Need a pattern for hammock chair

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

I'm getting ready to start backpacking again after having a serious auto accident that permanently damaged one of my legs. One of my limitations is not being able to squat or get up from being seated on the ground without great difficult / external support. I need to make a light-weight chair that can be suspended from an overhead strong branch. I must use two offset canes for hiking - these are extremely strong and could be used as part of the hammock chair as I can walk short distances without them.

Does anyone know where I could get a pattern for a hammock chair?

[Just Jeff]

Just make a Speer-type hammock - it'll probably be about the same weight as hammock chair models (~6-10 oz, depending on material and size). Then just use it as a lounger and don't lay down in it. For dimensions, don't make it any narrower than a normal hammock (~55-60"), but you might be able to experiment with making it shorter to save an ounce or more.

If it's cold, you can still get chilled just sitting in a hammock (or hammock chair) for a while, so a sit pad might still help (just like sitting on the ground). You could even sew a pad pocket in there (be careful where you put the seams...be sure to research this if you're interested).

That way you can hang a tarp over it for a dining fly, too...hang the tarp high enough to stand up under it, put your tent's door underneath it so you have a nice huge porch, etc.

Putting a ridgeline on the hammock might make it easier for you to stand up from the lounging position...not sure how your injuries would affect that.

Total cost - $10-15 plus tarp

[Hana_Hanger]

Aloha Flolicking Dinosaurs,
I am sorry to hear about your accident...but admire you being able to continue to enjoy your hiking (canes think of them as hiking sticks ;)
I was inspired by a man with one leg on the trail the other day and thought okay if he can do this climb so can I :)

I would also like to suggest a hammock chair I got on ebay...cheap won the bid for only $7.50 and the shipping in the 48 states is under $18. They come up all the time, so I held out for the best bid.

The chair could be used without all the extra wooden dowels. It is so easy to get in and out of, my hubby hates regular hammocks because of that. So I got him that chair. Not the soft web rope kind but the solid fabric ones. The weight without all the extras...pillow...glass holder...footrest and dowels is well under 5 lbs. that includes the ropes and hook.

Jeffs idea is great as well you can make one pretty easily.
This one I got I did sleep in it one night....but I do not recommend it.
Here is the link just in case you would like to look into one of this.
http://cgi.ebay.com/DELUXE-ORIGINAL-HAMMOCK-CHAIR-AIR-PORCH-SKY-SWING_W0QQitemZ4461914983QQcategoryZ20719QQrdZ1QQc mdZViewItem

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Wonder if something like this would work http://cgi.ebay.com/Hammock-Swing-Chairs-BRAND-NEW_W0QQitemZ4461751838QQcategoryZ20719QQrdZ1QQcmd ZViewItem

[Hana_Hanger]

I don't see why not...that looks good as well.
But you would need for sure that upper wooden dowel.

The other hammock chair works fine without any dowels.
Hey I will go take some photos and post them for you.
Give me a few its only 7 am here :)

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Hana - I was going to make a similar item and replace the dowel with one of my canes.

Jeff, I made one of Risk's test hammocks this morning. I'm going to take it out in the yard after lunch and see if it will work. I wasn't able to get out of any hammock at Trail Days last year. My son and the male dino are here to pull me out if things don't go well....

[Hana_Hanger]

okay I tried all kinds of ways...and yes it will work without the dowels...but it is NOT comfortable at all. You feel squished.

The thing is with skyline type one you can adjust the lean of the chair. Sitting back more or almost laying down or sitting up very straight.
It has large plastic line adjusters on it. You can also adjust the height regardless of what kind of tree you find.
I am wondering if your canes could not serve as the side dowels and any stick found on the trail or campsite as the middle one. Or simply carry one dowel and use anything else as the side dowels...lightweight pvc or something. the whole thing weighs like 8 lbs but bulky due to the large middle dowel.
The dowels are not supporting...they are simply to open it up to be more comfortable in.
The other model looks so simple I think you could easily sew up something to make it lightweight if you needed it to be...the only major difference I see is the wooden dowel on it seems to be the main support system, I may be wrong on that one. But I would fear it coming undone.

I took a few pictures I will email them to you :)

[Hana_Hanger]

oh and the chair without all the extras is 2 lbs 11 oz I just weighed it.
But it holds up to 350 lbs...very strong

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Hana, the chair you have is one I looked at early this morning. It would pretty complicated to make, but it might be worth the effort to get the ability to adjust the angle. I'd make it using light-weight materials with webbing for reinforcement so I'm betting I could cut the weight to less than half of the 2lbs - 11 oz.

[Hana_Hanger]

It would be very tough to make...I thought if you won a bid for under $5 and even with the shipping that would only be $23.00
I had a little computer freeze so getting ready to just email the pictures anyways in case you want to see more detail :)

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Using a regular hammock as a chair isn't going to work. I was able to get in OK - even laid down and found a somewhat sweet spot. Man, those things really do get cold! When I tried to sit in it as a chair, it cut into the area behind my knees. I couldn't get out of it without help or without falling.

While I was stretched out in the hammock, it occured to me that if I could design a hammock that was like a normal hammock on one end, came down and had a 'pocket for my butt and had straps tied like hammock straps on the other side. Here is a crude drawing of what I envision (http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b47/lowcarbscoop/Hammockchairg.jpg)

[Hana_Hanger]

If that is a crude drawing we would LOVE to see some of your art work:)

The height is very very important when you go to get in and out of any hammock or hammock chair...too low and forget it, I have to roll out. I get stuck.

I hope you are able to sew up something that works...or someone comes up with some kind of answer. There are more designs of hammock chairs and maybe with some minor adjustments you will be able to find one to rest in while you hike. :)
Meanwhile I will keep looking also, and post a link for you if I find anything.

[Just Jeff]

When you sat in the TestHammock, did you fold it in half? As a lounger, you should sit in it this way:
1 - Stand at the hammock's midpoint beside the hammock
2 - Grab both sides of the hammock in one hand
3 - Hold it up and grab the lowest spot of the hammock (two layers) with your other hand
4 - Pull the bottom out and sit on it

With a 60" wide hammock (or a bit smaller), it's plenty stable enough to sit in (but probably not enough to lay on) and will put much less pressure behind the knees.

If you tried it that way and it didn't work, you should be able to rig your cane as the wooden dowel in that hammock chair...that'll save some weight. Using lightweight Spectra instead of the rope, and 1.9oz DWR instead of the cloth, you can probably make one for well under a pound.

One issue with the chair is that you'll need a large tree, with a large limb, at the right height, at every campsite...you get the idea. With a hammock, you can use two relatively small (or large) trees, which are pretty common at most campsites.

You might be able to rig a horizontal line between two trees, then hang the chair from that line, though.

Hope you find a workable solution!

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Jeff, I took the test hammock out in the yard first thing this morning (first chance since you posted due to rain), rigged it plus a ridgeline and pulled the ends together before sitting down. This worked much better and it might be a workable solution - I was able to get out of it by myself and without falling! I may bring the test hammock to Trail Days and give it a real test. Rigging the hammock-chair normally instead of from a point above would allow me to tarp over the chair - an important consideration.

With a really strong ridge line to assist me in exiting the hammock I could probably get out of a hammock used for sleeping. This opens up a whole new realm of possiblities to me. I owe you one, Jeff.

Hana - thanks for all the suggestions and ideas -- and trying out your hammock chair in so many configurations.

I'll probably still make and try the hammock chair design I drew because it would likely be lighter than a full hammock. If I end up using a hammock for sleeping, the chair could still go with my on day hikes.

[Just Jeff]

Great, Dino - hope it works out for you!

If you try to sleep in one, you can also attach a small loop to the ridgeline, like the straps on hiking poles, that you can grab to pull yourself up. A prussik would work well and would be adjustable. Might be much easier to pull yourself up on that than by grabbing the ridgeline.

[Mother Nature]

Mrs. Dino, I have been lurking and listening. I want to see what you devise for the chair idea. Having been sidelined this year with back issues I am looking for things to get me back on the trail as well. I need a stable place to rest my back and this has me thinking! I have a crazy chair but as reported in other posts.. I feel squished and it is flat on the ground.

Are you guys setting up camp near where you were last year? We arrive tomorrow around noon or 1 o'clock. Staying in Abingdon this year.

Mother Nature

[Yo-Yo]

Hana - I was going to make a similar item and replace the dowel with one of my canes.

Jeff, I made one of Risk's test hammocks this morning. I'm going to take it out in the yard after lunch and see if it will work. I wasn't able to get out of any hammock at Trail Days last year. My son and the male dino are here to pull me out if things don't go well....
HA HA HA HA That sound like a problem I might have
that would be pretty bad me having to wait till some hiker passed by and yell at them to come pull me up
My self if I was gonna make one would crochet it
what would be good to use that would hold a lot of weight if some one was to make a rope one

[Just Jeff]

I have one from pretty small ropes and it's no lighter than the ripstop nylone ones. But it's a lot less comfortable. If I had to guess, it's probably 2 mil cord.

I made part of a net one with the inner core of 550 cord once. Never laid in it, though....don't even know if they finished it.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Sue (Mother Nature) - not sure where we will set up this year. We are leaving tomorrow morning so should be there about noon. We have a 10' x 12' forest green sil-nylon tarp and a tiny little red / silver / blue Texport bivy tent this year. That should make our site easy to find. I'm going to set up pretty far from Billville as dinosaurs need their beauty rest or they turn into beasts. :D and Billville is a none-stop party.

Before anyone blast me for the Texport - it is a cheapy test tent to see if the slanted entry design works for me - and I will be using it under the tarp as Texport's are notorious for leaking. The poles and zippers may become part of another project later.

Sue, when I find something that works for a chair, I'll send it to you and let you try it out with your back. I can always make you one or tell you how I did it so you can make it with whatever changes make it better for you.

Yo-Yo - there are some big fellows who post in the hammock section. You might want to ask them what works and doesn't. As Jeff says, rope hammocks tend to be uncomfortable. I'm thinking something like two layers of ripstop with a layer of nylon mesh (like laundry bags are made from) with some serious webbing on the edges might give you the support you need.

[Mother Nature]

Looking forward to seeing you! I'll be wearing a bright orange sunvisor and my gray hair popping out of the top. :sun If they have a sign in board like last year we will take a peak to see if you have signed in your location. Otherwise we will wander and greet folks til we find you.

Looking forward to seeing ya'll.

Mother Nature

[Just Jeff]

20 oz is pretty heavy for a hammock with no bugnet, but this Exped model says it has a special drawstring that converts it to a swinging chair. Might be worth considering if the Speer-type doesn't work out for you.

http://www.exped.com/exped/web/exped_homepage.nsf/b43HomePageE?openframeset

[titanium_hiker]

we had a "traditional" cotton hammock chair- worked real well. it was padded seat- bottom and back at right angles, and then held that way with a web of tangly strings. you could do it
/_| if they matched up you would get my drift... kind of a diagonal cross section of a fabric rectangle. supports at the top.

titanium_hiker

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Jeff - checked out the Exped at Trail Days - It was a nice design for someone with normal legs, but requires the same biped abilities as most other hammocks for getting up both in the traditional and chair set up.

Ed Speers let me get in his hammock and showed me a couple of tricks about getting out. I was able to get in and out of the hammock by myself on the level / ideal surface where he was displaying his amazingly comfortable hammocks at Trail Days. Of all the hammocks I tried this year, Ed's was far and away the most comfortable for me. I was able to turn over on my side in that hammock and still felt very stable and secure! If I end up sleeping in a hammock, it will be a Speers.

I also tried the Hennessey hammock again this year. For the non-hammock members - this hammock has a slit in the bottom that you use to exit and enter by simply putting your upper body thru the slit, sitting down and lying back while pulling your legs up into the hammock and then straightening them. It closes up when you lay down on the hammock. I was able to get in out by myself this year - the easiest hammock by far to enter and exit - and found the 'sweet spot' while lying on my back. There is no way I could have turned on my side in that hammock. I was extremely frightened the whole time I was in the hammock - it just did not feel stable to me at all - and this was after my good experience in the Speers hammock so I don't think unfamiliarity was the entire reason - though I'm sure it contributed.

I wish Speers and Hennessey would design a hammock together with Speers 'walls' and stability and Hennessey’s entry system.

I tried an Eno hammock with nearly disastrous results. Required Vitamins I, N-S, H-C and O afterward. It twisted the h*ll out of my hip and back - I virtually never have to resort to Vitamin O (oxycontin) these days.

I also tried two homemade hammocks in the tent city (the owners were quite gracious). One was a Speers’ type - I could not get in or out on the surface he was hung above. It was really, really less than ideal - I had to use my cane and the male dino hand to get to the hammock.

The second homemade hammock was made using Risk's test hammock idea and making it more permanent. I was able to get in and out without too much trouble - but did nearly fall getting out. It was similar to the Hennessey in feel - unstable in any position except flat on your back - though not nearly as unsettling as the Hennessey.

Titanium Hiker - I am looking a using an idea similar to what you suggested. I will likely substitute 1" strips of doubled ripstop nylon (sewn together to form webbing) for the strings. I would also like to make this item hang like a traditional hammock rather than from a single or multiple points overhead so I can tarp over it in rainy weather - something I'm sure Mother Nature would also want.

I'll be experimenting with this hammock chair design later on in the week. I'll be tied up for a few days in the mean time and if you could spares some good thoughts, prayers or whatever you do to invite good karma, I'd appreciate it. I've got several meetings with the insurance company for the kid that hit us to see if they are going to offer me a reasonable settlement for my permanent injuries or if I am going to have to sue them to get it. Under the circumstances, they likely don't want this case before a jury (he was out-of-his-mind on drugs and in our lane when he hit us head-on after three nurses who had just gotten off from work and a family of four had followed him for miles and observed him run a car off the road and nearly cause three other accidents.)

[Mother Nature]

Mrs. Dino, I sure will keep rubbing my Karma stone after that run of good luck I had with the camera! Hope all goes well for you.

I sure wish I had tried the Speer Hammock. I had tried all the others and skipped that one as the others gave me all the same impressions that you found. All the vendors were so gracious and patient. Sure wish I was 35 years younger again!

Mother Nature

[Just Jeff]

There's a pattern for a hammock chair at one of the outdoor suppliers - rockywoods.com or thegreenpepper.com, maybe? I'll look it up later if you can't find it.

[funbun]

Yeah, rockywoods has one:
http://www.rockywoods.com/Patterns/GHS.htm

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

That's an interesting pattern though 50 yds of 3/8" cotton rope is not happening with the hammock I make.

Mother Nature, what sort of hiking implement are you using these days? Trekking pole(s), staff, other? I could do something similar to the chair funbun & Just Jeff posted (http://www.rockywoods.com/Patterns/GHS.htm) with my cane, but I'm thinking a trekking pole would bend if used as the upper support member. Anyone more familiar with trekking poles care to comment?

[Just Jeff]

I worry about compressing the locking mechanism on poles with that much weight. Your offset cane might take the weight, though...not sure how it's designed.

You could use Air Core from BPL instead of cotton rope...really light. Depending on how that pattern attaches the rope to the fabric, you might have to find a new way to connect it, though. Air Core is pretty thin.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Jeff - I have 1" aluminum canes with rubber grips (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.healthfitnessstore.com/images/canes/1060_lg.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.healthfitnessstore.com/canes/aluminum_canes/aluminum_cane_model_1060.htm&h=324&w=75&sz=2&tbnid=X_cR0wYCzWOGRM:&tbnh=114&tbnw=26&hl=en&start=3&prev=/images%3Fq%3Daluminum%2Bcane%2Brubber%2Bgrip%2Boff set%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN)(impor tant because the plastic grips are slippery when wet). They aren't likely to bend or break. The locking mechanism screws a rubber washer tightly to a second piece of aluminum that slides up and down in the center of the upper piece. The upper piece also has holes drilled that fit a retacting metal knob on the lower peice. Mr. Dino uses a 1.5" wooden staff (Did I just hear Weary cheer?) which could also be used for this chair.

[Just Jeff]

Risk analysis:

The canes are very unlikely to break, but if they DO happen to break and you're a few miles out, the consequences could be very difficult to deal with.

If your husband's staff breaks, he might be upset but he could still make it back to the car with no trouble, no?

If you're sure that a standard Speer won't work well enough for a lounger, I'd base the chair system on his staff just for that reason. JMHO.

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

Excellent point. While I could fashion a servicable-enough cane to get me out by cutting a branch with a fork from a live tree, I would rather not as it violates LNT. I could also make do on the right side with something other than a cane (using two canes makes it much easier to arrest a fall, but the left leg is able to fully support my body weight so a right-hand cane isn't absolutely necessary as it is on the left side).

[titanium_hiker]

Sorry if this has been tried- I'm not sure from the gist of the thread.

Have you tried sitting at the edge of the hammock and using the rest of it as a rather high back? hmm. might not work.

you also might like to try hanging your hammock at different heights and see which is best for getting out of again.

titanium_hiker