Rain proof hammock shelter

Posted by: billstephenson

Rain proof hammock shelter - 02/24/11 12:41 PM

I went to join the hammockforums yesterday and they wanted way too much personal info for me to be comfortable, so I declined. Instead, I decided to see what I could learn here...

I've been playing with a tarp shelter for my hammock and was wondering if anyone knows what would be the smallest (sq ft of material) designs that will keep you dry in a hammock.

We get fronts blowing through here with strong wind and hard rain. Most of the designs I've seen don't appear to be up to handling that. The one I'm using now is 10ft x 12ft and formed into a tent like structure. I'll know after this current front passes through how well it keeps my hammock dry, but if there is something smaller that works I'd like to try it too.

Right now I'm having fun mocking up design protoypes with plastic sheet and duct tape. When I find the one I want, I'll sew it up out of silnylon.


Posted by: lori

Re: Rain proof hammock shelter - 02/24/11 01:14 PM

Depends on the size of the hammock. I have a Blackbird - smallest tarp I would use would be the MacCat Standard. Having a few inches over the ends of the hammock and enough side to side coverage, you can pitch close down to the bugnet and stay dry.

Hennessy stock tarps will keep you dry enough, while you're in the hammock. If that's all you want a simple 8x8 pitched in diamond mode might do fine for a hammock of less than 8' length.
Posted by: RHodo

Re: Rain proof hammock shelter - 02/24/11 04:29 PM

Originally Posted By billstephenson
I went to join the hammockforums yesterday and they wanted way too much personal info for me to be comfortable, so I declined. Instead, I decided to see what I could learn here...




Under those circumstances I normally invent info for things I'd like to keep private. You know, birthday=12/07/1941, give the phone# to dial a prayer, etc... I don't think they're up to anything nefarious with your info, more likely a holdover from the days when such questions weren't considered as invasive as they are today. It's really a pretty good site, you might want to reconsider joining.
Posted by: phat

Re: Rain proof hammock shelter - 02/24/11 08:49 PM


It also depends how close to the hammock you rig the tarp bill.

I have kept a hammock dry under a 5x8 rectangle, but you have to be pretty tight up against it if you get a sidewind and have the sides of the tarp down pretty good.

A square tarp witht he diagonal dimension a little longer than the hammock is your best bet for "minimal" coverage, and you rig the tarp diagonally over the hammock.

HAving said that I *usually* use an 8x10 square. it's light enough in light materiel, and one of the nice things about the hammock is I end up with acres of space to stand around underneath, sit in the hammock sling style, watch the rainy world outside, invite nice young ladies over to chat and stay dry while amusingly watching their male companions (who decline the same invitaiton to wait out the thunderstorm under my tarp) set up a crappy huge dome tent in an inverted bowl of a tent site full of water with rain sheeting down..

For me it's those little things that make a bit bigger tarp nice - at least by the time I'm hammocking.
Posted by: Ewker

Re: Rain proof hammock shelter - 02/25/11 09:16 AM

Originally Posted By billstephenson
I went to join the hammockforums yesterday and they wanted way too much personal info for me to be comfortable, so I declined. Instead, I decided to see what I could learn here...



I have been a member on HF since it started. I don't understand what kind of personal info are they wanting from you to be a member. Seems really odd to me.

To keep this on topic I have a Speer Winter Tarp. I take it all the time. To me it is a yr round tarp. Unfortunately it isn't made anymore but you can catch one up for sale every now and then
Posted by: finallyME

Re: Rain proof hammock shelter - 02/25/11 02:53 PM

I am with phat. I like my 8X10. I have had it in a few storms with great success. I like to pitch it a little high to give me walking around room. I need to hike where phat is hiking so I can invite girls under it when it rains. wink
Posted by: billstephenson

Re: Rain proof hammock shelter - 02/25/11 09:40 PM

I've got plenty of material to mock one or two more up right now, so I'll make an 8'x10' next and play with it, and I guess I can just keep whittling it down until I find how small I can go.

Today I found an adhesive nylon "Patch" in the sewing dept at Wal-Mart called "Bondex Outdoor Restore". It shows tents, backpacks, and jackets on the packaging. It looks like it's pretty tough stuff. It might work good to reinforce the plastic sheet I'm using where the ridge-line meets the edges, the corner points, and other potential tie out points.

Posted by: phat

Re: Rain proof hammock shelter - 02/25/11 11:08 PM

Geez bill if you're getting that clever, ditch the plastic, find some 1.1 nylon, a tube of silicone sealant, some white gas, give it a good dunking in the mix and squeegee off the excess..

Or just buy silnylon wink
Posted by: phat

Re: Rain proof hammock shelter - 02/25/11 11:10 PM

Originally Posted By finallyME
I need to hike where phat is hiking so I can invite girls under it when it rains. wink


I only get to do that on skyline and west coast trail.. everywhere else I go there's hardly anyone around..

Posted by: billstephenson

Re: Rain proof hammock shelter - 02/26/11 01:29 PM

Is that the formula for making siliconize nylon? (silnylon)

Hmmm... That is really interesting.

Has anyone made a "Tied Dyed" one using different colors of silicon? laugh

I checked my plastic tarp yesterday after some good hard rain the past couple days and the hammock was dry as can be. So was the ground under it. So, I at least know a little more than I did last week.

I'm suppose I'll end up buying some silnylon, but I kind of like the clearness of the plastic tarp, and if I can make one that is comparable in weight and durability to silnylon, I might stick with it for a bit.

I have a lot to learn yet. Tom just posted a link to some videos about hammocks and I haven't spent much time on the Henry Shires site either.

Posted by: Jimshaw

Re: Rain proof hammock shelter - 02/26/11 02:03 PM

Bill
buy a premade silnylon tarp on ebay, that way you do not have to figure out the catenary curve and it will come with grommets in it. So many do it yourself jobs cost more for materials than a finished product made by someone who already learned from their mistakes.
Jim.
Posted by: phat

Re: Rain proof hammock shelter - 02/26/11 02:25 PM

[quote=billstephenson]Is that the formula for making siliconize nylon? (silnylon)
/quote]

You can pretty much make homemade seamsealer by cutting clear silicone about 50/50 with white gas..

If you have a lawyer and like to smoke while working you didn't get the idea from me.

it does seam to work a lot like silnylon with smeared on thin.

but it's messy - might be easier to just buy silnylon.

It's probably the only way you could make a tie die though. make your tie dye tarp and then seam seal it.

(I would *kill* for a good ultralight tie dye hammock tarp)
Posted by: GDeadphans

Re: Rain proof hammock shelter - 02/27/11 12:00 AM

Originally Posted By phat

(I would *kill* for a good ultralight tie dye hammock tarp)


That would be pretty rockin'!
Posted by: billstephenson

Re: Rain proof hammock shelter - 02/27/11 02:22 PM

I hadn't thought about looking on eBay. I did check the hammockforums and they had nothing there except buyers.

I don't mind learning from my mistakes if I'm learning something I want to know. I bought a sewing machine a few years ago and stitching up a tarp would be fun even if it looks like I made it myself when I'm done wink

But... if I see a good deal on eBay, I'd probably snap it up. I can learn from anything I sew up right now laugh
Posted by: Kent W

Re: Rain proof hammock shelter - 03/06/11 06:02 PM

Bill I am stitching up a siltarp today. I should have it wraped up tomorrow. I like the idea of a sea through poly tarp. I was thinking the ultimate light weight poly for such a project,would be a plastic shrink style patio door storm window kit. That plastic is real clear light and strong. My wheels are turnin again!