Is there any way to tell before catastrophe that your Ripstop has pretty well reached the end? Is Ripstop good until the point of failure? Obviously a tear would be a sure sign that the ripstop is done. I’ve been looking at my three year old Ridgerunner with probably two hundred nights in it and there are a few spots that are looking “stretched” just a bit. Not quite as tight as when new, but slightly puckered that like I said looks like it’s stretched some.
I think forest duff-trash-small twigs stuck to feet, pants, socks, between toes can get in hammock and be ground around under me on hammock.
Also certain items in pants pockets, zippers, and brand logos sewn on back of jeans can be causing extra wear and tear on hammock fabric.
Also over weight-overloading and too much weight on one spot can be tough on hammocks.
Stuff happens! People and things wear out over time.
If major damage—I now have scuse 2 get one or 2 more!
Don’t forget bugsprays and chemicals along with sparks fromfire.
You almost got a new hammock now!
I think what Phantom is trying to say is yes it does have a lifespan but it depends on how often you use/abuse your gear. Your question is interesting though; in my experience the hammock will tell you when it is done in a quick and exaggerated way by throwing you to the ground. However you can push the hammock further than you would expect. I recommend having a backup when you are seeing some serious wear for when the inevitable happens.
I've had ripstop get sort of "crunchy" and weak after storing in the attic. I wasn't too surprised since that's a cycle of -20F to 120F. Obviously I don't keep much up there anymore. Same with my car, where seam sealer tape completely failed, but that's another story and can't comment on ripstop.
If by "stretched" you mean that the threads have moved, then this should not be a problem. I've had moved threads with a couple of 30D ripstop fabrics. Even after very few uses. So far, no failures.
I had a an offcut of ripstop from a kite I made in 1988 that I made into a sit-hanmock.
So that's 30 years!
I'm currently giving it a test run for endurance.
I have at least 35 nights and maybe up to 50 nights in my hammock with several(by that I mean a whole bunch) stretched(very) area's. I found a hole almost pinkie fingertip sized 7 or so hang nights ago. It's still a small hole and hasn't seemed to enlarge.
Fingers crossed until I can get more material for another hammock.
Enjoy and have fun with your family,before they have fun without you
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