homemade hammock with silnylon/DWR fabric?

[johnthebaton]

I have not used a hammock yet (but am an experienced tarp user), and I am thinking about making my own Hennessy Hammock to make use of lighter weight noseeum mesh sold at thru-hiker.com and due to cost. I have a question for those of you familiar with Hammocks.

It seems that all of the major hammock manufacturers use an uncoated, untreated fabric for the bottom of the hammock. I will be moving to the Pacific Northwest this summer, and I have heard that wind-driven rain or dense rolling fog can wet the bottom fabric even under a tarp. There are waterproof covers, but I would like this to be as light as possible.

What are your thoughts on using 1.1oz silnylon as a bottom fabric (the same weight as HH's adventure racer and light racer)? I understand that breathability is an issue since it wraps around you, which is very different than sleeping on a silnylon ground sheet. But I have decided to use a combination closed cell foam and inflatable pad inside the hammock for insulation, which is not breathable anyway. And while the foam might offer me a waterproof layer, the sides above the foam might be prone to soak through. Silnylon would also allow me to go to gound if I had to, without the need of a separate ground sheet.

Does anybody see any major disadvantages of this, assuming regular night temps below 50 deg? I imagine it will be more slippery inside, but I've found Evazote foam to be quite grippy on silnylon. If you think silnylon would be way too clammy, do you think a treated fabric, such as Teflon DWR sold at thru-hiker.com, would be more acceptable? Am I missing some obvious reason to use completely untreated fabric for a cool/wet-weather hammock?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[Seeker]

i don't see a problem with it... the top of the HH is wide open, and you should get plenty of ventilation...

[betic4lyf]

i dont know anything about this, but maybe tyvek?

[DLFrost]

I have not used a hammock yet (but am an experienced tarp user), and I am thinking about making my own Hennessy Hammock to make use of lighter weight noseeum mesh sold at thru-hiker.com and due to cost. I have a question for those of you familiar with Hammocks.

It seems that all of the major hammock manufacturers use an uncoated, untreated fabric for the bottom of the hammock. I will be moving to the Pacific Northwest this summer, and I have heard that wind-driven rain or dense rolling fog can wet the bottom fabric even under a tarp. There are waterproof covers, but I would like this to be as light as possible.

What are your thoughts on using 1.1oz silnylon as a bottom fabric (the same weight as HH's adventure racer and light racer)?
I think the fabric is too lightweight for long-term reliability, although some people do use it successfully. Hammockers report that monolithic fabrics feel "clammy." Breathable DWR nylon seems to be the common choice.

The general solution to storm exposure in a hammock is to use a larger tarp, properly rigged. In regular rain/drizzle the large, open-space pitch it affords is much more comfortable--especially in places where it rains frequently. (With fog or mist moisture will penetrate everything, so sylny fabric can't help you there.)

If you're a gram-weenie balking at carrying a larger tarp, consider a silk hammock to make up the weight difference. (Silk can also be dyed to whatever color you prefer--a nice extra.)
http://www.garlington.biz/Ray/SilkHammock/

I strongly suggest you go over to hammockcamping.com and get Ed Speer's book on making/using your own camping hammock. All of your questions--and some you haven't thought of--are answered in it. Ed's been hammockcamping for over 25 years and knows the ropes.

Doug Frost

[Patrick]

Knows the ropes, that's a good one.

I agree with silk if you decide to go breathable. I made an SPE a while back out of some scrap silnylon and it was unbearably clammy. I have the same problem with CCF pads, although not as bad for some reason.

I think it's a decent idea to use waterproof if you're absolutely going to be at low temps all the time. I don't think I'd personally find it worth it, though. I don't think the times where it was too hot for it would outweigh the times it helped keep me dry. That's just me though, of course. I think a waterproof cover for the bottom is a much more flexible solution.

Keep in mind that the fog will get you under the tarp no problem. There are a lot of solutions out there worth trying to protect you from that both over and under. Check out the Jacks' site and Just Jeff's for a start and be sure to keep us posted on what you try out.

P.S. That nanoseeum from thru-hiker.com is good stuff. I used it on a bug bivy I made. Lighter, still durable, and with a softer hand than the regular.

[johnthebaton]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. After adding up all the pros and cons, a larger tarp is probably the most versatile. I don't have any experience with silk, but I've heard many great things about the material in many backpaking applications. But with my weight at 210lbs, I am taking a serious look a thru-hiker's 1.9oz Teflon-DWR fabric. I've made a down quilt with the material, and it is extremely water resistant yet quite breathable. It may not be the lightest setup that I wanted, but I will at least sleep in confidence. And I think I could trust bringing my 1-year-old son into the hammock without the fabric tearing.

My main priority is saving weight, as I want this setup to at least rival my current tarp style, and I wasn't sure if Ed Speer's book would cater to the Ray Jarding style of stripping everything to it's basics. But after your suggestion I think I will get it; it makes sense to get at least all the construction facts from that source than asking all of you 1001 redundant questions. And I'm sure I will learn much more from that book than I anticipate.

[Patrick]

John, I look forward to hearing how this goes. Be sure to post pictures and details. As long as you're making one from scratch, it's worth considering making the netting removable/openable. The only thing I wish my ULB did differently was have some way of retracting the netting for clear, cool nights. I've though of putting a zipper down the length of the middle, but laziness will probably keep that from happneing for quite a while.