Quote Originally Posted by TeeDee View Post
I just looked at lot closer at the side tie outs on my HH ULBA.

The side tie out is reinforced with a material cut in a triangular shape. I think the material has two purposes:

1. reinforce the tie out, and
2. give the tie a predetermined angular shape.

Simply sewing webbing along the side for tie outs doesn't accomplish the second purpose. Rather, in that case, the angle formed by the hammock body at the tie out would be totally dependent on the position of the stake.

The reinforcing material forces the angle to be the same irregardless of exactly where the stake is positioned, within rather large bounds.

I think the reinforcing material acts somewhat like the structural ridgeline. The ridgeline determines the amount of sag. The reinforcement at the side tie outs is a major factor in determining the exact asymmetrical shape of the hammock.
I think the reinforcements on the HH are just that, reinforcements. The shape of the netting as a whole is what gives the HH it's really asymm. shape. The hammock I made does have a distinct asymm. shape but adding zip on top portion will further define the shape. Even if the reinforcements were not present on the HH netting you would still get the same shape on the corners because of the shape of the bug netting is cut. We also have to consider that the triangle patches on the corners are just there to give HH a cleaner, more finished look.

I added the Supplex reinforcements to reduce stress on those tie out points, but they way that the webbing is sewn on it gives the side tie out points a very triangular shape when staked out. You can kinda see what I mean from the picture or the tie outs in the first post.

I hope to get some pics of it hanging this weekend and I will take some close-up photos to show you what I mean. Another reason the side tie outs were put on the way that I did is so I can go back and add the zipper to the Supplex side.

I will probably add a little reinforcement to the corners of the top covers I will make also.

I also called Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics and talked to them about zippers. The said that a tooth zipper would be best for this project. I was told that coil zippers are smoother and do better with corners, but they can clog with debris and are much more likely to freeze.

I decided on using a 2-Way separating zipper which mean I can unzip from either end of the hammock. Each side of my hammock is 101" but the longest zipper the have is 100". It's gonna be cutting it close but I think a small patch of Omni tape on each end to help seal everything up. The smallest size they have in a 100" tooth zipper is a #5. I would like to go with a #3 to save weight. The zippers at OWF are about 12.00 each and I am going to need 4 zippers if I am making 2 different top covers. OUCH.