hammock: which fabric and single or double?

Hi there,

I´ve just registerd here and may you could help me.

I made a simple hammock with a waterproof silnylon (test hammock, 10x5), but now i´m thinking about a better one for my following bikepacking tour in may.

I can´t decide between the following fabrics I found:

Nylon, 1.9oz/square-m., it´s windproof but breathable, water-repellent (not proof)

or
Ripstop Polyester, 2.6oz, almost like the first one but feels smooth like silk

or
uncoated sympatex fabrik, 3.1oz, barely windproof, breathable, feels good like cotton^^

I know hammockforums.net, goood informations but I would like to get some ideas or may experience from you^^

And then I cant decide between a single layer or double one...both works fine with a simple foam pad?

thanks, äh sorry for my not perfect englisch, I´m german...smile

Manuela

You will probably be much more comfortable in a breathable fabric than a waterproof. If a pad works for you in a single layer hammock I can't see a reason for double layers, unless you are using a light fabric that might tear easy in a single layer, or if you are worried about mosquitos biting through the fabric and don't want to use/can't get something like permethrin to treat it. Most people find a pad in a double layer hammock easier to manage and more comfortable as you don't have to lay on it directly, and the pad will stay put better.

I don't know what sympatex is, so can't comment on it. But a fabric that does not stretch under you and holds your weight without tearing will work. Most hammocks made for camping are nylon ripstop of 1.1 or 1.7, some with heavier nylon. 2.6 oz per yard sounds heavy but if you are not backpacking maybe that is not a concern.

You have very good English.

If you have 1.9 nylon, go with it, single layer. Sympatex is great for clothing, in fact that is what it is used for. If 1.9 works great, why make it heavier?

Hi,

oh great, thanks for you quick reply.

hm Sympatex is a german fabric, which is transparent for water vapor. A membrane gets laminated onto the fabric (for shoes or clothes). My Sympatex fabric is similar to supplex.
All of my mentioned fabrics are not waterproofed. Your right,its´more comfortable to sleep not in your own sweat *smile*
So in a double layer its better for diagonal sleeping when the pad is in between? But I´m not sure if those fabrics do stretch...

Nylon stretches. Polyester probably won't.

@finally

good question^^, I found the DD travel hammock very interesting and because I have a lot of yards of the Sympatex fabric at home (got it from a friend who works there).

The weight ist not so imporant, I´m just traveling by bike (most of time).

I know that's the general rule... but the nylon of the hammock will be supporting the occupant and generally won't stretch as much as, say, the straps you use on the trees, which should be polyester or polypro, definitely.

I have a double layer and a single layer and I like both. If I were using only a pad, I would prefer the DL. If using an under quilt, the SL is addequate, however I prefer a UQ on both. I have read that mosquitos can and do bite through a single layer.

Manuela,
I agree with what the others have said but there are some questions you might want to ask yourself.

What conditions will the hammock be used in? I have two main hammocks. One is single layer and the other is double. The single is great if the weather is going to be hot and there are minimal bugs (or I have a bugnet). The double is better in cold weather.

Where in Germany? I was in Frankfurt last year and visited my friend. I rode bikes with him and his family up to one of the castle ruins (about 20km). I'll try to remember the castle.

Welcome to the forum.

Tango61

1.9 should be plenty (strength wise) - it would probably hold me and I weigh about 115 kilos right now. If you don't have evolutionary ties to the walrus like me, you can probably even get away with 1.4 weight nylon.. Almost any light, reasonably strong materiel will do - it's not as complicated as they make it out to be. My speer I always use is sewn out of nylon that is "about that weight" - I paid $10 for the materiel

I use a single bottom most of the time, and do fine in that with a pad in the hammock. I have spent one night in a double which I now own. I like the double with the pad, although the extra weight is a consideration. If weight is not your primary concern you may like the double bottom better to put a pad in, although it's more complicated sewing.

@finally @lori:

interesting, if nylon stretches (just a bit), then it should be minimal. I saw a cheap nylon hammock at a outdoordealer and this didn´t stretch. I didn´t buy it, because it was too narrow
for me (4.4´). Should be better 5.3´ wide.

So Polyester for the straps, I found some seatbelts, made from Polyester with 2" width. I will try this.

At first:

Thanks a lot @all^^, it seems to me that you (this forum and members) are more friendlier and amplify better to the questions than at some german communities *rolleyes* *smile*

So I decided to make both kind of types. I will do the single layer from my sympatex. The Idea in hot areas to use a single is good, and for cold times the other type (obvious, better opportunity for insulation).

@Tango:
What kind of conditions...In German we have a cold and wet winter and relative changeable weather in the rest of the year (many rainy days)
I live in munich, now its about 41F and sunny but moisty.

@phat:
ja, your´re right, this is enough to carry me^^ (5.5´, 121.2 lbs). I just think about the possibilities, my only opportunity to buy good outdoorfabrics is extremtextil.de
And there the fabrics cost between 6 and 15,- Euro/per 1.1yrd.
So you are a lucky one^^

If anyone of you would like to comment the fabrics I ment:
At Extremtextil.de its the no. 70736 Nylon and no. 70669 RS poly.
What do you think about Supplex (no. 70708)?

The last question:
How do you handle sleeping in a slippery fabric??

A comment, RE: Mosquitoes biting through hammock fabric.

Mosquitoes can bite through some fabrics, but not all. It seems to depend on thickness or how densely woven the fabric is. Nice, light breathable fabrics may allow their little proboscii through, double OR single layer. I own no home made hammocks, but have used many Hennessy models. The Racer models with their very light fabics and the non-UL, like Cocoon, Expedition, and Explorer Deluxe with the bright green fabric do allow bite-through. This fabric weave looks a lot like a duck weave. The models listed above have a less dense weave that are more breathable, but yes, can allow mosquito bite-through. Treating with Permethrin or using a pad pretty well solved that issue for me. The very tight weave of the Backpacker Asym has not allowed me to be bitten through the hammock. I haven't used the Hyperlight enough to know about that one's fabric, but I now treat all hammocks with Permethrin to avoid ants and ticks, as well as other bugs.

I only mention the stretching of fabric at all because some folks at the hammock forum have picked up bargain fabric that isn't labeled well and found it turns out to be something that sags and stretches infinitely, or just rips right through the first time they sit in it. I'm experimenting with a heavy 10mm silk for a summer hammock but very aware that it may be too light to see a lot of use.

Which Frankfurt?

Most Americans go to the "other" Frankfurt. In '98, I went to Frankfurt on the Oder. I was with a bunch of Americans, including one 60+ gentleman. He kept saying that he had been to Frankfurt when he was in the war. He didn't understand that it probably wasn't the one we were going to.

@CamperMom,

hm yea it depends on the fabric, maybe I´ll have luck with the downproof poly fabric. In this case its´learning by doing^^

@lori,

Often they use too light fabric, right? What do you mean with 10mm silk for your hammock? How heavy (erm, or light) is it?
Silk is pretty tight woven, isn´t it? Its worth trying...


@Tango,

I suggest it´s Frankfurt at Main, there is a castle Königstein / Taunus near by. Nice Place

That would be it. I'll try and find my pic's.

T

I haven't weighed the silk - I was following this set of instructions. It quotes 14 oz for hammock and suspension.

I got the silk from Thai Silks - 10 mm Habotai silk. Not an expert on silk myself so this is an experiment for me.

Lori-

A couple of my friends have made silk hammocks, using the same sourced-Habitoi silk. I do not know the weight of the silk, but they used their hammocks happily for a time until they suddenly ripped and they fell to the ground. Fortunately, my friends ascribe to the theory that one should not hang above a height from which they are willing to fall...

Best of Luck!

CM

PS The 14 oz silk hammock set up did not include the fly/tarp, did it? I bought some silk, but they ahd their crashes before I made my hammock. I think I am going to repurpose the silk and stick with my Henessey.

I was concerned about that as well! so picked up some ripstop to make a second layer. Figure I can try without and if it seems precarious I can re-whip adding the ripstop and have a double layer. And if it does rip, I can re-purpose the silk to make a pad sleeve/SPE.

Hey^^

thanks for everybody´s commment, I´ve decided to make a two layer from the RS Polyester, uncoated. I´m just still waiting for the delivery, next weekend I guess I´ll be ready with it.
From the uncoated sympatex I made a single layer, photos will come next...