I got some of RipstopByTheRoll's new 1.2 oz ROBIC XL Hybrid ripstop nylon to see what difference a wide hammock would make. I think the fabric is 67" wide, minus a bit for a hem on each side.
Honestly, I don't get what the extra width adds or accomplishes to comfort or function. I can see it being important/helpful for very tall people, but for me at 5'10" it seems completely unnecessary, and I have a bunch of floppy fabric on the sides. Anyone care to enlighten me?
My findings as well. To me it's just more material to manage and carry with no benefits for my 5' 9" frame.
I'm in the same boat here. Ol' ugly is 1.6 hexon with a finished width of about 58 inches or so( probably slimmer) and at 5'6" I find I have excess fabric I tend to fight. Even with knotty mods which do help, I still feel like a wide fabric would be too much for someone my height. When I get on an extreme angle is the only time I dont have issues but then my 3/4 UQ doesn't seem to be adequate.
Am I missing something here too?
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For those of us over 6' it can help. I've found the typical 58" hammocks to be slightly to narrow, still comfortable but my feet sometimes end up over the edge. I do think anything over 60-62" finished width is too much and just has floppy sides.
For me, the extra fabric is perfect to keep me from laying right at the side edges of my hammock when on the diagonal. Now, I can't actually lay fully edge to edge on the wide fabric and wouldn't try. But I do enjoy the little extra stretch room and a place to rest my arm etc..
If you have a lot of floppy fabric, you may need to look at how your whipping is done, or consider a knotty mod.
On my DIY Robic 1.0 Wide, it is taught enough on the edges to prevent a whole lot of flop.
It's all a matter of personal preference on this one.
Find your groove!
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If you examine the geometry, wide fabric used in a hammock body creates a deeper "pocket" for a hammock of a given length. The long edges of the hammock create a fixed perimeter distance, and they are the same for any gathered-end hammock of a specified nominal length regardless of width, but since hammock bodies are flexible, the extra material creates give in the footbox and head area for the occupant, so taller hangers and/or those who like to sleep on a more pronounced diagonal are afforded more room in a wider hammock. The trade-off can be too much floppy material and/or too deep of a pocket for occupants who aren't really using the extra fabric due to size and/or sleeping position. Not better or worse, just another option. HYOH.
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Same findings here at 5'9". Going one step further, I found the length of an 11' hammock (standard width) to be excessive as well. More slop, loose fabric blowing around.
I'm really happy that this topic came up. I'm 6'0" and find myself a little confined in my Chameleon. I'd like to be able to lay at more of an angle, but I have some knee issues and find that if I lay at too much of an angle in the Chameleon it puts pressure on my outside knee. I was planning on getting a hammock made in Robic XL, but watched a YouTube video where the person was saying that wider fabric just flopped around and the answer is to get a longer hammock. So, my question is in-line with the OP's. Is the answer a wider fabric or a longer hammock? Which one would allow me to lay at more of a diagonal more comfortably? Maybe the fabric is just too stretchy and I need to go to a double layer?
If you have too much floppy material, try shortening your SRL. That will give you a deeper sag, which in turn lets you go on more of a diagonal; thereby utilising the spare fabric and potentially getting a more comfortable lay (YMMV).
This is worth considering if you have a wide hammock.
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Gadget
Have you considered a bridge hammock. They do not suffer from any of these issues.Originally Posted by Cory Hess
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