Smallest Practical Size for Sleeping?

**4evrplan** · 04-10-2018, 17:05

I assume this has a lot to do with the height of the sleeper, but does anyone have any experience and guidelines figuring out the tiniest possible size of a hammock for sleeping that would still be reasonably comfortable? I was pondering how light I could make one, and smaller means lighter. I'm 5'7" with a slight build, so I could probably get away with smaller dimensions than most. One vendor offers one that's 47"x104", but at least one owner said it was cramped for sleeping. Looking at Dutch's DIY supplies, I could get 3 yards of the the Hexon 1.0 fabric. That would probably be enough to squeeze out 104" total inches of length if I use a shorter than usual folded-over section on each end to make the channels (1.5" per end instead of 3"). I'd pair that with the UHMWPE webbing and some Dynaglide UCR's for an extremely compact and light setup (the Dynaglide is left over from another project).

47"x104" + hem allowances = 48"x108" = 4 sq yds * 1.0 oz/sq yd = 4 ounces = 113 grams
10' webbing x 2.4 g/ft = 24 grams
120" (guesstimate) Dynaglide = 10' x 0.5 g/ft = 5 grams
And, a conservative estimate for the stitching, maybe 5 grams
total = 147 grams / 5.2 ounces

Or do you think I'll need to go with 4 yards for a bit more length?

And a side note, is the shipping estimate on Dutchwaregear accurate? It's a third of the total cost. If it was just me, I'd drop that in a heartbeat for Dutch's gear, but I have to convince the boss first

.

**BillyBob58** · 04-10-2018, 20:43

Well, much longer hammocks are all the rage these days, but the old Ed Speer formula was height plus 2 feet. I am 6'1", but since I have been dragging out old gear lately, I am about to start a thread on my use today of an 8.5 ft hammock, with pretty darn good results. So, you might get away with your plan.

**Monkeyboy42** · 04-10-2018, 21:46

I’m 5’11 and have been ok in a 9’6 hammock before. It was my first build. It is a Hennessy clone with an integrated net, and was supposed to be 10’, but, well, you know how these things go. I did find that it had some shoulder squeeze, and did feel more claustrophobic then my later 11’ gathered ends. That said I spent many a night it in pretty comfortably. It’s my kiddos now, since he’s a restless sleeper, and the zippered net keeps him in. I also lent it to a friend who is similar to your build, and he was fine for 7 days last summer.

There was the night that I had the foot end too low, and found myself scrunched up and cramping in the foot box at midnight, but tha5 wasn’t the hammocks fault.

Edit; I should note that’s it is 58” wide. I’m not sure how 48” would work for me.

**bobamos** · 04-10-2018, 21:50

I'm a little over 5'9" and have slept quite comfortably in ann8 1/2 footer. Although I prefer a 9 1/2 foot hammock or more.

**TallPaul** · 04-10-2018, 22:07

https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...have-ever-made
Older thread but it may be helpful

**jadekayak** · 04-10-2018, 22:16

Id go with beetle buckles and dyneema webbing.

About the lightest system that is adjustable

**4evrplan** · 04-11-2018, 03:42

Originally Posted by jadekayak

Id go with beetle buckles and dyneema webbing.

About the lightest system that is adjustable

Hardware is for rich people. Besides, the UCR's should be lighter. The hammock ends will be gathered and attached to the UCR's with soft shackles (also of Dynaglide). The UCR's will be permanently attached to the webbing, but if I need it to go shorter than the UCR's will go, I can always bypass them and connect the soft shackle directly to the webbing with marlin spike hitches using found sticks. I don't know of any setup lighter than that unless I take out the soft shackles and thread the UCR's directly onto the hammock. But that setup is still hassle free, requires minimal specialized knowledge, and is relatively inexpensive.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

**hutzelbein** · 04-11-2018, 03:44

Nobody will be able to answer that question for you. You will have to try it to find your personal pain threshold.

There is a fairly easy way to find an answer to your question: order 4 yards of the fabric you want to use. Only finish the long edges. Whip the hammock at different lengths and try each for (at least) one night. You should soon figure out how short you are willing go. When you know, cut the hammock and finish the short edges.

By the way, I haven't had good luck with running the suspension through channels for very light fabrics. The fabric started disintegrating at the bottom seam. I only whip 30D and 20D fabrics now. That seems to do the trick.

Originally Posted by 4evrplan

And a side note, is the shipping estimate on Dutchwaregear accurate? It's a third of the total cost. If it was just me, I'd drop that in a heartbeat for Dutch's gear, but I have to convince the boss first

.

4 Yards of 1.0 Hexon = $27.00
Shipping to Nacogdoches, TX = $4.25

A quick look at the USPS website only shows me higher shipping rates. I know, people are spoiled these days by Amazon, but don't you guys ship stuff yourselves anymore? The less you order, the higher the percentage of shipping costs - that's the way it is. Maybe add 4 Yards of 1.6 Hexon and a bit of Dutch bling - and the shipping cost ratio will go down

**4evrplan** · 04-11-2018, 03:45

From everyone's comments, it sounds like 47" x 104" should be enough. The narrow width might me a bigger concern than the length.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

**4evrplan** · 04-11-2018, 03:59

Hutzelbein, I like your idea of testing the length before I cut. I may try that with another hammock.

The shipping estimate it showed me was $15, not $4.25. This for $30.25 worth of product. If it had said $4.25, I wouldn't have bothered asking about it. I'm not necessarily saying I wouldn't pay $15 for shipping, but yeah, it might effect my decision to do it or not, so I just wanted to know if it was accurate or if it would change at order time.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk