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  1. #1
    Senior Member SteelerNation's Avatar
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    Camp Seat/Gear Hammock/Pack Cover DIY

    Well, made my multi-purpose Camp Seat/Gear Hammock/Pack Cover/Signaling Device last night and I am pretty pleased with how it turned out.

    I built it out of 1.1/1.3 blaze orange SilNylon so that it would be easier to not trip over around the fire, I could use it as an emergency signalling device if necessary, and could wear it as a pack cover for safety during hunting season. The finished dimensions are 40" x 50" (the dimensions that I needed to cover my fully-loaded Mariposa Plus pack with bear canister) and the finished weight including the seat, dyneema whoopies, home-made tree huggers and home-made toggle is 5.6 ounces, which worked out well since I was looking for a sub-6 ounce solution.

    I built the hammock itself along the order of the wilderness chair. It has a small channel on the top for one whoopie sling, and a 4 inch channel on the bottom for the other. The large bottom channel let's you set it up as a wilderness chair by attaching it to a tripod with bottom stick.

    I put a shockcord channel in the hem and put in 1/16" shockcord all the way around with a micro cord lock. This lets me use it as a pack cover, and when using it as a gear hammock, I can draw up the shockcord to keep the stuff inside the hammock better. I added small grosgrain pieces where the shockcord exits the channel and burned a hole through to prevent fraying (see photos). I also put a little tab on the bottom of the hammock like I saw on MacEntyre's rig that will allow me to stake the gear hammock out if I'm sharing trees with my main hammock.

    Finally, I built a small pocket into the back of the chair like I saw in the ULA rain kilt. Seemed like a pretty decent idea as I can use it to store my phone when I'm hanging out in shorts without pockets. I used omni-tape to keep the stuff sack closed, but may try to figure out how to do with a drawcord instead since the omni seems a little finicky. May try to add the Jerry Chair modification to the back to allow trekking poles as well.

    Probably the only real challenge in sitting in it is the fact that it is SilNylon - makes it a little bit slippery. Since I carry the Mariposa Plus, though, I just put my back/sit pad from the pack into the bottom of the seat and it worked wonderfully.

    Overall, really happy with it and sure appreciate all of the great ideas that I got from everyone on the forums!

    SN
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. #2
    New Member MacGruber's Avatar
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    Very nice! I don't think I would change a thing. Well thought out. Shock cord is the way to go, elastic would not work. Thanks for sharing.

  3. #3
    Senior Member SteelerNation's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MacGruber View Post
    Very nice! I don't think I would change a thing. Well thought out. Shock cord is the way to go, elastic would not work. Thanks for sharing.
    Thanks. The really thin shock cord keeps you from feeling it when you use it as a chair (sized it so that the shock cord wouldn't be under any tension when in chair mode). Don't think that I'd want to use anything heavier, either from both the weight and tension perspective.

    SN

  4. #4
    Crash's Avatar
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    I'm still trying to figure out how you are using it as a camp seat.
    I have one of JRB's gear hammock/pack cover and if I could use it as a chair too that would be great. I also have used it as a water tank & for washing clothes in it.

  5. #5
    Senior Member gargoyle's Avatar
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    Steeler, nice. But I thought black and gold were your colors?
    Ambulo tua ambulo.

  6. #6
    Senior Member rjcress's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Crash View Post
    I'm still trying to figure out how you are using it as a camp seat.
    Me too.
    In the pre-build discussions I was envisioning sitting in it as a chair in the same configuration as the gear hammock.
    As in, take out the pack, insert the booty.
    Looks like you've rotated it on end somehow.

    I love seeing new solutions.

    Looks good, btw.
    "I keep telling myself that if I make perfect seams, nobody will believe that I made it... " -JohnSawyer

    My outdoor gear review site http://gear-report.com
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  7. #7
    Senior Member
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    Nicely done. I'd like to see an update if you add a Jerry chair to it.

    I've been planning on making a similar multifunction camp seat, but will add a cover similar to the MacGear box (which could even act as a windbreak in chair mode for cooler weather)- maybe even add a drink holder in the cover for use in the A-Frame chair or bushman chair. I need to see if that will work. (or maybe add shock cord to the cover to make a mini gear hammock for the gear hammock.)

    Like you, I'm also toying with the idea of adding sleeves at the top for the Jerry Chair mod, but also one for the bottom to make the hammock seat seen here

    For those wondering how to use it as a seat:

    His thumbnails #5 and 6 both work as seats.

    Here's the bushman's hammock chair review from Arrowhead Equip Youtube Link

    Here's a couple of links to an A-Frame chair:

    Old-school Welsh fellow makes deck chair out of a sack. Seen between 4:15 and 5:45 here. I hope I'm as limber at his age, but at this rate probably not.

    Another link just on the A-frame chairhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsyObLoraPw

    I need to find some time, and get materials. Hopefully before the Eastern Ontario Hang.

    Cheers
    Last edited by Jiblets; 03-19-2011 at 00:52. Reason: Watched video /w sound and realized the guy was Welsh

  8. #8
    Senior Member SteelerNation's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Crash View Post
    I'm still trying to figure out how you are using it as a camp seat.
    I have one of JRB's gear hammock/pack cover and if I could use it as a chair too that would be great. I also have used it as a water tank & for washing clothes in it.
    Quote Originally Posted by rjcress View Post
    Me too.
    In the pre-build discussions I was envisioning sitting in it as a chair in the same configuration as the gear hammock.
    As in, take out the pack, insert the booty.
    Looks like you've rotated it on end somehow.

    I love seeing new solutions.

    Looks good, btw.
    Thanks. Jiblets has it right. Photo 6 shows it in "recliner" mode. Note that I needed the pad to keep from slipping around too much. In this mode, you sit in it along the axis of the hang, and by keeping one end higher than the other, you end up with a comfy back rest. And believe me, my times around a fire lately, where I'm sitting on a log, make it really clear to me that a back rest is now in order .

    In photo 7, you see the more traditional hammock mode. In that mode, I just release the tension on the shock cord and sit on it like you would sit in any hammock perpendicular to the axis of hang.

    Wow, sounds really technical. . .

    I was a little concerned about using 1.1 fabric, but it seems to hold me OK. I figure that I might get a little stretch, but shouldn't matter too much in a chair. We'll see how it goes.


    Quote Originally Posted by gargoyle View Post
    Steeler, nice. But I thought black and gold were your colors?

    Definitely my colors, but I don't live in the 'burgh anymore and wanted the colors to warn off hunters - not serve as a target. . .

    SN

  9. #9
    Senior Member ShadowAlpha's Avatar
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    wow! SN that looks great! You should get a lot of use out of that

  10. #10
    Senior Member SteelerNation's Avatar
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    Thanks, I hope so! Will be mid-April before I can get out to give it a good field test, though.

    SN

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