That sounds very intriguing, I have never thought about (or seen) silk being used. I imagine it feels extremely nice on the skin, are there any downsides to it? I feel like it should be a more popular fabric for indoor use as it sounds great, but maybe I just have not researched enough.
My understanding is that silk rips too easily.Originally Posted by hammocksarecoolbro
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson
I have heard the same about silk...on the Dharma Trading side there is a 60% hemp / 40% silk that might just give a more durable fabric with most of the silk feel.
I've been planning an indoor hammock for a friend, and I think I'll use one of several old linen or cotton tablecloths I was given. He's a big guy, so I might use two of them as a double-layer hammock. I'm not sure how strong these fabrics are, but I know they'll feel nice. Design will be a People's Bridge Hammock with pockets for the spreader bar ends made from heavy canvas scraps saved from the WW II navy surplus hammock my family used in the fifties.
If you like a firm lay, the 2.4oz Hexon is nice. Unfortunately it's not available in wide.
Out of the 1.6 Hexon, 1.6 HyperD and 1.7 Robic, the Robic is the firmest fabric. I don't tolerate stretch well, and I can sleep in a 1.7 Robic SL no problem, but I get backpain both in a 1.6 Hexon SL as well as a 1.6 HyperD.
I have the exact same problem. Both of the 1.6's suffer from not enough lumbar support for some reason. Robic 1.2 or 1.7 work well for me. 5'4" and I'm happy at 60" wide. My wife ONLY like hexon 2.4 but is not interested in wider, so that works out for her. Well, she also likes dobby, but it's proven to be too much of a vapor barrier.
There are many kinds of silk and many weights of silk. Heavier folks can also design a double-layer hammock. Here are two accounts of old timers using silk for their hiking hammocks:
Story 1
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Why silk for a hammock? If you have ever worn something made from silk vs ripstop nylon you might understand. The ripstop for warm weather can be sticky and hot. Most folks think silk costs a lot and don't consider it.. I asked Ed if he would try one out of silk if I sent him the silk. He said yes. That has been about a year ago and the silk is holding up great. The weight of the silk I used is 1.02oz per square yard (8 momme) . Ed also made the bug net out of a very light weight silk gauze. The hammock with bug net and Ed's standard straps is about 14oz. This is lighter than his standard hammock and also lighter than any HH. The silk is SO nice. It is very cool against your skin and will dry fast if it happens to get wet or needs to be washed. I now use the silk hammock year around and have sleep in it down to 29 degrees.
Story 2
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I am a little heavier than he is (180 lbs) and decided to use a heavier weight fabric. I used 10mm silk and it seems strong enough.
(Note: If a fabric is listed with a momme weight of 10 mm, it means that 100 yards of the fabric weigh 10 pounds).
So from the above actual experience, it would seem that 10 mm (habotai) silk would work fine for folks up to 180 pounds. The accounts above don't mention design type, but maybe we can assume single-layer? The hemp/silk blend sounds like a good alternative for an indoor hammock. For hiking, silk will probably be lighter.
The closest I can think of is 2.2 oz HEX70 XL ripstop nylon-- firm and plenty wide (I'm currently sleeping on a double layer hammock indoors made with this fabric) --though it's been a while since I used Hexon 2.4. Gave my Hexon 2.4 hammock to a friend as it was just a hair too narrow for me, I prefer wide fabrics / hammocks.
Dutch's 1.9 oz. Dobby fabric has a nice feel. Since it's woven from both nylon and polyester it has less stretch than nylon alone, but it's plenty strong.
Wow, what's with all the html?
I use 10mm habotai (china) silk for my tq liner. Works great for that.
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