Behold my DIY bridge hammock! I thought this would be a stretch for my limited sewing skills, but it turned out to be pretty easy. If you can make a gathered end hammock or a stuff-sack, you could attempt this.
I followed HikingDad/Bic's Youtube instructionals, and they are excellent. Just the right amount of detail (for me at least).
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXlSA9shWJc
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aitA0XHq6QE
I used sewing bobbins to hold the spreader bars. They seem a perfect fit. Each dogbone is larksheaded through the webbing loop at each corner, and the bobbin is captured within that larkshead. It's a neat, easy solution. No fancy special-purpose hardware needed.
I'll try and bend the outer rim of the bobbin inwards a little so that the edge of the bobbin is less likely to cut into the tarp when the hammock swings around while I'm getting in and out of it. Alternatively (or in addition) I'll mold some Sugru to the outside of the bobbin as a "bumper".
Suspension
At the top of the triangle where the dogbones meet I larksheaded them through the fixed end of a whoopie sling. I also have a soft-shackle through the ends of the dogbones, giving me an alternative connection point for my tree straps for when the trees are close together.
Materials
- Fabric: Hexon 1.6
- Spreader Bars: From Dutch
- Webbing: 1/2" kevlar
- Template from ripstopbytheroll. This made it possible cut the fabric with great accuracy, which then made the sewing a lot easier, and the end-result stronger and more consistent (I hope).
Questions
1. Is there a "right way up"? It seems like it doesn't matter, but I prefer the exposed kevlar loops to be on the bottom/outside.
2. Will an underquilt designed for a RidegRunner (Loco Libre Ridge Reaper or Warbonnet Lynx) fit this perfectly? Or just adequately? Or not at all?
3. How does the Bic/HikingDad bridge differ from the RidgeRunner? I'm not talking about features like bugnets or saddlebags, but the size, shape, width, depth, length, fit and comfort.
Next steps
Making a bugnet and saddlebags for it, again with the help of Bic/HikingDad's videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANG-nVU8LPM
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