Before I buy materials

[SutterButtes]

How about some shock cord and cord locks for Knotty mods? Additional noseeum for ridge line organizer or gear loft?

Re: Knotty Mod - I haven't looked into this at all. Is it possible to add after the hammock is completed?

Thank you for reminding me of the ridge line organizer, I hope to maybe be able to make something minimal with the scraps cut off for the bottom of the bug net.

[SutterButtes]

May I ask a question, If you are buying Hexon 1.6 at $6.95/yrd is just purchasing one of his pre-made netless hammocks out of Hexon 1.7 an option? For $2.00 you save a bunch of work. Drawback is a more limited color choice. perhaps an option to consider.

First, Zing-it - Lash-IT and 1.75mm UHMEPE are all the same thing. There may be a small coating difference between Zing-IT and Lash-It that makes one slicker than the other. However, for ridgelines they are the same thing, same fibers, strength, etc. 25' will be plenty for 110" fixed ridgelines. May I also suggest you go ahead and buy the 180' spool, that way you have enough for other projects like Bear lines, Tarp ridgelines, tarp tie-outs etc.

Amsteel for 4 continuous loops and 4 whoopie slings = 25' of 7/64
This item concerns me. 8" loops consume just over 2' of cord each. (16" final dimension, 4" bury per end and 1" length loss =25" some like longer buries) That's almost well over 1/3 before the 1st whoopie. Off the top of my head, from one end to the other, for a Whoopie sling. Locked Brummel 4" buried, 8" (for 4" loop), 5" for the bury, loss and gap, 10" constriction section, 2" loss due to bury, max loop length * 2, 10" bury, 5" for a 2" end bury. This would be... 4+8+5+10+2+10+5= 44 or ~4' + how long do you want your Whoopie? for a 4 foot max length it takes 12' for cord. for 6 foot whoopie it takes 16' of cord... each.
You should be ok with the 7/64" cord if you normal weights.
Could consider: https://www.lfsmarineoutdoor.com/Sam...=1491&size=438 they offer a 600' spool of 7/64" Amsteel Blue for ~$69 delivered.

25' of webbing will be fine depending on the suspension style you use and the tree diameter. Obviously it is too short for a sequoia. This length will be ok if you make a hummingbird style suspension. This style is a short strap with the whoopie tied permanently to the strap. 25' feet os strap should make four 5'10" straps. These could be a little short for becket hitches, unless you are always on 1 foot diameter and smaller trees all the time. FWIW, I use and love the humming bird style of suspension.

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!

[SutterButtes]

You need about 25' of Amsteel to make two 6' whoopies and you need about 3' for each continuous loop.

Zing-it, Lash-it and 1.75 UMHWPE is all the same except for color.

Use 100% polyester thread. I use Gutterman brand.

I prefer tree straps vs huggers for more versatility, especially in short hangs. Straps have one loop with Marlin spike hitch at the other end. Huggers have two loops.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

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.

[SutterButtes]

It was hinted above, but don't forget about needles and thread. Maybe some straight pins.

If you do use Gutermann thread as noted above, you'll probably want size 12 or 14 needles for Mara 70 thread or size 10 or 12 needles for Tera 80 thread. For webbing, if you decided to use a heavier thread like Mara 50, you'd probably want size 14 or 16 needles.

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?

[jeff-oh]

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.

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!

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

[SutterButtes]

I like Amsteel for hammock ridgelines. There's very little weight/cost penalty. The wider diameter makes it much much easier to splice the eyes into the ends as well. I'd also suggest making your ridgeline about 2 inches shorter than you want them; while the cordage doesn't "stretch" the braid and fibers do tighten up and the ridgeline will lengthen after taking a load the first time. An adjustable ridgeline is another option you could consider if you want to play around and find your preferred length.

Also I may be wrong (someone correct me if I am) but I am under the impression that zingit/lashit are for a regular ridgeline: for hanging organizers, gear and for helping to get the right hang angle. On the other hand a "structural" ridgeline needs to be able to take the same forces as your suspension for times when your hang angle is a bit shallow. I've read a few accounts of zingit/lashit ridgelines snapping.

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.

[SutterButtes]

Check out dutchwaregear DIY page for info on the bottom entry bug net (Fronkey). It has step by step patterns and a list of needed accessories. Dutch may even sell a kit.

https://dutchwaregear.com/2017/07/12...entry-bug-net/

Also, You may want to plan on making a bag or two to hold your hammocks and bug nets so a little more hexon may be in order.

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.

[Firesong]

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.

[P-Dub]

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!

[jeff-oh]

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.

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.