Hammock Suspension

Here's my setup:

DIY Single Layer 1.1oz *UNCOATED* (i.e. no DWR or anything, weighs dead on 1.1oz) ripstop. Mine run's about 9ft L, full 65" wide, gathered end. The fabric is the RS Camo from Scott Littlefield @ Backwoods Daydreamer. My hammock body without bug netting weighs around 6oz. I weigh around 165, but I've had both myself and my gf in the hammock before and didn't rip it. So if you're 200 or less, I'd recommend going with the same fabric.

Suspension DIY Amsteel Blue 7/64th Whoopie Slings, with 6" easton stake cut in half for toggles, and 4' poly tree-huggers.

Total weight of my hammock & suspension without netting is 9.5oz.

I haven't gotten around to permanently attaching bug netting to yet, obviously depending on zipper configuration, you can add a bit of weight.

Also, I'm using converted ratchet straps for tree-huggers, so I think you can go a bit lighter there also.

I use a Warbonnet Edge in Spinn for my normal weather tarp, hoping to put together a cuben tarp for the winter though.

Also just wanted to mention that my first DIY was a double layer 1.1, and I just don't see any reason to go double layer unless you need it for the weight, or you find it more comfortable somehow.

If you are using a sleeping pad instead of an underquilt, you can just as easily put the pad in the hammock under you as between the two layers, and I found it very difficult to adjust the pad between the layers.

That being said, i definitely recommend using an UQ over a pad. If you do use a pad for bottom insulation at first, make sure it's a wide one or you will be cold, as the hammock tends to compress whatever shoulder insulation you'd normally have from a top quilt or bag if you were on the ground.

+1 on the single layer, especially if you have an UQ. I have a double 1.1 and find it to be overkill for my 170 lbs.

I am using a large hex tarp (Big Mamajamba from Warbonnet) just because it's all I have and I needed coverage for my son and I, but I plan to get a square (or diamond) shaped tarp for fair weather solo trips. I find the hex shape tough to pitch sometimes if there are a lot of trees or undergrowth in the way, plus it's more stakes and lines to mess with. Silicone tensioners on a tarp really work nice, but are not the lightest.

Longish whoopies and shortish straps with dutch clips work for me, but I'm still learning and experimenting.

I use it all :) but I do kind of make them so that helps me to have a chance to play with just about every kind of hammock suspension that is available out there. Right now though my go to choice is Whoopie Slings. I just started offering then made from Dynaglide and if you are light enough then they make the ultimate UL choice for a suspension with lots of adjust-ability and they are extremely compact. Pair them with a set of polyester tree straps and you have a very usable suspension that for most will only weigh a few oz's.

Thank you very much, I really wanted to hear what BPL'er were using. I was thinking about a double layer, but now you have convinced me to make a single layer hammock, wanted to make an under quilt in the near future anyway.
I was planning on using the 7/64 amsteel for diy whoopies, and 1.75mm zing-it for ridgeline and tarp tieouts.

Thanks again, any other tips/ tricks, or setup info would be helpful, plus I just like to see what others are doing.

1. Single layer of 30 D (1.1 oz) or 70 D ripstop. High quality 1.1 oz. nylon 66 will handle 230# for extensive use based on my experience.
Double layers are tricky unless you make the body from polyester – which will be twice as heavy per yard for the same strength. The problem is that nylon stretches so the top layer will squeeze tightly against the bottom layer. Anything but foam will compress too much to be useful for insulation. And unless you have tried to position a foam pad in a double layer hammock, you have never experienced frustration. K.I.S.S.

2. I form the hammock ends by bunching them and making a sheet bend with a double wrap at each end with 1.5 inch polypropolene webbing for the lines. Anything heavier for the webbing (nylon, polyester) is overkill. This is the simplest way to form the hammock ends and works perfectly. Why bother with tricky systems? I use 10×5 fabric for the body, being 6'2". K.I.S.S.

3. A static line between the hammock ends will serve as a ridge line to support a simple hanging bug net, and more importantly will ensure that your set-up is the same each time. Make it adjustable until you get the length right to allow you to lie on the diagonal – which is the flattest position. 4mm climbers' accessory line is strong enough for the static line.

4. I prefer a simple bug net: two lengths of net double-stitched a little longer than the static line with the static line run through the casing formed by the two lines of stitching. The ends close with a hand-sewn running stitch – just in and out – nothing fancy. A large pocket at the bottom of each half of the net will hold a water bottle or shoe to keep the wind from blowing the net off. I don't hem the net. K.I.S.S.

5. The webbing lines are 9 feet long – enough to go around large trees. A Hennessey hitch is easy, secure and will not jamb. There is no need for hardware. You can easily find U-tube demonstrations for tying it. K.I.S.S.

6. I use a rectangular fly 5×8 feet. Some like wider ones or "diamond" flies. I prefer having two tie-outs per side with the option for a third in the center. My fly can be clipped to the support lines (with mitten clips on cords tied to the webbing with prussic knots) or to the supporting trees as conditions dictate.

7. I prefer using foam sleeping pads inside the hammock for insulation. They are part of my pack system and work for me because I find them to be lighter and more versatile than underquilts.

Authority: I have used hammocks as described almost exclusively since 2005 and intermittantly since 1995, including an AT thruhike (Spock, '07).

Javan and Brian,
I was on the fence worrying about a single layer of 1.1, I am convinced now. I weigh 160lbs. Went ahead and ordered the camo ripstop (uncoated) from backwoodsdaydreamer, nice that he has the 68" wide fabric, unfortunately he was out of silnylon except in black.

Vick,
I like your idea of the bug netting, I may have to copy it. I like simple, and I hate zippers.

I am going to use 1.75mm zing-it for ridge line, seems a lot of folks use it.

What do you use for a ridgeline?

I am going to make 7/64 whoopie slings, and 1" polyester tree straps.

Do any of you use two different length tree straps (thinking a 4' and 6') to have more options with different size trees?

Do you bring extra amsteel with loops as an extender in case the trees are too far apart?

Doing a simple rectangular tarp 5' wide by ? length. I want to be able to use it on the ground if I have to.
How much longer should I make the tarp compared to the ridgeline of the hammock?

Thanks

Thanks for the info. Ive been looking to make an ultralight hammock for dayhikes and lounging comfortably when I stop.

I'm 5'10" and 160, so the single layer sounds great. I wanted to use gathered ends for simplicity and then use some climbing cord with ul carabiners.

1. Do you think it can be shorter than 9 ft?

2. Did you need to have a seam sewn around the perimeter?

Robert: I suggest using an overhand knot instead of a hem for the gathered ends, in order to test various lengths and determine what works for you..

Many of hammockers swear by 10ft or longer lengths, I find 9' is comfortable for me, but I love full 60+ widths. Bear in mind that length as well as width determines how diagonal you can lay, and thus, how level you can get your body vs. curving yourself into a banana.

As to your second question, I have a hammock I made out of cheap polyester that I use pretty often that I never hemmed the selvedged sides. Seems to not affect it adversely, but it might help to strengthen the sides for entering and exiting the hammock, which tends to stress the edges.

Chris, I've never had an situation where the only trees in the walkable area needed extenders.

Although having one bigger strap doesn't seem like a bad idea for the weight, I've definitely had to shuffle from an ideal hang to a lesser one because of tree diameter.

ridgeline: I use MuleTape, a surveyors' tape made from Kevlar, or 3/8" Dyneema/Spectra sailboat sheeting, but the 4mm accessory cord mentioned earler is easier to find and works fine.

A 5×8 tarp is really skimpy for use on the ground. The tarp should be a few inches longer than the hammock ridgeline. That will usually work out to 8 or 8.5 feet.

Here's the problem with using a longer tarp that is suitable for groundlings: If you make it long enough for ground grovelling it may be too long to fit between the hanging trees when using the hammock and will not give you the option of clipping it to the hanging lines. One solution to this dilemma is to make the tarp 9 or 10 feet by 8 or 8.5 and use the short ridgeline for hammocking and the long ridgeline for ground grovelling. The advantages are versatility and super coverage when hanging. The disadvantage is extra weight.

By the way, in maybe 2 total years of wildland nights since taking up hammocking, I have had to go to ground maybe 8 nights total.

On bug netting: You understand that the hand stitching on the ends is to let you adjust the ends and remove the stitching easily if necessary. While this is not required for taking the hammock apart or adjusting it, it can be handy sometimes. You could install velcro, but it snaggs the netting and is generally more trouble than stitching.

The 2.2mm Zing-it line at 580# test should be close to strong enough maybe hopefully. Realize, the static line carries a lot of load when the hanger trees are widely separated. I would double it.

Give serious consideration to the fiddle factor. Tree huggers, whoopie slings, marlin spikes, etc., ad infinitum, add to the hassle of setting up. Unfortunately, the afficianatos of hammockforums tend to be afraid of knots and enamoured of technical complexity. Simply using webbing for the lines eliminates the need for any other accessory — a fact that you will appreciate when trying to beat a thunderstorm. All you have to do is learn to tie the Hennessey hitch.

Included in that caution are marlin spikes, rings, carabiners and other hardware. They are all substitutes for competent knot tying. A Hennessey hitch or lineman's hitch will not jamb or slip and can be tied while the other guy is trying to get his hardware and tree huggers untangled.

Extra line? Setting up between trees that are too widely spaced places enormous tension on the lines. 15-16 feet is about the safe maximum unless you use steel cable. With an 7-8 foot ridge and 10-12 foot hanging lines, you have plenty of line to wrap around your supports. Two-foot trees take 6 feet of line each and a foot each for hitches. Finding properly spaced trees is rarely a problem unless you hike where there are only huge, widely spaced trees. In that case, longer hanging lines might be in order rather than extra lines. Remember, knots weaken lines, so joining two lines to get enough length – especially with the extra tension wide spacing produces – is a formula for failure.

I've got to say from my experience, that nothing offers faster setup than tree straps with loop ends, and whoopie slings with toggles.

I can literally setup my hammock sans fly in 30 seconds, it's also extremely intuitive.

Wrap strap around tree and insert one end through the loop on the other side, insert toggle into free loop, hook sling end over it. Go to other side, repeat. If necessary adjust length with slings.

Using straps only if you mis-judge the slack, or height, or anything on the first side, you'll have to re-do it.

i use a similar process to the above poster, but keep my slings permanently attached to my tree strap via nacrabiner. I also use nacras on the tarp ridgeline.

Hammock:
Single layer- HH Hyperlite Backpacker w/ ZQ2Q mod 2.

Suspension:
+1 on the nacras (soft shackles) Ike. My suspension has nacras keeping them on my straps as well. Another nacra is on the other strap end to secure it once wrapped around the tree.

I've cut a bit of weight off the whoopie setup by converting to UCR's made of the same materials. I haven't found a need to have a full large loop as in a whoopie sling. The weakest point in a whoopy sling is the hammock side of the constrictor knot where the inner rope exits the constrictor. You will need to figure out a way to keep a bit of tension on both ends of the constrictor knot (I accomplish this with a prussik attached to the short constrictor tail secured to the exiting line). Set a bit of tension on the tail before loading tension on the main line.). This has knocked about 6' of AmSteel off of each 8' Whoopie sling.

Tarp w/ CRL:
OES McCatt Spinn Deluxe. Continuous ridge line: Lash-It (Dyneema 1.7mm single braid) with Dutch Hook (http://www.outdoortrailgear.com/featured/dutch-hook/)and Dutch Fly (http://www.outdoortrailgear.com/featured/dutch-flyz/) 'cause I like to hang my pack under my tarp, along with wet clothes, etc.

H4x.

My set up is similar to previous posters. I made a diy single layer from 1.5 oz./yd ripstop. I weigh 155 lbs. It was my first hammock. Sounds like I could have gotten away with a 1.1 single layer. For suspension I use dynaglide whoopies w/toggles and tree straps with loops. I love the set up and its pretty much idiot proof. My straps are a bit longer at 8 ft. So far for bug netting I've just used a head net. Really light weight, but one night they were buzzing my head all night, so I'm looking into another option.

I took a Grand Trunk Ultralight hammock, removed the stock suspension and inserted Wild Country Nitro carabiners, giving me a larger version of the Grand Trunk Nano 7 hammock. I got the GT UL on sale for $15 at Campmor– hardly worth it to sew my own at that price. The hammock body is just 9oz and the carabiners are 1.2oz each, so my basic hammock body is 11.4oz.

For whoopie slings, I bought 1/8" Amsteel Blue from Redden Marine. I find the 1/8" is easier to work with and it has a 2500 pound rating. IMHO, the weight and cost difference between the 7/64" and 1/8" is negligible for the lengths used in hammock slings.

For tree straps, I bought 8'x1" polyester straps from Arrowhead Equipment. Arrowhead has whoopie slings too.

I use Camp Nano carabiners to attach the whoopie slings to the tree straps.

FYI, all the carabiners can be replaced by simply using a lark's heed with the fixed end of the whoopie sling through the end channel of the hammock and using a toggle with a marlin spike hitch at the tree sling end. You can make a toggle from just about any material as the knot takes the majority of the stress. A dowel or aluminum tubing will do. Some people just use a found stick. I have to concede that is the lightest and lest expensive way to go. The carabiners add some convenience and I think they are easier in the hammock fabric, but the difference is small.

Consider using a structural ridge line to help shape your hammock pitch, a place to hang things and hold up a bug screen. I made one from Dynaglide line, set up like a whoopie sling that hooks into my end carabiners. It weighs 0.4oz. Some folk use Dynaglide for suspension, but I think it is too light with the 1000 pound rating. I *could* use it for a backup sling if needed. It is a pain to splice compared to the Amsteel Blue. It makes fantastic guy lines. I got a batch from Treestuff.com.

I think tarps in the 10×12 range are most effective, but you can go smaller. Diamond pitches allow some very small tarps, but long a-frame pitches give more end protection. Fabrics have all the same issues as ground camping.

For bug screens, some make integrated zippered screens; others make a big zippered bag with openings for the suspension. On the lighter side, some make a "sock" with gathered ends– I'm looking at a DIY project there.

You will need bottom insulation of some sort. Insulation is the probably the heaviest, bulkiest and most expensive part of hammock gear. I tried 20" sleeping pads of several types. 20" isn't wide enough for hips-to-shoulders coverage. Most the pads buckle and really detract from the smooth comfort of laying in hammock. I found a Coleman 24"x72"x5/8" convoluted CCF pad that works. It is just 12.5oz, and I trimmed the corners so it is just 11.5oz. It is bulky– about 8" diameter when rolled. Foam pads are hard to move and manipulate and it takes some wiggling to get it right, but it is an option. You can buy one for $20 plus shipping.

It looks like underquilts are the warmest method for bottom insulation. The are made in full or partial coverage and with synthetic or down fill. They add weight, bulk, and cost to the setup. I think they are a #1 DIY target for hammock use. You can easily double or triple the cost of a commercial hammock system when buying under quilts.

One alternative I have been dancing around it to use a custom silnylon poncho rigged as an under cover and using insulation inside the cover. This is a system call the Garlington Insulator (see http://www.garlington.biz/Ray/HammockInsulator/Insulator.htm) using a light under cover and filled with insulating pads made from plastic garbage bags stuffed with space blankets. I took it one up and made my own insulator bags by using space blanket and double stick tape. One or more space blankets are crumple for loft, folded and slipped inside the bag. You can easily achieve 2" loft, and cheap space blankets are 1.6oz each, so a pad with six layers total weighs 5oz and cost about $6. One pad is 48"x54" giving decent summer coverage. Adding a single space blanket spread full length helps extend the coverage and prevent cold spots.

*Make a conventional gathered-end-channel hammock– 60"x108" or longer. The side hems are simple rolled hems. The end channels are 1/2" or so and have triple lines of stitching for strength and safety. Breathability is a plus and DWR is not needed.

*Sew a loose panel on the bottom side– one that will be about 4" deep, so you have a double-layered hammock with a differential cut– roughly boat shaped to match the shape of the gathered hammock and about 7' long. Care needs to be made to have enough room to cover the user's shoulders and feet with insulation on the sides. All the user's weight is carried on the top layer. The bottom layer can be very lightweight nylon with good wind cutting properties and DWR– not unlike a windshirt.

*The bottom layer should have an access zipper about 3' long in the middle of one side and parallel to the length, so you can spread your insulation of choice evenly inside.

*Perpendicular channels should be made in the bottom layer, with 3/32" shock cord drawstrings and toggles– I think 5 channels would be about right. This will allow adjusting the area for insulation inside. This would be done before sewing the bottom panel to the upper one.

*Velcro strips should be sewn to the underside of the top layer to hold insulation pads in place and allow them to hang down, so the fill isn't compressed. They would need to be near the top edge of the hammock, just below where the bottom layer is sewn on and across the ends, just above the user's head and below the feet. Short sections would be fine, saving the weight and expense of full strips. They would be more flexible too.

*Insulation could be quilted down or synthetic fill pads, or folded space blankets, or a combination of the two if a vapor barrier is needed. The bottom drawstrings would adjust the space to suit the loft of the insulation, or in the case of the space blankets, actually carry the weight and move them close the top layer. Insultex pads are an option as well. With synthetic pads, it may be possible to make them with a mesh cover. They only need to be protected for compacting for storage and laundering and they only need to suspend their own weight.

I guesstimate that the main hammock body with the bottom layer, zipper and drawstrings would weigh 20-24oz.

Another option would be to use the pocket system that Clark hammocks use, stuffing them with clothing, folded space blankets, or pillows with down or synthetic fill. The pockets would be sewn directly to the main hammock body and have Velcro closures. You would need 3-4 down each side. I think they would have cold spots compared to the full bottom cover and a lot more sewing. the Clark insulation package is called a Z-liner.

Insect control would be at your option: just a head net for the Spartans, a bug sock (my UL choice), a big bag with a zipper, or an integrated screen sewn to the hammock body with a zipper — all but the head net would need a ridge line.

I'm wondering if anyone has tried amsteel for huggers, with a protective sleeve of say, silicone tubing. Would the tubing protect the tree adequately?

Those who do typically use a few sticks between the tree and the line.

My whoopie sling setup uses the fixed eye at the hammock end and the adjustable end at the connection to the strap– carabiner or toggle. You can't have the sliding part of the sling around the tree, and would need another length of Amsteel to tie around the tree, or make fixed eyes in it.

Polyester tree straps are light— my 1"x8' straps are 1.9oz each; The 1.5"x42" straps from Hennessy are 1.6oz each. They are easy to rig and grip well.

@ Vick Hines
"7. I prefer using foam sleeping pads inside the hammock for insulation. They are part of my pack system and work for me because I find them to be lighter and more versatile than underquilts."

What kind of foam do you use? Does it buckle? Any pointers on getting in and getting you and the pad positioned? It is a wrestling match for me.

I recently tried a Coleman 24"x72"x5/8" pad with a convoluted top that worked batter than anything I've tried to date. I trimmed the corners a bit and it is 11.5oz.

I'm looking to make some UCRS out of dynaglide but am having trouble finding directions. Anyone have any links to some, video or other?
Thanks!

i'm not familiar w/ that acronym. what is it?

Ice is under constriction rope. Similar to a whoopie sling but you use two pieces so only need half the rope. They are more finiky but some of the hammock forum guys designed a work around.

I actually found some good videos on YouTube by srgt rock that explain them.

i tried out the whoopies but have gone back to the biners and straps for the time being…

really? Your the first person to tell me that. What was the reason if you do not mind my asking?