calling for any suggestions

**gypsyareca** · 03-19-2009, 02:34

currently i am taking a break from my nomadic wanderings to better gear myself up. at most i will be back out on the road (this time traveling via bicycle) in 2 months and will be going wherever whenever the wind blows me or the sunshine entices me. for sure i will be traveling in latin america within the year.
so saying this the gear i want to make (my budget is tight) needs to be good quality, dependable, and good for many kinds of weather/situations.
i made myself a hammock fore i started off last time and now have nothing but that hammock. i used a crap tarp or a poncho and a heavy rope. this will no longer suffice. i have been doing some reading but need to bounce some ideas and questions around.

rope: polyester or nylon webbing? where can i find charts that tell me what sizes can take how much weight? and when pitching a tarp does the rope just go under whatever ridge you decide or i was thinking of maybe sewing my rope/webbing to the tarp? either with it continuing under the whole ridge or just out from the very ends to the trees.

material for the tarp: soon to be (http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=178442.0) playing with this material and seeing how dependable it could be. otherwise i was going to go with home wrap tyvek. or would it be better to go with something like ripstop nylon impregnated with silicon, or other material?

type of tarp: for the shape i am def going with hex with cat cuts. i am worried about my ends though. i found two possibilities that look like they might be good. either end caps with storage (this would take care of the necessity or storage space but am unsure if everything would stay righty tighty dry in lotsa rain) or tarp beaks.

or
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=663
if i made tarp beaks i would also have to make some form or waterproof gear hammock/hanging sack. which i have seen instructions on and doesn't seem too hard.

snake skins: theoretically if i make them big enough could all of my sleep gear go in these (anyone done this), hammock, tarp, bugnet tube, rope, whatever my end covers will entail, and sleeping bag? would there be drawbacks to that? i think i would also make those out of tyvek so it would be highly water resistant for one less worry when it rains.

sorry that this is quite long but i greatly appreciate
any links (patterns are great!), advice, feedback, or suggestions (for any or all of the questions posed)you folks out there with more experience might have for a beginner. i am just hoping to minimize time and money with good plans.
thanks for reading,
areca

**Cannibal** · 03-19-2009, 08:41

That is a neat link about the plastic bag "fabric". How would you get large pieces? Do the edges 'weld' if laid-out and interlaced? I'm intrigued.

As for tarp patterns, the Blackcat is one groovy tarp! Sounds like you have lots of experience with gear making, so it should be an easy build for you. Snake skins big enough to hold everything are going to be a giant, very dense wad of stuff to put into your pack. I'm sure it would work, but I'd opt for a big Bishop Bag; just easier to deal with IMO. Just a large stuff sack with a hole for your hammock suspension in the bottom; makes a nice place to stow small gear while the hammock is deployed.

Sounds like a grand life! Keep it going.

**Rushthezeppelin** · 03-19-2009, 11:56

Definitely go with sil nylon for the tarp. There's really not many better choices than that (a few very expensive ones but it's just for a bit of weight savings).

**Doctari** · 03-19-2009, 13:32

Originally Posted by Rushthezeppelin

Definitely go with sil nylon for the tarp. There's really not many better choices than that (a few very expensive ones but it's just for a bit of weight savings).

SIl Nylon ROCKS!!!

**Ekul** · 03-19-2009, 15:14

Originally Posted by Doctari

SIl Nylon ROCKS!!!

stuff is quiet even in 30mph winds. makes for sleeping bliss

**Narwhalin** · 03-19-2009, 16:05