Material & Plans Hammock Fly

[Glee]

I'm interested finding out some info on where to get plans and the material to make a fly for my Hennessy Hammock. I want something to replace the one which came with my 9 ft hammock. Links, ideas are needed. Also, about how much do you think it might cost to make?

Thanks

[SGT Rock]

Are you just trying to make the same shape yet bigger?

[Glee]

Are you just trying to make the same shape yet bigger?

I have the HH Explorer Ultralite A-Sym, which is 108 inches. While it is only 8 in longer then the Ultralite Backpacker A-Sym, the fly is the same size.

In a heavy storm, the fly is just not making it no matter how you set it up. So, I've looked at a number of tarps for hammocks and even had the HH 70D "Hex"-Shaped PU-Coasted Polyester Ripstop Rain Fly Size: 144"x 120" Nice and big, but heavy...

So I would like to make something like the MacCat Deluxe made by outdoorequipmentsupplier. (Which I’m very impressed by the quality of his work) However, I would like to make it a little longer then the one he has. This would be the 1st thing I've made where I would have to sew, so I know I'm at a bit of a disadvantage in what to do and not to do. Any help or ideas would be great...

Also, has anyone purchased the HH 30D"HEX"-SHAPED SILNYLON RIPSTOP RAIN FLY Size: 144" x 132" hexagonal shape. It’s a ft longer and says it is only 16 ozs. I’m wondering how well is it made and what your thoughts on it would be.

Thanks

[SGT Rock]

Well for material I would suggest www.owareusa.com or www.thru-hiker.com. As to a pattern, I don't know if anyone has a pattern on the net right now that could tell you how to make it. Brian, who is a regular poster at my site, is the guy that makes the MatCat tarps, and he can do custom sizes. Maybe if you contact him he can give you some pointers.

[Glee]

Well for material I would suggest www.owareusa.com or www.thru-hiker.com. As to a pattern, I don't know if anyone has a pattern on the net right now that could tell you how to make it. Brian, who is a regular poster at my site, is the guy that makes the MatCat tarps, and he can do custom sizes. Maybe if you contact him he can give you some pointers.

I've been in contact with Brian for over a week and his tarps are the best all the way around in design and quality. However, he's going to be gone until after the 1st of the year and I thought I might just check out the possibility of me making a custom tarp myself.

[Youngblood]

...
Also, has anyone purchased the HH "HEX"-SHAPED SILNYLON RIPSTOP RAIN FLY Size: 144" x 132" hexagonal shape. It’s a ft longer and says it is only 16 ozs. I’m wondering how well is it made and what your thoughts on it would be. ...

Glee,

Are you sure it's not the same length and a foot wider?

Younblood

[CanoeBlue]

I too wanted a larger tarp for a HH A-sym, and purchased the HH hexoganal tarp. I liked the tarp a lot but it really is heavy. So I made one out of silnylon with a bunch of minor modifications and it's great!

Sewing silnylon is frustrating until you get the hang of it, so do a couple of stuff bags or something first, but tarps are realy pretty easy - just "big" - so they make a great project.

Beware, however, starting to make your own gear....... Once you get started you start seeing all kinds of little improvements that you can make to your gear and pretty soon you won't be satisfied with anything that you don't make yourself.

[Glee]

Glee,

Are you sure it's not the same length and a foot wider?

Younblood

Yes, you're right. I for some reason have been thinking the thing was a foot longer.. Not sure how good a foot wider will be. I guess if you want to hang it higher. It seems that the 144x120 was fine as far as coverage. It seems that they would have kept it the same size and maybe reduced the weight of the silknylon even more. Does anyone know the quality of how these are made. I mean as far as the tie outs.. Are they reenforced the tie-outs like how the MacCat made by Brian are?

[Youngblood]

Yes, you're right. I for some reason have been thinking the thing was a foot longer.. Not sure how good a foot wider will be. I guess if you want to hang it higher. It seems that the 144x120 was fine as far as coverage. It seems that they would have kept it the same size and maybe reduced the weight of the silknylon even more. Does anyone know the quality of how these are made. I mean as far as the tie outs.. Are they reenforced the tie-outs like how the MacCat made by Brian are?

Glee,

A twelve foot long hammock is big, really really big... what size are you thinking of? I have made a few of my own hammocks & tarps (photos in photo section of yahoo's hammock camping group under my folder) and my sewing skills are amaturish. I have not tried to document exactly how I did it and am not sure you would want to do it that way. Seems like someone did on yahoo's hammock camping group... maybe Mirage? Check the photo and files section over there and see what he posted. Seems like at one time he furnished a link to his web site where he posted something close to a step by step guide. I'm thinking he modeled his after Brian's tarp because Brian was going on a lengthy trip and he didn't want to wait for him to get back.

Try these links:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hammoc...g/message/7120

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group...c=gr%26.view=t

http://f6.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/EJi7QU2...enaryTarps.vsd

Youngblood

[Glee]

Glee,

A twelve foot long hammock is big, really really big... what size are you thinking of? I have made a few of my own hammocks & tarps (photos in photo section of yahoo's hammock camping group under my folder) and my sewing skills are amaturish. I have not tried to document exactly how I did it and am not sure you would want to do it that way. Seems like someone did on yahoo's hammock camping group... maybe Mirage? Check the photo and files section over there and see what he posted. Seems like at one time he furnished a link to his web site where he posted something close to a step by step guide. I'm thinking he modeled his after Brian's tarp because Brian was going on a lengthy trip and he didn't want to wait for him to get back.

Youngblood

I was thinking something about 11 feet. The tarp would be the same as Brain's MacCat, but just 11 feet long. I guess that I could wait for him to return and see how much he would charge me to make one just a little bit longer. Anyway, this would give me 1 foot coverage on each end of my 9 ft HH. What I've done when I had the Hennessy Hex 11 ft fly, I hung it so that if it was raining, I would hang more of it so that I would have more room at the end of the hammock. This way I could get in and out of the hammock without getting wet. However, in a heavy rain, I would go with just the 1 ft of extra coverage on each end. I guess that after 2 times on the AT of spending really cold and wet nights that I'm a little bit of a worrier.

I've looked at those links a few days ago and they are very helpful. I guess because this would be my 1st attempt I was looking for more of a step by step.

[Youngblood]

Glee,

Large silnylon tarps are a handful for a first sewing project. I started out sewing a Speer Hammock and using an existing 8x10 foot rectangular silnylon tarp. I used Ed's book where he has a chapter on how to make your own hammock (and tarp). So, I started out not having to sew large panels together or deal with the slippery silnylon, I basically had to cut to length & hem a roughly 5x10 foot piece of rip stop nylon, do pretty much the same for the roughly 2x9 foot piece of no-see-um netting and then sew velcro around some of these hems. I didn't try to cut and sew silnylon tarps until later and I used catenary curves on every edge, which complicates things, especially sewing... it is much more difficult and each time I have made another I refine the process to try to reduce the difficulty I have in sewing it. I wouldn't wish the catenary tarp designs that I currently use on any first time sewer.

[mirage]

Glee,

The tarps I made were 10.5 ft. finished, with reinforced tie-outs and ridgeline. I have some pics a few places, but plan on actually cleaning up and publishing full instructions over the Holiday break.

Here are some pics in the mean time:
http://www.peak.org/~webdawg/DIYGear...arp/index.html

I'll also be putting together instructions for my underquilts:
http://www.peak.org/~webdawg/DIYGear...ilt/index.html
http://www.peak.org/~webdawg/DIYGear...dux/index.html

Shane "Mirage"...

[Big Guy]

Great post. Enjoyed the pictures. Looking forward to instructions and plans to make the quilt and tarp. Will you post where you obtained the materials?Great job.

[mirage]

Great post. Enjoyed the pictures. Looking forward to instructions and plans to make the quilt and tarp. Will you post where you obtained the materials?Great job.

Big Guy,

I bought most of the materials from http://www.owfinc.com/ at wholesale, since I was making 7 quilts and 5 tarps. The EPIC fabric and down were purchased from http://www.featheredfriends.com/ by calling thier factory number (their site seems to be down right now).

Shane "Mirage"...

[Big Guy]

Mirage: Thanks for the information. I look forward to the instructions for the tarp and underquilt. Hope you have a great holidays.

[CanoeBlue]

Best price that I have found for silnylon is from Noa Lamport www.noalamport.com Seconds (most available silnylon are seconds) - $2.75 / yd - minimum order is 10 yards but when you start to lay out tarps you can go through 10 yards pretty fast.

I have also purchased balloon fabric (I am a former commercial hot air ballon pilot so am familliar with the product) - double rip-stop and heavily calendared and coated on one side - good abrasion resistance 1.9 Oz. This would probably make good pack material - min. order is also 10 yards and price isn't bad, but it isn't as wide as the silnylon.

[CanoeBlue]

Ooops - That's Noah Lamport for fabric - I forgot the "h" in the above post.

Needs to be in the web address as well. As in:

www.noahlamport.com