How accurate are the limits?
I'm 211lbs right now...#winter insulation....
The 1.1 nylon is rated for 225.
I may lose some weight .....I may not....
Probably not.
Anyway...
Is this enough of a ....um..."cushion" so to speak or is wise to go up a bit?
I don't think that the fabric will fail if you put a bit more weight in it. But it will start to stretch. Did you have a look at Dream Hammock's "Comfort Rating"? Randy says, 1.1oz will be comfy up to 200lbs, and at 225lbs you should consider a heavier fabric. If I were you, I'd probably go with something heavier like 1.5oz or 1.6oz.
... or a 1.1oz double layer, of courseGives you peace of mind and more choices.
Let me start by saying thank you hutzelbein for your input....Originally Posted by hutzelbein
You have helped me out on a number of occasions...
I have seen the dream hammock ratings and the calculator is a most excellent tool.
I have also looked at most other of the cottage websites here and a few list 1.1 as being good to 225lbs...
Is this due to a different type of material perhaps?
The other particular one in mind states its made of ripstop nylon which is what DH uses as well.
Maybe, its a better safe then sorry situation and DH is playing it safe.
Which definitely has its merits.
Just trying to understand.
I'm rereading what you posted and you've explained it very clearly.
thanks again.
You're welcome
I don't think rating a fabric for weight is an exact science. You would be able to work out how much weight the fabric is able to hold before it rips, and I think usually manufacturers are using a safety margin of 10 - meaning, if the fabric rips when you put 1000lbs in it, it would probably be rated for 100lbs.
Ripstop is a pretty tough fabric, as long as you don't damage it e.g. poke a hole in it. It will hold a lot of weight - but with hammocks it's not only a question of the point of failure, but also "when does it start to become uncomfortable?" There are people on this forum who have built and used hammocks from fabrics like Momentum and such to get the lightest possible hammock (that still holds their weight). If you do that, you would have to be prepared for the hammock to fail - and in some cases this is what happened.
As I said, I don't believe that 1.1oz ripstop will fail if you put in a couple more lbs. But there probably will come a point where you will feel it stretching. You might like the lay - or you might not. I think this is personal preference. Some people like a stretchy hammock, some prefer it to be more firm. You would have to try it to see if it works for you.
What do you want to do? Will you build a DIY hammock? Or do you want to buy a hammock? If you want to DIY, I would suggest simply getting some cheap 1.1oz ripstop (maybe 2nds?), building a no-net hammock, and using it for a couple of nights to see if you like it. If on the other hand you're going to spend money on a commercial hammock, I would probably go for either a double layer 1.1oz, or a single layer with a slightly heavier fabric. Otherwise you might find that you have spent a lot of money on something that doesn't work and you might not be able to sell it on, because the fabric stretched.
If you are going to buy a hammock from the cottage industry, I would always ask the manufacturer and go with their recommendation.
But maybe somebody chimes in who has gone over the weight limit of their hammock and can give you better advice.
It really depends on what "limit" you want to follow.
- My 10 year old truck's speedometer still goes all the way up to 120 mph?
- My old tires give me reason to think I shouldn't go over 70mph.
- The sign on the road says 55mph is the limit?
- With all the ice and Amish buggies on the road, this morning I never got much over 45mph.
The comfort ratings on the Dream Hammock are meant only as a weight recommendation for safety and comfort. They are not meant to be taken as an upper limit of fabric strength.
Here's a photo of my 265lbs in a single layer 1.1oz FreeBird. This brand new hammock was carefully setup and tweaked to the optimum hang angle on a test stand. It held just fine with no damage or stresses at all, but I'm clearly on the "red" side of the comfort rating chart.
Just my opinion but i would go with a double layer and have complete puece of mind, you may allways worry otherwise and never truly relax and get the full enjoyment and level of relaxation thet you deserve. A dream hammock dl and forget about it!!
This is just my opinion though, you do what works for you, just get out there and hang !!
Loved the first part of your post Papasmurf. That is all so true. I had an old Lebaron that had a speedometer that went way farther than I've ever seen on a car, and obviously way further than the car could possibly handle no matter what kind of tires were on it.
adkrella; My son's hammock is 1.1, works good for him at 175 lbs and now 6'1, (he was 145 lbs and only 5'7 when he got it made from one of our previous moderators, John. The hammock has grown with him pretty well as he has grown, although he may be starting to get too tall for it if he continues to grow. I have laid in it a few times, and I do find it comfortable, but not comfortable mentally at the size I am. If it were double, I'd feel more "mind happy" about it. If you don't want a double, I'd just go up a bit more on the oz per yard nylon. With all of that said, we do have several that are on the upward part of the 1.1oz nylon scale and the do just fine.
Check over papasmurf's charts and such to get a good idea of things.
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