice, since our nighttime biting insects haven't all quite been convinced to die, and with the heavy rain they want to congregate in dry spots -- like up under my tarp! The sock has been giving me safe haven from the last mosquitoes of the year as well...
That's one nice looking sock. I wish I had just a little sewing skills but alas as my dad used to say, I'm useless as **** on a boar hog when it comes to sewing.
I wonder, do you have a closer photo of what is going on with that vent area and the cover on the inside? The vent portion is where I am still formulating this thing. I have half a dozen ideas but nothing seems better then the rest.
Thanks, Trailslug!
I don't have a better photo handy; I will have to take one.
However, I can tell you that when I first built this sock, I definitely made the mesh vent portion too large for my tastes, over 900 sq in, which is what prompted me to sew in a zippered cover to adjust the ventilation. The sock vent when full open comprises only about half as much area as before and can be zipped easily open or shut from inside the sock. When I redesign this sock from scratch, I plan to use a triangular window with the base toward the head end and the vertex toward the zippered centerline, about 450 sq in of mesh. I will see in a triangular vent cover with a roll hem to close it, omitting the zipper; supported by the hammock ridge line, the occupant will just be able to peel the nylon vent cover open or closed to adjust the airflow.
Last edited by kitsapcowboy; 10-11-2016 at 08:31.
Update: Thermal Performance
Last night was the coldest night we've had so far this fall, with an overnight low of 41 degrees. I rigged up my handy $10 Wal-Mart wireless thermometer (inspired by Shug's Springfield model, featured in many of his videos) yesterday afternoon with the remote sensor for the outside temperature out on the foot end of my hammock suspension. Last night I suspended the receiver unit, which records the ambient "indoor" temperature inside my Fortune Cookie sock from my hammock ridge line at the top center of the hammock, figuring that would be reasonable spot to record a minimum interior temperature. With the vent on the sock mostly closed after about five or six hours of peaceful slumber, I awoke and recorded a reading of 54 balmy degrees outside, while it was still 42 outside -- a thermocline of 12 degrees, which makes a lot of difference in terms of comfort. After hanging the receiver closer to my body, just above my top insulation, the interior ambient air temperature reading settled at 59 degrees, a 17-degree difference. When I went to sleep last night in my hammock, instead of a proper quilt set, I purposely brought my ten-year old Fred Meyer (Kroger) grocery store $14 40-degree synthetic sleeping bad and an off-brand self-inflating camping pad. The sock definitely made my lower-performance insulation gear much more comfortable as the outside temperature began to flirt with the high 30s. I don't know what kind of temperature differential I will see as our weather hits the freezing mark, but I'll bet the sock won't hurt...
sockthermoimage1.JPG
Thank you, I have been thinking about building a sock, I just could not decide how to design what I need.
I seem to becoming claustrophobic. I have 3 socks, two of which are custom made. I can not stand them. I had a two door Spindrift that is okay, I added netting to the doors.
I want a sock for my DIY netless. I need to not feel too enclosed, easy in & out, a view. Your project has really helped me work through what I want/need. I Hang on the coast a lot or up behind Bridal Vale, where I squatted at one time. Lots of blowing moisture coming from several directions. Spindrift 2 door works okay, the RR is a problem, it is so long. I do better with shorter hammocks.
Just woke up after another night monitoring the temperatures inside and outside my hammock sock. The predicted overnight low when I went to bed at 10:00 PM was supposed to be 45F, so I stuck with my cheap pad and 40-degree sleeping bag. When I awoke at 2:00 AM it was 41F, but I was still comfortable, and my thermometer showed the coolest part of the sock interior was still 56F. I went back to sleep for the rest of the night, and when I rose again at 6:00 AM, the temperature outside had taken another unexpected drop to 38F! Fortunately, the sock was doing its job, and it was still 52F inside the sock; it only lost one degree in thermocline as the temperature dipped into the high 30s, and it demonstrably extended the comfort rating of my budget sleeping bag.
thermo2.JPGthermo3.JPG
Update: All-Mesh Fortune Cookie Hammock Sock
Been testing the slightly improved version of this hammock sock, a a full-enclosure bug net made completely from 0.9 oz NoSeeUm mesh. It has a Dutch 2-way separating zipper so the halves separate, making the addition/removal of the net even easier. The photos below show the improved reinforced pass-through tie-outs in action, so that not only does the bug net stay taut and off of your face but also the sides of your hammock can still be pulled out for an optimal diagonal lay. I sewed the new pass-through tie-outs with 200D pack cloth patches, 1/2" grosgrain ribbon, 1/2" Beastie Dee rings, and double-sided mitten hooks. The bug net has cord-locked drawcords through the grosgrain channels at each end for a secure fit ver the suspension. Now that I have this design tested and more or less perfected, I'm going to make a refined version of the original fabric sock in 1.55 oz Multicam Epsilon, with a smaller optimized triangular mesh vent window.
Last edited by kitsapcowboy; 11-08-2016 at 19:22.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks