Hammock Innovations for a High School Project

[Jdurh]

I am a senior in high school enrolled in an Engineering Development and Design class and me and my two partners chose to innovate a modern camping hammock to allow for a more integrated insulation design that would allow for lower cost after all the accessories are bought. Our design currently consists of a simple hammock design with an inflatable hammock integrated under the hammock to eliminate the "cold-butt syndrome" that a lot of people would have to get 1 or 2 pads, under quilts, etc. to get rid of it. The inflatable part will just be placed under the hammock to allow for quick and efficient airing up. The increased R-Value will eliminate the need for a extra quilts are pads which will help save money. We are still the developing the idea, so our design is a little unrefined. We are hoping you can help us out by giving us some feedback on the idea. Is it a viable idea? If developed, will it actually help out the community? Is there anything we could do to improve the design? Do you believe that you have a better idea? If you are interested in giving us more data, please visit this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BBRQBDS

[Tikker]

there's a couple manufacturors that already do this

EDIT:
https://www.cruaoutdoors.com/product...d-hammock-tent

there's a couple others I've seen, but this was the one I remembered off the top of my head

[Jdurh]

Can you tell us who?

[Peppy]

I’m not aware of inflatable insulation as part of the hammock itself. The biggest problem is pads do wear out. Sheltowee and Bonefire Gear both have integrated insulation in Hammocks. Another issue would be different needs for different seasons. I like seperate insulation. It can help when going to ground, is easily changeable, and allows me to get the best hang in my hammock without the restriction of something else trying to force me to lay in a preplanned way. That’s my .02.

[OneClick]

My packraft has an integrated inflatable seat to sit on. Works well against the cold water, but if the air is cold so is the air inside and against your butt unfortunately.

[Shug]

Be interested to see what you come up with.
So....kinda like a pad hanging under the hammock?
Get on it!
Shug

[sidneyhornblower]

I am a senior in high school enrolled in an Engineering Development and Design class and me and my two partners chose to innovate a modern camping hammock to allow for a more integrated insulation design that would allow for lower cost after all the accessories are bought. Our design currently consists of a simple hammock design with an inflatable hammock integrated under the hammock to eliminate the "cold-butt syndrome" that a lot of people would have to get 1 or 2 pads, under quilts, etc. to get rid of it. The inflatable part will just be placed under the hammock to allow for quick and efficient airing up. The increased R-Value will eliminate the need for a extra quilts are pads which will help save money. We are still the developing the idea, so our design is a little unrefined. We are hoping you can help us out by giving us some feedback on the idea. Is it a viable idea? If developed, will it actually help out the community? Is there anything we could do to improve the design? Do you believe that you have a better idea? If you are interested in giving us more data, please visit this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BBRQBDS

An interesting project. I filled out your survey and I'll offer a few thoughts below.

- For more research on things tried in the past, like ten years or so ago, look at Just Jeff's page: http://www.tothewoods.net/

- Look at the Amok Dramur hammock which relies on an inflatable pad for structure. Here's Shug's playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...t-nToMYkAsb8HL

- Rather than making the pad an integral part of the hammock, couldn't you achieve the same thing with a double layer hammock that has a pad sleeve between the layers? Plenty of those exist already.

- An inflatable integrated pad for insulation sounds interesting and I'd like to see how it goes, though I'm not interested enough to spend money on it at present. Are you going to rely solely on the dead air space inside the pad for insulation value? That is going to be difficult to achieve with air alone. The warmest pads probably are self inflating, meaning they've got some foam in there too, but you blow them up as well for more cushion. Air alone in any sizeable space will be a poor insulator, mostly because of internal convection currents.

Try lying on one of those inflatable beds that are sold as a space saving temporary guest solution. Those things are COLD! The air in them circulates within the shell and sucks heat out of your body. The same thing will happen in an air mattress lying on the ground, even if only an inch or so thick. If the air can move, it will. The only way to stop it is millions of tiny air spaces like closed cell foam or open cell foam which trap the air and keep it from moving around inside the pad. But if you're going to integrate foam into your pad, then the hammock itself won't fold up very small (though it might roll up like a pad, I suppose).

Good luck and please post the results of your project. You'll get a lot of eyeballs on it and plenty of comments but be prepared for criticism too.

[Tikker]

- An inflatable integrated pad for insulation sounds interesting and I'd like to see how it goes, though I'm not interested enough to spend money on it at present. Are you going to rely solely on the dead air space inside the pad for insulation value? That is going to be difficult to achieve with air alone. The warmest pads probably are self inflating, meaning they've got some foam in there too, but you blow them up as well for more cushion. .

Crua Hammocks do it this way I believe

[scrope]

- An inflatable integrated pad for insulation sounds interesting and I'd like to see how it goes, though I'm not interested enough to spend money on it at present. Are you going to rely solely on the dead air space inside the pad for insulation value? That is going to be difficult to achieve with air alone. The warmest pads probably are self inflating, meaning they've got some foam in there too, but you blow them up as well for more cushion. Air alone in any sizeable space will be a poor insulator, mostly because of internal convection currents.

Some of the pads are filled with down which compresses nicely and reduces the internal air currents which makes the pads warmer.

[hutzelbein]

From the description of your project and your explanations I get the impression that you don't have too much experience with hammocks. For example you say that "a lot of people would have to get 1 or 2 pads, under quilts". You might need to use 2 pads in a gathered end hammock because standard ground pads are too narrow to cover the shoulders, but just for insulation purposes, one pad is usually enough. And you would only use 2 underquilts if you didn't want to buy a warmer underquilt (e.g. because you wouldn't use it enough to justify the expenses).

In my opinion, before you can innovate anything, you should have a thorough look at not only what's already available, but at what is considered best by experienced users. Have you tried hammocks and under-insulation made by the best regarded manufacturers? As students, money is probably an issue. But you could always visit a hangout or ask if there are forum members with interesting gear that they would be willing to show near you.

I - as most hammock users - have experimented with pads in hammocks before I bought my first underquilt. And over the years, I have used pads on and off. They are easy to use in that you either lie on the pad or not - but they are not easy to hold in place. Maybe your design would solve this. But the other issue I have with pads is condensation. I don't get much, but I get some - in contrast to an underquilt. I don't see how you could solve that, because it's unfortunately a "feature" that all inflatable or closed-cell pads share. Another thing I didn't like with inflatables is that you have to deflate them and roll them up tightly to be able to get them in your pack - which is hard to do off the ground.

Pricewise are you sure that you could sell a 3-season inflatable hammock for under $200? Because this is about the cost of a simple 11' netless hammock plus full-length 3-season synthetic underquilt. I doubt that you can come up with something that fulfills all your criteria (simple, easy to set up, warm and cheaper than existing solutions), that's why I wouldn't focus on the price. If you can come up with a design that let's you comfortably use inflatable insulation in a gathered end hammock, you'd have an innovation. And if in addition the weight would be comparable to a hammock plus synthetic underquilt AND you could go to ground, you might have a winner - even if it was more expensive.