Originally Posted by
DHClark76
Coffeeneone, you've received some good feedback on this topic. Just last night I sewed up a Bridge Hammock (RBTR pre-cut DIY) out of the 1.8 Airwave. I can't yet attest to how it sleeps overnight as I'm gonna be testing that out over the next couple of weekends, but I can definitely speak to the qualities of the fabric in terms of the drape, feel, and ease of sewing.
First, out-the-gate CMC4free's assessment is spot-on. You're really talking about hammock fabrics on the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of nearly all of their qualities. After sewing up several UQs in 1.1 ripstop, 1.0 HyperD and 1.0 Mono, there's just a night and day difference as to the feel of the fabric and the ease of sewing it. Those lightweight fabrics are all slippery as heck under a sewing machine and take some practice, but especially the 1.0 Monolite. The 1.8 Airwave feels closer to a lightweight ripstop cotton by comparison. MUCH easier to sew, IMO and if I were recommending a lightweight fabric for a first-time stitcher to get some experience on before trying to tackle Mono (or worse, Silnylon), I think Airwave would be a good fabric to get some experience on. Also, some people have described the Airwave as "soft" but that can be a bit deceiving. It very much has the drape and flow of a soft fabric, but I would describe it's actual texture as being...not rough or abrasive, per se (although relative to monolite isn't anything somewhat abrasive?)...but, it is courser somewhat like a raw silk (AKA silk noil) or linen fabric.
Also... RBTR rates the capacity of a single-layer of Airwave 1.8 at 400lbs., whereas a single layer Mono is 200#. Now... if Heavyhiker is able to hang in only a single layer of 1.0 Mono... then the "Heavy" in his/her name clearly refers to the volume of hiking done and not Heavyhiker's physical weight. I am a heavy guy (270#) and there is no way on this beautiful blue marble I would trust hanging in a single layer of Mono (at least not more than a foot off of level and rock free ground). That said, a double-layer 1.0 Mono brings you in the same weight capacity range. If weight capacity to hammock weight ratio is any significant goal of yours, I would suggest also considering the MTN 1.7 hybrid (which also comes in XL width for those that like a wider hammock in a single piece of fabric). My original intention was to make my next hammock out of the MTN Hybrid, but since the RBTR pre-cut bridge hammock kit only came in Airwave, which I'd been wanting to try anyway.
Once, I sewed in up and initially tested out the feel of my new Airwave bridge hammock, my initial feeling is that while I think I'll like the Airwave it in a bridge hammock, I don't think I'd like it as much in a GE Hammock. The reason is that in a I just don't see myself having to fight the extra friction of the Airwave when moving around in a bridge hammock the way you would in a GE that grips you all around. Consequently, I'll probably still sew up a new GE hammock out of the MTN 1.7. In the meantime, the only thing I can trust a single layer of 1.0 for is quilts and rainflies. All that said, if you're considering a single layer 1.0 Mono hammock, then clearly weight capacity isn't an issue. However, I figured I throw some extra info. out there for anyone that might be concerned about weight capacity.
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