First of all, thank you very much for all of your explanations on each point!
Re: Premade Netless Hammocks
Thanks for this suggestion. Hexon 1.6 is $6/yard so at $30 for a premade hammock it sounds like a pretty good deal, especially as I am beginning to see that I may be trying to bite off more than I can chew for my first DIY project. I am sure I could definitely do it all, but I'm not sure I can have it all done in time for our first trip. Therefore, my husband and I have decided to get the premade netless hammocks.
Re: 1.75mm cords
Thanks for the suggestion of buying a spool we will definitely follow your advice as we will need some when we make our tarps later. One more question though: which is slicker?
Re: Amsteel
I hadn't really worried about the whoopie slings yet because Shug and everyone else make it look so easy. So at first I got kinda scared when I saw all of your calculations. It sounded pretty complicated. But this morning I looked up how to make one and decided it's not as complicated as it sounds. I will definitely be ordering more though. I think 75' should be enough for 4 continuous loops and 4 whoopie slings.
Thank you for the link to LFS Marine & Outdoor. The 600' spool of 7/64" Amsteel Blue is currently out of stock but I will keep it in mind for the next time.
Re: Webbing
I'm not planning to hang from Sequoias or Coastal Redwoods; however, there are a lot of trees in my area that have large diameter trunks (eg: Oak, Black Walnut, etc). How long should my straps be to effectively use a Beckett Hitch?
Thanks again for your detailed reply!
Thanks for your reply!
Re: Thread
I had completely forgotten to even look at thread so thank you very much for your suggestion of using Gutterman 100% Polyester thread. I see that Dutch has 3 kinds of this thread: Mara 50, Mara 70 and Tera 80. Which should I get? How much will I need? (I am not going to be making the hammocks right now after all. I will still be making the suspension and the bugnets now and later I will be making tarps and UQs/TQs.)
Re: Tree Straps/Huggers
Somehow I missed that these were different. I thought they could be used interchangeably so thank you for the clarification. Now I know I want tree straps because I want to have as much adjustability as possible.
Thank you very much! I had not even thought of needles until you mentioned them! I am not yet sure which thread to use for which materials but once I've picked out thread how do I know whether I want the smaller or larger size needle for each thread?
For straight pins I have seen that some people use binder clips instead so as to not put holes in the fabric. Will this be acceptable for my purposes?
I would think Zing-it is slicker than Lash-it, though I have no direct experience with Lash-it. Zing-it was designed for the arborist trade and used to throw lines over tree limbs and slide ove bark without grabbing. Zing-it does not hold knots well. Lash-it if the name suggests anything might hold a knot better. Only a guess on my part though.
Strap length... take the tree diameter you expect and multiply by 3.15 and add 2' Thus for an 18" tree (1.5*3.15 +2) looking at 7 foot strap. 2 foot tree 8 1/2 foot strap. So, I'd suggest ~8 foot minimum + material for any loops. This is shortened if you use the humming bird style strap. i.e. a small sewen loop in one end the you larks head the whoopie to. No need for toggles or tying the knots. Their all fine and fun.
And yes the whoopies are incredibly easy and fun to make. here is a PDF of instructions and measurements. https://www.samsonrope.com/docs/defa...rsn=ae4d2872_2
Thank you for your suggestions on making my ridgelines. Since I haven't actually slept in a hammock yet I would like to start off with an adjustable ridgeline until I can figure out the perfect length for me.
Thank you also for distinguishing between a regular ridgeline and a structural ridgeline. I thought the structural ridgeline meant that it sets the hang angle. I am very interested in whether Zing-It, Lash-It, etc will be sufficient. I would like my suspension to be as flexible/adjustable as possible to adapt to different hang situations whether it be bigger/smaller trees close together or far apart. I would also like to be able to hang from a single tree if that is possible since we have many really big oak trees here in the valley and foothills of northern California.
Thank you for the link to the tutorial. I didn't realize Dutch had tutorials on his site. I really like the detailed instructions. I will use the tutorial but I think I will leave off the grosgrain and mitten hooks in favor of the way Fronkey shows in his video.
Thank you also for the suggestion on making stuff sacks. I have a couple I can use for now but I will definitely need to make some in the future.
For all your sewing needs use Tera 80. It's strong enough for webbing/straps and still supple enough for use with fabric of different thicknesses. The heavier Mara will be nothing but a pain trying to get everything running/tensioned right on your home machine. Get a couple small spools of which ever color you prefer.
You can use binder clips, though they can be a bit bulky and catch on things when you are moving your fabric around. These kind of sewing clips are also useful, and a bit easier to handle if you don't want to use pins.
For all things sewing that are hammock related, check out HF member Jellyfish's utoob channel. She's even got a video on how to choose the right needle!
Good luck with your projects, and don't forget to practice hanging at home before you head out into the wild!
the structural ridgeline does not set the hang angle, but it does set the hammock sag by setting how far the ends are allowed to be. Because of this it can come under some load. However at a hang angle of 30degrees. the ridge line would only be loaded up to 85% of you body weight. Zing-it has an average break strength of 500 lbs, so it can be used as a structural ridgeline. Though you should not put it at too low a hang angle.
FYI, I guessed right about the differences in Zing-it and Lash-it. A coating difference makes Lash it hold knots better. To splice these thin lines I use a plastic canvas needle. It works very well.
From Sampson: Lash-It! yields the highest strength, lightest weight, lowest stretch, and longest wear life available. The Samthane coating adds to the twine's wear life, ensures its knot-holding capability, and gives it a distinctive gray or yellow color. Zing-It! offers extremely high strength while Samthane urethane coating provides excellent abrasion resistance and an easy gliding surface. The exceptional low stretch allows for control, and Zing-It! is conveniently packaged to achieve higher throws with lighter weight.
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