Monolite fabric for a hammock?

[Cliffy]

After being extremely happy with my Dream Hammock Darien in MTN 1.2 fabric, I’m thinking of ordering a new Wingspan model in monolite 1.5 or 1.0 oz fabric.

QUESTIONS:
• How is 1.0 oz or 1.5 oz monolite in terms of stretch, stiffness, lay, breathability, comfort, etc?
• Is 1.0 oz monolith breathable enough to use as bugnet (replacing no-see-um mesh)?
• Is 1.0 oz monolite strong enough to make a reliable backpacking hammock, or should I opt for 1.5 oz? (I weigh 180 lbs. and go backpacking for days at a time…can’t really afford to have a failure.)

[cougarmeat]

Cliffy > "...can't really afford to have a failure". Remember, you are not comparing those weights against zero; you are comparing them against something with a MUCH lower probability of failure. So your weight saving is only the difference between, say, 1.2 oz, and 1.7 oz. That's half an ounce a yard. Now if the hammock uses three yards of fabric, that's 1.5 oz. I know 1.5 oz is like Mt. Everest weight size for a UL'er, but really - hold 1.5 oz in your hand and ask yourself, "What is the impact of carrying this 1.5 oz vs dealing with the result of HF (hammock failure) several days out.

One bumper sticker says, "You pack your fears." Another might say, "You pack your experience." My experience is, people subscribe to, "You pack your fears." until their UL gear fails and then they switch over to "You pack your experience."

If you search for reports with those fabric weights in this forum, I'm sure you'll find some failures. I'm not saying, "Don't use them." I'm saying, if you haven't used them for several outings, don't have your first experience be "... backpacking for days at a time ... can't really afford to have a failure."

I'm guessing there are other choices in your kit that will provide a 1.5 oz saving without putting your shelter/sleeping situation at unnecessary risk.

Disclaimer: I began hiking back when our boots weighed more than today's loaded day packs. One game was to sneak rocks inside your hiking partner's bag in case you needed extra rocks at the campsite - not that I ever did anything like that. But I had a friend who forgot that he was supposed to carry his own D-cell batteries. I still don't understand why he was upset when he found HIS batteries back in HIS pack when we reached the campsite (Note to self - never leave your backpack unattended at the trailhead).

I get UL - especially if someone is going for record speeds and record miles. But that's not why I go out in nature. Agent Moulder has gently nudged me a bit towards UL gear and I'm grateful for that. Anytime something needs replacing, or I can afford to try a lighter alternative, I'll consider it. But I paddle out where there is no supply store, no quick drive back home, no REI, and not nearly the number of "trail company" people you find on land. Even if I were hiking - especially if I were going to be out for several days - I'd opted for more reliable gear - and I'd probably have a go-to-ground option in the back of my mind.

[Cliffy]

Hey Cougarmeat, thanks for all the great info. I’m definitely leaning towards the monolite 1.5 oz. My peace of mind is worth the little bit of extra weight.

[cmoulder]

Personally, even as a ULer I'd stick with good old Hexon 1.6 or Mtn 1.7. There are plenty of other places in the kit to save another couple of ounces.

As cougarmeat points out, failure is not an option and if you don't have some sort of ground back-up you're well and truly screwed. So if you're carrying around a just-in-case air mat or CCF pad, the 'math' for UL just doesn't work out with an extra 8oz or so when an extra 2oz for a more reliable hammock would suffice.

I don't know about Monolite 1.5. I was standing a few feet away when a buddy's Monolite 1.0 ripped, dropping him to the ground. It should tell us something that the initial fanfare for both Cloud .71 and Monolite 1.0 wore off very quickly. We've seen that very small nicks in that material can lead to instant catastrophic failure, so perhaps the material and weave characteristics are the real culprits, and not so much the finished weight of the material.

Monolite 1.5 vs Hexon 1.6?? Easy call!

[Bucky]

I have a monolite 1.0 Voyageaur from Sumply Light and love it. It's not my primary backpacking hammock but I take it hiking all the time, and it's a great summer lounging hammock since it's so breathable. I'm 6-1 190 and it feels plenty sturdy. I wouldn't use it on a long trip, but foe quickies its nice. 8 oz is super light.

[Countrybois]

Had a friend experience a monolite failure on the AT. Nuff said. Luckily we were only 1 mile from a gap and ride to town.


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[Randonneur]

I've owned a netless Monolight 1.0 hammock and at 190lbs, the material was too light and the stretch would give me a bad case of shoulder squeeze. I had Jason at Walhalla Hammocks make me a netted 1.5 Monolight hammock using 1.0 as the bug net. I've been very happy with it and just came back from a 4 day backpacking adventure with it with no issues. I've probably put a couple of dozen nights in it with no issues.

[Zach L]

I know other people have said this in the past but I’ll cut weight elsewhere before my sleep system. Don’t miss understand me though. I enjoy a lower pack weight as much as the next guy. But if I feel like 3 or 4 oz more for one hammock to the next is a big issue I’ll address my fitness. I know that not exactly what you were asking about but just my 2 cents.