Cuben Fiber Hammock

[Lawson Kline]

Hey Everyone,

A few months back I built a cuben fiber hammock. The hammock is 108" long and 52" wide and has a base weight of 4oz.. I used the .75oz material for added durability and now feel the extra 1oz is worth it. I have been testing it on and off with pretty good success. Besides it being a little slick and not breathable it works great.. I think the main reason its not hot is because the hammock lays flatter than nylon ones which seem to wrap around you trapping in the heat. So I guess you could say it circulates air better which is the reason I have never been hot.. I figured sooner or later I would have to post some pics so here goes… Keep in mind I am 6'2" and weigh around 200lbs so im not exactly small…

[Del Johnston]

That is a great looking hammock! Nice job!

Roughly how much did you invest to make it? Has the fact that it is non breathable been a detriment? Where 'bouts in the South are ya? I am in Bama myself.

[Lawson Kline]

Thanks!

>>"Roughly how much did you invest to make it?"

It took roughly 3.5 yards of cuben but you would have to buy a 9 meter panel if you want to buy it from Cuben Tech.. I think quest sells the material for $30 a yard so it would cost right around $105.00 given they sell it for the estimated price..

>>"Has the fact that it is non breathable been a detriment?"

I am not sure since. It hasn't bothered me but I am not a sweaty person and heat rises so I don't think its a huge issue. The cuben would be comparable to a silnylon hammock except no stretch..

>>"Where 'bouts in the South are ya? I am in Bama myself."

Stuart Florida which is between Vero and West Palm Beach. Howabout you? I want to do a non stop around Lake Okeechobee push. Its a 113 mile flat as a board hike but there are no trees, lots of wind, super exposed, dirty water, and more mosquitoes than are in hell.. Interested? hahaha

[Del Johnston]

Thanks for the info! That is more than I thought it would be, but for that weight, it is not bad. Hmmm. Here's a quarter in my couch…

I am in Birmingham. That trip sounds tempting, but I think I will wait til you want to do the Pinhoti during a Fall month. =) The only thing I hate worse than the sweltering sticky heat of the Southeast are the dang skeeters. UGH!

[Steven Evans]

First off, nice job. That looks very well built. I'm really diggin' how you have the ends worked out there. Cool idea.

As for the non-breathable factor, I don't think it will be an issue. I'm not a hammock expert but I used one many years ago when I first saw "the light". I recall using a CCF pad (non-bretahable) between myself and the hammock that basically covered the entire sleeping area and it caused no problem at all. Of course, someone who is a more experienced hanger can chime in to correct me if I am wrong.

I'm looking at how you have the hammock tied off. Is it basically a sleeve that you run a rope through and bunch up? I can't remember how other hammocks are built, but if that is the case, then it can be layed out flat (rectangle shaped) and has potential to be used as a tarp aswell…which would be ultra cool.

[. .]

Very nice.

@Steve – I think you're correct on the construction.

@Lawson – I don't see any stitching. Did you laminate the Cuben? If so, what did you use?

[Lawson Kline]

The hammock is 100% bonded with no stitching.. It is actually my working prototype and I would like to start manufacturing them to sell on my website.. The production hammock will have a few more bells and whistles like a built in stuff sack and 34 gram climbing carabiners.. The cord can be pulled out of the sleeve and the hammock could be used as an emergency tarp or blanket.

All the popular tapes and adhesives like 3M9485pc and Hysol have enough lap sheer strenght to work. There are many other tapes and adhesives that work better but they are hard to find and are very costly..

[Mark Hurd]

The end channel type of attachment is nice and allows for easy deployment as a narrow (54 inch) tarp. Nice! Of course another method requiring no sewing, no glue, no tape- is to tie a knot in each end and attach your support lines with a larks head around the hammock behind the knot. This does take more fabric than an end channel and can't be easily undone. But for those of you without a sewing machine it works great. Cuben does not need to be hemmed, so no sewing required. Besides, if you're a hammock camper, you already are carrying a tarp.
Still, great project.
-Mark

[Ike Mouser]

replace the ring with a larks headed whoppie sling configuration using either dynemma 2mm line or 7/64 amsteel. would think you could take at least an oz off that way. Maybe more. Looks great lawson, im glad you made it. Be sure to show off at HF too, every1 would love to see it!

[Lawson Kline]

I posted it on hammock forums as well. The "hammock knot" takes more material which would add to the cost but would be alot easier to build.

[Del Johnston]

+1 for the Whoopie Sling. Man, something so simple has taken the hammock world by storm.

[obx hiker]

Mark Hurd,

Good point that sewing or glueing are not essential.

Have you made a cuben hammock in that fashion or just one out of say silnylon for ex.

What are dis-advantages of a "gathered end" style for a hammock; whether sewn/glued sleeve or knotted; basically that you have lots of extra fabric involved in the "gather" and so have a longer hammock so one can spread out and try and get diagonal between the gathered ends?

I'm trying to visualize this and slow as usual :(

Do hammocks like the wbb "taper" the fabric width towards the ends or are they all basically rectangular? I've not seen one obviously. I have a Byer traveler I bought to experiment with the concept of going to the trees
( reverse evolve right?) and those are basically shorter and rectangular with the ends ( last 2 feet or so on each end) where the fabric would be gathered made of the suspension cords sewn into the end channel rather than an extension of the rectangular fabric/body; trying I guess to minmize the fabric portion of the hammock on which one lies in order to spread out in the diagonal.

[Lawson Kline]

If the added cost and fit and finish isn't a concern for you then I am sure a gathered end would work fine.

[Paul Siegel]

How'd you figure out the length of the hammock? For an average 6' male with a 54" width can you do a diagonal hang?

[Keith Selbo]

Lawson, looking at the retail price (steep) of the BPL tarp, it's clear that the only potential obstacle to success with your hammock will be durability.

I've spent a lot of time hanging in my Hyperlight Backpacker and agree with the responder who said breathability likely shouldn't be a big factor. Like him, I always have a closed cell foam pad under me and have never gotten damp.

What kind of cord are you using? I would never have believed that the 0.125 spectra that suspends the Hyperlight would hold my 160 lb. weight, but it holds that plus 20 lb. of gear.

Do you think your hammock plus a cuben tarp and some netting would weigh less than a pound?

[Lawson Kline]

Hey Paul,

As far as sizing goes I just used what I figured would work. I personally have an ENO Single-nest and a Grandtruck Ultralight. They both were a bit longer than I thought I needed especially since weight and material cost was a concern. I am 6'2 and its comfortable for me…If you wanted lots of extra room 1 foot longer would probably do it..

Hey Keith,

The BPL tarp is priced right but as you said its expensive. Its too bad cuben fiber is so pricey because its really badass stuff. I think cuben is durable enough to be used in a hammock especially since the material will never be touching the ground.. The cord in the picture is a foot long peice of 550 paracord. I used some 6mm cord for a while but wanted to make things a bit lighter..I am currently working on a bug net and have a tarp up my sleeve but want to test it a bit more before I confirm any weights :)

Who would be interested in matching cuben tarp, hammock and bug net around 1 pound?

[Eric Drew]

I would for sure be interested, great stuff!

[obx hiker]

You bet. How do you plan to make the net?

Net/tarp/hammock less than 1 lb. Should be doable with a cuben tarp and hammock along with 7/64ths amsteel suspension. Maybe even with tape tree loops if they're shorter.

Speaking of which ( tape) anyone here seen any 3/4 to 1 inch wide dyneema tape that was really flat tape not the hollow ( heavier) designed for climbing?

There's a thread over on HF about a "throw-over" net. Think it's called a quarter-weight net because in theory you use a few quarters to weigh it down; though with a few well placed small pockets you could just use gear items or local small rocks or whatever.

Larger tied out nets are nice I guess if you're really hanging out but this UL hiker would prefer a smaller net with less weight. You could compromise with a little extra net and a few strategic 1/4" flat cord tape loops or gros-grain loops about an inch long just big enough to clip or thread some really lite cord to tie out the net a little and get it off your face etc. Then how to attach the net? velcro dots? Sew the net to one side? ( means you're bringing it along regardless of the time of year/conditions) hummmmmmmm

[Tim Marshall]

use magnets to seal the net to the hammock. Super small rare earth ones should do the trick for this application where there is very little force against the magnetic bond they just have to hold the net close to the hammock. Also this is the perfect place to use wedding veil mesh as it doesn't need a zipper or anything so the fragile nature of the netting wont cause a limitation in function. This would be a very light combo. I might have to use 1.5oz cuben for my hammock though, that big ol' butt of mine might crush the .75oz stuff.

-Tim

[Tom Caldwell]

I'm going to make a cool weather .9 oz MOMENTUM hammock, after bug season is over. It will be double layerered, should save 4-5 oz over the 1.1 oz ripstop one I'm using. Won't be cheap though.

[Lawson Kline]

I have tested it to 450lbs and the only failure was when the knot slipped on the paracord dumping all the occupants haha…

One thing I forgot to mention was how flat a cuben hammock lays… You lay flatter which is better for people with bad backs…Input came from my brother who has 3 herniated discs in his back..

I personally don't find nylon hammock sleeping comfortable but I do with a cuben one…

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Do you know what color of cuben this is? Ie. What is the name of the color? It looks like a great shade of green and I may be calling Cubic Tech to order a bunch soon.

Also, do you know if I can just call Cubic Tech and ask for the 0.75oz stuff, or is there a ton of different types all at about the same weight?

[john Tier]

Tom,

Review the fine print …. That material actually weighs 1.05 oz…Some may actually be still higher…In any case the weight difference to 1.1 DWR is more like 0.05 to 0.1 oz…. So a typical wide gathered end hammock of nominally 10 feet savings will be more like…0.25 oz total than the estimate in your post.

Pan

[john Tier]

Duplicate post removed… oops.

Pan

[Lawson Kline]

I am planning to bring this bad boy into production within the next week or so.. I will probably blow a few out for cheap then start selling them for around $150+/- depending on sizing and what features I include.. At that price I won't be making much money but I hope the added exposure will help my online gear business a bit. As you can tell I run a very transparent operation..

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