Recent/Upcoming DIY Projects
Hello all,
Though I am new to posting on HF, I have been reading the forum for quite some time now. That being so, and being the hands-on person I am, it was inevitable that I would delve into DIY.What follow are my DIY attempts thus far and some upcoming projects I have.
My first real project (besides stuff sacks) was to make a lightweight hammock with an easy exit. As much as i like my Hennesy, I wanted to be able to get out of the hammock easier and have the option to remove the bug net. That led to my first DIY hammock. It is made of 1.1(?) grey ripstop from Joann fabrics. I normally wouldn't buy fabric there given the crazy prices on ripstop, but they had a good sale going on (40% off). Anyways, I sewed a rolled hem around the entire hammock. It is 56" x 9 ft long. I made it a foot shorter than most people and single layer in an attempt to save weight and since I am only around 5' 10". The ends are whipped in a W shape a la JustJeff. I experimented with pulling the edges of the material further out in the whip (like Speer recommends) but found that it kept the sides of the hammock too tight for my liking so I just whipped it in an even W pattern.
The suspension is done with 7/64th grey amsteel whoopie slings that offer up to 6 ft of adjustment each. I custom made all of the whoopies with some amsteel I ordered from Arrowhead Equipment. These attach to 4 foot tree huggers via some custom soft shackles made from the amsteel. The ridgeline is another whoopie style amsteel line, though I am planning on installing a fixed length SRL once I find that sweet spot. It (for now) is just looped around the main suspension. I am also considering replacing all of these with dynaglide for weight savings. Any advice on dynaglide vs. amsteel? (I am sure that I am not too heavy for the dyna at ~160#s). The tree huggers were made by Arrowhead (was basically the same price as ordering the straps alone).
The bug net I made was inspired by SGT. Rock and Papa Smurf's bug socks. It is made out of some tulle from Joanns and has a drawstring cinch on one end that can be closed from inside the hammock. I made it a little large for this hammock so I can use it with other larger hammocks.
Here are the hammock and the bug net in their separate stuff sacks:
The Hammock with the stuff sack, all the suspension, and tree huggers weighs in at 15.3 oz / 435 grams. The Bug net and stuff sack weight in at 2.3 oz / 66 grams. Overall I am happy with the weights. Though perhaps dynaglide could make me even happier.
So that is all of my hammock DIY gear so far. Below is an image of a down beanie I am working on. I was inspired by trinni's work on his different beanies. As of now it is stuffed with fleece until my down comes in from thru hiker. Speaking of thru-hiker, I will soon be working on a karo step TQ once the material comes in.
Well, that is about all I have for now. Sorry about the length of this post, just had a lot to share.
See you all around and Hang Em' High,
Joe
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