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Thread: DIY Nap Shade

  1. #1
    Pheonix6579's Avatar
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    Lightbulb DIY Nap Shade

    So maybe I was looking for a problem to fix. And this is definitely one of those first world problems but what the heck. When I go on a long bike ride, visit a park with the kids, or on a day hike I usually take a hammock to chill in (ok usually nap in). However, one thing that always gets me is when the trees don't provide that perfect set of shade and you have the sun shinning right down in your face. Not only does it hinder the nap park but here in FL it get pretty hot when it's beating directly on you. Also if you looking to read on a phone or tablet, the brightness is just to much.

    Yea a tarp would fix the issue but I don't want to have to carry a whole tarp with all the lines and stakes. Plus a tarp, even in porch mode, blocks a good amount of breeze that I usually covet.

    So today with some time on my hands and some extra silnylon laying around I thought I'd try something that came to my while hanging in my sunny spot in the back yard...a nap shade.

    I started with a triangle piece of silnylon 1 yard wide and 2 yards high. I fortified the corners with some xenon fabric I had left over from another project. I sewed a mitten hook on each corner with some 1/4in grosgrain. At the peak of the triangle I attached an 8in continuous loop of shock cord.

    Now off to the hammock...I was able to attacked the nap shade to my ridge line using the mitten hooks on the two short side corners with some zingit continuous loops I had in a prusik knot. From there I was able to use one stake and simple loop the shock cord loop around the stake. It did the job! Provided the shade that I needed and didn't block hardly any of the gentle breeze we were getting today. Also didn't block much of the view from the hammock, which will be nice when the scenery is nice.
    It packs down really nice and weighs very little (hadn't gottten an actual weight, but if anyone is interested in the weight I can see about weighing it). It also is very easy to move around if you find your shade needs adjusting.
    Didn't get any pics today, but I'll try and take some tomorrow of it all setup.

  2. #2
    New Member diy_john's Avatar
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    Very nice. Being a Florida hanger too, I feel your pain when it comes to an afternoon nap.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

  3. #3
    Senior Member TrailSlug's Avatar
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    Do you have any pictures of this shade?

  4. #4
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    Whenever I see a good deal on ripstopbytheroll's remnant section for 1-2 yard pieces of silnylon or silpoly I try to think of little projects like this.

    So if I get this right you've got a triangle with a 3 foot base that attaches to your ridgeline with 2 mitten hooks. The 6 foot long side ( the pointy end ) has a shock cord loop that gets attached to a stake in the ground? Brilliant.

    It could serve dual purposes under a smaller tarp when you are getting spray from wind blown rain. Just deploy this as an additional water shield. Those of us who use Kelty 9's or other similar tarps in a diamond config sometimes run into the issue of having our setups allow sunrise to sneak in under our tarp edge on mornings we would like to sleep later so this could be deployed on the eastern head end for that purpose as well. I like it.

  5. #5
    Pheonix6579's Avatar
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    Please disregard the shotty sew job on the sil nylon.

    Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

  6. #6
    Nice work! That seems very handy.

  7. #7

  8. #8
    Senior Member
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    You know you could save a ton of weight if you made it out of cuben fiber and incorporated some Dutch bling...

    Great idea, well done!

  9. #9
    Pheonix6579's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by geneaut View Post
    It could serve dual purposes under a smaller tarp when you are getting spray from wind blown rain. Just deploy this as an additional water shield. Those of us who use Kelty 9's or other similar tarps in a diamond config sometimes run into the issue of having our setups allow sunrise to sneak in under our tarp edge on mornings we would like to sleep later so this could be deployed on the eastern head end for that purpose as well. I like it.
    Hadn't thought of that but your right, would help supplement an asymmetric tarp in heavier rain.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pheonix6579 View Post
    Hadn't thought of that but your right, would help supplement an asymmetric tarp in heavier rain.
    Exactly. I have a tyvek 3'X5' pack cover I use like this with my small asym. I like your triangular solution as it eliminates a stake.

    Your next step is to design a snakeskin for it so it can stay attached to your ridgeline all the time for super easy deployment, and then roll it back into it's skin when you don't want it.
    Last edited by geneaut; 09-14-2017 at 14:08.

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