New person - hammock advice?

[kawboy613]

ok, so for starters, talk to me like i'm a 5yr old, seriously. I've had a hammock for about 9 months now, this model ---> https://www.wildhornoutfitters.com/c...amping-hammock

but this past summer our family's typical camping schedule was seriously thrown off by a severe illness in the extended family. long story short, every time i go to hang my hammock, the kids steal it to play in, so i've only actually sat in my hammock like 3 times and only slept in it 1... they all need their own !!!

SO, on comes the thought of DIY to make my wife and 4 kids their own Crinckle Taffeta tablecloth hammocks after lurking around on here for a while. I was planning on gathering the ends easily the way "Knotty" shows. and i've even practiced on some cheap rope to do splices or knots, so i know what to do with the Amsteel.

I was originally thinking of going for the "AntiGravity" muletape suspension as i have like 200' of the 1800lb mule tape in my garage, but then i'ld have to teach my kids to tie knots that they can undo without plyers...

my kids range between 13 - 4..... (and their typical kids, they'll forget 2 seconds later, even something as simple as the Becket hitch)

so i started looking at cinch buckles like on my Outpost II, and found them on Dutchgear and SimplyLightDesigns, which both wrap them differently... which is better?

been doing plenty of research, learning how to tie knots, splice hollow core rope, pricing, etc.

looks like making my own gear will only save me like, well, nothing.

So do i have the satisfaction of actually splicing my own loops, sewing my own tree straps, and saying "I did that". Or just buy from Dutch or SLD their pre-made straps and have the trust in someone who's being doing this a while and knows their splices aren't going to fail, or again, trust my own technique....

Estimated costs:
1" webbing @ 32' = $10
Amsteel @ 8' = 2
cinch buckles x2 = 5
Gutterman thread = 4
total $21

Kit from Dutch approx: $22.80 minus the Dutch clip, wrapped Amsteel around buckle choice of 8" or 15" loop (which is better for the gathered end like i saw from Knotty?)
kit from SLD approx: $22.95 Larks headed Amsteel around buckle with 12" loop

oh, and then what is a good Kn rating and place to buy carabiners?

granted, it would be neat to say I made all my family's hammocks, but do i trust my own sewing, knotting or splicing to hold my wife and children?

1 more question, anyone know if that crinkle taffeta comes in Camo, my girls don't want pink, or at least an earthly tone other than black? i like the idea of not having to sew THAT MUCH to hem all around the entire hammock. This pre-hemmed tablecloth is right up my alley!

i'm so undecided, i just want someone to tell me, DO IT THIS WAY! I thought there would be more of a cost savings DIY'ing it, apparently hammockers aren't about ripping each other off, good thing too!
suprisingly i can get strap and rope cheaper from a hammock dealer than from a boating dealer, go figure!


oh, and sometimes i ramble on and on and on... you get the point.

[Afterparty]

I can't really help with any of that but welcome to the site some one will be with you shortly

[AsaHanger]

Any climbing rated carabiner will work for you. You can get them from REI, Black Diamond, amazon, or any number of other websites.

[Rynomcavoy]

Chances are, if you've gone far enough to get an account for the forum, then I doubt this'll be a small interest hobby. By that, I mean that you'll get further and further into the hammock world, meaning you'll buy more and more, etc.
Sooooooooo, if you think you'll spend awhile here, I'd recommend trying to splice/sew yourself. The more you do it, the better you'll get, the more you'll save by buying raw materials. And you do get that "I made this!!!!" factor to be proud of (though I wouldn't recommend boasting to your pals on your excellent sewing skills). Many newbies (as well an I) underestimate their skills in the crafts, but they end up fine with diligence.

The amsteel length (8" or 15") doesnt make a difference at this stage, whichever you want

The cinch buckle difference doesn't really matter, weight probably is different, your choice

The idea for tablecloth hammocks sounds great. Many people have had success with the as their first bulk project. But I don't know anything about the pink problem

Tell me if I missed anything.

Happy hangin'!

[kawboy613]

Ok, so i after writing my initial post, i thought about it... my wife and i both arent the type to "stand back and watch". Our first house and we've killed all the crabgrass and reseeded, planted numerous flower gardens, made raised garden boxes for our own veggies, built our own 26' deck, reshingled the roof ourselves, ect ect. So ok, maybe i am a DIY'er... just usually on a larger scale.

Never really thought of it as DIY before, just home improvement...

[johnspenn]

I hang in a DIY tablecloth hammock. Since splicing is already covered, I'd recommend splicing your own continuous loops for each end of each hammock, then whoopie slings, and soft shackles to attach them. No hardware needed. Get some cheap cargo straps from harbor Freight (or similar) and you're in business. The whole setup is +- $20.

My wife and i have used our setups now on multiple trips and they work great. HTH- happy hanging!

[dakotaross]

On the buckle choices, I doubt the wrap difference is a big deal, so either. I'd go Dutch with the shorter loops. Why? Because an 11' hammock sometimes needs to get as close to a tree as you can - a matter of opening up some choices (tree distance) for where you can setup the hammock. There are numerous climbing caribiners that would do, I have used Metolius minis which are light and have slightly less bulk.

I'm not a DIY guy - city boy with no space or patience for playing around with stuff. I think DIY is a long-term value proposition given the skill-building element, both in terms of execution and knowing what you want to do in the first place, that "might" save money in the long run. Depends on how much you like experimenting, I guess, or how fast you ramp up the learning curve. I would certainly go for that, but perhaps its good to find a value pkg that would suffice for now? Grand Trunk makes some good stuff that can be had around the $20 range. Strap, buckles, etc., can be bought a number of places that sell DIY stuff individually. Ripstopbytheroll.com is probably a great place to look for material for making a hammock or tarp. They have a lot of designs to choose from and your kids might like to see what's there and pick something out online - and maybe even help you make it.

p.s. that Wildhorn offering is a near perfect retail setup being longer and supplied with a buckle suspension - says sold out so I can't tell how much they go for, but if its as much as ENO its worth it as a retail hammock. The loop craze never fails to amuse me, though I do think its simple in a way that people immediately get - much like people get camping in a tent, but camping in a hammock begets numerous questions. Why you wouldn't use less strap to go from point A to point B and have a method that allowed continuous adjustment rather than incremental is beyond me. I can only suppose that the sales potential of the "getting it" part outweighs the material cost.

[KBr00ks]

Any chance your kids would want to help DIY? Making hammocks could be a fun family project. Of course, it might take 4x as long...or longer... but think how cool it would be to be able to say WE made these, together. Then camping trips will be even more of a fun thing, as a "testing" opportunity.

[jluther820]

I just bought the kids a $25 jungle hammock off eBay, that way they already havthe mosquito netting, which also protects from acorns...

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[KYHiker]

Climbing rated biners and mule tape or 1" polyester straps tied in a marlin spike hitch is probably the strongest and most simple way to go IMO.

http://www.infinityoutfitter.com/sto...Carabiner.html $7 and weigh 1oz each
http://www.ebay.com/itm/321887773596...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT pair of 9' straps for $8.75